Oberkirch

Oberkirch lies on the western edge of the Black Forest, about twelve kilometres north-east of Offenburg, where the Rench valley opens toward the Upper Rhine plain. Farms, woodland and roads link the foothills with the river plain below. In the medieval and early modern periods the surrounding Ortenau was divided among ecclesiastical, noble and imperial jurisdictions. Wars along the Rhine, including the Thirty Years' War and later French campaigns, brought destruction and demands for supplies to the town.