Waterfalls are always beautiful. So we hace already discovered the gigantic Waterfalls of Iguazu in Argentina and Brazil as well as the huge Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe. Also we have seen the spectacular Underwater Waterfall on the coast of Mauritius. What we did not see yet, however, were the highest waterfall in Germany: the Triberg Waterfalls – one of the most visited sights in the Black Forest.
Table of contents
The Triberg Waterfalls – The highest waterfall in Germany
The Triberg Waterfalls are located in the Black Forest, about 30 kilometers northeast of Freiburg and 100 kilometers southwest of Stuttgart. With a total drop height of 163 meters and seven drop stages, they call themselves the highest waterfalls in Germany. They are accessible all year round and are illuminated until 10 pm. Admission is currently 8 EUR per adult. We found interesting the fact that, thanks to the hydropower of the falls, the city of Triberg was the first city in Germany to install electric street lighting and also had the first electric ski lift in the world.
On the following map you get a good overview of the different hiking trails along the waterfalls.
A map of the Triberg Waterfalls
The waterfalls have five entrances: in the city center directly on the B 500, at the mountain lake, at Scheffelplatz, on the Adelheid and behind the Asklepios Clinic.
If you want to run the waterfalls “from above”, you can park in the Adelheid car park (location in Google Maps). However, this is very small and we have not found a free place there. We therefore parked our car at the parking lot Scheffelplatz (location in Google Maps). This parking lot is larger, is located in the middle of the Waterfalls and you have a only 5-minute walk. Alternatively, you can also use one of the many parking lots and multi-storey car parks directly in Triberg and walk up to the waterfalls from there.
A walk along the waterfalls
From the parking lot Scheffelplatz it is only a short walk to the entrance of the waterfalls. Directly after the ticket booth you first reach the Scheffelplatz bridge, from where you have a first view of the upper and lower waterfalls. From there, a beautiful hiking trail winds its way along the waterfalls to the top and into the valley. We walked from the Scheffelplatz bridge down the valley towards Triberg and were able to enjoy beautiful views of the waterfalls again and again.
One of the most beautiful views is from a large viewing platform at the bottom of the waterfalls. Here is also one of the highest fall levels. With appropriate wind you have to be careful, of course, because here you can also get a little wet 🙂 Overall, we spent a good hour at the waterfalls and find it a really nice and worthwhile destination in the Black Forest.
The highest waterfall in Germany
Triberg & the world’s largest cuckoo clock
If you have some time, you can of course take a closer look at the city of Triberg afterwards. After all, the city is considered the capital of the Black Forest cuckoo clocks.
At the end of the 19th century, Triberg with its noble hotels was considered one of the most renowned international tourist resorts in the Black Forest. Today, the place with the small historic old town next to the waterfalls is mainly known as an important stop of the Black Forest Railway, for the Black Forest Museum the pilgrimage church Maria in der Tanne am Bergsee and the wood-carved town hall hall.
On the outskirts of Triberg, in the Eble Uhrenpark you can also visit the world’s largest cuckoo clock. The gigantic clock was rebuilt in a 5-year construction period on a scale of 60:1 from an original movement of a cuckoo clock and can be viewed from the inside and from the outside. The movement is 4.5 x 4.5 meters in size, the cuckoo is over 4 meters long and weighs 150 kg, the pendulum length measures 8 meters and the weight is 6 tons. Since its completion in 1994, the cuckoo has been calling out of the window on the first floor on the full and half hour.
