Elbenschwand between forests, pastures and hamlets

Forests, pastures and a settlement landscape shaped by hamlets and farms give Elbenschwand its character. The Memorial Circular Trail also offers a moderately difficult loop hike. Nature, the village landscape and a specific hiking idea thus sit side by side—different starting points when planning your stay and looking for a holiday apartment.

Landscape and settlement pattern

The landscape ranges from lowland beech forest on brown soils or shallow, stony raw soils to species-poor mixed fir forest from around 800 metres upwards. Pastures and meadows shape gentle slopes, flat areas and hollows. Wooded and open areas thus sit alongside a wide variety of landforms. If you would rather shape your holiday around the landscape than a single attraction, this diversity offers a fitting starting point for your plans.

Elbenschwand’s settlement pattern is shaped by hamlets, farm clusters and individual farms. They lie in the valley and on flattened slopes high above the Kleines Wiesental valley, on the northwest slope of the Zeller Blauen. The district consists of the Gewanne of Elbenschwand, Holl and Langensee. Its main village area stretches high above the Kleine Wiese and along the stream between Bürchau and Tegernau. The Gewanne and settlement patterns provide orientation at different scales: from the name of a district to the distribution of hamlets and farms across the landscape.

Hiking trail and memorial

The Elbenschwand Memorial Circular Trail is a moderately difficult hiking trail in a loop. The two descriptions refer to different aspects of the route: “loop” describes its shape, while “moderately difficult” indicates its difficulty rating. If you would like to include a hike in your travel plans, you can use these details as specific points of reference when choosing the focus of your activities.

A memorial to the Werwolf murders of 1945 stands in the Elbenschwand forest. The KUK initiative erected it on 22 November 2015, on a voluntary basis and at its own expense. The historical connection and the memorial’s creation give the site a different emphasis from the landscape description or the hike: here, remembrance of a specific event is at the centre.

Finding your way around

Between Langensee and Bürchau, the road to Elbenschwand branches off to the right about one kilometre from the L 139. This landmark locates the access road between the two places mentioned. Together with the names of the Gewanne and the settlement patterns described, it helps you understand Elbenschwand not simply as a single village centre, but as a district with several named areas.

When choosing a holiday apartment, you can first consider what you would like your stay to focus on: the forest and meadow landscape, the moderately difficult loop hike, or the memorial as a point of cultural and historical interest. These interests offer a clear basis for tailoring your search to the kind of trip you would like to plan.

More topics in the wider destination of Kleines Wiesental

The wider destination of Kleines Wiesental also has its own landscape and cultural themes. In 1935, Tegernau Church was described as a small “Wälderkirchlein” (little forest church) with a small bell turret. In Neuenweg, the pollarded beech is very old and has grown very wide. These two examples offer different points of interest: a historical description of a church building and a distinctive tree form.

At 913 metres, Nonnenmattweiher is one of the highest-lying standing bodies of water in the Black Forest. It was artificially dammed in the early 18th century. A section of the boggy valley floor then broke away, forming a floating peat island. Several species of peat moss grow on the island, along with hare’s-tail cottongrass (Eriophorum vaginatum), cranberry (Vacinium oxycoccos) and round-leaved sundew (Drosera rotundifolia); the plants’ presence may vary by season. The pond’s origins and distinctive plants make it a nature destination with several facets.

Another cultural and historical highlight in Kleines Wiesental is the Zur Krone museum inn in Tegernau. It includes a historic dining room with a side room, an old “Chuchi” (kitchen) with a vaulted cellar, a historic ballroom, sleeping chambers in the loft and a “Schisshüsli” (privy) dating from 1901. The various rooms offer insights into different parts of a historic interior.

Discover more destinations

Discover more destinations: Sallneck, Neuenweg, Wies, Wieslet, Bürchau, Raich.

Back to the overview of the wider destination: Kleines Wiesental.