Discover Wieslet: landscapes, church art and castle remains
Accommodation in Wieslet
Wieslet can be discovered through striking contrasts: in the Kleinwiesentäler basin, wooded steep slopes and spurs alternate with permanent meadows and pastures in valley depressions and on level ground. In the southern part of the municipal area, the landscape opens out into a broad valley with meadows and pastures. Alongside these landscapes, architectural history and geology are other themes associated with the village.
Slopes, pastures and slate
One distinctive geological feature is the Farnbuck slate quarry in Wieslet. The small, now-disused quarry lies in the Weitenau Mountains. Slate rocks of the Schlächtenhaus Slate Formation were quarried there: blackish-grey hornfels slates consisting mainly of quartz and biotite.
The landscape and the slate quarry offer contrasting points of interest: here, wooded slopes, meadows and pastures shape the scene; there, the rock and its geological classification take centre stage.
Church, castle remains and local history
Construction of the new Evangelical parish church in Wieslet began in 1757. The surviving wall paintings date from 1760, and historic gallery elements in the Bauernbarock style have also been preserved. The construction period, paintings and galleries give the church specific historical features that set it apart from Wieslet’s landscape themes.
The remains of Rotenberg Castle lie on a hilltop northeast of the village of Wieslet: the base of a round tower and part of the castle wall. The castle was the seat of Dietrich IV of Rötteln. Its surviving structural elements and its recorded historical role offer another way to explore the village’s history.
The Ernst Schleith Museum is also part of Wieslet’s cultural history: it was established on 23 May 1996 in Ernst Schleith’s former studio at Wieslet School. Together with the church and the remains of Rotenberg Castle, the founding of the museum adds a distinct connection to local culture to the village’s architectural and historical themes.
In the wider destination of Kleines Wiesental
The wider destination of Kleines Wiesental offers further distinct themes. In 1935, Tegernau Church was described as a small “Wälder church” with a little bell tower. In Neuenweg, the weeping beech has grown very old and very broad. Nonnenmattweiher lies at an elevation of 913 metres and is one of the highest-lying bodies of still water in the Black Forest. It was artificially dammed in the early 18th century; during this process, part of the waterlogged basin floor broke away and formed a floating peat island. Several species of peat moss, cottongrass, cranberry and round-leaved sundew grow on the island; their presence may vary seasonally.
The Zur Krone museum inn in Tegernau includes a historic dining room with a side room, an old “Chuchi” with a vaulted cellar dug into the hillside, a historic ballroom, sleeping chambers in the attic and a “Schisshüsli” dating from 1901. Thus, in the wider destination of Kleines Wiesental, historic interiors are another cultural-history theme alongside landscapes and nature.
Choose your travel focus when searching for accommodation
When searching for accommodation, your travel interests can serve as a first filter: would you like your stay to focus more on landscapes and geology, or on architectural and local history? Wieslet’s landscapes, geological features and historical landmarks offer different points of interest. Before choosing accommodation, consider which of these you would like to focus on when planning your trip.
Discover more destinations
Discover more destinations: BĂĽrchau, Elbenschwand, Raich, Wies, Sallneck, Neuenweg.
Return to the main travel guide: Kleines Wiesental.
