The Dreisam Valley (german: Dreisamtal) is a valley east of the south German city of Freiburg. The valley lies within the Southern Black Forest Nature Park in the state of Baden-Württemberg.

Location

The Dreisam Valley runs for a few kilometres east of Freiburg, where it widens into a broad, level valley floor, the Zarten Basin (''Zartener Becken''). The main town of the valley is Kirchzarten which incorporates the village of Zarten, a settlement of

Celtic Celtic, Celtics or Keltic may refer to: Language and ethnicity *pertaining to Celts, a collection of Indo-European peoples in Europe and Anatolia **Celts (modern) *Celtic languages **Proto-Celtic language * Celtic music *Celtic nations Sports Fo ...

origin ( Tarodunum). Other places in the valley are

Stegen Stegen is a municipality in the Breisgau-Hochschwarzwald district, Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It borders on the city of Freiburg, being about 8 km away as the crow flies, lying in the valley of the river Dreisam. The municipality inc ...

, where the Eschbach valley from

St. Peter ) (Simeon, Simon) , birth_date = , birth_place = Bethsaida, Gaulanitis, Syria, Roman Empire , death_date = Between AD 64–68 , death_place = probably Vatican Hill, Rome, Italia, Roman Empire , parents = John (or Jonah; Jona) , occupation ...

joins,

Buchenbach Buchenbach is a municipality in the south west of the Black Forest in Germany. It is located in the district of Breisgau-Hochschwarzwald in Baden-Württemberg. It is made up of four communities, the main town of Buchenbach and the villages of F ...

, where it meets the Wagensteig valley coming from

St. Märgen ST, St, or St. may refer to: Arts and entertainment * Stanza, in poetry * Suicidal Tendencies, an American heavy metal/hardcore punk band * Star Trek, a science-fiction media franchise * Summa Theologica, a compendium of Catholic philosophy ...

and the Höllental valley which descends from Hinterzarten, and Oberried, where the Oberried valley joins from the Notschrei. The Freiburg subdistricts of Kappel, Ebnet and

Littenweiler Littenweiler is a quarter (''Stadtteil'') in the south-east of Freiburg im Breisgau near the river Dreisam in the Dreisam valley. The station building of the stopping point ''Freiburg-Littenweiler'' lies above sea level. History The villag ...

also lie within the Dreisamtal.

Hydrology

The eponymous river flows through the Dreisam Valley, which was formed by sedimentary deposits from the inflowing streams that unite to form the Dreisam. More than 10 million m³ of groundwater are withdrawn from the whole of the valley every year, a considerable part of which provides drinking water for the city of Freiburg. The flat valley floor is therefore partly a water protection area (''Wasserschutzgebiet''). (by way of comparison, the annual groundwater outflow from the valley is less than 15 million m³.)

Transportation

The B 31 and the Höllentalbahn railway run through the Dreisam valley, each leading from Freiburg into the Black Forest.

Tourism

For many tourists, the Dreisam valley is mainly known for its hiking and

mountain biking Mountain biking is a sport of riding bicycles off-road, often over rough terrain, usually using specially designed mountain bikes. Mountain bikes share similarities with other bikes but incorporate features designed to enhance durability and pe ...

trails through the Black Forest. The proximity to Freiburg as well as to neighbouring Alsace make the area a popular destination. 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 ...

hill and the Feldberg, the highest mountain in the Black Forest, are easily accessible from the valley. The four municipalities of Kirchzarten, Stegen, Buchenbach and Oberried have joined forces to promote the Dreisam Valley touristically.

Landscape protection

Parts of the valley are designated as a landscape conservation area, from the eastern city limits of Freiburg to

between the lower reaches of the Wagensteigbach stream and the lower reaches of the Rotbach brook.

External links

''Vor den Toren Freiburgs: Das Dreisamtal''

''Dreisamwiki''

''Dreisamtal zwischen Freiburg und Himmelreich''

Current photos from the Dreisam Valley at regiowebcam.de
{{coord, 47, 58, 50, N, 7, 55, 18, E, type:landmark_region:DE_dim:10000, display=title Regions of Baden-Württemberg Valleys of Baden-Württemberg