A Walk Through the Black Forest Quiz

Answer: Baden-Württemberg

The state of Baden-Württemberg lies in the south-west corner of Germany. It is the third largest German state behind Bavaria and Lower Saxony. As well as the Black Forest, outdoor excursions can be made to Lake Constance and the Swabian Alps. It also borders both France and Switzerland.

The Black Forest is easily accessible from several directions. There are a number of international airports in the vicinity including Stuttgart and EuroAirport which lies just outside Basel, Switzerland. The major airport hub of Frankfurt is only a couple of hours away by high speed train.

Answer: Freiburg

Freiburg is an interesting university city that contains several nice squares and lovely buildings. The Gothic minster is particularly noted for its stained glass windows and tower. Swiss art historian Jacob Burckhardt once called it the most beautiful tower on earth ("schönsten Turm auf Erden").

You soon get used to constantly watching your step as you seek to avoid the Bächle. A bit like a large gutter, they are part of the city's water supply and can be seen all over the centre. Freiburg even had a stall selling tiny toy boats that could be sailed by children down the Bächle. Legend has it that should you accidentally fall into a Bächle, you shall get married to a Freiburger!

Answer: Hell's Valley

To start the 9km or so trek through the valley, many will get off the train at Himmelreich, which translates as Kingdom of Heaven. From there you make your way through Hirschsprung (Deer's Jump) gorge, the valley's narrowest point. Legend has it that a deer once jumped over this gap to elude those that were hunting it. Further on you will come to the Ravennaschlucht, with its beautiful waterfalls in a luscious gorge.

Should you choose not to walk, a train ride through the valley is an equally viable, if vertigo inducing option. Incredible engineering feats are on display here as the train makes its way through tunnels and over a viaduct that spans the aforementioned Ravennaschlucht.

Answer: Cuckoo Clock

Although Orson Welles had the cuckoo clock as the pinnacle of Swiss achievement in the 1949 film "The Third Man", their development into the popular timekeeping piece that many people love to hate actually happened in Germany! The amount of cuckoo clocks on display in Triberg is frightening.

If you've had enough of shopping for cuckoo clocks, why not visit the German clock museum (Deutsches Uhrenmuseum) in Furtwangen. Or maybe even the claimant for world's largest cuckoo clock in Schonach. After all this, I'm feeling a bit cuckoo!

Answer: Danube

The mighty Danube (Donau in German) rises in the Black Forest before making its way through another nine countries before it empties into the Black Sea. It is formed at the confluence of the Brigach and Breg rivers, both of which begin their lives in the Black Forest. The first major city that lies on the river is Ulm. Whilst Ulm is still in Baden-Württemberg, in lies outside the confines of the Black Forest.

Another major river commencing its path in the Black Forest is the Neckar. Cities on this stretch of water include Stuttgart and Heidelberg. It is one of the major tributaries of the Rhine and joins it at Mannheim.

Answer: Waterfall

As well as all the cuckoo clock shops, Triberg is also home to a splendid waterfall. The Gutach river plunges down a number of cascades in a beautiful forest setting. Wildlife includes the red squirrel, which is still common in mainland Europe in contrast to the decline in numbers that have occurred in the UK and Ireland.

Triberg is claimed to be the highest waterfall in Germany, but it must be clarified that this claim refers to the height above sea level. The tallest waterfall in Germany is the Röthbachfall which drops nearly three times the distance that Triberg can manage.

Answer: Ski Jumping

Perhaps not somewhere to go for those wearing skis for the first time, Hinterzarten is home to an important ski jumping complex. Some of the best ski jumpers in the world come here to compete in both winter and summer.

If you did bring your kayak or surfboard, maybe they'll let you use it nearby on either lake Titisee or Schluchsee. Both certainly cater for water based activities. If you insist on rolling around in the human equivalent of a hamster ball, perhaps you could do it down the ski jump? I'm not sure that would be covered by the travel insurance though!

Answer: Half-timbered

Like many popular old towns across Germany, you can expect to see half-timbered buildings around the centre of towns in the Kinzig Valley. One particularly nice one is Schiltach, but they can also be found elsewhere in the valley.

There is actually something called the German Timber-Frame Road (Deutsche Fachwerkstraße). This is a north-south network than runs across the country linking a large number of towns. It is divided into seven areas with the Kinzig Valley towns forming part of the southernmost section.

Answer: Hermann Hesse

Calw is another site on the German Timber-Frame Road, and really is a gorgeous looking place. The quantity of old buildings is astounding. It also features steep side streets and of course, a Hermann Hesse museum.

Hesse won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1946. His novel "Steppenwolf" is the source for the name of the band famous for singing 1960s classic "Born to be Wild". Other significant works by Hesse include "Siddhartha" and "The Glass Bead Game". The latter novel was actually rejected for publication in Germany during the era of Adolf Hitler. It first became published in Switzerland during World War II.

Answer: Baden-Baden

As well as the therapeutic waters that many come to sample, people also have the opportunity to get their gambling fix here in the casino. Fyodor Dostoyevsky's experiences at losing big provided plenty of material that influenced his 1867 novel "The Gambler". Queen Victoria was a bit more interested in the waters!

Although the town came to prominence in the 19th century, the healthy waters were really a rediscovery. The Romans were aware of them as the ruins of the Roman baths demonstrate. More recent visitors include the England football team for the 2006 World Cup. The waters must have made them too relaxed, as they struggled their way through to the quarter final before succumbing once again to a penalty shoot-out defeat. This time it was to the Portuguese.