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BLACK FOREST (Ger. Schwarzwald; the S...

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Originally appearing in Volume V04, Page 22 of the 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica.
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See also:

BLACK See also:FOREST (Ger. Schwarzwald; the See also:Silva Marciana and Abnoba of the See also:Romans) , a mountainous See also:district of See also:south-See also:west See also:Germany, having an See also:area of 1844 sq. m., of which about two-thirds See also:lie in the See also:grand duchy of See also:Baden and the remaining third in the See also:kingdom of See also:Wurttemberg. Bounded on the south and west by the valley of the See also:Rhine, to which its declivities abruptly descend, and See also:running parallel to, and forming the counterpart of the See also:Vosges beyond, it slopes more gently down to the valley of the See also:Neckar in the See also:north and to that of the Nagold (a tributary of the Neckar) on the north-See also:east. Its See also:total length is roo m., and its breadth varies from 36 m. in the south to 21 in the centre and 13 in the north. The deep valley of the Kinzig divides it laterally into halves, of which the See also:southern, with an See also:average See also:elevation of 3000 ft., is the wilder and contains the loftiest peaks, which again mostly lie towards the western See also:side. Among them are the Feld-See also:berg (4898 ft.), the Herzogenhorn (4600), the Blossling (4260) and the Blauen (3820). The See also:northern See also:half has an average height of 2000 ft. On the east side are several lakes, and here the See also:majority of the streams take their rise. The configuration of the hills is mainly conical and the See also:geological formation consists of See also:gneiss, See also:granite (in the south) and red See also:sandstone. The district is poor in minerals; the yield of See also:silver and See also:copper has almost ceased, but there are workable See also:coal seams near See also:Offenburg, where the Kinzig debouches on the See also:plain. The See also:climate in the higher districts is raw and the produce is mostly confined to See also:hardy cereals, such as oats. But the valleys, especially those on the western side, are warm and healthy, enclose See also:good pasture See also:land and furnish fruits and See also:wine in See also:rich profusion.

They are clothed up to a height of about 2000 ft. with luxuriant See also:

woods of See also:oak and See also:beech, and above these again and up to an elevation of 4000 ft., surrounding the hills with a dense dark See also:belt, are the forests of See also:fir which have given the name to the district. The summits of the highest peaks are See also:bare, but even on them See also:snow seldom lies throughout the summer. The Black Forest produces excellent See also:timber, which is partly sawn in the valleys and partly exported down the Rhine in logs. Among other See also:industries are the manufactures of watches, clocks, toys and musical See also:instruments. There are numerous See also:mineral springs, and among the watering places Baden-Baden and See also:Wildbad are famous. The towns of See also:Freiburg, See also:Rastatt, Offenburg and See also:Lahr, which lie under the western declivities, are the See also:chief centres for the productions of the interior. The Black Forest is a favourite tourist resort and is opened up by numerous See also:railways. In addition to the See also:main lines in the valleys of the Rhine and Neckar, which are connected with the towns lying on its fringe, the district is intersected by the Schwarzwaldbahn from Offenburg to Singen, from which various small See also:local lines ramify.

End of Article: BLACK FOREST (Ger. Schwarzwald; the Silva Marciana and Abnoba of the Romans)

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