Every design for Offenburg

Ever noticed how Offenburg sits right on the threshold of the Schwarzwald, the Black Forest? The town lies where the Kinzig valley opens into the Rhine rift, about 20 kilometres south-east of Strasbourg, and it is often called the gateway to the forest. The Kinzig runs along the western edge of the town centre before heading on towards the Rhine, while the ground rises from the plain to the Brandeckkopf, the highest point within the town's boundaries, and to the Hohes Horn above Fessenbach.

What makes Offenburg stand out is its place in the history of democracy. On 12 September 1847, at the Salmen Inn, thirteen demands were put forward in the name of the people of Baden, from basic rights to a free press: the Offenburger Programm, the first known call for democracy in Germany. The town's name has its own message too, an "open borough", with open gates on its coat of arms. The Ritterhaus-Museum and the Mikwe tell further chapters of that story.

Whether your Offenburg is the old centre, the Menhir von Rammersweier out among the villages or the climb up the Hohes Horn, this map is yours to keep.