Staufen
Staufen im Breisgau
is a German town in the Breisgau-Hochschwarzwald district of Baden-Württemberg. It has a population of approximately 7,800 inhabitants.
It is noted in history and culture for its association with Dr Faustus who, according to legend, sold his soul to the Devil at an inn here.
Staufen lies at the foot of the Black Forest at the exit from the Münstertal. The Black Forest valley of Neumagen goes here directly over into the Rhine plain. The piedmont of the Black Forest is less distinct. North of the valley exit, the steeply rising Schlossberg dominates; to the southwest begins the hilly landscape of the Markgräflerland. Staufen is situated on the border between two natural and economic areas: the Rhine plain up to the piedmont with its cultivation of grain, wine grapes and vegetables; and the Black Forest, with its cattle and forestry’s, and, in an earlier time, mining.
Since 2008, the centre of the city has reported to have risen some 12 cm, after initially sinking a few millimeters. This has caused considerable damage to buildings in the city centre, including the historical town hall. One hypothesis for the cause of this geological change is a drilling operation conducted in the spring of 2007 to provide geothermal heating to the city hall. The drilling perforated an anhydrite layer and caused high-pressure groundwater to come into contact with the anhydrite, which then began to expand. Currently, no end to the rising process is in sight. By 2010, some sections of town had risen by 30 cm.