Breisgau-Hochschwarzwald (french: Arrondissement de Brisgau-Haute-Forêt-Noire) is a (district) in the southwest of
Baden-Württemberg
Baden-Württemberg (; ), commonly shortened to BW or BaWü, is a German state () in Southwest Germany, east of the Rhine, which forms the southern part of Germany's western border with France. With more than 11.07 million inhabitants across a ...
,
Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwee ...
. Fifty towns and municipalities with 133 settlements lie within the district. The district itself belongs to the
region of Freiburg with the region of
Southern Upper Rhine.
The municipal offices are in the city of
Freiburg im Breisgau
Freiburg im Breisgau (; abbreviated as Freiburg i. Br. or Freiburg i. B.; Low Alemannic: ''Friburg im Brisgau''), commonly referred to as Freiburg, is an independent city in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. With a population of about 230,000 (as o ...
which is almost entirely surrounded by Breisgau-Hochschwarzwald, but is independent of it. In addition, the council has three satellite offices in
Müllheim,
Titisee-Neustadt and
Breisach am Rhein
Breisach (formerly Altbreisach; Low Alemannic: ''Alt-Brisach'') is a town with approximately 16,500 inhabitants, situated along the Rhine in the Rhine Valley, in the district Breisgau-Hochschwarzwald, Baden-Württemberg, Germany, about halfway ...
.
Geography
Location
Breisgau-Hochschwarzwald covers areas which are very different in scenic character: in the
Upper Rhine Plain
The Upper Rhine Plain, Rhine Rift Valley or Upper Rhine Graben (German: ''Oberrheinische Tiefebene'', ''Oberrheinisches Tiefland'' or ''Oberrheingraben'', French: ''Vallée du Rhin'') is a major rift, about and on average , between Basel in the s ...
are the
Markgräflerland and its
foothill zone, which is continued north of the
Breisgau
The Breisgau () is an area in southwest Germany between the Rhine River and the foothills of the Black Forest. Part of the state of Baden-Württemberg, it centers on the city of Freiburg im Breisgau. The district of Breisgau-Hochschwarzwald, ...
with the hills of
Kaiserstuhl, the
Tuniberg
Tuniberg is a hill in Baden-Württemberg
Baden-Württemberg (; ), commonly shortened to BW or BaWü, is a German state () in Southwest Germany, east of the Rhine, which forms the southern part of Germany's western border with France. With mo ...
and the
Nimberg
Nimberg is a mountain of Baden-Württemberg
Baden-Württemberg (; ), commonly shortened to BW or BaWü, is a German state () in Southwest Germany, east of the Rhine, which forms the southern part of Germany's western border with France. W ...
.
Within the district, the
Black Forest
The Black Forest (german: Schwarzwald ) is a large forested mountain range in the state of Baden-Württemberg in southwest Germany, bounded by the Rhine Valley to the west and south and close to the borders with France and Switzerland. It is ...
covers the side valleys opening onto the Rhine Plain - the
Glottertal
Glottertal is a municipality in the district of Breisgau-Hochschwarzwald in Baden-Württemberg in southern Germany.
History
From 1567 till the Napoleonic Wars the area was part of Further Austria and therefore part of the Habsburg monarchy. Al ...
, the valley of the
Dreisam
The Dreisam (Celtic: ''*tragisamā'', "the very fast one") is a 29 km long river (48.8 km including its source river Rotbach), and a tributary of the Elz in the German state of Baden-Württemberg. The waters of the Dreisam feed the fam ...
, the
Höllental and the
Münstertal - the
High Black Forest
The High Black Forest (german: Hochschwarzwald) is a touristic and geographical region in the south-west of the German federal state Baden-Württemberg, primarily in the Southern Black Forest.
History of the name
The term ''Hochschwarzwald'' o ...
with its highest peak, the
Feldberg (1493 m), and extends as far as the plateau of
Baar.
In the centre of Breisgau-Hochschwarzwald lies the territory of the city of Freiburg, which is almost entirely surrounded by Breisgau-Hochschwarzwald. Only on its northern side is there a 3-kilometre-long boundary with the municipality of
Vörstetten and the district of
Emmendingen.
Neighbouring counties
The neighbouring counties are
Emmendingen,
Schwarzwald-Baar,
Waldshut,
Lörrach
Lörrach () is a town in southwest Germany, in the valley of the Wiese, close to the French and the Swiss borders. It is the capital of the district of Lörrach in Baden-Württemberg. It is the home of a number of large employers, including ...
and the
French
French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to France
** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents
** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...
of the
Haut-Rhin
Haut-Rhin (, ; Alsatian: ''Owerelsàss'' or '; german: Oberelsass, ) is a department in the Grand Est region of France, bordering both Germany and Switzerland. It is named after the river Rhine. Its name means '' Upper Rhine''. Haut-Rhin is t ...
and the
Bas-Rhin
Bas-Rhin (; Alsatian: ''Unterelsàss'', ' or '; traditional german: links=no, Niederrhein; en, Lower Rhine) is a department in Alsace which is a part of the Grand Est super-region of France. The name means 'Lower Rhine', referring to its lo ...
. The independent city of
Freiburg is surrounded by the district. The district is named after the
Breisgau
The Breisgau () is an area in southwest Germany between the Rhine River and the foothills of the Black Forest. Part of the state of Baden-Württemberg, it centers on the city of Freiburg im Breisgau. The district of Breisgau-Hochschwarzwald, ...
, a historical territory, and the
High Black Forest
The High Black Forest (german: Hochschwarzwald) is a touristic and geographical region in the south-west of the German federal state Baden-Württemberg, primarily in the Southern Black Forest.
History of the name
The term ''Hochschwarzwald'' o ...
().
Climate
The climate in Breisgau-Hochschwarzwald is very varied. Between
Ihringen, the place with the highest annual average temperature in Germany, and the summit of the Feldberg, both the warmest and the coldest places in Baden-Württemberg lie in Breisgau-Hochschwarzwald. Climatically, the district is one of the warmest regions in Germany: its mean annual temperature in the Rhine valley is , its average rainfall is approximately , and it has about 1,800 hours of sunshine annually. Moreover, the
highest temperature ever measured in Germany, , was recorded on 13 August 2003 in the municipality of
March.
March shares this record with
Gärmersdorf near
Amberg,
Freiburg and
Karlsruhe
Karlsruhe ( , , ; South Franconian: ''Kallsruh'') is the third-largest city of the German state (''Land'') of Baden-Württemberg after its capital of Stuttgart and Mannheim, and the 22nd-largest city in the nation, with 308,436 inhabitants. ...
.
[Deutscher Wetterdienst: ]
Wetterrekorde – Lufttemperatur
', dwd.de, retrieved 29 November 2013
History
The
County of Breisgau () and
County of Baar () were formed on the territory of the present district in the 8th century. Both counties belonged to the
Duchy of Alemannia. The eastern part, the upper reaches of the
Danube
The Danube ( ; ) is a river that was once a long-standing frontier of the Roman Empire and today connects 10 European countries, running through their territories or being a border. Originating in Germany, the Danube flows southeast for , pa ...
and
Neckar, came under the
Carolingian dominion of the
Ahalolfings. Following the disintegration of the
Frankish Empire
Francia, also called the Kingdom of the Franks ( la, Regnum Francorum), Frankish Kingdom, Frankland or Frankish Empire ( la, Imperium Francorum), was the largest post-Roman barbarian kingdom in Western Europe. It was ruled by the Franks dur ...
in 843, the area became part of
East Francia
East Francia (Medieval Latin: ) or the Kingdom of the East Franks () was a successor state of Charlemagne's empire ruled by the Carolingian dynasty until 911. It was created through the Treaty of Verdun (843) which divided the former empire int ...
and part of it, from 920, the
Duchy of Swabia
The Duchy of Swabia (German: ''Herzogtum Schwaben'') was one of the five stem duchies of the medieval German Kingdom. It arose in the 10th century in the southwestern area that had been settled by Alemanni tribes in Late Antiquity.
While the ...
. In 1368, the
Breisgau
The Breisgau () is an area in southwest Germany between the Rhine River and the foothills of the Black Forest. Part of the state of Baden-Württemberg, it centers on the city of Freiburg im Breisgau. The district of Breisgau-Hochschwarzwald, ...
went into the hands of the
House of Habsburg
The House of Habsburg (), alternatively spelled Hapsburg in Englishgerman: Haus Habsburg, ; es, Casa de Habsburgo; hu, Habsburg család, it, Casa di Asburgo, nl, Huis van Habsburg, pl, dom Habsburgów, pt, Casa de Habsburgo, la, Domus Hab ...
(see
Anterior Austria
Further Austria, Outer Austria or Anterior Austria (german: Vorderösterreich, formerly ''die Vorlande'' (pl.)) was the collective name for the early (and later) possessions of the House of Habsburg in the former Swabian stem duchy of south-we ...
). The
Swabian princes of Fürstenberg dominated the Baar, while the area south of Freiburg, the
Markgräflerland, ended up with the margraves of
Baden
Baden (; ) is a historical territory in South Germany, in earlier times on both sides of the Upper Rhine but since the Napoleonic Wars only East of the Rhine.
History
The margraves of Baden originated from the House of Zähringen. Baden i ...
. In 1805/06, after the end of the
Napoleonic wars
The Napoleonic Wars (1803–1815) were a series of major global conflicts pitting the French Empire and its allies, led by Napoleon I, against a fluctuating array of European states formed into various coalitions. It produced a period of Fre ...
, the region became part of the
Grand Duchy of Baden
The Grand Duchy of Baden (german: Großherzogtum Baden) was a state in the southwest German Empire on the east bank of the Rhine. It existed between 1806 and 1918.
It came into existence in the 12th century as the Margraviate of Baden and subs ...
.
The district of Breisgau-Hochschwarzwald was established as part of the district reform of Baden-Württemberg on 1 Jan 1973, mainly from the former rural districts of
Freiburg,
Müllheim and
Hochschwarzwald (with its head office in Neustadt in the Black Forest). In addition, the municipality of
Unadingen from the district of Donaueschingen was incorporated.
Other municipalities were integrated into the city of Freiburg. The southern part of the district of Müllheim went to
Lörrach
Lörrach () is a town in southwest Germany, in the valley of the Wiese, close to the French and the Swiss borders. It is the capital of the district of Lörrach in Baden-Württemberg. It is the home of a number of large employers, including ...
and some municipalities were transferred from the old district of Hochschwarzwald to
Waldshut.
Later, more municipalities were incorporated into the city of Freiburg:
Munzingen on 1 July 1973,
Hochdorf on 1 September 1973 and
Ebnet and
Kappel on 1 July 1974. On 1 September 1973, the municipality of Schönenbach, which belonged to the district of Waldshut, was added. On 1 January 1974 Kiechlinsbergen was ceded to Emmendingen. On 1 April 1974 Leiselheim followed. On 18 March 1975 Grünwald was added from the district of Waldshut was added (moving from
Bonndorf im Schwarzwald to
Lenzkirch).
The three old districts were formed in 1939 from the of the same name that had been established in the early nineteenth century when large numbers of them were formed as the area became part of Baden. In the course of the history the were changed several times, until in 1936 only those of Freiburg, Müllheim, Neustadt im Schwarzwald and Staufen were left. Staufen was divided between Freiburg and Müllheim. The district of Neustadt, founded in 1939, was renamed Hochschwarzwald in 1956.
Following the completion of the municipal form, the district of Breisgau-Hochschwarzwald comprised 50 municipalities, including ten towns. There are no large county towns. The largest town is
Müllheim, the smallest municipality is
Heuweiler. The most recent town is
Bad Krozingen (from 1 September 2005).
Population growth
The population figures are based on censuses (1987) or official updates by the Baden-Württemberg State Office of Statistics (only main residences).
Economy
The economy is based on
tourism
Tourism is travel for pleasure or business; also the theory and practice of touring (disambiguation), touring, the business of attracting, accommodating, and entertaining tourists, and the business of operating tour (disambiguation), tours. Th ...
,
wine
Wine is an alcoholic drink typically made from Fermentation in winemaking, fermented grapes. Yeast in winemaking, Yeast consumes the sugar in the grapes and converts it to ethanol and carbon dioxide, releasing heat in the process. Different ...
, and
forestry
Forestry is the science and craft of creating, managing, planting, using, conserving and repairing forests, woodlands, and associated resources for human and environmental benefits. Forestry is practiced in plantations and natural stands. ...
.
Politics
Politically, the majority of the district parliament () is traditionally conservative (
CDU), with higher levels of conservative votes the farther the distance from Freiburg (which has a
green
Green is the color between cyan and yellow on the visible spectrum. It is evoked by light which has a dominant wavelength of roughly 495570 nm. In subtractive color systems, used in painting and color printing, it is created by a combin ...
-
red majority).
Coat of arms
The left half of the coat of arms show the colors of
Austria
Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...
, and the right side the colors of
Baden
Baden (; ) is a historical territory in South Germany, in earlier times on both sides of the Upper Rhine but since the Napoleonic Wars only East of the Rhine.
History
The margraves of Baden originated from the House of Zähringen. Baden i ...
, as parts of the District belonged to both states at various times. In the middle, the coat of arms shows an
eagle
Eagle is the common name for many large birds of prey of the family Accipitridae. Eagles belong to several groups of genera, some of which are closely related. Most of the 68 species of eagle are from Eurasia and Africa. Outside this area, j ...
, taken from the coat of arms of the Princes of
Fürstenberg. The coat of arms was granted in 1974, and it is very similar to the coat of arms of the previous Freiburg district.
Cities and municipalities
References
External links
*
History & Pictures
{{Coord, 47.95, N, 7.85, E, source:dewiki_region:DE-BW_type:adm2nd, display=title
Freiburg (region)
Districts of Baden-Württemberg
French-speaking countries and territories