Teufelsmühle – Paragliding into the Sunset

The Teufelsmühle (908 m) rises above the Murg Valley near Gernsbach in the Black Forest. At the beginning of the 19th century, a viewing tower was built there by the Black Forest Association. From the platform, the view stretches far into the distance over the Rhine Plain, the Palatinate Forest, Alsace and the Vosges, as well as the Northern Black Forest up to the Hornisgrinde.

The Teufelsmühle is a popular destination for hikers, mountain bikers or cross-country skiers who, for example, come via the ridge from Kaltenbronn/Schwarzmiss. A direct ascent from Gernsbach or Herrenalb, however, involves a considerable amount of altitude gain. The steep, asphalted (and partly toll-road for cars) road, which leads to the Teufelsmühle with its tower and guesthouse, also offers a sporting challenge for road cyclists. Between the wooded slopes are the two launch sites of the Loffenau e.V. Hang Gliding and Paragliding Club (“Teufelsflieger”), one of the most beautiful launch sites in the region.

The name Teufelsmühle (Devil’s Mill) comes from a legend. The large sandstone boulders lying around there were building blocks of a mill erected by the devil, which he had destroyed in a rage over a lost bet or an unfavourable agreement with a miller. Such legends and myths are encountered in many variations in many places in the Black Forest. As children, we were told such gruesome and frightening tales of the devil and forest spirits by older children and teenagers, for example, when we lay in the dormitory under the roof of the nearby Orgelfelsenhaus in the evenings. Therefore, we no longer dared to leave the hut at night and started at every unfamiliar sound outside; even the walk down to the toilet was an adventure. That evening, too, rather unusual sounds echoed, but they caused no fear but joy – a musician accompanied the sunset with his alphorn.