Freudenstadt was built to a plan. In 1599, Duke Frederick I of Württemberg laid out the town as a refuge for Protestants fleeing persecution in Austria, and the heart of it is a vast market square, one of the largest in Germany, an almost perfect square about two hundred metres on each side, with covered arcades along its edges. There was meant to be a castle in the middle, but it was never built, and the open space became the town's living room instead. The town, with about twenty-four thousand people, was almost destroyed at the end of the Second World War and rebuilt in a similar style.
It lies at about 700 metres on a high plateau at the southern end of the Black Forest Panorama Route, the B500, also known as the Schwarzwaldhochstraße. Opened in the early 1930s and one of the oldest scenic roads in Germany, it runs about sixty kilometres along the crest of the northern Black Forest from Baden-Baden, passing through dark spruce and fir forest with open views west over the Rhine plain to the Vosges. The road is wide and well surfaced, with long open bends and a series of lay-bys that make good viewpoints. The Mummelsee, a small lake that is said to be home to water sprites, lies just off the road, and the Hornisgrinde, at 1,164 metres, is the highest point on this stretch.
Weather on the ridge can be harsh, with fog, ice and snow possible from autumn to spring, and the road may be closed at times. On a clear summer day, though, it is a delight, and on weekends it fills up with riders, cyclists and tourists. Speed limits are enforced and noise restrictions are in effect on some parts, so keep a steady pace.
Fuel is easy in Freudenstadt, with stations on the main roads and supermarkets in the town. Baiersbronn, a few kilometres away, is known for having an unusually large number of top-rated restaurants for a village, so you can eat very well here if your wallet allows. For something simpler, a slice of Black Forest cherry cake and a coffee at a bakery in the market square will do.
The best time is June to October, with September especially clear.