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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Travel
Mike MacEacheran

A Black Forest fairytale: riding Germany’s ‘hell valley’ railway in winter

Germany Black Forest Freiburg Deutsche Bahn Alamy BB
Winter's morning in the Hoellental Train, Black Forest
Winter's morning in the Hoellental Train, Black Forest Photograph: Image Professionals GmbH/Alamy

In the tucked away Black Forest town of Donaueschingen, the mighty River Danube begins. It rises as a clear, three metre-deep wellspring in the town centre, encircled by a stone basin sculpted with zodiac symbols. From there, the Danube – Donau in German – flows full tilt onwards for 1,771 miles to its mouth on the Black Sea, passing through the great cities of Vienna, Budapest and Belgrade.

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