Wolfach

Sister cities

• Kreuzlingen
• Richfield
• Cavalaire-sur-Mer

History

Wolfach was first mentioned in 1084 as Wolphaha and was given a wide variety of names throughout the High and early Late Middle Ages including Wolphaa, Wolua, Wolfacha, Wolva, Wolfach inferius, Wolva, Wolvahe, and Wolffach. Very little is known about Wolfach before 1000 and there were likely no large settlements in the area. Under Emperor Vespasian, the Roman Empire may have built a trade and military road from Offenburg to Rottweil which passed near the town around 73 AD. The exact age of Wolfach is not known. The noble De Wolphaha family is thought to have lived in the Ruine Wolfach, a hilltop castle that lay north of the town center and was built in the late 11th century. By the 14th century, the people of Wolfach gained many civil liberties, including the freedom to hold markets. This allowed the town to grow in size and population. As early as the 15th century, the lumber trade was an important source of income for Wolfach because of its location in the Black Forest. The timber trade was aided by timber rafting, which allowed for the cheap and easy delivery of timber to places as far as Strasbourg. Timber rafting continued until the late 19th century when quicker and more efficient railways deemed the practice obsolete. In 1984, the Wolfach Kinzig Rafers Association () was created to preserve the tradition of rafting. A festival is held biennially where rafts are built and floated down the river to celebrate the town's history of rafting. Major fires have forced many of the buildings in the town center and the nearby suburbs to be rebuilt. The most recent major fire was in 1892, which burned the old town hall, school, and two neighbouring buildings. The town hall was rebuilt in 1892/93 in the neo-Renaissance style.

Geography

Wolfach lies where the two rivers Wolf and Kinzig meet in the Kinzig valley. The mountains and valleys surrounding the town stretch between 250 and 880 meters above sea level. District villages within the borough of Wolfach include Kirnbach, Halbmeil, Kinzigtal, and St. Roman. The town center was originally divided into two parts to the north and south of the Kinzig river. The north section was developed as a suburb, where the St. Laurentius–Pfarrei, a Roman Catholic church, still stands today. The south section included a market street and is still lined with shops today. Both sides of the river have been developed to including housing, shops, and other markets. They are connected by a pedestrian bridge and a larger bridge for car traffic. Due to the harsh topographical location, Wolfach has not received significant expansion. The most significant expansion was the Straßburger Hof, a suburban area which extends to the west of the town center and began construction in 1927.

Most-observed species

• Eurasian Blackbird

  Turdus merula Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  534
• Great Tit

  Parus major Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  439
• Common Chaffinch

  Fringilla coelebs Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  431
• Eurasian Magpie

  Pica pica (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  411
• House Sparrow

  Passer domesticus (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  381
• European Robin

  Erithacus rubecula (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  359
• White Stork

  Ciconia ciconia (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  355
• Eurasian Blue Tit

  Cyanistes caeruleus (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  355

Most recent

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