Gernsbach

Gernsbach is located in the northern part of the Black Forest on both banks of the river Murg at 150 to 988 meters above the sea level. In the west the 668 m high mountain Merkur provides a distinctive landscape. In the east there is the 908 m high mountain Teufelsmühle.

The local subdistrict area of Gernsbach including all quarters is 8208,86 hectares of which most is covered by forest areas – 6628,00 hectares (81% of the total area). That is more than twice as much as the average ratio in Baden-Württemberg. Settlement and traffic areas make up 6% - less than half of the average. 12% of the area used for agriculture.[3]

The core city is divided into “to the right of the Murg” (including: Kelterberg, Entensee, Kolonie and Nord) and “to the left of the Murg” (including: Klingele, Waldbach, Faltergass, Heppeler, Walheimer Hof, Stadtbuckel, Siedlung, Hahnbachweg, Panoramaweg and Weinau) In the 20th century following townships were suburbanized:

• Scheuern (in 1936)

After the redivision of local government in the 1970s

• Lautenbach (in 1973)
• Hilpertsau (in 1974)
• Obertsrot (in 1974)
• Staufenberg (in 1974)
• Reichental (in 1975) (doubling the total subdistrict area of Gernsbach)

followed.

Coat of Arms of the quartes

• 
  Scheuern
• 
  Hilpertsau
• 
  Lautenbach
• 
  Obertsrot
• 
  Staufenberg
• 
  Reichental

These townships and towns border on Gernsbach:

• in the north: Gaggenau, Loffenau, Bad Herrenalb and Dobel
• in the east: Bad Wildbad and Enzklösterle
• in the south: Forbach and Weisenbach
• in the west: Baden-Baden

A permanent settlement of Gernsbach before the 12th century is not verified. At the beginning of the 12th century the Counts of Eberstein bought the “predium” Rotenfels thus allowing the initial settlement of the lower Murg valley. From Rotenfels the counts of Eberstein ordered to uproot the wooded and swampy valley and to found new settlements. By 1200 the route Loffenau–Scheuern–Gernsbach–Staufenberg was established.[4] In an ebersteinian inheritance document Gernsbach is first mentioned in written form in 1219 as ‘’Genrespach’’. At that time there was already a differentiation between a Marktdorf (a settlement which had the right to run a market) and a Kirchdorf (a settlement which had the right to build a church). Gernsbach (also called “Hof” –‘’a little settlement of farmers’’) was a Kirchdorf at that time, being located to the left of the Murg in the south of the Waldbach on the ebersteinian allodium. The local church was the preceding building of today’s St.-Jakobskirche. To the north of the Waldbach was a Marktdorf on the grounds of the Diocese of Speyer located on a spur, thus having an ideal location for the construction of a fortification.