Wolfach Guide

Wolfach lies in the Central Black Forest, in the Ortenaukreis of Baden-Württemberg, Germany, where the Wolf river meets the Kinzig. The Kinzig splits the centre in two. On the right bank, the Vorstadt has the late Gothic parish church St. Laurentius, while the medieval old town on the left bank is dominated by a broad market street, today's Hauptstraße.

The valley is steep, so Wolfach never expanded much. The largest extension is the Straßburger Hof residential area on the hillside west of the centre, begun in 1927.

The Fürstenberger Schloss stands in the centre and is about 110 m long. It houses offices, but you can visit its Flößer- und Heimatmuseum, the rafters' and local history museum, and the Schlosskapelle. Where the Wolf runs into the Kinzig, the Flößerpark marks the spot of the old raft harbour, where rafts up to 600 m long were assembled.

Dorotheenhütte is a glassblowing workshop that uses traditional Black Forest methods, and glassware is blown, cut and engraved in front of visitors. The Glasmuseum Dorotheenhütte is described as the last of the traditional Black Forest glassworks, with a glass museum, a mouth-blowing glass workshop, a glass-grinding shop and a Christmas village.

The Wolfach region is rich in minerals prized by collectors. At the Mineralienhalde Grube Clara, a mineral dump, professional collectors and families with children can search for more than 300 diverse minerals. Neighbouring Oberwolfach has the Besucherbergwerk Grube Wenzel, a visitor mine, and the Mineralien- und Mathematikmuseum. In Heubach, the disused Grube Anton houses the Black Forest Observatory.

The Narrenbrunnen in Wolfach shows the figures of the Wolfach Fasnet, including the Hansele and the Geldbeutelwäscher. This Swabian-Alemannic Fastnacht has parades of Hansele in distinctive, often handmade costumes and masks. The annual Stadtbrunnenfest often brings markets, shows, live music and arts and crafts.

Kirnbach, a district of Wolfach, is one of only three villages, with Gutach and Reichenbach, where the red Bollenhut is traditionally part of the local costume.