Kunstpfad am Mummelsee

The Kunstpfad am Mummelsee is an open-air sculpture trail encircling the Mummelsee, a lake in the municipality of Seebach near Achern in the northern Black Forest of Baden-Württemberg, Germany. Spanning 0.8 kilometres, the path integrates contemporary sculpture with lakeside nature, offering visitors a compact route for combined art and nature walks. Established in 1999, it belongs to the Land Art tradition and draws on regional myths tied to the lake, whose name derives from the white water lilies, or Mummeln, that grow upon its surface.

The sculpture path was initiated in 1999 by artists from Germany, France, Switzerland, and Great Britain, with the first five sculptors being German. The project unfolded in phases: initial works appeared in 1999 and 2000, followed by further installations in 2001, 2002/2003, and a later addition in 2010, bringing the total to eighteen works. Martina Sauer served as executive cultural officer from 1999 to 2004, guiding the project's early development. The artists worked with themes of nature-art symbiosis and the myths surrounding the Mummelsee, producing works chiefly in the Land Art idiom.

The collection comprises eighteen site-specific installations created between 1999 and 2010. The works explore the interplay between artistic intervention and natural surroundings, with seasonal and weather changes continually altering how the pieces are perceived. The international roster of contributors includes German, French, Swiss, and British artists, though German sculptors predominate. The sculptures range from abstract geometric forms to figurative and mythological references, all conceived for outdoor, lakeside presentation.

The eighteen documented installations include: Roger Aupperle's Ausflug an den Mummelsee (2001/10); Rolf Bodenseh's 7 Würfel (2000); Stefan Bombasi's Fester Grund (2000); Josef Bücheler's Waldengel, Kunst am Baum (1999); Sandra Eades's Spiegelnde Tore (2000); Armin Göhringer's Kreuzschichtung (1999); Albert Huber's Hängende Steine (2003); Reinhard Klessinger's Auf dem Weg zum Horizont (1999); Margaret Penelope Praed Mackworth's Hochmoorbläuling (2001); Karl Manfred Rennertz's Wer ist wie Gott? Flügel des Erzengel Michael (2002/03); Gert Riel's ohne Titel (1999); Robert Schad's enFIM (2001); Alf Setzer's ohne Titel (1999); Reinhard Sigle's Grün in Grün (2000) and Amors Pfeile (2010); Gabi Streile's arboris aspectus (2001); Ilse Teipelke's Der Tiger des Herrn von Grimmelshausen (2000); and Gillian White's Wave White Wedded Words 2 (2002/03).

The Kunstpfad occupies the shoreline of the Mummelsee, a natural lake in the northern Black Forest. The 0.8-kilometre circuit is entirely outdoors, with no enclosed building. The lakeside setting subjects the works to continuous environmental transformation through weather and seasonal cycles, a condition integral to the project's Land Art character. The trail connects to broader regional hiking networks, including the Seibelseckle circular trail (15.5 km, 4.5 hours) and the Seebach mountain tour (13.3 km, 3.5 hours), both of which pass the sculpture path as a waypoint.

The Kunstpfad am Mummelsee is located in Seebach, near Achern, in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is freely accessible as an outdoor public path. The official website at mummelsee.de provides further information. The trail serves as both an independent cultural destination and a node within larger hiking itineraries in the northern Black Forest, including routes that incorporate the Berghotel Mummelsee, the Hohfelsen rock formation, and historic mining areas at Silbergründle.