Bürchau: Nature and Historic Stone Bridges

Bürchau combines a circular village walk with illustrated nature panels, four historic natural stone arch bridges and diverse habitats. This gives visitors two clear ways to explore the area: its native flora and fauna, and its surviving architectural heritage. The village can therefore be discovered both through its natural surroundings and through specific historic structures.

Nature themes along the circular trail

The “Bürchauer Naturbeschreibungen” trail is a circular village walk with 14 illustrated information panels. They cover local flora and fauna and give the nature theme specific content. On a walk together, you can use the images and information as a prompt to observe plants and animals more consciously. Check the signs on site before your visit.

Historic natural stone bridges and habitats

Four preserved historic natural stone arch bridges are among Bürchau’s attractions. Alongside the focus on flora and fauna, they introduce an architectural theme: natural stone arches and the survival of historic bridges. The number four gives this feature a clear scope. Those interested in architectural forms will find a different focus here than in the nature descriptions.

Bürchau’s meadows, pastures and protected biotopes provide habitats for many plant and animal species and shape the natural character of the area. The nature theme therefore extends beyond the information panels: alongside the content they present, there is the diversity of the habitats themselves.

More topics in the wider destination of Kleines Wiesental

The wider destination of Kleines Wiesental also offers distinctive nature and culture themes. In 1935, Tegernau Church was described as a small “Wälderkirchlein” (little church of the forest region) with a small bell tower. In Neuenweg, the pollarded beech is very old and has grown very wide. These examples offer different points of interest: the church is notable for its historic description, while the pollarded beech is defined by its age and growth.

In the wider destination of Kleines Wiesental, Nonnenmattweiher lies at an altitude of 913 metres and is one of the highest-standing bodies of still water in the Black Forest. Its origins link a historic change with a floating peat island: at the beginning of the 18th century, the pond was artificially dammed. As a result, part of the peat-covered cirque floor broke away and formed the island. Several species of sphagnum moss grow there, as well as hare’s-tail cottongrass (Eriophorum vaginatum), cranberry (Vacinium oxycoccos) and round-leaved sundew (Drosera rotundifolia). The plants present may vary with the seasons. The location, origins and plant life are distinct aspects of this body of still water.

The Zur Krone museum inn in Tegernau also adds to the region’s cultural attractions. It includes a historic dining room with a side room, an old “Chuchi” (kitchen) with a vaulted cellar, a historic ballroom, sleeping chambers in the upper storage floor and a “Schisshüsli” (privy) dating from 1901. The rooms range from the dining room and kitchen to the ballroom and sleeping chambers; the “Schisshüsli” adds a specific date to this historic interior.

You can tailor your search to the experiences that interest you.

Discover more destinations: Raich, Wieslet, Neuenweg, Wies, Sallneck, Elbenschwand

Back to the overview of the wider destination: Kleines Wiesental.