Obertal (Baiersbronn)
Obertal is part of the municipality of Baiersbronn in the Freudenstadt district and has 1,500 inhabitants.
geography
The village is located in the Black Forest Middle / North Nature Park at an altitude between 580 and 700 m. However, the local area extends up to the Black Forest heights, and so the Ruhestein and the Schliffkopf , at 1,055 m the highest elevation, also belong to Obertal. Due to the location east of the Black Forest main ridge, the climate here is partly rough and rainy. The winters are also snowy. This climate and measures by the community, hoteliers and local residents have earned the place the title "premium class climatic health resort".
The Rotmurg and the Rechtmurg, which unite in the center to form the Murg , arise in Obertal . The side valleys of the Murg are landscape protection areas . Plant species that are already threatened with extinction can still be found here, such as B. rare orchid species, arnica or the globe flower .
history
The remaining remains of the Tannenfels castle ruins date from the first half of the 13th century, but archaeological finds point to a previous castle from the 11th or early 12th century. The castle fell victim to a fire as early as the first half of the 14th century, which may have broken out in the course of a war.
Settlement of Obertal was first mentioned in documents in 1394 through the sale of a meadow area in "Thannenfels", a parcel near Tannenfels Castle. The valley belonged to Württemberg under the administration of Dornstetten , and the counts of that time allowed the residents to hunt, hunt and fish in the forest and to graze their cattle in the forests. The first settlement push began in 1519, when Württemberg came to Front Austria. Religious refugees from Tyrol and soldiers who stayed behind settled here and founded new families. From 1534 Württemberg was independent again and Obertal was again part of Württemberg.
When wood gained value as a source of raw materials after 1700, the economic boom came into the valley. The ironworks in Friedrichstal needed charcoal, and the logs themselves were sold as far as Holland. This surplus of wood also led to the construction of a glassworks in Buhlbach in 1758 . The beginning of the industrial age offered new jobs again and again and wood cutters and glassmakers moved in. In the heyday of the glassworks and until its closure in 1909, the Buhlbach district was more important than Obertal. Around 1900, when the industrial age in the valley came to an end, a new source of income was sought. The hospitality and accommodation of travelers as well as the accommodation of "summer visitors" should bring the place back to prosperity. Businesses and hostels were expanded into hotels, the spa era began and reached its peak in the 1970s.
In 1933 the Protestant church in Obertal was built using wood and in 1951 the cemetery was added. In 1965 Obertal became an independent parish. The church square was rounded off in 2002 with the construction of the parish hall. The Catholic Church was consecrated in 1957, but belongs to the parish of Baiersbronn.
In May 2000, Obertal was awarded the title of "Healing Climatic Spa" by the Minister of Economics, Walter Döring . In 2003, this rating was expanded to include a “Premium Class Climatic Health Resort”.
The four-class elementary school teaches around 70 elementary school children and the two-class kindergarten is attended by 50 children. The hotels as well as private landlords can show 10,000 overnight stays per year. The number of jobs in spa, trade and industry has risen to around 200.
Infrastructure
Obertal is mainly characterized by its importance as a scattered settlement in a scenic location and as a health resort. Since the place itself has no rail connection, it can only be reached from both sides via the L 401. The main function of the place is in the area of living and accommodating guests. The hotel and catering industry, including a health clinic, also provides most of the jobs. The craft, trade and service companies also play a not insignificant role.
Due to the steep slopes and wet meadows, agriculture is only insignificant, although the land consolidation program that has been running for several years has improved the framework conditions for this. The meadows are partially grazed by a pasture community with cattle and sheep in order to comply with the maintenance of the landscape.
Public and private infrastructure facilities are a kindergarten, a primary school, a fire station, the Evangelical Church with parish hall and cemetery, as well as the Catholic Church, a parish library, the spa garden with music pavilion, a football field, several barbecue areas and children's playgrounds. Obertal also has a swimming pool with a mini golf course, which was built in 1933 on its own initiative and has since been modernized. There is also a Nordic walking route, a fitness trail and a geological educational trail.
literature
- Karl Gaiser: The Upper Murgtal through the ages - the history of the Baiersbronn suburb of Obertal-Buhlbach. Self published in 2009.
- Dorothee Rippmann : The investigations on the fir rock near Baiersbronn-Obertal, Lkrs. Freudenstadt, in: Research and reports on the archeology of the Middle Ages in Baden-Württemberg 7. Stuttgart 1981, pp. 371–419.
Web links
Coordinates: 48 ° 31 '59.1 " N , 8 ° 17' 13.2" E
Baiersbronn (village) with Friedrichstal | Mitteltal | Obertal with Buhlbach | Tonbach | Klosterreichenbach with Heselbach | Röt-Schönegründ | Huzenbach | Schwarzenberg with Schönmünzach and Schönmünz