Oberharmersbach: Old Mill and Trails
Accommodation in Oberharmersbach
Oberharmersbach combines a distinctive look at traditional milling technology with two different connections to hiking trails. The Old Mill stands on Rathausplatz in the centre of the village; the village lies directly on the Westweg, while the Harmersbach Vesperweg begins and ends here. For planning your trip, these are three clear points of interest: a specific building, a long route through the Black Forest and a trail that starts and finishes in Oberharmersbach. When choosing a holiday apartment, you can consider whether the mill and the Vesperweg or the long-distance Westweg will shape your travel plans more.
Oberharmersbach, Pfarrkirche St. Gallus und Stube
Photo: Pierre Poschadel via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Old Mill: Technology in the Village Centre
The Old Mill is a fully operational farm mill; its milling mechanism is more than 100 years old. It uses water power to grind grain into flour. This makes the connection between the power source and the result tangible through a specific example. The mill operates during the opening hours of the museum grounds. If you would like to plan your visit around the mill in operation, check these opening hours and review the latest operating information before your visit.
Two Different Trail Connections
The Westweg runs directly past Oberharmersbach. The 280-kilometre route leads from Pforzheim to Basel through the Black Forest. The Harmersbach Vesperweg offers a different connection to the village: it starts and ends at Dorf 60, 77784 Oberharmersbach. This makes it easy to distinguish between the two when planning: would you like to focus on a long route through the Black Forest or on a trail that starts and finishes in Oberharmersbach? These details help you identify your own trail interests without treating the two as a single route.
A Regional Perspective on the Ortenau District
The wider travel destination of the Ortenau district lies between the Rhine and the Black Forest. It has 23 nature reserves with a combined area of around 3,110 hectares, stretching from the Rhine plain to the heights of the Black Forest. The Taubergießen nature reserve covers 1,695 hectares and is one of the largest nature reserves in Baden-Württemberg. The range from the Rhine plain to the Black Forest heights offers a distinct regional point of comparison when deciding how much to focus on nature during your trip.
Leisure and recreation are also part of the Ortenau district. Europa-Park is located in the municipality of Rust. Rulantica offers year-round water fun for the whole family and features numerous indoor and outdoor water attractions. Rulantica also includes Hyggedal, a relaxation and sauna area. The wider travel destination therefore offers different interests side by side: protected landscapes, water attractions and a dedicated relaxation area.
Culture and Discoveries in the Ortenau District
MiMa in Oberwolfach showcases unique minerals from the Black Forest, collected by the Oberwolfach Friends of Minerals and Mining Association (Verein der Freunde von Mineralien und Bergbau Oberwolfach e. V.). The Vogtsbauernhof offers a different perspective on regional history: a walk through the historic farmhouses at the open-air museum shows how people lived and worked in the Black Forest up to 600 years ago.
In Gengenbach, the night watchman’s tour includes 12 stops and the traditional night watchman’s song. The public tours are free of charge; no registration is required. Check the latest information about the tours before planning your visit. When choosing a holiday apartment, you can weigh up whether the mill and two trail connections in Oberharmersbach or nature, culture and leisure interests across the wider Ortenau district will shape your travel plans.
Discover more destinations: Nordrach, Ichenheim, Kappel-Grafenhausen, Seelbach, Meißenheim, Hornberg, Fischerbach, Schutterwald.
Back to the wider travel overview: Ortenau district.
