Things to know & see
The cathedral town of St. Blasien with its impressive domed church and the districts of Menzenschwand and Albtal are a worthwhile destination all year round.
On this page we present some of the sights in St. Blasier Land and provide you with information that may be of interest to you during your stay.!
A sacred beauty –
St. Blasius Cathedral
The cathedral welcomes visitors with light and spaciousness. The wide rotunda, crowned by the fourth-largest church dome in Europe after the Phantaeon, St. Peter's Basilica, and the Cathedral of Florence, creates a perfect spatial harmony. The immense dimensions of the space, its simplicity and clarity, allow visitors to expand themselves. They are given the opportunity to step out of the visual and acoustic noise of everyday life into a space where silence reigns. This enables true seeing and hearing—the seeing and hearing of the heart.
Find out more on the parish website
St. Blasius:
Tourist Information St. Blasien
Tourist Information St. Blasien
Room and holiday apartment brokerage
Opening hours: Mon - Fri 9am to 12pm and 2pm to 5pm
May - September: Saturday 10 a.m. to 12 p.m.
Am Kurgarten 1-3, Guest House,
Tel.: 0 76 52 / 12 06-0, Fax 0 76 72 / 4 14 38
Internet: www.hochschwarzwald.de/St.-Blasien
Email: st.blasien@hochschwarzwald.de
Tourist Information Menzenschwand
Room and holiday apartment brokerage
Opening hours: Mon - Fri 9am to 12pm and 3pm to 6pm
May - September: Saturday 9 a.m. to 12 p.m.
Winterhalterweg 4, 79837 St. Blasien - Menzenschwand
Phone: 0 76 75 / 92 38 11
Fax 0 76 75 / 92 38 12
Email: menzenschwand@hochschwarzwald.de
St. Blasien District Museum
The museum traces the development of the former monastery to the most important Benedictine abbey in the Black Forest. It depicts the history of the cathedral's construction, the dissolution of the monastery, and St. Blasien's rise to a health resort for the nobility, the upper middle class, and important artists around 1900. A structural transformation spanning several eras is vividly presented in a relatively small space. This structural transformation also includes the emergence of sports tourism and winter sports. The St. Blasien District Museum provides information about the landscape, nature and geology, as well as art and culture. Works by painters such as Hans Thoma, Franz Xaver Winterhalter, and Hermann Fidel Winterhalter are on display. In addition, special exhibitions are held several times a year.
Guest House | Am Kurgarten 1-3 | 79837 St. Blasien
Tel. 49 (0)76 72 414-37 | Fax 49 (0)76 72 414-38
www.museum-st-blasien.de
www.landkreis-waldshut.de, culture section
Opening hours:
Tue to Sun: 2.30 pm - 5 pm
Autumn break annually from November 2nd to December 25th
A gem in St. Blasien – Modehaus Schmidt Arkaden
In 1768 the monastery burned down.
With the stones of the burnt-down baroque church, which was completely destroyed, Prince Abbot Gerbert had the hospital built on the opposite side of the Alb.
In the post-monastic period, the hospital became privately owned, and commercial premises were added. In 1905/1906, the printer and bookseller Johann Weißenberger built a multi-story house with rich woodwork to the east of the hospital. It was Grand Duke Friedrich who had recommended to the St. Blasien family that all buildings be built in the refined Swiss style. This led to the creation of numerous houses with woodwork, bay windows, and turrets. The most beautiful of the surviving buildings of this type is today's Schmidt Arkaden House in the city center. The merchant Gustav Schmidt ran a fashion and textile shop in the old hospital, while the Weißenberger family ran the bookstore's printing shop in the tall wooden building.
In 1978, the hospital building was extended and stylishly modernized. This created a successful ensemble with the monastery hospital from 1768 and the Art Nouveau building from 1906. The arcaded square, with its artistically designed fountain by Tone Kalle, is also a success.
Today, the Art Nouveau building houses a large fashion store with 1700 square meters of retail space, known far beyond St. Blasien.
Baroque sundial
The sundial, created by the monastery painter Joseph Anton Morath, was installed on the eastern administrative building near the spa gardens around 1780. It shows not only the time but also the current month. Chronos, the god of time, can be seen on it, holding the time band in his right hand and the pointer in his left. A special feature is the vertical figure-eight loop, which makes the sundial the so-called "midday clock." At the end of Chronos' pointer is a perforated disc. When the point of light passes through this perforated disc onto the figure-eight loop and crosses the corresponding date, it is 12 noon (local time) in St. Blasien. This device was used to regulate the mechanical church clock in the cathedral's bell tower.
The monastery complex
The small "Cella Blasii", as the first monks called their small monastery in the 9th century, grew into a large monastery with possessions and branches extending far into Switzerland and as far as the Stuttgart area. Franz II. Schächtelin (1727 to 1747), the monastery's first abbot, who bore the title of Prince Abbot, had the old monastery torn down and the master builder Michael Beer von Blaichten erect the monastery complex as it still stands today. After the monastery was dissolved in 1806, industry initially moved into the buildings until 1933, when the Jesuit order acquired the monastery and opened the St. Blasien College, a secondary school and boarding school. Over 800 boys and girls are taught here, of whom around 300 live in the boarding school. Today the college is open to the world, with a Euroclass and Chinese lessons, and partner schools in China and many European countries. Behind the magnificent Baroque façade are the former court dining hall, now the private chapel, the ballroom, the Habsburg Hall, and the salons in their various colors. The monastery and its historic rooms can be visited at set times, and the monastery concerts (www.kloster-konzerte.de) instead of.
Multi-generational playground
Thanks to a wide range of support, a wonderful park was created in the city center, featuring playgrounds, a boules court, a water treading pool, a soccer field, a mud table, seating, and green spaces. Young and old alike now find a wonderful place to meet and socialize.
The Glass Garden / Glass Carrier Path
The Glass Garden is part of the historic Glass Carriers' Trail, which led from the High Black Forest over the heights of the Hotzenwald and the depths of the Wehra Valley to Switzerland. Over 200 years ago, the people of what is now the High Black Forest region sustained themselves through the production and export of glass. Glass production and the journey of the glass carriers are vividly presented.
The Glass Carrier Trail is a 180-km-long themed hiking trail. It leads from the Feldberg region through the most beautiful landscapes of the Southern Black Forest to the Upper Rhine in approximately 10 day stages. Along the way, you'll pass approximately 20 former glassworks sites, which are explained on information panels. Three modern glass art workshops are located along the trail.
Evangelical Christ Church
Above the multi-generational playground, at the foot of Calvary Hill, stands the Protestant parish's Christ Church. It is the first church built in the parish. The architect, Professor Dr. Otto Bartning, later became the most famous Protestant church builder of our century in Germany. What was to be built? A monumental Protestant church building would be tasteless next to the cathedral. Bartning, himself a native of the Black Forest, confidently designed a church that resembled a Black Forest farmhouse as closely as possible. Thus, the Protestant Black Forest wooden church was born, now a household name throughout the country and a destination for many visitors. Its name: Christ Church. Consecration: December 13, 1936. Bartning on the building idea: "On all my hikes in the southern Black Forest, as a child, as a man and finally with my children, the high and at the same time broad roof of the Black Forest farms, which both conforms to the wind and snow, the mountain slope and the sun and yet also resists it, made the deepest impression on me." In November 1989, the Black Forest Church burned down completely and was then rebuilt true to the original plans.
Website of the Evangelical Church: www.christus-gemeinde-stblasien.de
Michael's Chapel
A special gem is the almost 400-year-old St. Michael's Chapel, the centerpiece of the cemetery. This superbly restored chapel is one of the few completely preserved relics from the Thirty Years' War and is considered the oldest building in St. Blasien. The year 1611 can be found above the cemetery entrance gate. The year 1624 can be read on the chapel itself, above the coat of arms of its builder, Abbot Martin I Meister, who led the monastery from 1596 to 1625. The chapel's consecration date is recorded as October 17, 1625. The architect, whose name is unknown, based the proportions of the rectangular building on the number seven: the total length of the church is 21 meters, the length of the nave is 14 meters, the clear width of the nave is 7 meters, and the height of the interior is also 7 meters. Inside the church, the view is directed toward the choir with its main altar and two side altars. A cross vault overlooks the choir, and the keystone once again bears the coat of arms of the builder. The historic epitaphs on the walls are also worth seeing. Further details can be found in the brochure "St. Blasien Cathedral," which is available in the cathedral.
Bernhardskapelle "Chäpilli" in Albtal-Immeneich
In Immeneich, there stood a chapel belonging to the Eckert family farm, which burned down along with the farm on April 1, 1894. When Grand Duke Friedrich and Grand Duchess Luise of Baden passed through Immeneich on their way to St. Blasien in the summer of 1894, the community prepared a festive welcome with great joy. The governor learned of the catastrophic fire, and since Immeneich's only chapel had been destroyed in the fire, he commissioned the Karlsruhe architect Professor Koßmann to build a new chapel in the solid and beautiful, old Black Forest timber construction style. The new chapel was completed in the following summer of 1895 using a block-and-post construction method. In devotion to the House of Baden, the chapel was dedicated to Blessed Bernhard of Baden. Every year in July (July 15), the Bernhard Festival is celebrated with a festive service. A document detailing the history of the chapel's construction is still kept in the sphere of the tower spire.
The Blasius Fountain
Saint Blaise, namesake and patron saint of the church and town, performed many miracles during his lifetime. He was particularly famous for saving a child from suffocation, which made him the patron saint of throat diseases. St. Blaise's Day is celebrated on February 3rd with the Blessing of St. Blaise. The fountain statue, created in 1714 by the Villingen sculptor Josef Schupp, stood at the highest point of the Baroque monastery portal until 1768, where a copy can be found today.
Krafft Memorial
During the approximately 125 years in which St. Blaisen Abbey and the upper Alb Valley were dominated by industry, Ernst Friedrich Krafft (1823-1898) was one of the most prominent factory owners. He took over the cotton spinning mill in 1857 and developed it into a significant enterprise. He also established a school, a kindergarten, and a clinic for the men, women, and children who worked for him. Ernst Friedrich Krafft also laid the foundation stone for a Protestant congregation in St. Blasien. The monument commemorates the factory owner.
St. Blasien Town Hall
Prince Abbot Meinrad Troger (1749-1764) commissioned the renowned architect Johann Kaspar Bagnato (of the castle on the island of Mainau in Lake Constance) to design a representative entrance for the St. Blasien Monastery. The large gatehouse was built, along with two additional buildings along its perimeter. Bagnato died in 1757 and did not live to see the entrance buildings completed. They were completed by the architect Franz Josef Salzmann. Prince Abbot Meinrad also died during construction. The gable of the large gate bears the year 1767 and the coat of arms of Prince Abbot Martin Gerbert. With the completion of the gatehouse, the inn was established in the western section. The actual gate contained rooms for the guards. The eastern section served as accommodation for servants. In the post-monastic period, a pharmacy was housed here, then the district administration. The town hall has been located here since 1926. During the monastery era, the western arm of the square housed administrative offices and official residences, while the southern arm housed the government director's office. Today, the western building houses apartments, while the eastern building houses the Catholic parish office, district court, and notary's office.
Website of the city of St. Blasien: www.stblasien.de
Schwarzwaldhaus Kaltenbach
Above the entrance of this historic Black Forest house is the year 1633 (added later). It is quite likely that this date refers to the construction of a house, but not to the building that exists today. In ancient times, it was customary to incorporate parts of the previous building into houses that burned down or were rebuilt. For example, the door lintel or a beam inscribed with a date was often retained as a protective symbol for the newly built house. It is one of the oldest houses in this picture-perfect village. Menzenschwand is a very popular holiday resort due to its idyllic location in the sunny high valley on the south side of the Feldberg. Surrounded by shady, aromatic forests, rushing waterfalls, and wonderfully fragrant meadows, it is the ideal place to truly relax in peace.
Menzenschwand Youth Hostel
The history of this house stretches back over 270 years. The exact date of its construction cannot be determined, but it is estimated to be between 1658 and 1660. It is one of the few buildings whose structural integrity has been largely preserved.
The date 1738 in the lintel of the former entrance and a bibliography from 1787 indicate the names of the residents, who pursued typical Black Forest occupations as sniffer, box maker, tanner, shoemaker, wine merchant, farmer, cooper, and carpenter. The building was acquired by the municipality of Menzenschwand in 1933 and donated to the Youth Hostel Association in 1935.
Menzenschwand Youth Hostel, Vorderdorfstraße 10, 79837 St. Blasien-Menzenschwand
Internet:
www.jugendherberge-menzenschwand.de
St. Blasien game reserve
On the way to the game reserve along Muchenländer Straße, you'll pass a beautifully situated water treading facility. Simply take off your shoes, pull up your trouser legs, and walk slowly through it. Your circulation will thank you. A little further uphill, red deer, fallow deer, sika deer, and wild boars are already waiting for your visit and a light snack. Those who wish can bring dry bread or apples from home. Chestnuts are a particular delicacy for the wild boars. There's also a feeder on site. It's exciting to see these shy yet trusting animals come right up to the fence to be fed.
Right next to the game reserve is the children's playground, complete with a cable car, slide, swing, and a barbecue area with shelter. With this diverse offering, time flies, and not only the little ones have fun.