Fohrenbühl

The Fohrenbühl is a mountain pass in the Black Forest. It links Hornberg in the Gutach valley to Schramberg in the Schiltach valley, passing through Reichenbach and Lauterbach. The pass stands at 786 metres above sea level and carries a small settlement of the same name. Most of the settlement belongs to the municipality of Lauterbach and lies below the Mooswaldkopf, one of the highest points in the central Black Forest. A road running along the ridge crosses the pass road and divides the settlement into a Hornberg side and a Lauterbach side. The pass once marked the border between Baden and Württemberg, a line that also separated parishes, states and religions. Lauterbach belonged to Further Austria and stayed Catholic, while Hornberg was Protestant and Württemberger. In 1805 the border shifted, so that the Gasthof Adler on the Lauterbach side became Württemberger and the Gasthof Schwanen on the Hornberg side became Badener. Today four inns serve visitors and locals. Every year at Whitsun the Fohrenbühl hosts the Schellenmarkt, a traditional fair named after the cowbells traded there. First recorded in 1548, the market began as a gathering of herdsmen who swapped bells and sold carved goods. The event still draws crowds to a large festival tent, with fairground rides and brass bands. At its heart stand the Gasthof Schwanen and the Gasthof Adler, two inns that once sat on opposite sides of the state border.