The Titisee

Leave everyday life behind and immerse yourself in pure relaxation and nature.

The Seestraße in Titisee is described by many as the most beautiful promenade in the Black Forest. Every year, up to 2 million visitors go on a voyage of discovery to the numerous souvenir shops in the area to stock up on gifts from the Black Forest Highlands.

Afterwards, relax in the beer gardens and restaurants with a refreshment and a unique view of the famous Lake Titisee. At the piers of the two shipping companies, you can go on lake tours or explore Titisee on your own in small boats.

Active people and nature lovers can circle the Titisee on a 7.4 km long varied tour along the shore, which leads up to a hill with a wonderful view of the lake.

The history of the town of Titisee

The town’s original name was "Viertäler". It comes from the landscape of the area, namely from the four valleys Altenweg, Spriegelsbach, Schildwende and Jostal. Since 1st May 1929, the town has been named after the lake on which it is located. The name of the lake has an ancient history.

The name Titinsee is mentioned in a letter from the Allerheiligen monastery in Schaffhausen from 1050, and Lake Titunsee is mentioned in a document dated 9th October 1095. The origin of the name is presumed because at the specified time, Roman armies were camped in Northern Switzerland and from there advanced to Germania and our country. At that time the lake was probably given the name "Titus", i.e. Titunsee.

High valleys of the Black Forest

It is therefore safe to assume that the high valleys of the Black Forest were not settled before the year 1000.

The neighbouring municipality of Neustadt/Black Forest was first mentioned in a document in 1275. When Count Heinrich von Lupfen signed a purchase contract in 1294 for the sale of goods and rights to the castle and town of Stühlingen, he announced to the buyers that people from his dominion had crossed the road near Nuwstadt (Neustadt) and settlers from Tyrol came to the Black Forest and settled there. The so-called "Turkish taxation list" of 11th November 1543 proves that the community of Viertäler (today's Titisee) was settled. All families were recorded in the "Turkish taxation list" and taxed.

The basis of nutrition for the people was agriculture and animal farming

At that time, the basis of nutrition for the people in these valleys was farming and cattle trading. Forestry also played an important role. The wood from the forest was processed on the farm saws and in the small farm mills, which can still be found today, grain was ground for bread or barley and oats were used as fodder for the cattle. In some places, the slopes were used for agriculture up to the height of the ridge, because agriculture was the predominant activity in earlier times.

Only in recent times has forestry gained in importance and has now become the main source of income. Of course, the typical craft shops such as blacksmiths, carpenters, etc. were also available.

The Black Forest Highlands were discovered as a hiking area

At the beginning of the 1960s, a new relationship began to develop in the lives of the people of the Black Forest valleys and thus also the inhabitants of the municipality of Viertäler. The Black Forest Highlands were discovered by nature-loving people as a hiking area and the municipality decided to cater for that. Hotels and mountain huts were built, roads were improved and expanded, and a transport hub in the Black Forest was created near the lake. It is not only the beauty of the landscape at Titisee, but also the healthy climate due to the altitude, that are the reasons for so many visitors from all over the world.

The legend of the emergence of Lake Titisee

In ancient times, a mighty glacier lay over the valley between Feldsee and Titisee. Over time, this glacier melted into a great lake that filled the entire Bärental, the valley of Hinterzarten and the Gutachtal below Neustadt, and created an outflow in the east. Lake Titisee remains as a leftover part of this richly structured lake.

Opulence and extravagance

Hundreds of years ago, a monastery and a town are said to have existed below the Seesteige. Among the inhabitants, luxury and extravagance rose to such an extent that they walked around in hollowed-out rolls of white bread as if they were shoes, and threw the soft part of the bread to the cattle. As punishment, the city and monastery sank, and Lake Titisee appeared in their place. In clear weather you can see the spire of the monastery church, and on a quiet Sunday you can hear the tones of bells from the sunken city. "Titinire" - ringing bells, which probably has something to do with the oldest name "Titiunsee", which first appeared in 1100. It is said that the monastery will rise from the depths again, when Friedenweiler is going under.

Mystic spells at Titisee

When the lake was about to erupt, an old woman used magic spells to block the opening with her white hood. Every year a thread of the same hood rots away. When the hood has completely disappeared, the lake will erupt and flood the Dreisamtal. The lake may expand further under the ground and even be connected to the sea. A farmer once drove across the frozen lake, fell in and sank, but then came out again with his vehicle and oxen at the jump hill. One ventured out to the middle of the lake with a ship to measure its great depth, when a terrible voice called out from the depths: "If you measure me, I will devour you." Terrified, the man returned to land and since then no one has tried to explore the depths of the lake.