Durbach is the name of a quiet village set among the hills of the Ortenau wine district in Germany.
This village, on the edge of the famous Black Forest, attracts active vacationers who enjoy being outdoors. Dark green woods, bright green vineyards, and tufts of wildflowers set against contrasting shades of green, or bright blue sky, form a large part of this summertime color palette. Snaking through it, in shades of red or white, are thin paths leading upward. They combine, in a variety of ways, to form sections of the numerous hiking trails crisscrossing this hilly landscape. Hikers wishing to take advantage of them will need to stay for several days to explore them all!
Durbach is a well-known wine village. Vineyards look down on the village, from all sides. What hikers don’t see until they have crested the surrounding hills, is that vineyards also cover much of the hinterland, in the valleys and hollows above and behind Durbach. It was the opportunity to see these back-40 vineyards, and the promise of great views of the Black Forest and Rhine River Valley, that prompted me to hike the Durbacher Weinpanorama Trail.
This is a great hike with lots of variety: fields, vineyards, and woods. Shrines and chapels reveal themselves along the way. Numerous rest areas with benches (some even with picnic benches and shelters) line the trail, sometimes in the vineyards, sometimes in the woods. Their peaceful settings invite hikers to stop and enjoy the natural beauty. On the slopes overlooking isolated hollows, the stillness is absolute, save the odd birdsong now and then.
Beginning in the village, accompanied by the soothing sounds of the Durbach Creek as it ran downhill, the trail soon reached vineyards – and the climbing began. It wound steeply up through the vineyards overlooking the village center, heading toward the Staufenberg Palace. The palace dominates the vineyards below it which form part of the Markgraf von Baden Winery. While there is a wine shop, wine bar and café in the palace (and a great chocolate shop in an outbuilding), I focused first on completing the hike.
From higher above the palace, the view north and west was expansive. The spire of the Cathedral of Strasbourg in France was just visible. To the east, a vast expanse of pine tree was all I could see, as the Black Forest began in earnest.
Alternating between tree line and vineyard, the trail passed by the Brandstetter Kapelle, a roadside shrine on the appropriately named Weintal (wine valley) street. This was one of several religious monuments along the trail. Although several crosses were impressively Baroque in style, the Brandstetter Kapelle was a simple building, set among the vines.
Not too long afterward, the trail entered a long stretch of woods. And as the trail climbed, so too did the temperatures, rising into the 90s. This part of Germany experiences some of the country’s warmest and the sunniest weather. The vines certainly appreciate it, and reciprocate by producing very good wine. And for the most part, so do most visitors who come primarily for the regional hiking opportunities. In large part, the trails in this region provide unparalleled, far-ranging, spectacular views. This trail had its fair share of them, fully living up to the name, the “Wine-Panorama” Trail.
But as the trail meandered downhill, back into Durbach, the panoramas disappeared, replaced by more intimate views of a wine village at work, and wine cellars and wine bars to visit. Not a bad way to end a beautiful trail in Ortenauer wine country!