Vacation in the Black Forest5 Highlights in the Kinzigtal Valley

The farm gardens are a blaze of yellow, white, and purple, little bunnies snuffle around in the shade of the tall trees and there is a wonderful smell of fresh bread: the Vogtsbauernhof Black Forest Open-Air Museum is a museum for all the senses, showing how people used to live and work in the Black Forest. The first building at the open-air museum was the Vogtsbauernhof farmhouse, built in 1612. Over time, gardens and stables have been added to the 17‑acre site, with farmhouses, workshops and rooms set up in the styles of different regions of the Black Forest using the ‘translocation’ method. New buildings are still being added today, the Ortenauhaus Farmhouse was only added to the Black Forest Open Air Museum in 2023. The estate is 250 years old and was originally situated in Durbach in the Ortenau Region. The open-air museum is open annually from the end of March to the beginning of November.

All the clattering, hammering, and splashing means it is raft festival time again in Schiltach. The summer festival, held every five years in the little town by the Kinzig River, is a chance for the members of the raft club to showcase their skills. They make tools, turn branches into ropes, and make improvements to the long raft that calmly floats along the Kinzig River during the festival weekend. It is organised by the raft clubs of Schiltach and Wolfach who work together to explore the traditions and keep them alive. The atmosphere at the festival is lively, with people eating, drinking, and dancing to the sounds of the band. The big highlight of the festival is the launch of the big raft, an opportunity for the rafters to demonstrate their fearlessness and their skills.