St. Märgen: Monastery, Rank Mill and Hiking Trails

St. Märgen combines monastic history and pilgrimage with opportunities for hiking and winter tours. Special places to visit include the monastery church, the Monastery Museum and the Rank Mill. The Horse Festival, held every three years, and the trail distances also give you concrete points of reference for planning your stay.

Monastery Church and Museum

The monastery church and cloister are traditional landmarks of the Marian pilgrimage site of St. Märgen. The Church of the Assumption of Mary houses a Romanesque devotional image and Rococo carvings. The St. Märgen Monastery Museum explores the history of Black Forest clocks, the global clock trade and the history of the monastery. The church and museum therefore focus on religious tradition, regional clockmaking history and the history of the monastery.

Guided tours of the permanent exhibition are offered regularly on Sundays at 11 a.m. Check for possible holiday exceptions before your visit. A children's quiz invites you to explore the museum in your own way. The tour and quiz offer different ways to engage with the museum: one takes you through the permanent exhibition, while the other accompanies your exploration with a quiz.

Rank Mill and Horse Festival

The Rank Mill is open to visitors once a month, with no advance booking required. There, you can watch the milling process and learn interesting facts about the restoration of the historic building. As it opens only once a month, it is worth including the right date in your travel plans.

The Horse Festival in St. Märgen takes place every three years. The festival features the judging of Black Forest Fox horses, demonstrations, traditional crafts and a historic parade. The parade includes Black Forest Coldblood horses, historic carriages, traditional costume bands and associations. The horse judging and the different elements of the parade give the festival a variety of highlights. As individual events may change, check the dates and program for the next festival before your trip.

Hiking and Winter Trails

St. Märgen has 85 kilometres of hiking trails, including an 11-kilometre circular trail to the Zweribach Waterfalls. A circular hike through the Zweribach nature reserve near St. Märgen is 12 kilometres long and takes about four hours. The distance information helps you choose a hike based on its length and the time you have available; for this circular hike, the approximate duration is also specified. Trail conditions can vary, and the trail network may change seasonally. Check conditions before your hike.

For winter, cross-country ski trails and winter hiking routes are described with their own distance information. St. Märgen has 15 kilometres of cross-country ski trails, connected to the Thurner trail; the routes are 8 to 15 kilometres long. The approximately 12 kilometres of winter hiking routes include an 8-kilometre panoramic trail to Thurner. When planning, you can choose between a cross-country ski trail and a winter hike and take the respective distances into account. Snow and maintenance affect winter conditions, and trail clearing can vary. Find out about current conditions before setting out.

Carriage Rides

A carriage ride around St. Märgen passes by the Rank Mill. Check with the provider before your trip to see if the ride is available. Helmut Faller offered carriage rides in St. Märgen; if you are considering this option, confirm in advance whether it is available.

Discover more destinations: Bad Krozingen, Schelingen, Staufen im Breisgau, Müllheim, Hartheim am Rhein, March, Eichstetten am Kaiserstuhl, Hinterzarten

Back to the regional travel overview: Breisgau-Hochschwarzwald.