All Saints Waterfalls

Allerheiligen waterfalls, Büttenstein waterfalls
	The middle and highest fall (13 m)
Coordinates	48 ° 31 '49.08 " N , 8 ° 11' 20.04" E Coordinates: 48 ° 31 '49.08 " N , 8 ° 11' 20.04" E
place	Oppenau , Northern Black Forest , Baden-Wuerttemberg
height	66 m ; falling edge : 574 m; impact zone : 508 m
width	5 m
Number of fall levels	7th
Mean flow rate (MQ)	200 l / s
Falling watercourse	Grindenbach

The Allerheiligen waterfalls are the largest natural waterfalls in the northern Black Forest and are located in the district of Oppenau in Baden-Württemberg at around 530 m above sea level. NN . The Grindenbach , the upper reaches of the Lierbach , falls here below the Allerheiligen monastery through a steep-walled porphyry gorge over seven steps, a total of 66 meters. Because of the scouring ( puddles ) under the cataracts, the falls are also called Büttensteiner waterfalls or the Seven Bütten .

Emergence

The surrounding crystalline basement of the northern Black Forest consists of two- mica granite , which tends to form cliffs. The approximately 100 meter high walls on both sides of the falls are made of even more resistant porphyry , which runs through the area in a corridor and is cut here by the Grindenbach. The fact that the stream from the catchment area of just 4.5 km² was strong enough to cut such a deep gorge into the rock is due to the very high annual rainfall (around 2000 mm / year) and the great gradient to the nearby Upper Rhine Plain . The eye-catching cascade staircase shows that the greatest erosion is effective in the “hand-made paper” at the foot of the steps. Cavitation also contributes to this, especially during floods .

Development

For centuries, the waterfalls belonged to the Allerheiligen monastery , from whose ruins they are only a few hundred meters away. It was not until the beginning of the 19th century that the inaccessible gorge was explored using ladders. In 1840, the forest administration built a path that made the falls accessible via several stairs and bridges. This path also drew public attention to the ruins of the monastery and thus contributed indirectly to securing the remaining walls. The heavily frequented path had to be renovated several times and has been a stepped path made of sandstone since 1964.

The falls can be reached via the district road 5370, which leads from Oppenau to the Schwarzwaldhochstrasse ( Bundesstrasse 500 ), and via the district road 5371, which leads from Ottenhöfen almost to the parking lot of the monastery complex. There is also a parking lot at the lower end of the falls.

Say

Several legends arose around the monastery and the waterfalls, inspired by their remoteness and difficult accessibility. A legendary trail that also touches the waterfalls provides information about them .