Bürchau: Nature Information Boards and Historic Stone Arch Bridges

Bürchau combines nature-related attractions with historic structures. If you are weighing nature interests against architectural history when choosing a destination, you can consider these themes separately. The “Bürchau Nature Descriptions” circular trail represents the natural history focus; four preserved natural stone arch bridges draw attention to historic building styles. This lets you assess the destination according to the subject that interests you most.

Nature in Bürchau

The “Bürchau Nature Descriptions” form a circular trail with 14 illustrated information boards about local fauna and flora. The boards therefore cover both animal and plant life; their illustrations complement the information on these two subjects. Check the signage on site before your visit.

Historic Structures and Habitats

Four preserved historic natural stone arch bridges are among the sights in Bürchau. Natural stone describes their material, while the arch describes their shape; together, these features define their architectural focus. The difference from the circular trail lies in the subject of interest: the trail focuses on information about local fauna and flora, while the bridges showcase historic construction methods. When planning your trip to Bürchau, these offer two distinct points of interest—natural history and architectural history.

Meadows, pastures, and protected biotopes provide habitats for many plant and animal species and contribute to the area’s natural character. Alongside the information boards, this offers another perspective on nature: the area is shaped not only by flora and fauna as subjects, but also by the habitats themselves. For nature enthusiasts, these are two distinct perspectives—knowledge about species and the importance of their habitats.

More attractions in the wider destination of Kleines Wiesental

The wider destination of Kleines Wiesental features additional natural and cultural attractions. A description from 1935 characterized Tegernau Church as a small “forest church” with a little bell tower. In Neuenweg, the pollarded beech is considered very old and broad-growing. The historic description of the church and the age and shape of a tree thus represent different regional themes.

Another nature attraction in Kleines Wiesental is the Nonnenmattweiher. At 913 meters, it is one of the highest-altitude standing bodies of water in the Black Forest. In the early 18th century, it was artificially dammed; in the process, part of the peaty lakebed broke loose and formed a floating peat island. The elevation and formation history offer two different ways to learn about the pond: it can be understood in terms of its location, or through how the island formed. Several species of peat moss grow on the peat island, along with hare’s-tail cottongrass (Eriophorum vaginatum), cranberry (Vacinium oxycoccos), and round-leaved sundew (Drosera rotundifolia). The plants present may vary seasonally.

The Zur Krone museum inn in Tegernau includes a historic dining room with a side room, an old “Chuchi” (kitchen) with a vaulted cellar, a historic ballroom, sleeping chambers in the attic, and a “Schisshüsli” (privy) dating from 1901. The different rooms serve different functions within the historic interior: the kitchen and cellar sit alongside the dining room, ballroom, and sleeping chambers.

Discover more destinations

Elbenschwand, Wieslet, Raich, Wies, Neuenweg, Sallneck

For the overview of the wider destination: Kleines Wiesental.