Urberg brings together religious heritage and tangible traces of its former mining industry. St. Peter and Paul Parish Church, the Gottesehre Mineral Museum and the mining trail offer different ways to explore the area’s history. The wider destination of Dachsberg (Southern Black Forest) adds long-distance hiking trails and seasonal winter tours as a distinct regional setting.

Churches and Minerals in Urberg

St. Peter and Paul Parish Church in Urberg houses a remarkable altar dating from the mid-17th century. It is said to have come from the New Minster in St. Blasien, which burned down in 1768. St. Peter and Paul Parish Church in Inner-Urberg dates from 1816. Alongside the history of the altar, the construction date of a church thus provides a concrete historical marker.

The Gottesehre Mineral Museum in Urberg displays an extensive collection of minerals. It was established in 2001 in the basement of the former schoolhouse. In the wider destination of Dachsberg (Southern Black Forest), the museum uses a film and other media to provide information about the disused mine; several display cases feature minerals from the mine. The exhibition thus brings together minerals and mining history under one roof.

Mining Trails and Landscape

The mining trail links sites associated with former mining. In Urberg, you can start at the Mineral Museum; the mining path near Rüttewies is integrated into the route. In the wider destination of Dachsberg (Southern Black Forest), the trail is about seven kilometres long and can also be started at the town hall in Wittenschwand. The difference between this route and a long-distance hiking trail is a useful guide when choosing walking routes by length.

The Zeidler Trail near the Goldenhof in Dachsberg-Urberg explains, using information boards, how honey was once harvested and bees were kept. It offers historical insights into traditional forest beekeeping and its ecological significance. Alongside mining history, it offers another perspective on earlier ways of making use of the land and keeping bees.

The Bildsteinfelsen viewpoint below the Goldenhof offers sweeping views of the Alb Valley. The Albsteig Schwarzwald long-distance hiking trail passes the Bildsteinfelsen on its 83-kilometre route. For planning purposes, the roughly seven-kilometre mining trail and the 83-kilometre long-distance route offer a clear contrast in distance—not just in subject matter.

The former fluorspar and heavy spar mine Gottesehre lies below the Bildsteinfelsen. Today, it provides refuge for many bats. In Urberg, the community centre is also a starting point for winter tours.

Dachsberg (Southern Black Forest): The Regional Setting

In the wider destination of Dachsberg (Southern Black Forest), the Albsteig Schwarzwald has been a premium hiking trail since 2017. It runs from the mouth of the Alb near Albbruck to its source on the Feldberg, climbing onto the Dachsberg along the way and offering views from there. This route combines a long-distance journey with a distinct perspective on the destination’s landscape.

Dachsberg and Ibach are members of the Black Forest Biosphere Reserve, established in 2016. An extensive network of routes for hiking, Nordic walking, cycling and winter tours is available to residents, day-trippers and tourists alike. The plateaus and forests can be explored on groomed winter hiking trails; this seasonal offering depends on snow conditions. Conditions on individual routes may also vary with the time of year.

Discover more destinations: Wittenschwand, Vogelbach.

Back to the main travel overview: Dachsberg.