Furtwangen im Schwarzwald
Encyclopedia
Black Forest
The Black Forest is a wooded mountain range in Baden-Württemberg, southwestern Germany. It is bordered by the Rhine valley to the west and south. The highest peak is the Feldberg with an elevation of 1,493 metres ....
region of south western Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
. It belongs to the district (Kreis) of Schwarzwald-Baar along with the two more important cities of Villingen and Schwenningen
Schwenningen
Schwenningen is the name of several locations in Germany:*Schwenningen, Bavaria*Schwenningen, Sigmaringen*Villingen-Schwenningen...
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The total population of Furtwangen was 9673 inhabitants on December 31, 2004. Furtwangen gained the right to call itself a city in 1873.
The Breg is a small stream which, coming from the mountainous areas around Furtwangen, flows down through the inner city to the east. The Breg is one of the two little rivers which unite to form the river Danube
Danube
The Danube is a river in the Central Europe and the Europe's second longest river after the Volga. It is classified as an international waterway....
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Furtwangen is a city with an industrial past:
At one time Furtwangen was a major producer of clocks that were made and sold all over the world. While many different kinds of clocks were produced in Furtwangen, Furtwangen was unique for the production of musical clocks from the factory of Emilian Wehrle.
Emilian Wehrle
Emilian Wehrle
Emilian Wehrle Emilian Wehrle Emilian Wehrle (1832 – 1896, born in Schönenbach (Furtwangen), was a reputed Black Forest clockmaker famous for his high-quality musical clocks. These musical clocks included the Trumpeter Clock, Flute Clock, Singing Bird Clock, and Rooster Clock. These timepieces call...
(1832–1896) made musical clocks in the Furtwangen-Schonenbach area from about 1857 until his death in 1896. These musical clocks included the Trumpeter clock, Flute clock, Singing Bird Clock, and Rooster Clock. These clocks call the hour with the sound of the trumpet, flute, song bird and rooster respectively.
These clocks were the highest quality and were very expensive at the time. Because of this few were produced, and even fewer survived. Today collectors are after these musical pieces, and they continue to be sold at record prices.
This industry was very important in previous centuries, but with the appearance of the quartz watch this branch of the economy is now almost gone.
Today, Furtwangen is a city with a more balanced industry, there are many small and medium-sized industrial companies focused in microelectronics
Microelectronics
Microelectronics is a subfield of electronics. As the name suggests, microelectronics relates to the study and manufacture of very small electronic components. Usually, but not always, this means micrometre-scale or smaller,. These devices are made from semiconductors...
and precision mechanics
Precision mechanics
Precision mechanics is an industry that deals with the construction of smaller precision machines, often including measuring and control mechanisms of different kinds....
. Among the cities in Germany Furtwangen one of those with the lowest unemployment rate.
There is a university of applied sciences (Fachhochschule Furtwangen). This university specialises in microelectronics, precision mechanics, computer sciences and other faculties. Beside one of the university entrances is the Deutsches Uhrenmuseum
Deutsches Uhrenmuseum
The German Clock Museum is situated near the centre of the Black Forest town of Furtwangen im Schwarzwald, a historic centre of clockmaking. It features permanent and temporary exhibits on the history of timekeeping...
(German Clock and Watch Museum) with many historical and modern clocks and watches on display. Tourists are often highly interested in visiting this museum.
Strongly frequented by traffic is the "B 500" road which is also commonly known as the black forest "Panoramastraße". In 1972, the railway connection called Bregtalbahn was closed after 80 years of service. The railway track had led from Furtwangen to Donaueschingen
Donaueschingen
Donaueschingen is a German town in the Black Forest in the southwest of the federal state of Baden-Württemberg in the Schwarzwald-Baar Kreis. It stands near the confluence of the two sources of the river Danube ....
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