Gengenbach (Germany Baden-Wurttemberg)

Gengenbach is a Kinzig River/Rhine River cruise port and town in Germany's Baden-Wurttemberg state (Ortenau district) with a population of around 11,000. The riverport is among the most popular travel destinations in Schwarzwald (the Black Forest / large forested mountain in southwestern Germany). Kinzig (a tributary of River Rhine) has a length of approx 93 km (58 mi). Schwarzwald's nearest large cities are Karlsruhe, Baden-Baden, Kehl-Strasbourg, Offenburg, Freiburg.

The town emerged around an 8th-century Benedectine Abbey (monastery) and is best known for its annual Gengenbacher Fasend (history-themed carnival with traditional costumes and carved wooden masks). Downtown's Old Town (Altstadt) has well-preserved medieval buildings. Another famous landmark is the 18th-century Town Hall with the world's largest advent calendar (consisting of 24 windows). Other popular annual events are wine festival (late-September) and Martinimarkt (2-day funfair in November).

In Gengenbach starts Schwarzwald-Querweg Gengenbach-Alpirsbach (Gengenbach-Alpirsbach Black Forest Trail). The town is also on the pilgrimage route Kinzigtaler Jakobusweg and on the popular hiking path Kandelhohenweg.

As cruise port, Gengenbach was included in the "Christmas Markets" (November-December) 2019 schedule of AmaWaterways - one of Europe's largest river cruise companies. The next table shows the company's 7-day itinerary between homeports Amsterdam and Basel (Zurich), with prices from ~USD 2000 pp.