The Schopfloch Black Forest novel by Felix Huby put the southern Black Forest on the crime fiction map of Germany. The fictional municipality of Schopfloch is based on real Black Forest villages around Ühlingen-Birkendorf — many hotel guests recognise the literary imagery when hiking and walking. The Schopfloch Black Forest novel is part of a multi-volume series featuring Detective Frieder Körner.
The novel Schopfloch by Felix Huby is set in a fictional Black Forest village that can be located near Ühlingen-Birkendorf. The crime fiction series featuring Inspector Frieder Körner has put the southern Black Forest on the literary map as a setting. Hotel guests staying at the Sonnenhof & Sonnhalde will find many of the described locations in the immediate vicinity.
- Author: Felix Huby
- Region Southern Black Forest around Ühlingen-Birkendorf
- Genre: crime series
- Hotel location: tangible
What makes the Schopfloch novel special
Felix Huby, born Eberhard Hungerbühler, created a literary setting in the southern Black Forest with his Schopfloch series that portrays the region authentically. The novels combine crime fiction suspense with the peculiarities of Black Forest villages: parochialism, Black Forest farmhouse architecture, regional specialities and the special charm of the high-altitude Black Forest communities.
Locations around the hotel
The fictional village of Schopfloch exhibits many characteristics of Ühlingen-Birkendorf. Anyone hiking in the region will recognise:
- Black Forest farms with hipped roofs like the Hotel Sonnhalde
- Pubs with regional cuisine
- The typical Upper Black Forest landscape at an altitude of 800 m
- Walking trails through mixed forest and meadows
In the footsteps of Schopfloch
Hotel guests who have read the Schopfloch novel can Hotel Sonnenhof & Sonnhalde Plan a Schopfloch tour of your own: hike along the ball-forest trail, lunch at a traditional tavern, visit the Wutach Gorge in the afternoon. Many literary images thus come to life.
Reading tip in the hotel
Guests can borrow books from the Schopfloch series at the hotel reception. The hotel's Black Forest lounge with its fireplace is the ideal place to curl up with a book on rainy days.
FAQ about the Schopfloch novel
Who wrote Schopfloch?
Felix Huby (real name Eberhard Hungerbühler), known as a crime fiction author and screenwriter.
Where is Schopfloch?
Schopfloch is a fictional place, but it is heavily based on real Black Forest municipalities in the Upper Black Forest, such as Ühlingen-Birkendorf, Bonndorf or Grafenhausen.
Reservation
Bookings directly at Hotel Sonnenhof & Sonnhalde save up to 35%.
What the Schopfloch Black Forest novel is about
The Schopfloch Black Forest novel begins with a murder case in the fictional village of Schopfloch. Felix Huby paints a precise picture of life in the Upper Black Forest: tight-knit village communities, farmsteads, pubs, the Black Forest Railway as a connection to the outside world. This authenticity is what defines the novel.
Detective Inspector Frieder Körner, the main character, is a true-born Stuttgarter with Black Forest roots. His sense of home in the Black Forest, his conflict with police bureaucracy and his culinary escapades make him come alive as a character. The Schopfloch Black Forest novel is more than just a crime thriller — it is a cultural study of the Upper Black Forest.
Who is Felix Huby?
Felix Huby (real name Eberhard Hungerbühler, born 1938) is a screenwriter and crime fiction author. He became known for the Tatort screenplays featuring Bienzle and for the Schopfloch novels. Several volumes in the series have been adapted for the screen. Felix Huby lives in Stuttgart, but knows the Black Forest from his childhood and many research trips.
Schopfloch and the Hotel Sonnenhof & Sonnhalde
Anyone who has read the Schopfloch Black Forest novel and stays at the Hotel Sonnenhof & Sonnhalde will find many literary points of reference in the immediate vicinity. Black Forest farmhouses with hipped roofs like the Hotel Sonnhalde itself, taverns serving regional cuisine, hiking trails through mixed forest — the world of the novel can be experienced in reality here.
Regular guests can borrow the Schopfloch novels at the hotel reception. The Black Forest lounge with its fireplace is an ideal place to read on rainy days. Those planning their own literary Schopfloch tour can get tips from us on suitable walking routes and tavern recommendations.
A tour of the Schopfloch bog from the hotel
A literary tour combining hiking and reading: in the morning, a stage of the Wutach Gorge hike (recognisable in the novel as an unnamed setting); at midday, a classic Black Forest snack in a traditional inn; in the afternoon, a reading break in the hotel garden or the Black Forest lounge. Anyone delving into the Schopfloch Black Forest novel will find many Felix Huby references in the real region.
Further novels with a Black Forest connection
Alongside the Black Forest novel *Schopfloch* by Felix Huby, there are further crime and regional novels with a Black Forest background: the Bienzle novels (adapted for television as part of the *Tatort* series), the Stuttgart Library series, and historical Black Forest novels by various authors. You will find a small selection in the Black Forest lounge at the hotel.
Frequently asked questions about the Schopfloch Black Forest novel
Where can I buy the Schopfloch Black Forest novel?
In every bookshop in the High Black Forest, online via the usual platforms, or as an audiobook. Regular guests can borrow the books at the hotel.
Is there a film adaptation?
Several volumes have been adapted for film for ARD and SWR. The film adaptations stay closely to Felix Huby's original work and much of the filming takes place on location in the Black Forest.
Which volume is the best starting point?
Recommended reading for beginners of the Schopfloch Black Forest crime novels: the first volume „Endstation Schopfloch“. This introduces Inspector Körner and the village. Later volumes build upon this.
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