The Black Forest National Park (German: Nationalpark Schwarzwald) is a national park in the state of Baden-Württemberg in southwest Germany.

It covers an area of 10,062 hectares (100.62 km; 38.85 sq mi). The park is located on the main crest of the Northern Black Forest, mainly between the Black Forest High Road (Schwarzwaldhochstraße) and the Murg Valley. The park includes two separate areas, about 3.5 kilometers apart, near Ruhestein (7,615 hectares) and Hoher Ochsenkopf/Plättig (2,447 hectares). It is part of the Central/North Black Forest Nature Park (Naturpark Schwarzwald Mitte/Nord). The park officially opened on May 3, 2014.

History

The Black Forest National Park was created on January 1, 2014, and is the first national park in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. The state parliament approved its creation on November 28, 2013.

The creation of the first national park in the Black Forest caused disagreement among politicians. In 2013, it was opposed by the opposition parties in Baden-Württemberg (CDU and FDP), timber industry representatives, and some people living in the area. It was supported by the SPD and Greens, conservation groups, and other residents of the Northern Black Forest. This park is the first and only national park in Baden-Württemberg.

In 2021, Minister for the Environment Thekla Walker (A90/The Greens) announced plans to expand the national park and connect its two parts in the coming years.

Location and extent

The northern part of the area, called High Ochsenkopf/Plättig, includes the upper Schwarzenbach valley and regions around High Ochsenkopf (1,055 m above sea level (NHN)) in the center, Mehliskopf (1,008 m) in the west, Badener Höhe (1,003 m) in the north, and Nägeliskopf (994 m) in the east. The lowest and easternmost point of this park is where the Schwarzbach and Raumünzach streams meet, at a height just below 500 m. Areas excluded from this section include the village of Herrenwies and smaller regions near Plättig, Sand, and the youth hostel at Badener Höhe. To the northeast, the park borders the Schwarzenbach Reservoir, and to the west, it borders the Bühlerhöhe beyond the Black Forest High Road. Most of the state forest in this area belongs to the municipality of Forbach (in Rastatt county). The towns of Bühl (Rastatt) and Baden-Baden own other municipal forests near Plättig.

The larger part of the Ruhestein area reaches a height of about 1,150 m above NHN near Dreifürstenstein, the southeasternmost peak of the Hornisgrinde, the highest mountain in the northern Black Forest. Other peaks include Vogelskopf (1,056 m) and Schliffkopf (1,054 m) to the west, Seekopf (1,054 m) in the northwest, Riesenköpfle (1,001 m) in the center, Leinkopf (992 m) in the north, and Großhahnberg (940 m) in the northeast. This southern part of the National Park includes the lakes Wildsee, Huzenbacher See, and Buhlbachsee, the upper Schönmünz valley, and the headwaters of the Murg streams, Rechtmurg and Rotmurg, and other Murg tributaries. On the western slopes of Schliffkopf, this subregion extends down to the All Saints Waterfalls, where it reaches its lowest and westernmost point at about 500 m. Areas excluded from the Ruhestein region include Ruhestein itself with its two ski slopes and the Great Ruhestein Ski Jump, the Darmstädter Hut, Schliffkopf Hotel, Rotmurg Hunting Lodge, the hamlet of Schonmünz (Volzenhäuser), and other small areas. Most of the state forest in this area belongs to the collective municipality of Baiersbronn (in Freudenstadt county), with other parts owned by Oppenau, Ottenhöfen, and Seebach (in Ortenaukreis county).

The park covers an area of 10,062 hectares, with 2,447 hectares in the High Ochsenkopf/Plättig section and 7,615 hectares around Ruhestein. These two areas are separated by the Forbach parish of Hundsbach.