Forest Leisure
Tourism and recreation in the forest
Under the sign of progressive industrialization the forest served stressed-out city people as a place of recreation. Bustling tourism soon developed above all in the legendary forest areas of Germany, such as the Schwarzwald (Black Forest), Harz, Spessart and Spreewald.
Posters and postcards once again took up the woodland images that artists and poets had created in the 19th century: the German forest as a green and mysterious place of contemplation and a site of freedom and recovery, far removed from everyday routine.
The many hiking trails, resting places, restaurants and lodges soon let people regret the absence of the longed-for “forest solitude”. Youth and reform movement circles were particularly keen on hiking, games and singing under trees. At the same time the forest offered secret niches for eroticism and sexuality.
In the 20th century the Sunday stroll became a family ritual and the embodiment of German holiday culture. In the 1970s “fitness trails” became fashionable. Nowadays “treetop paths” and “rope climbing gardens” have turned forest excursions into an adventure for the entire family.
