St. Blasien: Cathedral Dome, Garden Design and Circular Trail
Accommodation in St. Blasien
St. Blasien can be explored through a range of very different themes: the cathedral dome makes an architectural statement, the Sanagarten tells the story of the town’s spa heritage, and the Cathedral Trail combines nature with history. There is also a regular weekly market and several described ways to get here. You can plan your trip around your particular interests, whether architecture, local history, a circular trail or practical travel information.
File:Landappbw 887231 1819 Kolleg St. Blasien St. Blasien.jpg
Photo: Martin Hahn via Wikimedia Commons, CC0
Cathedral Dome and Garden Design
St. Blasien Cathedral, also known as the “Black Forest Cathedral”, was consecrated as an abbey church in 1783. At the time, its church dome was the third largest in Europe. The central domed space is 36 metres in diameter; this same 36 metres is also the height from the floor to the apex of the dome. These measurements describe the same space in two different directions. If you would like to make architectural history the focus of your trip, you can take the cathedral’s consecration as an abbey church and this unusual relationship between its dimensions as your starting points. The name “Black Forest Cathedral” is also part of the building’s identity.
The Sanagarten represents a different period in time. The park was created between 1923 and 1925 as a promenade garden for the former pulmonary sanatorium. Its history connects St. Blasien’s glamorous past with its tradition as a spa town. The garden is also considered an outstanding example of representative garden design from the 1920s. Unlike the cathedral’s ecclesiastical architectural history, the Sanagarten focuses on its landscaped grounds and the spa town’s cultural history. If you are interested in different aspects of local history, this contrast offers two distinct themes to consider when planning your trip.
Weekly Market and Cathedral Trail
The weekly market in St. Blasien is held every Friday from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. on the forecourt of the Sparkasse. You can take this specific time slot into account when choosing your travel dates: being there on a Friday gives you the opportunity to include the market in your plans. Its location and opening hours make it easy to identify, without requiring you to plan other activities around it.
Another option is the St. Blasien Cathedral Trail, a circular route that combines nature with history. It complements the themes focused more on the building and the gardens with a trail that brings both interests together. If you would rather include a circular trail than focus on individual aspects of cultural history, you can consider the Cathedral Trail as a starting point in its own right. No information is provided about the route’s length or duration; the features described are that it is a circular trail combining nature and history.
Getting Here and Choosing Your Location
By car, St. Blasien can be reached via the B500 expressway from the direction of Titisee, Schluchsee and Häusern. Another route leads via Aha on Schluchsee and Menzenschwand. These different route descriptions can help you plan your journey according to the direction you are coming from. Menzenschwand is also another place you can discover: Menzenschwand.
St. Blasien can also be reached year-round by SBG scheduled bus services from Seebrugg station. This means that the basic travel options include both the car routes mentioned above and a public transport connection from the station. When weighing up these options, you can first decide whether to travel by car or use the scheduled service from Seebrugg. The information about access gives you different starting points for planning, without requiring a particular route or choice of transport.
For the broader travel overview: Waldshut.
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