The Black Forest (Ger. Schwarzwald) in southwest Germany is treasured for its unsurpassed natural beauty. Two major rivers begin in Schwarzwald. Magic and mystical, with stunning forests and clear water sources, the rhythm of the land it deep and eternal.
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The Black Forest is known for rugged mountains, towering spruce, fog-shrouded hills, sparkling streams and cryptic tales. Once populated by ancient deciduous trees, the Black Forest is almost deforested by the middle of the 19th century as building booms.
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At the same time comes an increase in environmental activism. Intense rehabilitation efforts such as the introduction of fast-growing spruce restore the magnificent forest, and it's now a National Park. Two important rivers, Danube and the Neckar, originate in the Black Forest.
The Danube is the second-longest river in the world, after the Volga in Russia. It connects ten different countries including Germany, Austria, Hungary and Ukraine, flowing to the Black Sea.
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The Neckar River travels through Heidelberg to join the Rhine. The name Neckar comes from the Celtic for 'wild fellow' or 'wild one' and refers in part to the water spirits, Nyx or nixies, in some regions called Neck or Nek.
The romance of Schwarzwald includes postcard towns, Christmas traditions, local folklore, and cuckoo clocks. In winter, residents over generations created carvings and clocks for sale, some very elaborate, with mechanical clockwork birds, animals or people.
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Black Forest cattle, Black Forest horses, pine-smoked Black Forest ham and scrumptious Black Forest cake all come from Schwarzwald. The cattle are a small, hardy breed adapted to mountain living. The compact heavy horses, dark with lush pale manes, originate here.
Silver, usually a product of smelting, is found in raw form in the Black Forest. Hot springs abound in the mountains. In the nineteenth century, spa resorts prosper as strong advances in health, medicine, natural health and treatment foster a therapeutic return to nature.
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Hot springs, hot or cold mineral springs and healing waters bubble up from the deep-delved earth. German towns with mineral springs were allowed to use the words 'Bad' and 'Baden' ('bath' and 'bathe') in front of their names.
The northern Black Forest near Baden-Baden is the setting for Hotel of Horror, a Reiker For Hire Victorian detective murder mystery. Reiker tries to find a missing wealthy eccentric, and gets unwanted feminine help, while the forces of science and nature go much too far.