THE SITE
The Waldlust Hotel in Freudenstadt, founded in 1899, is a prominent example of late 19th-century hospitality architecture in the northern Black Forest and reflects the rise of spa culture and health tourism that shaped the town’s development. Conceived as a grand resort for an international clientele, the hotel quickly became one of Freudenstadt’s leading establishments, attracting members of European high society as well as artists, writers, and musicians. Its success was closely linked to the entrepreneurial activities of the Luz family, a hotelier dynasty that operated several renowned hotels in Freudenstadt, Baden-Baden, and Austria, contributing significantly to the region’s reputation as a destination for recreation and convalescence.
Following a second period of prosperity after the Second World War, the hotel gradually lost its original function. Today, the building remains as a lasting heirloom to this earlier era of spa culture and social life, while recent initiatives have begun to reactivate the site as a place for cultural events and temporary uses. The Friends of Waldlust Association is committed to preserving the historic structure and its surroundings and to exploring long-term perspectives for its reuse as a venue for cultural and community activities.
Surrounding the hotel is an extensive historic park that once formed an integral part of the guest experience. Designed as a landscape for walking, rest, and scenic contemplation, it included a network of promenades, terraced paths, stairways, sandstone retaining walls, and viewpoints opening towards the eastern horizon and the Swabian Alb. Over decades of limited maintenance, large parts of this landscape became overgrown, and many of its structural elements were obscured or damaged. The park nevertheless retains the spatial framework of its original design and offers valuable insight into the historical relationship between spa architecture, leisure culture, and landscape design in the Black Forest.
THE PROJECT
The 2026 European Heritage Volunteers Project continues earlier engagements at the Waldlust site and focuses exclusively on the care, management, and gradual recovery of the historic hotel park. Following phases in which attention was directed towards preparing the area for temporary cultural events and the Baden-Württemberg Garden Show in 2025, the current project returns to the long-term perspective of landscape stewardship and the re-establishment of the park as a historically informed green space valued by the local community.
Central to the work is the exploration of the historic Parkwald concept developed in Freudenstadt in the early 20th century. Rather than a strictly formal garden, the Parkwald was conceived as a designed woodland landscape that combined natural forest character with subtle architectural and horticultural interventions. Paths, terraces, and seating areas were arranged to guide visitors through a sequence of sensory experiences such as shade, views, changes in terrain, linking ideas of health, movement, and immersion in nature that were fundamental to spa culture at the time.
Participants will contribute to the careful clearing of invasive or self-seeded vegetation that obscures historic sightlines and structures, the maintenance of pathways, and the stabilisation of stone-built elements such as steps, edging, and retaining walls. These measures aim not at reconstructing a fixed historical state, but at reactivating the legibility of the landscape and enabling its continued use. The work requires close observation of terrain, materials, and plant growth, fostering an understanding of how designed landscapes evolve and how conservation can balance historical intention with ecological processes.
Through these activities, the project addresses broader questions relevant to garden and landscape heritage: how to manage historically shaped environments that are neither purely architectural nor entirely natural, how to maintain authenticity while allowing for change, and how such spaces can once again serve contemporary communities as accessible cultural landscapes.
The educational programme will include thematic introductions to the history of spa landscapes in the Black Forest, the development of the Parkwald idea, and current approaches to the conservation and maintenance of historic parks under conditions of changing climate and vegetation dynamics. Site visits in Freudenstadt and its surroundings will place the Waldlust Park within the wider regional context of health tourism, forestry traditions, and landscape planning.
An integral element of the educational programme is the participants’ presentations. Each participant is required to prepare and deliver a presentation related to the thematic focus of the activities on site, introducing a case study from their country of origin. This component connects the practical work undertaken during the programme with comparable heritage practices in different cultural and institutional contexts. Through this structured exchange, participants reflect on conservation approaches, management frameworks, and current challenges, contributing to a broader comparative understanding of heritage preservation. The presentations are intended to encourage critical dialogue, intercultural exchange, and the articulation of informed professional perspectives within an international group of emerging heritage practitioners.
The project will take place from July 19th to August 01st, 2026, and is organised by European Heritage Volunteers and the Friends of Waldlust Association, in collaboration with the Freudenstadt Heritage Association and the Kurhaus Salem Cooperative.
