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During the latter part of the 19th century circumstances conspired to bring about a radical shift. Firstly, the growing influence of industry on people’s lives nurtured a new appreciation and idealisation of nature. The ‘idea of nature’ became the ‘holy grail’ of the Romantic movement and artists and philosophers revered nature as a source of inspiration.

Latschigfelsen – a prominent promontory high above Murg Valley (Stage 2)

The Black Forest was one of the first regions in Germany to discover its potential as a tourist destination, although at first it wasn’t the forest or the mountains that attracted visitors from all over Europe, America and Russia – it was the allure of a cure. The numerous mineral-rich hot springs of the Black Forest, which had been praised for their curative powers since Celtic times, now attracted the gentry of Europe. Once the first steam engine railway lines were introduced, the healing waters attracted an influx of well-heeled tourists, and became a lucrative source of revenue for the region.