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Research dossier · Places & Architecture

Weißtannenhöhe

mountain of the Black Forest in Baden-Württemberg, Germany

Architectural plans, a scale model, maps and brass measuring instruments
Places and architectureInterpretive dossier study · Crown Archives visual atlas
Record originEnglish Wikipedia
Text licenseCC BY-SA 4.0
Source revisionAug 16, 2026
Entity authorityQ25099535 ↗
Source-derived summary

The Weißtannenhöhe is a mountain, 1,190 or 1,192 metres high, in the Black Forest in Germany and the highest point in the municipality of Breitnau.

Geography

The Weißtannenhöhe lies within the municipality of Breitnau in the county of Breisgau-Hochschwarzwald in the German state of Baden-Wuerttemberg. It rises about 3 kilometres east of the church in Breitnau, 4 kilometres north-northeast of Hinterzarten and 5 kilometres north-northwest of Lake Titisee.

Across the Oberbach valley, 2 kilometres to the west, is the Roßberg (1,125 m) and, 1,500 metres beyond that, is the Hohwart (1,120 m). There are several viewing points in the vicinity of the mountain with good views over the local countryside, the Feldberg region, the Upper Rhine Plain and the Vosges.

On the western slopes of the Weißtannenhöhe rise numerous springs for the Ödenbach, one of the main headstreams of the Ravenna which flows through the well known Ravenna Gorge.

History

In 1928, two cousins from Mannheim, Luise (25) and Ida Gersbach (35), were reported missing from their hiking holiday in the Black Forest. Their bodies were found in bushes on the Weißtannenhöhe and showed no signs of having been sexually assaulted. They had been shot in the head and their throats slit with a knife. Despite help from the public and even from mediums, Freiburg police were unable to solve the double murder.

Editorial summary

The public source identifies “Weißtannenhöhe” as mountain of the Black Forest in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. This brief keeps that definition visible, then builds a research path around Weißtannenhöhe, mountain and Black.

Editorial reviewA strong orientation record where physical form, institutional use and historical geography need to be read together. The current lead gives the account dated anchors—1928—that can be checked directly. The selected authority fields contribute no independent date. Its value is orientation rather than verdict, with Weißtannenhöhe, mountain and Black providing the first useful test.
Editorial analysis

Why this record matters

A short description can identify a subject without explaining its stakes. For “Weißtannenhöhe”, the useful work is to connect “mountain of the Black Forest in Baden-Württemberg, Germany” to the records capable of establishing context and consequence.

Evidence profile

The strongest evidence will usually combine a dated visual record with documents produced by the authority responsible for the place. The source revision retrieved here is dated Aug 16, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q25099535. Authority coordinates are 47.940, 8.118. 1 of 1 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1928.

Critical limits

Architectural summaries often privilege surviving fabric and can understate demolished phases, contested use or displaced communities. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.

How to read it

Treat names, boundaries and functions as historically changeable. Maps, plans, inventories and administrative records can clarify what the place meant at different dates.

Best used for
  • Historic place names
  • Jurisdictional context
  • Routes into maps and plans
Verify next

Contemporary maps, plans, listed-building records, estate papers and the responsible local or national archive.

Three-step research path

  1. Establish the record: confirm the title “Weißtannenhöhe”, its source revision and the description used here.
  2. Expand the search: follow Weißtannenhöhe primary sources, Weißtannenhöhe archive and Weißtannenhöhe research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
  3. Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.

Questions for further research

  1. Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Weißtannenhöhe”?
  2. Which earlier names or jurisdictions may reveal additional records?
  3. What physical evidence or contemporary plan supports the description?
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Source & attribution

This entry incorporates text from “Weißtannenhöhe” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.