Aftersteg: Waterfall, St. Anne’s Chapel and History

Aftersteg offers several clearly defined points of interest for planning a trip: St. Anne’s Chapel, the Todtnau Waterfall, a Kneipp facility, and historical insights into the village and its mining history. The wider destination of Todtnau adds other nature, activity and cultural themes to this local perspective. This places specific attractions in Aftersteg alongside additional themes in Todtnau as distinct highlights.

Waterfall and Nature

The Todtnau Waterfall lies between Todtnauberg and Aftersteg. It plunges into the valley in two stages, with a total drop of 97 metres, and is described as the highest natural waterfall in Baden-Württemberg. The waterfall is accessible from Aftersteg without barriers. Check the conditions before your visit.

Chapel, Valley Landscape and Mining

St. Anne’s Chapel in Aftersteg was built in 1909 in the neo-Romanesque style, with a tower. Historically, Aftersteg was described as a health resort away from through traffic, with buildings scattered across the valley and both slopes of the Schönenbach Valley. The Schönenbach Valley is a right-hand side valley of the Große Wiese. Silver mining is documented in the Aftersteg area from the Middle Ages through the 19th century. The chapel, settlement pattern and mining history offer different historical perspectives on the village.

Kneipp Facility in Aftersteg

The Aftersteg foot-wading station is a Kneipp facility at Talstraße 25, 79674 Todtnau. This means that, alongside the landscape and history, Aftersteg also has a specific Kneipp-related attraction.

More Nature and Cultural Attractions in Todtnau

The wider destination of Todtnau offers a broader perspective. Todtnau is located in the Southern Black Forest Nature Park and the Black Forest Biosphere Reserve, between Feldberg and Belchen in the upper Wiesental valley. The Schönenbach Valley, a right-hand side valley of the Große Wiese, and Todtnau’s location in the upper Wiesental valley offer two scales for orienting yourself in the landscape.

Todtnau has hiking, cycling and mountain biking routes of varying difficulty, with views of the Black Forest. If you are looking for a single natural attraction, you can make the waterfall your specific destination; if you want to compare different ways to get active, the wider Todtnau area offers several types of routes and levels of difficulty.

At the entrance to Todtnauberg, the 450-metre-long BLACKFORESTLINE spans the Todtnau Waterfall. The bridge is around 120 metres above the waterfall and is supported by 76-millimetre steel cables and 16-metre pylons. The figure of around 120 metres refers to its height above the waterfall, while 97 metres describes the waterfall’s drop.

The Todtnau Brush Museum traces the history of the Todtnau brush industry from 1770 to the present day; its permanent exhibition is dedicated to the life and work of Karl Ludwig Nessler. Mountain huts at Stübenwasen, Gisiboden and Hasenhorn invite visitors to the wider Todtnau area to enjoy a snack. There are designated tobogganing areas in Todtnauberg. The Brush Museum offers a cultural history focus, while the mountain huts and tobogganing areas appeal to other leisure interests.

Discover more destinations: Todtnauberg, Geschwend.

Back to the wider travel overview: Todtnau.