Reinerzau lies in the Kleine Kinzig Valley in the Central Black Forest. Agriculture and forestry have shaped the landscape for centuries. The restored Holzriese offers a tangible connection to this history of land use: it represents timber transport and log rafting, while the parish church provides a distinct architectural focus. Those wishing to understand the area can distinguish between land use, the history of technology and sacred architecture.
The Holzriese and log rafting in Reinerzau
The restored historic Holzriese is located at the foot of the Kleine Kinzig drinking-water reservoir. Hand-hewn sandstone defines the course of the Holzriese. As a historic wooden chute for transporting timber, the structure illustrates the area’s forestry and log-rafting heritage.
The Holzriese is used each year for a timber-chute and log-rafting demonstration on the Kleine Kinzig. The event also includes a farmers’ market featuring products from producers around Reinerzau. Before travelling, check the dates and whether the event is taking place that year.
Church and local history
Reinerzau’s Protestant parish church is dedicated to Saint Margaret and is late Gothic in style. Tracery windows in the choir and a gabled roof on the tower define its appearance; the church was renovated in 1850. Tracery refers to the stone forms that divide Gothic windows; a gabled roof consists of two sloping roof surfaces. In contrast to the Holzriese, the focus here shifts from forestry and log rafting to sacred architecture.
In the wider destination of Alpirsbach
Those who venture beyond Reinerzau will find a distinct focus on monastic and town history in the wider destination of Alpirsbach. Alpirsbach Abbey Church, dedicated to Saint Nicholas, was built between 1125 and 1133 in the Romanesque tradition; the Benedictine monastery is around 900 years old. Since 1952, cloister concerts have been held in the Gothic cloister of the former Benedictine monastery in Alpirsbach. Alpirsbach’s attractions thus range from Romanesque monastic architecture to a later concert tradition in the Gothic cloister.
The Museum of Local History beside the abbey complex illustrates Alpirsbach’s development through a selection of collector’s items. At the historic Alpirsbacher Offizin print shop, visitors can see how book printing works and plan and carry out their own printing projects. The town’s development, presented through collector’s items, and the practical planning of personal printing projects offer two distinct ways to explore the subject.
Alpirsbach also offers professional guided town tours with local guides and a variety of thematic focuses. Check the schedule with the town information office. Alpirsbach’s railway and bus stations are in the heart of the town centre; the abbey and brewery are about a five-minute walk from there.
The wider destination also offers tennis and an outdoor swimming pool: visitors and locals can play on the TC Alpirsbach’s four professional clay courts; check access with the club. Alpirsbach’s outdoor pool is set among gently rolling hills. For current opening hours and prices, contact the operator. The golf course is on the outskirts of Peterzell, a district of Alpirsbach, amid extensive fields.
Discover more destinations: Empfingen, Waldachtal, Bad Rippoldsau-Schapbach, Dornstetten, Pfalzgrafenweiler, Baiersbronn, Seewald, Loßburg.
Back to the wider travel overview: Freudenstadt.
