Ravenna Gorge

Today we took a circular hike through the Ravenna Gorge.

The Ravenna Gorge is located in the southern Black Forest and opens into the trough-shaped upper Höllental valley. The Ravenna stream drains the expansive upland basin to the north, surrounding the village of Breitnau, within whose boundaries lies the approximately 4 km long, winding gorge.

Here, the Ravenna River forms several waterfalls, including the 16-meter-high Great Ravenna Falls on a transverse fault line and the Small Ravenna Falls with a drop of 6 meters. The Hochschwarzwald Heritage Trail follows the gorge, narrated by stairs and rock galleries.

The name of the gorge is mostly derived from the French word ravin, meaning "ravine."

In earlier times, there were several mills in the gorge, two of which have survived. Remarkably, at the listed Großjockenmühle (Grossjocken Mill), built in 1883 at the upper end of the gorge, the water was channeled through the roof of the mill onto the waterwheel.

Another technical and historical highlight is a system through which a waterwheel, with the help of a rope drive, could power machinery on a farm further up.

It's a beautiful circular hike of approximately 7 km and takes two hours which I definitely recommend!Read more