Tradition is timeless
ONCE AN INN, ALWAYS A FARMSTEAD
Hofgut Sternen combines the traditions of the Black Forest like no other place. Today we are a hotel at the entrance of the Ravenna Gorge. A 360° experience resort with guests from all over the world. A culinary hotspot and centre of attraction. A place to celebrate, marvel and linger. In fact, it has (almost) always been like this. The location in the Höllental valley has always made the area a natural resting place. A coach route once led through the Höllental valley and many illustrious guests stood where we walk across the grass today. Marie-Antoinette stopped off, Goethe was inspired and even Napoleon III was a guest.
If the walls of Hofgut Sternen could speak, they would truly have a lot to tell.
When Hofgut Sternen was still called ‘Wirtshaus unter der Steig’, the Höllental valley first had to be opened up as a route into the Black Forest. This is done with some spectacular hairpin bends from Hinterzarten down to the head of the valley. It looks rough and dark here, and the Ravenna Gorge has several waterfalls to offer.
From the 12th century onwards, the Falkensteige road between Freiburg and Donaueschingen leads through what is now the Höllental valley, then still known as the ‘Falkensteiner Tal’. The St Oswald Chapel, built in 1148, is one of the many reminders of this.
The Falkensteige is a mule track, a cart track that harbours all kinds of dangers for people. Then, finally: in 1753, it is decided to extend the Falkensteige for two years - to make it a good and walkable goods and postal route.
FROM MARIE-ANTOINETTE TO THE POET GOETHE
Only a few years later, in May 1770, the great hour of the Hofgut Sternen strikes. Marie-Antoinette is on her way to Paris. She wants to marry the French King Louis XVI. Of course, she was not travelling alone: it must have been a magnificent spectacle to see the baroque splendour of 21 coaches, 36 carriages and 450 horses moving through the Black Forest. Marie-Antoinette stops off at the old inn. There is still a signpost here today, informing the future queen that it was still a three-hour journey to Freiburg.
The Hofgut has experienced many great moments in its history. Johann Wolfgang von Goethe was also drawn to the Höllental valley twice. Today, part of the Hofgut Sternen ensemble is named after him: the historic GoetheHaus.
WHERE DOES THE HELL VALLEY GET ITS NAME FROM?
When the French troops under General Moreau had to retreat in 1796, it was not easy for them in this part of the Black Forest. The Falkenstein valley goes down in history as the ‘Val d'enfer’, the ‘Hell Valley’. But it is not only the hardship of the French troops that gives this spot its unflattering name. As early as 1691, Leopold I cursed when he referred to the narrows at today's Hirschsprung as ‘die Höll’ (hell) while contemplating the defence of the Black Forest crossings.
Today, Hofgut Sternen can be easily reached via the Höllental valley. The Höllental railway has also been running through the Ravenna Gorge since 1887. It is the steepest railway line in Germany and can now even be negotiated without the help of a cogwheel drive.
The days of the mail coach are long gone. And when asked about the journey time, no one answers: ‘If nothing breaks or snaps, we can probably be there in two hours, unless the Lord wishes to stop off a few times on the way.’
THE ST. OSWALD CHAPEL FROM 1148
The oldest chapel in the Upper Black Forest today stands on the grounds of the Sternen estate.
In 1148, St Oswald was consecrated as the first parish church in the village by the Bishop of Constance. The consecration provides the oldest documented date for the settlement of the Falkenstein estate. Church services were held regularly for the entire parish of Breitnau-Hinterzarten until 1798. The small cemetery around the old church, which was used until 1863, is still recognisable today. In 1606, the chapel was remodelled in Baroque style and later further altered and enlarged.
Towards the end of the Second World War, St Oswald's Chapel was damaged several times by aerial bombs and extensively renovated in 1950. In 1980, some of the figures from the high altar fell into the hands of unscrupulous church robbers. Although they were recovered, they were replaced by copies for security reasons.
Today more than ever, St Oswald's Chapel is a popular destination for excursions. In the summer of 1998, it celebrated its 850th anniversary and is now used for Christmas services, musical events and weddings.
