The Münstertal (Münster valley) is a
municipality
A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate.
The term ''municipality'' may also mean the ...
in the
southern Black Forest
The Southern Black Forest (german: Südschwarzwald) is the highest part of the Black Forest, an area heavily transformed by ice age glaciation south of a line roughly from Freiburg im Breisgau to Donaueschingen. The term High Black Forest is no ...
, which belongs to the district of
Breisgau-Hochschwarzwald
Breisgau-Hochschwarzwald (french: Arrondissement de Brisgau-Haute-Forêt-Noire) is a (district) in the southwest of Baden-Württemberg, Germany. Fifty towns and municipalities with 133 settlements lie within the district. The district itself belon ...
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 more than 11.07 million inhabitants across a ...
in southern
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 ...
. It is 3 miles east from
Staufen Staufen refers to:
* Hohenstaufen, a dynasty of German emperors
*Staufen im Breisgau, a town in Baden-Württemberg, Germany
*Staufen, Aargau, in Switzerland
*Staufen (protein)
Staufen is a protein product of a maternally expressed gene first iden ...
.
Geography
Location
The Münstertal stretches from
Staufen im Breisgau
Staufen im Breisgau ( High Alemannic: ''Staufe im Brisgau'') is a German town in the Breisgau-Hochschwarzwald district of Baden-Württemberg. It had a population of approximately 8,300 in 2019.
General
The city of Staufen im Breisgau lies in t ...
up into the Black Forest. It divides into several side valleys and extends in the direction of
Belchen(Schwarzwald), via the district of Stohren towards the
Schauinsland
The Schauinsland (literally "look-into-the-country"; near Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany) is a mountain in the Black Forest with an elevation of 1,284 m (4,213 ft) above sea level. It is a popular destination for day trips. Due to the h ...
and via the Münsterhalde towards Badenweiler. The altitude of the Münstertal ranges from 380 m above sea level up to 1414 m on the summit of the Belchen, which represents a difference of 1060 meters.
Constituent communities
The Münstertal consists of the formerly independent communities Obermünstertal (Upper Münstertal) and Untermünstertal (Lower Münstertal) with a total of 65 villages, hamlets, farms and houses.
The villages of Breitmatt, Diezelbach, Hasengrund, Laisacker, Landensberg, Langenbach, Lehengasse, Limberg, Rammelsbach, Sägerstrasse (Sägegasse), Sirnitz, Sirnitzgrund, Wildsbach, which were established between 1949 and 1950, are situated in Untermünstertal, and the villages of Fischmatte, Gufenbach , Hinterer Rotenbuck, Hof, Kaltwasser, Mulden, Münster (on the left), Münster (on the right), Neuhäuser (on the left), Neuhäuser (on the right), Prestenberg-Lehn , Süßenbrunn, Vorderer Rotenbuck, Upper Wasen , Lower Wasen and Ziegelplatz were established in 1960.
History
The village of Münster was first mentioned in 1258 and gave the valley its name. In 1346 it was destroyed by the
Counts of Freiburg
The Counts of Freiburg were the descendants of Count Egino of Urach (d. 1236/7). They ruled over the city of Freiburg and the Breisgau (within the Margraviate of Baden) between approximately 1245 and 1368.
History
The Margraviate of Baden h ...
.
On December 1, 1971, the independent communities of Obermünstertal and Untermünstertal merged to become the municipality of Münstertal.
Economy and Infrastructure
Tourism
A tourist board was founded in 1935.
There is a campsite in Diezelbach which is open all year round.
Transport
The Münstertal is connected by the
Bad Krozingen–Münstertal railway
The Bad Krozingen and Münstertal Railway, also the Münstertal Railway (german: Münstertalbahn), is a branch line in Baden-Württemberg, in southwest Germany, running from Bad Krozingen to Münstertal/Schwarzwald, Münstertal (Schwarzwald) in t ...
to the national rail network. The railway is operated by the
Südwestdeutschen Verkehrs-AG. The
electrification
Electrification is the process of powering by electricity and, in many contexts, the introduction of such power by changing over from an earlier power source.
The broad meaning of the term, such as in the history of technology, economic histo ...
of the line has been completed and the electric train started operating on 21 September 2013.
Culture and Attractions
Museums
* The museum in the Black Forest House 1902 (formerly: ''der Kaltwasserhof''), where the
ARD television series under the same name that received the
Adolf-Grimme-Preis
The Grimme-Preis ("Grimme Award"; prior to 2011: Adolf-Grimme-Preis) is one of the most prestigious German television awards. It is named after the first general director of Nordwestdeutscher Rundfunk, Adolf Grimme.[Asthma
Asthma is a long-term inflammatory disease of the airways of the lungs. It is characterized by variable and recurring symptoms, reversible airflow obstruction, and easily triggered bronchospasms. Symptoms include episodes of wheezing, co ...]
(asthma) therapie tunnel where respiratory- and skin diseases are being treated.
* The museum for mining, forest- and settlement history gives an insight on the tradition and the history of the Münstertal.
Famous Buildings
The monastery
St. Trudpert was founded in the 9th century. For a long time it was the village´s center and the starting point of the christianization of the southern part of the Black Forest. Today, it represents the mother house of the nuns of the holy Josef.
In the district Obermünstertal you can visit the ruin of the castle Scharfenstein.
Deer sculpture
On the main road
L L 130 between Rotenbuck and Münsterhalden, unknown persons set up a life-size deer sculpture on a rock during the
Nacht (Walburgis night) night of May 1, 2016.
Personalities
* Hans Karl Abel (1876–1951), German author, died in Mühlbach
* Willibald Strohmeyer (1877–1945), catholic priest, was murdered in Münstertal at the end of the Second World War.
* Franz Gutmann (* 1928 in Obermünstertal), sculptor
* Karl-Josef Fuchs (* 1960 in Münstertal), cook
* Karl Pfefferle
* Maren Wiesler (* 1993), German ski racer
Places
Museums
Schwarzwaldhaus(
Black Forest house
The Black Forest houseDickinson, Robert E (1964). ''Germany: A regional and economic geography'' (2nd ed.). London: Methuen, p. 154. . (german: Schwarzwaldhaus) is a byre-dwelling that is found mainly in the central and southern parts of the Bla ...
), where the documentary film ''Schwarzwaldhaus 1902'' was shot, is a museum about filming and the life of mountain farmers.
Bienenkundemuseum(Museum for the study of bees).
Teufelsgrund(Devil's Ground) was a silver mine and is today a museum about mining, but there is also an adit used for the treatment of asthma.
Buildings
St. Trudpertwas a
benedictine
, image = Medalla San Benito.PNG
, caption = Design on the obverse side of the Saint Benedict Medal
, abbreviation = OSB
, formation =
, motto = (English: 'Pray and Work')
, foun ...
monastery.
Scharfenstein(Sharpstone) was a castle whose ruins can be visited in Obermünstertal.
Literature
* André Bechtold: ''Die Bergstadt Münster und die habsburgische Herrschaftsbildung am Oberrhein im 14. und 15. Jahrhundert.'' In:
Das Markgräflerland, Band 2/2003, Schopfheim 2003, S. 81–91.
* Korinna Thiem: ''Die Historische Landschaftsanalyse als Methode für die Fließgewässerbewertung am Beispiel des Münstertals im Schwarzwald''. (= Culterra; 46). Universität Freiburg, Freiburg im Breisgau 2006
PDF-Datei 15,8 MB)
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Munstertal, Black Forest
Breisgau-Hochschwarzwald
Baden
Black Forest