BLACK IS BEAUTIFUL

Dr. Marie Fernandes is mesmerised with the picture perfect beauty of Schwarzwald, the enchanting Black Forest of Germany

And not Brecht alone, whose ancestors came from Achernat, the foot of the wooded mountains, has thus encapsulated the mystique of the Black Forest. Goethe, who travelled through the Höllental in 1779 and landed in Himmelreich; Dostoevsky, who used his experiences in the Baden-Baden casino for his novel, The Player; Anton Chekhov who died in Badenweiler and the vernacular poet Heinrich Hansjakob, all rank among the poets and philosophers on whom this region has exerted a strange fascination.

As somebody who teaches English literature, it was therefore natural that the Black Forest region should find a stop in my European tour. I took a Euro-city train from Roma Termini and journeyed past the awesome Swiss Alps to reach Schwarzwald, as the Black Forest region is known in Germany. Luscious green valleys and pine-green forests, blue lakes and high snow covered peaks; magnificent gorges and mighty waterfalls make up this superb scenery. It has taken nature a long time to carve this up. The Black Forest's genesis, granite and sandstone hills rose during the tertiary period, some 50 million years ago. The glaciers of the ice age added the final touch, leaving behind moraine walls and numerous lakes. However it was only about 500 BC that the first people appeared in the region - the Celts, who probably gave the region its names. The Celts generally settled in the valleys as did the Romans who moved into the region around the time of the birth of Christ - and later the Alemanns. All of them feared the dark sinister wooded mountains and were unwilling to extend their settlements up into the hillsides.

It was the Romans who discovered the warm therapeutic springs of the region, though in the following centuries few dared venture into the impenetrable forests or cross the windswept heights. Devout communities of medieval monks hacked clearing and tilled the soil; later lone adventurers came in search of precious ores and valuable timber. Today, the Black Forest is as rugged and romantic as ever, a place to relax in your own way. Here one can join the whirl of folk festivals, delve into 2,000 years of history or linger over some of the best cuisine that Germany has to offer; here, in the stock phrase of old German fairy tales, one can walk for miles without meeting a soul. An English travel writer in 1885 wrote that a visit to the Black Forest gives us 'a glimpse into the good land'.

The university town of Karlsruhe is often regarded as the gateway to the Black Forest. The 18th century palace has extensive gardens from which numerous roads fan out into the town. Karlsruhe is named after the palace's founder, Karl Margrave of Baden, who is buried under a pyramid in the market place. Other sights include the Art Museum, which has an outstanding collection of European painting, and the Transport Museum. Carl Benz, the inventor of the petrol engine, was born in Karlsruhe in 1844. The Titisee is king of the Black Forest's natural lakes. A host of legends exist to explore the origin of its unusual name. According to one, the lake is the home of the Titis, mermaids, who live in its glass clear waters. Irrefutable is that the Titisee was carved out by the Bären glacier. Surrounded by forests and moors, the two kilometer long and 800 metre wide lake offers a range of holiday activities, both in summer and winter.

The climactic health resort of Titisee on the northwest banks of the lake was one of the first recreation resorts established after the Höllental railway line opened up the southern Black Forest in 1887. In summer, swimming and boating are naturally the most popular activities, and boat tours have been run on the lake since 1909. Pedal boats, sailboats and rowboats are available for rent and there are surfing and sailing courses. Walkers can discover the outdoors on the one-and-a-half hour route around the lake and along a multitude of mountain paths. Lake and summer evening festivals make up only a part of the myriad of tourist attractions. In winter, spa-guests and holidaymakers can relax with a stroll through the tranquil, white winter world or on the ski runs and trails, in ski courses with skating and tobogganing; or they can dip into the hurly-burly of the modern ice discotheque and make new friends.

From the romantic Feldsee, more than 1,000 meters above sea level, it is an easy walk to the peak of Feldberg. It is the Black Forest's highest peak at 1,493 meters. One can also experience the spectacular panorama by taking the chairlift on Seebuck. On good days one may see the Alps with the Zugspitze and even the Swiss Alps and Montblanc. Feldberg has also the largest and oldest park in Bäden-Wurttemberg encompassing 3,250 hectares.

In Schonach in the middle Black Forest is the largest cuckoo clock in the world. The history of clock-making in the region goes back to about 1640, when a local craftsman made a copy of the clock from Bohemia. The subsequent development of clocks with a wooden mechanism is documented in the German Clock museum in Furtwangen. The museum draws visitors from around the world. There are over 1,000 clocks from various ages, as well as a number of examples tracing the history of the Black Forest Clock. In Schonach, the ski trail to Belchen and the ski marathon begins. Every January there is a Nordic combination race. Moreover there is a large ski-jump, three ski lifts with flood lights, about 50 kilometers of cross country trails and the chance to ride horse drawn sleighs.

We follow the Black Forest Panorama highway through St Märgen till we spot the twin towers of the former Benedictine Abbey of St. Peter. Founded in 1093, the monastery was largely rebuilt in the 18th century. Its many treasures include the abbey church with a magnificent organ, and a collection of rare medieval manuscripts. These are housed in the most splendid of libraries with elegantly curved balconies; graceful Baroque statues and a ceiling decorated with plaster work and frescoes.

The TV series 'Scharzwaldklinik' provided almost priceless publicity for the Glottertal and the Black Forest, as the story of Dr Brinkmann and his clinic has been sold to over 50 countries worldwide. Since the series began, throngs have visited the former health spa of Glotterbad, built in 1914 and today a rehabilitation centre, which served as a main filming location.

The waterfalls of Gutach in Triberg attract more than half a million visitors per year. The main entrance to the highest waterfall in Germany lies in the middle of the town. Here the river Gutach descends 163 meters in a series of seven cascades, through a ravine down to the town. Triberg got its name as three peaks - Kapellenberg, Kroeck and Sterenberg, surround it.

The traditional Black Forest costume still plays an important role in many parts of the region and there are many different forms. The Gutacher costume is probably the most well-known, having been made famous through the operetta and the film 'Das Schwarzwaldmädel'. It consists of a white linen blouse with puffed sleeves, a black 'wielrock' with a 'libli', a velvet girdle. Gutach is home of the famed red Bollenhut. The thick ball of wool to make the distinctive pom-pom hat is red for unmarried girls and black for married ones. Here too the famous 'Schappele' is worn. It is more valuable than the Bollenhut. It consists of a crown of glass and wood beads, mirrors and gold foil.

Anyone on holiday in the Black Forest who did not have a proper 'vesper' has missed one of the region's greatest pleasures. A typical vesper plate is a pleasure for the eye and tastes even better than it looks. Generally consisting of the famous smoked ham, rotwurst, radishes and fresh farmer's bread, it is traditionally had with wine or an 'Obstwässerli' from cherries, plums, raspberries or pears. The people of the Black Forest take time over a meal and savour their specialities. Visitors are urged to follow this custom. Visitors may also want to call on a waitress's help in translating typical regional dishes such as 'Brägele' (fried potatoes), 'Bibbeliska's' (curds), 'Saure Kutteln' (giblets) or sweet 'Fasnetküchle (cake).

The woods of the Black Forest have long lost their ability to frighten. Today they attract millions of visitors, who rediscover here the loveliest landscape impressions and more interesting attractions - which the region has in overabundance.