A Day in the Black Forest: Münstertal, Staufen and Bad Krozingen

(This post published on December 10, 2023 )

August 1-3, 2023 -- August 1st is Switzerland's National Day and the celebrations are accompanied by several days of private individuals setting off fireworks at all hours of day and night, even in residential areas. It is particularly bad where I live as the noise is unbearable, and the fire-crackers whizz right by our apartment balcony.

So I always look to try to get out of the city somewhere quieter, but this year the weather was pretty bad over these three days, and I didn't want to spend a lot on a hotel if I couldn't at least do a hike or two in that area. So I decided for a change to go across the border into Germany, where you might find some cheaper accommodations.

I found a really cheap room to rent for two nights with a nice family in a town called Bad Krozingen near Freiburg in the Black Forest, ideal for me as it was only a 5-minute walk to the train station, and the town (renowned for its mineral baths) was on the main train line from Basel, so easy for me to access. I also received a train pass to travel all around the Black Forest for free, which was a surprise to me (and I could have saved on my ticket back to Basel, which I had already purchased ahead of time!!!).

The weather wasn't ideal, lots of strong winds and intermittent rain, but I had my laptop along for the worst of it to work on photos in my nice cozy room, and in between I managed a couple of outings: A trip into the Münstertal (Münster Valley), walks around Bad Krozingen, and a visit of the lovely city of Freiburg. Only once did I get caught in the rain during the evening walk at the baths, but I was able to take shelter till it stopped.

DAY 1, PART I: Münster Valley -- St. Trudpert Monastery

I actually got to my rented room in Bad Krozingen on the evening of August 1st, and did my first excursion the next day. I decided to use my train pass to take a local train called the Münstertal (Münster Valley) Railway which runs eastward from Bad Krozingen and ends at the village of the same name: Münstertal. (An 18-minute train ride). It would have been a 30-minute walk to the St.Trudpert Abbey, but there was a convenient bus heading out that way and I had plans to also visit the castle ruins at Staufen on the way back, so I took the bus. I had enough time to visit the Baroque church and walk around the complex before catching the bus back to the train station.

I started off the day's excursion on Aug.2 with a train ride from Bad Krozingen eastward all the way to the final station in the Münstertal (Münster Valley), from where I took a bus to the St.Trudpert Abbey. I started late because it rained in the morning, and got here at 11:30.

It would have been a 30-minute walk from the village of Münstertal to the Abbey, but there was a good bus connection, and I had other plans for later as well. It was a short, four-minute bus ride. (I got here at 11:34)

This is the Monastery Complex, but only the large Baroque church (on the left, not in the photo) was open to the public. The monastery was founded around the year 800 by Benedictine Monks from St.Gallen. 

As is usual for these large Baroque churches, the interior is light and airy with loads of artwork

A fantastic work of art. This church was dedicated in the year 1727 and is now the Parish Church of Münstertal. 

The lovely organ and typical wooden carved choir benches

A second organ graces the back of the church

I did a short walk around the entire building and back to the parking lot. The day was cloudy but it was warm and I had to change into a skirt. 

A placard indicated the items of interest to see in this region: The Baroque Monastery complex, a Bee Museum, a former silver mine and more. 

Waiting for the next bus (12:20) back to the train station  next to the hotel-restaurant called "Müllers Klostermühle", which most likely used to be the monastery's mill. 

On the way back to the train station, the bus passes the city hall building in Münstertal. 

The short (1.5-km) walk I did around the St.Trudpert Monastery Complex. 

DAY 1, PART II:  Münster Valley -- Ruins of Staufen Fortress

After the short tour of the St.Trudpert Abbey at the end of the Münstertal railway line, I returned in the direction of Bad Krozingen and got out at the village of Staufen (first mentioned in documents from the year 770!), where there was a fortress ruins on a hill west of the town, which I could walk up to. My host had also told me to look out for the damage to the houses in the village, as it was a well-known disaster that caused tears in the building walls from geothermal drilling in 2007. (Geothermal Energy Project gone wrong, see also HERE). I ended up taking a wrong trail up to the castle and had to make my way steep uphill through an unkempt vineyard full of brambles! It was windy at the top and overcast, but still a really nice far-reaching view over the Black Forest region. 

Starting my second excursion of the day at the historical village of Staufen. I got here at 12:46

From the train station in Staufen, a look up to the fortress ruins, perched on a hillside full of vineyards. Before heading up there, though, I took a walk through the old town.

Heading off toward the main street in the old part of Staufen. 

A placard on a house front informs about a revolution in 1848 that took place here, and apparently an 8-lb, 10-cm diameter cannonball is still lodged in the wall of this house. 

In the main square of old-town Staufen. There was a market in progress and a couple of portable grill stands where I was fortunate to buy a delicious grilled sausage for just 5 Euros!

My lunch, for just 5 Euros. YUM!!

This is the "Gasthaus zum Löwen" ("Lion Hotel") which is in existence since 1407, and which features in Goethe's "Dr. Faustus", a real person but somewhat mythical who apparently met his end here at this Gasthaus, having made a deal with the Devil who came to get his soul. 

It's always intriguing to study the signs in front of shops or hotels, advertising the business. The one of the left is the "Gasthaus zum Löwen" ("Lion Hotel") which is in existence since 1407.

Several of the tears in the buildings caused by the geothermal drilling in 2007. The "stickers" on the walls bring our attention to this disaster. They read: "Staufen must not be allowed to break apart!"

Walking down the main street in Staufen, in the direction of the fortress. It is a lovely cobble-stone pedestrian street. 

Neat little details

Advertisement for the wine?

Look at this fantastic old wine press! 

A look back down the main streeet of Staufen before I make my way up to the fortress ruins. 

I studied this map carefully before ascending to the ruins. It doesn't look like it would be too hard to follow, and yet I still went the wrong way. 

For some reason I thought this was the trail up to the fortress, but I just ended up getting stuck in some brambles. I did make it to the top with a bit of scrambling. Taking the normal road would have been easier...

Looking over the rooftops of Staufen as I make my way up through the vineyards. Only now did I notice that there is a CHURCH on the left, which I didn't go to visit! Unfortunately my plan was to descent to the railway station on the other side of the hill. 

Different views of the ruins, including the tower (bottom left) which had stairs to ascend. 

It was very windy up here! But also warm.... I had to peel off pants and shirt at some point.... 

Information about Burg Staufen, most likely built in the 12th Century, although first mentioned in documents from 1248. Owners were the Lords of the Family Staufen, and when the family died out early 1600's, the fortress remained uninhabited, and was destroyed in 1633 during the 30-Year War.  

There were steps into the tower. This is a panorama view of the ruins from the tower. 

And this is a view to the south past the train station over the Breisgau Region. There is a small lake below, on the far side of the train station, and that is where I walked to from here. 

By the time I got to the train station, the next train back to Bad Krozingen was leaving in 15 minutes. So I went to the little lake and sat there for a while. 

The small lake just south of the train station. I sat here for about 10 minutes while waiting for the next train to Bad Krozingen. 

Across the street from the train station was this restaurant called "Mayer Mühle", formerly the town mill perhaps? Which means the owner would have been "Müller-Mayer". 

A little decoration on the grounds of the Mayer-Mühle Restaurant, which was closed on this day. 

And this is the little walking tour I took of the village of Staufen, about 3 km. 

DAY 1, PART III:  Bad Krozingen

After getting back to Bad Krozingen at about 2:30 p.m., I walked around this town for a while, taking a longer route to get back to my room in order to visit the older part of town and buy something that I could warm up in the microwave at my B&B. The weather looked like it was going to clear up in the evening, so I left for another evening outing, planning to go into the city of Freiburg. There were too many people at the train station though, heading into the city, so I changed my mind and did another walk in the large park which is part of the Bad Krozingen Baths Grounds. I deferred my trip into the city to the next day, which was a good thing because it started to rain while I was in the park. But I did make it back to the room without getting wet.

The large plaza across from the train station in Bad Krozingen

The ice cream restaurants here are fabulous!

Obviously, I headed for the town church, followed the steeple... This is St.Alban parish church, first mentioned in documents of 1144. The current building was erected in the mid 1600's after the 30-Year War. The church had to be restored after fire in 2002.

Interior of St.Alban parish church

This building is called the "Litschgi-Haus" and is the town museum. The date above the door is 1700. 

This was my 3-km walking around Bad Krozingen. 

After eating supper in my B&B, I went out in the evening for another walk, this time in the Park that is part of the Baths, on the other side of the railway line. 

Walking through the park. It was VERY windy!

My host had told me about these wood sculptures in the herb garden in the park, so I headed there to have a look. 

I sat on a bench in the herb garden for a while, but the wind was very strong and I thought it might be better not to sit directly beneath all of these trees!

A very impressive flower display across from the entrance to the Baths, where I sat for about half an hour waiting for the rain to let up, before returning to my room. 

It was another 3-km walk which I did through the park at the Bad Krozingen Baths, on the opposite side of the railway tracks. 

This was the small room I rented for two nights. There was a shower in the bedroom, a fridge and microwave in the foyer, and two WC's, one for each room that they rented out. 

Here's where I spent two nights from Aug.1 to 3: Bad Krozingen near Freiburg im Breisgau, between the Black Forest and the border with France, and about 45 kilometers from Basel, Switzerland.  

These are all the trains and buses I could have taken for free with my Konus Guest card! It's a large region encompassing the Black Forest, and extends further north as well!

On the second day, I spent about three hours on a walking tour of the medieval city of Freiburg, a city that was unfortunately massively damaged in the Allied attack of November 27, 1944. It is amazing at how quickly the hard-working Germa people rebuilt all of the historical buildings. The photos of that excursion are HERE.