Fodor's Expert Review Stadtmuseum

Rottweil, 26 km (16 miles) east of Triberg, has the best of the Black Forest's Fasnet (Carnival) celebrations, which here are pagan, fierce, and steeped in tradition. In the days just before Ash Wednesday, usually in February, "witches" and "devils" roam the streets wearing ugly wooden masks and making fantastic gyrations as they crack whips and ring bells. If you can't make it to Rottweil during the Carnival season, you can still catch the spirit of Fasnet. There's an exhibit on it at the Stadtmuseum, and tours are organized to the shops where they carve the masks and make the costumes and bells—just be aware that the museum is only open Tuesday through Sunday, from 2 to 4. The name Rottweil may be more familiar as the name for a breed of dog. The area used to be a center of meat production, and locals bred the Rottweiler to herd the cattle.