Dead moss

Basic data
State :	Baden-Württemberg
Administrative region :	Freiburg
County :	Waldshut
Height :	820 m above sea level NHN
Area :	28.09 km 2
Residents:	1963 (Dec. 31, 2018)
Population density :	70 inhabitants per km 2
Postal code :	79682
Area code :	07674
License plate :	WT
Community key :	08 3 37 108
LOCODE :	DE TMO
Address of the ; municipal administration:	St.-Blasier-Straße 2 ; 79682 Todtmoos
Website :	www.todtmoos.net
Mayoress :	Janette Fuchs
Location of the municipality of Todtmoos in the Waldshut district

Todtmoos is a municipality in the Waldshut district in Baden-Württemberg . The climatic health resort is located in the southern Black Forest at an altitude of over 700 meters.

geography

Geographical location

Todtmoos is located in the south of the high Black Forest in the upper Wehratal . The municipal area comprises 13 districts and extends over an altitude of 700 m above sea level in the Wehratal up to the 1263 m high Hochkopf . Todtmoos borders the Hotzenwald .

Neighboring communities

View of Todtmoos

Sacred Heart Chapel in the Weg district

Typical Black Forest farm in Hintertodtmoos

Farm Andreas Schmidt (Feb 2010)

Cross-country bus in Todtmoos

The old Wehrawaldklinik (1902)

Wehrawaldklinik

The community borders in the north on Todtnau in the district of Lörrach and Bernau , in the east on Ibach , in the south on Herrischried and in the west on the district of Gersbach (Schopfheim) of the city of Schopfheim and Häg-Ehrsberg , both in the district of Lörrach.

Community structure

The municipality of Todtmoos is divided into the districts of Au, Glashütte, Hintertodtmoos, Schwarzenbach and Weg, the main town of Vordertodtmoos, the hamlets of Berghütte, Höfle, Lehen, Mättle, Prestenberg, Rütte and Strick and the houses Auerhäusle, Gersbach-Au and Wehrawald. In the municipality lies the Neuenstein desert , where after Metz the Neuenstein Castle of the Lords of Stein rose. Today it is more likely that the Neustein was on the Burgholz near Raitbach .

climate

The climatic health resort of Todtmoos is embedded in the steep and wooded Wehratal. The mild, stimulating climate of the low mountain range is characterized by long hours of sunshine, air purity, low fog, winter temperature reversal compared to the Rhine Valley ( inversion weather situation ) and pleasant freshness on midsummer days. Todtmoos is also rich in precipitation, with an average of 1900 mm per year. This is due to the cloud blockade of the 1263 m high Hochkopf. In winter months the average snow depth is 40 cm to 60 cm, in individual cases up to 150 cm.

history

According to a legend, the folk priest Dietrich von Rickenbach built a chapel on Schönbühl in 1255 after an apparition of Mary. In 1268 a church was built on this site, which was immediately elevated to Our Lady (Todtmoos) . Todtmoos is mentioned for the first time in a document in 1267, and in 1275 the place is mentioned as a possession of the Habsburgs . In 1300 the church was expanded. In 1319 Todtmoos came to the Benedictine monastery of St. Blasien as a fief . In 1439, a pilgrimage from Basel residents is reported, in which 1,000 people are said to have participated.

After a fire in the church in 1627, the pilgrimage church was rebuilt the following year; it received a vaulted choir and two aisles. In 1678, Duke Charles V of Lorraine traveled through Todtmoos with the imperial army . In 1733 the abbots of St. Blasien built a summer residence in the village, the superior building, which is now the Catholic parsonage. It was built by the Vorarlberg master builder Johann Michael Beer von Bleichten . The equipment of the representative building was done by master craftsmen of the Wessobrunn school , called the plasterer Hans Michael Hennenvogel . The parish and pilgrimage church on Schönbühl was rebuilt in baroque style between 1770 and 1778 by the architect Franz Joseph Salzmann . In 1778 the place received market rights .

After Upper Austria became extinct as the Habsburg rule in 1806, the place went to the Grand Duchy of Baden . The construction of a road through the Wehratal began in 1847, and the road will be finished in 1852. Around the turn of the century to the 20th century was discovered the place as a resort and health resort: 1897 the Kurhaus was Luisenbad opened in 1901 followed by the sanatorium Wehrawald in the English style as a sanatorium for tuberculosis -Kranke. The village infrastructure was also improved: in 1903 a new town hall was completed, in 1905 the forestry office, and in 1908 the first electrical line was put into operation by the Waldelektra power sales cooperative . Larger investments were only made again after the First World War : in 1925 the observation tower was built on the Hochkopf, in 1927 the pilgrimage church was expanded. In 1935 the partial independence of the districts was canceled, Todtmoos became a unified municipality.

During the Nazi era , a person of Jewish origin residing in Todtmoos was deported and murdered. Heinrich Wollheim (born 1885 in Schmiegel) was deported to the Theresienstadt ghetto on August 22, 1942 and to Auschwitz on October 19, 1944 . He lived at Hauptstrasse 35a in "Haus Kaiser". Five other people in Todtmoos were classified as Jewish under Nazi race laws : Berta Boedeker, née Rosenbaum (1904–1986) and her five children. She survived with her children in a so-called mixed marriage with the specialist for lung diseases Anton Boedeker (1901–1979).

The first lung resection in Germany on a tuberculosis patient was carried out in 1948 by the then senior physician Dr. Good performed in the Wehrawald sanatorium . In 1951 Karlfried Graf Dürckheim founded together with Maria Hippius Countess Dürckheim the existential-psychological education and meeting place Todtmoos-Rütte .

The following years were marked by investments in the community to improve the infrastructure: 1953 construction of water pipes and sewer systems in Vordertodtmoos, 1956 inauguration of the new Protestant church "Zum guten Hirten" , 1960 inauguration of the new school building on Jägermatt, 1961 construction of a large central sewage treatment plant for Vordertodtmoos. In 1968 the Todtmoos parish celebrated its 700th anniversary.

The administrative reform in Baden-Württemberg brought some changes for the community of Todtmoos: Since the district of Säckingen was dissolved, the place came to the district of Waldshut in 1973; In 1975 joining the St. Blasien community administration association prevented the community from losing its independence. In the same year, the 1st dog sled race took place, an event that made Todtmoos known worldwide. In 1985 the first European championship in this sport took place in Todtmoos, in 1994 the first world championship in Germany.

In 1980 the Wehratalhalle was inaugurated with the spa, gym and fire station. In 1980 the predicate “climatic health resort” was confirmed by the Baden-Württemberg Ministry of Economics. In the years that followed, a new spa park was inaugurated (1983), the outdoor swimming pool renovated (1986), the Heimethus Museum set up (1991), the “Hoffnungsstollen” mine opened and the school renovated (2000).

religion

There has been a Catholic parish in Todtmoos since the 14th century. As a community in Upper Austria and a fiefdom of the St. Blasien monastery, the place always remained Catholic. The Catholic Church is one of the imposing buildings in the community and is a magnet for pilgrims. Since 1987 there has been a Pauline monastery in Todtmoos . There are currently four members of the Order from Poland living in the monastery.

It was only after the spa began operating around 1900 that more and more Protestant Christians came to the town. In 1920 there was a first pastor. The Protestant congregation, which is still rather small today, received its Church of the Good Shepherd in 1956 .

politics

Municipal council

The council belong to the local elections on May 26, 2019 next to the mayor of 10 members as chairman. The past local elections had the following results:

Parties and constituencies	% 2019	Seats 2019	% 2014	Seats 2014	% 2009	Seats 2009
Free voters Todtmoos e. V.	52.6	5	56.0	6th	57.6	7th
Christian Democratic Union	47.4	5	44.0	4th	42.4	5
total	100	10	100	10	100	12
voter turnout	60.6%		56.4%		62.2%

Culture and sights

nature

The nature reserve Kirchspielwald-Ibacher Moos lies partly in the area of the municipality Todtmoos. The Todtmooser waterfall is designated as an extensive natural monument.

Museums

The Todtmoos Local History Museum is housed in a 250-year-old clapboard building. In addition to agricultural equipment and objects of commercial creation, memorabilia from the spa and the pilgrimages are on display .

The "Hoffnungsstollen" , the former magnetic gravel and nickel mine in the Mättle district, has been open to visitors as a show mine since 2000 .

In Todtmoos-Schwarzenbach, today Todtmoos-Berghütte, there was a vitriol hut from 1800 to 1830 that processed the sulfur and copper pebbles from Gersbach, Horbach and Todtmoos in a vitriol boiler.

music

There are various music associations in Todtmoos:

the accordion orchestra, a Gugge ensemble, the Musikverein Todtmoos-Weg, the traditional costume band, the MIB (Men In Black) carnival music

Buildings

Church and parsonage Todtmoos on a bridge in Bürgeln Castle

The most impressive building in town is the baroque Church of Our Lady on Schönbühl. It is the parish church of the Roman Catholic parish of Todtmoos and a pilgrimage church , to which numerous pilgrims come to this day. The current church was built between 1625 and 1632 and was redesigned and expanded several times in the following centuries.

The parsonage in the vicinity of the church, the parsonage Todtmoos, is also an imposing building that was built by the architect Johann Michael Beer von Bleichten in 1733. It became the summer residence of the abbots of the St. Blasien monastery and is accordingly sumptuously furnished. At first the building was kept simple outside and inside, but redesigns and embellishments inside in the years 1748/49 and 1761 led to the name “palace”, which was understandable given the modest buildings in the area. A spacious staircase designed by Johann Kaspar Bagnato connects the ground floor and first floor, the upper hall is adorned with a large ceiling painting by the painter Johann Anton Morath with a representation from the biblical book Esther . The “prince's room” is decorated and contains a faience stove and doors with flower ornaments made of different woods.

A number of chapels in individual districts testify to the popular piety of the residents.

Furthermore, there are numerous regionally typical Black Forest houses in the community .

Sports

In addition to the ski club and football club, there are also nature-related leisure sports such as horse riding, (Nordic) walking, mountain biking, and a high ropes course. The Schluchtensteig , the Wehratal Adventure Trail and the Glaträgerweg lead through Todtmoos .

Regular events

The fire brigade festival takes place annually in summer and the light festival in August, during which the old spa park is illuminated by hundreds of small lanterns. Every second year there is a village festival, which is organized by the local associations. In addition, the “Aktives Todtmoos” trade association organizes various Thursday promotions and a weekly market in the summer months.

In the so-called fifth season in February, the carnival (similar to Mardi Gras or Carnival), the fool's tree, children's ball and parades are part of the regular events. In addition, the traditional “Schiibe Füer” ( disc fire) is maintained in some districts , during which burning or glowing “Schiibe” are hit down a wooden ramp into the valley with the help of an approximately 2 to 2.5 m long elastic stick.

Sled dog racing

Every year on the last weekend in January, sled dog races with international participation take place in Todtmoos. Since the first race in 1975, the sled dog races in Todtmoos have become a permanent fixture as the International German Championship. A highlight in the history of the sled dog race in Todtmoos was the European Championship on 23/24. February 1985 and the World Sled Dog Championship from February 25 to 27, 1994. At the 1994 World Championship, which was also the first World Sled Dog Championship to be held on German soil, Todtmoos achieved a record audience of 40,000 spectators. At the 2003 World Cup, 329 mushers from 21 nations harnessed around 2,500 dogs to their sledges.

Economy and Infrastructure

Todtmoos is economically designed primarily for tourism and spa operations. This is reflected in the wide range of restaurants, summer and winter sports activities and the spa gardens. But because of the wooded location, there are also many wood-related businesses such as sawmills, carpenters and a brush factory.

traffic

Todtmoos is located in a valley basin that either crosses the Hotzenwald (Freiwaldkapelle), or from the Wiesental ( St. Antoni Pass and Weißenbachsattel ), from St. Blasien (Red Cross and Ibacher Cross), or through the only access to the Wehrattal can be achieved. It is about 20 kilometers north of the Swiss border and about 50 kilometers each from Freiburg and Basel .

Scheduled buses of the Südbadenbus connect Todtmoos with Bad Säckingen, St. Blasien, Rickenbach and Todtnau.

education

In Todtmoos there is the St. Elisabeth kindergarten and the Dr.-Rudolf-Eberle-Schule (elementary and secondary school with Werkrealschule ).

Personalities

Honorary citizen

1948: Karl Kaufmann, general practitioner and highly committed volunteer
1950: Rudolf Jordan, restaurateur and, among other things, involved in the Black Forest Association
1978: Karl Schnorr, clergyman, who was a Catholic pastor in Todtmoos for 40 years
1984: Karlfried Graf Dürckheim , Zen teacher, psychotherapist, co-founder of the existential psychological education and meeting center in Todtmoos-Rütte
2006: Karl-Heinz Tartsch

Trivia

A native of the 1953 home movie , when on Sunday evening, the village plays music from Rudolf Schündler was shot in Todtmoos. In order to be able to use as many idyllic images as possible for the protagonist's journey to Todtmoos, contradicting attitudes are used: Those familiar with the area will understand that the car journey alternates over the Hochkopf (Weißenbachsattel), towards the Wehratal (by the way out of town!) And from St. Antoni -Pass is shown coming.

legend

Count Rudolf von Habsburg and the pilgrimage chapel at Todtmoos

In 1255 the priest Dietrich, who lived in Säckingen at the time, had many apparitions. He wanted nothing more than a chapel in honor of Mary. But it was only with the help of a stranger who showed him the wild area by the Wehra that he was able to clear the site with great difficulty. But he still did not know the exact construction site for the chapel for Our Lady. Then she appeared to him in a dream and said: Go to the place that is called the “Schönbühl”, and cut down the largest fir tree, where the top of it falls, begin to build . So he did and built the chapel. Now, however, he still lacked donations to maintain the chapel and to live there himself. So he asked his trusted Rudolf von Habsburg for help. The latter then gave him the great forest, which was called the hunting hero , and many other goods and rights. Soon the chapel had to be enlarged to accommodate everyone.

literature

Josef Anton Ruf: Todtmoos. History and landscape. Bernau 1976.
Peter Ch. Müller: On the history of the Todtmoos pilgrimage. In: The Markgräflerland. Volume 2/1996, pp. 168-176