Discover Wildberg

Wildberg between the Schäferlauf and history

When planning a stay in Wildberg, the Schäferlauf, the old town, and the former Dominican convent of Reuthin provide specific cultural points of interest. Since the decree of December 7, 2018, the Schäferlauf has been part of the Intangible Cultural Heritage. Together with the historical educational trail and the monastery route, it creates a historical and cultural focus for planning your trip. If you are looking for a hotel, you can first consider whether you want your visit to focus more on the festival or on the town’s history.

The Schäferlauf and its festival traditions

The Schäferlauf in Wildberg includes several established features: the traditional race, the shepherds’ dance, the sheep-herding competition, and the pageant. In the race, shepherds compete barefoot on a stubble field or meadow. Each element offers a different perspective on the festival tradition—from the athletic competition to dancing, herding, and the pageant. This lets you plan around the actual reason for your visit without treating the race and the rest of the program as separate offerings.

Old town and monastery route

You can explore Wildberg’s old town along the historical educational trail. The Northern Black Forest Monastery Route offers a different historical focus: its fourth stage leads from Calw to the former Dominican convent of Reuthin in Wildberg. This gives you two distinct options—the old town along the educational trail, or a named monastery as the destination of a route stage. The word “former” describes the Dominican convent; the stage leads to Reuthin Monastery in Wildberg.

Travel by train

Wildberg lies on the Kultur-Bahn line 774 between Pforzheim, Calw, Horb, and Tübingen. This route information places the town on a named connection; check the current timetable when planning your specific train journey. This keeps choosing your destination separate from checking the actual transport options for your travel date.

More things to explore in the wider Calw destination

The wider Calw destination offers other distinct attractions in different locations. In Nagold, the foundations of various buildings in the core of Hohennagold Castle, dating from the 12th century, are still preserved in the ruins on Nagold Castle Hill. The historical significance lies in the surviving foundations and their connection to the castle’s core.

Schömberg Barefoot Park offers a trail about 800 meters long with more than 20 different materials. Its length and variety of materials are practical points of reference when deciding whether this attraction is right for you. As it operates seasonally, check whether it is open for your planned visit.

The Haiterbach Nature Discovery Trail teaches visitors about trees and their leaves, as well as the geology of the quarry, in a child-friendly way. At the animal long-jump activity, visitors can also compare animals’ jumping ability. The trail therefore combines nature topics with an activity that compares different jumping performances.

In Calw, hand-built, single-seat hot rods are used for excursions through the Black Forest from the site of the former Deckenfabrik factory. They reach speeds of up to 90 km/h. If you would like to include this drive in your plans, check availability with the provider in advance.

One culinary event in the wider Calw destination is the Backhausfest in Ebhausen. It takes place every year on the first weekend in May; the program may include tastings of onion cake and wood-fired oven bread from the local bakehouses. Check the date for your travel year if you are planning to attend. At the coffee roastery in Calw, visitors can experience coffee with all their senses and discover the secrets of the coffee bean. It is recommended that you check the booking conditions before visiting.

Hiking trails are also part of what the wider Calw destination has to offer: there are numerous well-marked paths and routes in and around Calw where you can hike through the Black Forest Central/North Nature Park. This differs in focus from Wildberg’s cultural attractions and offers another way to plan your stay around your personal interests.

Discover more destinations: Gültlingen, Sulz Am Eck, Simmozheim, Höfen An Der Enz, Calw, Simmersfeld, Rohrdorf, Bad Herrenalb.

Back to the overview of the wider destination: Calw.