Hiking in nature in Black Forest of Baden-Württemberg

Black Forest is the most important recreational region in Baden-Württemberg and the most visited holiday destination among the German low mountain ranges. It is particularly known for its romantic valleys, gorges, mills and typical farms as well as the place of origin of the cuckoo clock. It is also a popular hiking area because of its good network of long-distance hiking trails such as the Westweg. Winter sports have a long tradition around the Feldberg (1493 m), the highest mountain in the Black Forest, as well as in many other places in the Black Forest.

Lake Constance with the Alpine chain in the background is also a well-visited travel destination and also a local recreation destination for city dwellers; Here you can find evidence of a wide variety of eras with the Unteruhldingen pile dwellings and the UNESCO World Heritage monastery island of Reichenau. On the lake, the flower island of Mainau and the old towns of Konstanz and Meersburg have the highest number of visitors. Not far from the region around Lake Constance are the Danube Valley and Upper Swabia with the old imperial towns of Biberach an der Riß and Ravensburg. The Upper Swabian Baroque Road leads through this Baroque centre north of the Alps. Other major cities are Freiburg im Breisgau, Heidelberg, Ulm, Heilbronn, Pforzheim and Reutlingen.

The Allgäu in Württemberg attracts with its landscape and many hiking opportunities, as does the Swabian-Franconian Forest Nature Park further north.

The Swabian Alb is known for its small romantic towns (e.g. Bad Urach), the heathland landscapes, the extensive forests, the caves, castles and palaces (Hohenzollern Castle, Lichtenstein Castle, Sigmaringen Castle). Baden-Württemberg has around 60 spas and health resorts, especially in the Black Forest and Upper Swabia.Baden-Württemberg is the German state with the highest exports, the second lowest unemployment rate, the fifth highest gross domestic product (GDP) per capita as well as the most registered patents per capita and the absolute and relatively highest research and development expenditure.