The Rotbach (in its upper reaches it is called the Zartenbach and Löffeltalbach, in its middle section, the Höllenbach) is the 19.9-kilometre-long, left-hand and southeasterly headstream of the Dreisam in the Southern Black Forest in the south German state of

Baden-Württemberg Baden-Württemberg ( ; ), commonly shortened to BW or BaWü, is a states of Germany, 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 i ...

Zartenbach

The headstreams of the upper reaches of the Rotbach, known as the ''Zartenbach'', begin on the territory of Hinterzarten ( Southern Black Forest Nature Park) southwest of the village of ''Oberzarten'' on the eastern mountainside of the Ramselehöhe (1,111,9 m) at about 1,085 metres above sea level. They gather on the bottom of a valley basin with a stepped longitudinal profile that was formed by an

ice age An ice age is a long period of reduction in the temperature of Earth's surface and atmosphere, resulting in the presence or expansion of continental and polar ice sheets and alpine glaciers. Earth's climate alternates between ice ages, and g ...

glacier. On one of the levels the stream is impounded to form the pond of Mathisleweiher (). Thereafter it flows in a broad left-hand arc around the Windeck (1,209 m) and passes through Oberzarten and Hinterzarten northwards in the broad hollow of the level Hinterzarten Moor (

nature reserve A nature reserve (also known as a wildlife refuge, wildlife sanctuary, biosphere reserve or bioreserve, natural or nature preserve, or nature conservation area) is a protected area of importance for flora, fauna, funga, or features of geologic ...

Löffeltalbach

After picking up the outflow of the western part of the moor, the stream deepens as it enters a V-shaped valley and descends steeply. The valley is named after the old workshops here that used to make wooden spoons (''Holzlöffeln''). Through this valley used to run the ''Löffeltalsteige'', the ascent from the Höllental valley to the heights of Hinterzarten.

Höllenbach

In the Höllental the Löffeltalbach merges with the Ravennabach coming from Ravenna Gorge to the northeast. The stream, now called the ''Höllenbach'', flows northwest initially through the straight trough valley of the upper Höllental which was formed by ice age glaciers. It then comes to a gorge-like section of the valley which is known as the '' Hirschsprung'' or ''Höllenpass''. The stream is accompanied by the B 31 and Höllentalbahn as it continues through the Höllental.

Rotbach

In the lower section of the valley, the stream continues as the ''Rotbach'' through Falkensteig and Himmelreich (villages in the municipality of Buchenbach), where it flows out into the plain of the Zarten Basin. North of Kirchzarten the Rotbach empties into the Dreisam together with the Wagensteigbach above the bridge carrying '' Landesstraße'' 127 at a height of .

Sights

The sights along the Rotbach include the: * Mathisleweiher (also called the Mathislesweiher or Mathiesleweiher ; source pond of the Zartenbach and Rotbachs) * Höllental (narrow valley of the Höllenbach/Rotbach) * Ravenna Gorge and Ravennabach (side valley of the Höllental) * Tarodunum (ca. 200 ha large Celtic '' oppidum''; east of Kirchzarten)

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{{Commons category Rivers of Baden-Württemberg Rivers of the Black Forest Rivers of Germany