Die Küchenchefs (S1/F12) im TV Programm: 15:50 - 25.01 ...

all time are Eastern USA - check your local listings
It's a Very Merry Muppet Christmas Movie Tomorrow, 12:00 AM / FAM-E 52 Kermit the Frog and the Muppets have to scramble to raise money to save the Muppet Theater when the bank owner who holds their mortgage wants to transform the building into a casino, and they receive assistance from an angel.
Christmas Cookie Challenge - Mr. and Mrs. Claus Tomorrow, 12:00 AM / FOODTV 56 Five cookie makers try to imagine what Christmas Eve looks like for Mrs. Claus for the decorating challenge, then for the display challenge, they have to craft fireplace mantels out of cookies, using Brazil nuts, hazelnuts or macadamia nuts.
Christmas at Pemberley Manor Tomorrow, 12:00 AM / HALMRK 68 When an event planner is sent to organize a small town's holiday festival, she meets a grumpy billionaire with the perfect estate to host her event, but when the two start planning the festivities, they suddenly find themselves falling in love.
Once Upon a Christmas Miracle Tomorrow, 12:00 AM / HALLMV 84 After a young woman is told that she has less than a few months to live without a liver transplant, she meets a Marine, who is a perfect match and whose organ donation could save her life, and they soon develop a friendship which leads to romance.
A Christmas Kiss Tomorrow, 12:00 AM / UP 145 Priscilla Hall's socialite boyfriend, Adam Hughes, causes quite the battle between Priscilla and her assistant, Wendy, as the battle for his attention while decorating his home for the holidays.
The Mr. Peabody & Sherman Show - This is Your Life?; Robert Edwin Peary Tomorrow, 12:00 AM / SPROUTHD 1109 / HDTV Mr. Peabody and Sherman decide to help Hobson do all of the items on his life bucket list on live television; American explorer Robert Edwin Peary sets off on his trek to the North Pole but stops off at Santa Claus's workshop along the way.
A Christmas Wish Tomorrow, 12:01 AM / LIF-E 38 After some encouragement from her sister, a young woman decides to write down her hearts greatest desire and place it in a wooden wishing box at the park, but she questions which man she is meant to love when her wish is granted.
My Christmas Love Tomorrow, 2:00 AM / HALMRK 68 A woman's return to her small hometown takes a turn for the mysteriously romantic as she begins receiving gifts from an anonymous holiday admirer using the "12 Days of Christmas" as inspiration, giving her hope in finding true love.
The Perfect Christmas Present Tomorrow, 2:00 AM / HALLMV 84 When a businessman's friend asks him to find the perfect Christmas gift for his girlfriend, he ends up gradually falling in love with her, while doing research on her, and feels guilty as his emotions are torn between his love and his friend.
Will & Grace - A Little Christmas Queer Tomorrow, 2:00 AM / LOGO 147 The gang decides to head to Will's mother's house to join his family for a Christmas celebration, where Grace begins to warm up to Will's brother and an old flame; Jack stays busy helping to organize a special Christmas show.
The Magical Christmas Shoes Tomorrow, 2:06 AM / LIF-E 38 A young woman rediscovers the wonders of Christmas and finds herself falling in love after she steps into a pair of magical shoes.
Christmas Cookie Challenge - Center of the Season Tomorrow, 3:00 AM / FOODTV 56 Eddie Jackson presents a decorating challenge to the cookie makers where the design must be baked into the cookie itself as the judges decide which baker succeeded, then the competitors must make centerpieces made of cookies, using herbs and spices.
The Town Christmas Forgot Tomorrow, 4:00 AM / HALLMV 84 Just days before Christmas, a family's car breaks down in a town where the economy is struggling and they have little money, so the town organizes a Christmas Eve Pageant, and enlist the family's help to arrange the event.
Christmas at the Chateau Tomorrow, 5:15 AM / SHOFAM 248 A group of sisters attempt to save a historic mansion and beloved family home in their town from a corrupt bank that plans to foreclose on Christmas, but things get complicated when a sister falls in love with one of the bankers.
My Christmas Dream Tomorrow, 6:00 AM / HALMRK 68 A department store manager who wants to get to run the store's new Paris location promises the owner the store's best holiday display ever and then runs out of ideas, going to a recently-fired employee with artistic talents for inspiration.
Come Dance with Me Tomorrow, 6:00 AM / HALLMV 84 An investment expert enrolls in a waltz class to impress his fiance for Christmas, however he soon falls for his new teacher, and quickly becomes ensnared in a series of untruths when he discovers his business may ruin her dance studio.
Family Matters - Fa La La La Laaugghh! Tomorrow, 6:00 AM / TVONE 146 Despite Carl's disapproval, Steve continues to put up Christmas decoration on the house, but when Carl learns of an upcoming contest, his attitude changes; Laura and Eddie's absence from the family's Christmas activities saddens Harriette.
Annie Tomorrow, 6:03 AM / ENCORFM 378 A spunky girl who lives in an orphanage is chosen to spend the Christmas holidays with a billionaire who grows to love the child, and wants to adopt her, but her true happiness may be jeopardized by the scheming headmistress of her orphanage.
A Golden Christmas Tomorrow, 8:00 AM / LIF-E 38 A recently widowed woman decides to return to her childhood home in hopes of making a new beginning for her and her son, but her plans are impeded when she realizes that the house she grew up in has already been purchased by someone else.
A Christmas Detour Tomorrow, 8:00 AM / HALMRK 68 Two passengers with clashing personalities cross paths again in their airport hotel after their flight is forced to change course and must find a way to work together so that she can reach her destination in time for her wedding.
Christmas Song Tomorrow, 8:00 AM / HALLMV 84 The holiday season increases the already-high tension when two choral groups who were formerly rivals but have now been merged into one school must compete in a televised Christmas song competition with their directors' jobs at stake.
Transformers Rescue Bots - Christmas in July Tomorrow, 8:00 AM / D-KIDS 102 When a scorching summer hits Griffin Rock, a weather machine is built to counteract the heat, but when the contraption goes awry, it causes a colossal storm, so Cody, his family and the Rescue Bots must battle the blizzard.
Christmas at the Chateau Tomorrow, 8:15 AM / SHOFMW 256 A group of sisters attempt to save a historic mansion and beloved family home in their town from a corrupt bank that plans to foreclose on Christmas, but things get complicated when a sister falls in love with one of the bankers.
Annie Tomorrow, 9:03 AM / WAM-W 389 A spunky girl who lives in an orphanage is chosen to spend the Christmas holidays with a billionaire who grows to love the child, and wants to adopt her, but her true happiness may be jeopardized by the scheming headmistress of her orphanage.
Finding Christmas Tomorrow, 10:00 AM / HALLMV 84 After men from New York and North Carolina decide to switch residences during the holiday season, each one encounters a woman from the other's life, and as romance ensues, the time for each person to return home approaches.
Puppy Dog Pals - The Bird Beard; The Royal Egg Hunt Tomorrow, 10:00 AM / DIS-E 40 Santa and Mrs. Claus' summer vacation is threatened by a peculiar problem that the Keia and the pugs are ready to help them overcome; the pugs set off on a mission to retrieve a valuable jeweled egg that belongs to the queen of England.
Prancer Returns Tomorrow, 10:30 AM / FAM-E 52 When an eight-year-old boy finds a baby reindeer, he believes that it is one of Santa Clau's reindeer, named Prancer, and he wants to return him to the North Pole in time for Christmas Eve, thus teaching his family the true meaning of Christmas.
PAW Patrol - Pups Save a Bah Humdinger! Tomorrow, 12:00 PM / NIC-E 36 / New Mayor Humdinger is being very naughty on Christmas Eve and it's up to the Paw Patrol to help Santa and save Christmas.
Christmas Crush Tomorrow, 12:00 PM / LIF-E 38 As the holidays approach, a woman is excited to attend her upcoming high school reunion and hopes to run into her former sweetheart, and while reminiscing her school days, she considers another person she knew that could be "the one that got away."
A Christmas Miracle Tomorrow, 12:00 PM / HALLMV 84 When her boss steals her idea for their magazine's cover story, a magazine assistant goes in search of a Christmas miracle to write about with the help of her son and the staff photographer.
The Incredible Dr. Pol - Santa Paws Tomorrow, 12:00 PM / NGEOWILD 148 During the Christmas season, Dr. Pol has to handle castrations under less-than-ideal conditions, while Dr. Brenda tries to heal a reindeer in time for mating season; Dr. and Mrs. Pol serve as Grand Marshalls and Charles plays Santa for the holidays.
Annie Tomorrow, 12:23 PM / ENCORFM 378 A spunky girl who lives in an orphanage is chosen to spend the Christmas holidays with a billionaire who grows to love the child, and wants to adopt her, but her true happiness may be jeopardized by the scheming headmistress of her orphanage.
Last Christmas Tomorrow, 12:35 PM / HBO 201 A young woman who appears to have an endless amount of bad luck decides to accept a job working as an elf in a year-round Christmas store, but after a man enters her life and her life starts to change, she wonders if it's all too good to be true.
The King of Queens - Net Prophets Tomorrow, 1:00 PM / CMTV 45 Doug receives a sizeable bonus for Christmas, and Carrie refuses to entertain any option besides investment; Arthur gets into a heated competition with the neighbors over which of them can build the biggest yard ornament for the holidays.
My Best Friend's Christmas Tomorrow, 1:30 PM / SHOWOM 244 When a woman returns home for the holidays hoping to reconnect with her high school sweetheart, she meets his new girlfriend, so to escape the embarrassment, she and her best friend fake their own holiday romance, but her fake feelings turn real.
Christmas 9 to 5 Tomorrow, 2:00 PM / LIF-E 38 A crime beat reporter embarks on an undercover mission at a department store, where she pretends to be a sales clerk as she investigates the true meaning of Christmas and finds the love of her life during an unforgettable holiday season.
Welcome to Christmas Tomorrow, 2:00 PM / HALMRK 68 When a resort developer is tasked with finding a location for a new property, she finds herself in a small town, whose mayor sets on a mission to convince her to pick the charming area as the setting for her new ski resort.
Time for You to Come Home for Christmas Tomorrow, 2:00 PM / HALLMV 84 After her husband has passed away, a young woman returns to her hometown, where she meets a veteran who is on his own holiday journey, and as Christmas comes near, they learn of a bond that may be the Christmas miracle that they need.
Malcolm in the Middle - Christmas Trees Tomorrow, 2:00 PM / FUSE 109 Hal and the boys come up with a scheme where they can sell Christmas trees for some extra holiday-spending cash, but encounter a problem when members of the local clergy take offense to what they are doing and pressure them to stop.
The Top Ten Revealed - Rockin' Christmas Songs Tomorrow, 2:00 PM / HDNET 1303 Guests Dee Snider, Don Felder, Alan Parsons and Sebastian Bach reveal some of the best songs about Christmas to get one in the spirit of rocking.
The Family Stone Tomorrow, 2:10 PM / HBO2 202 A successful businessman brings his straight-laced and uptight fiancée home to meet his free-thinking, high-spirited and rebellious family for Christmas, but he runs into problems after he tries to give her the heirloom wedding ring.
Last Christmas Tomorrow, 2:25 PM / HBOL-W 214 Una joven que parece que la mala suerte la sigue a todos lados, decide aceptar un trabajo en una tienda en la época navideña, pero se tiene que disfrazar de elfo, así que cuando conoce a un apuesto joven, su vida cambia para siempre.
Annie Tomorrow, 3:23 PM / WAM-W 389 A spunky girl who lives in an orphanage is chosen to spend the Christmas holidays with a billionaire who grows to love the child, and wants to adopt her, but her true happiness may be jeopardized by the scheming headmistress of her orphanage.
In Living Color - Veracosa: Mistress of Destruction Tomorrow, 3:30 PM / ASPIRE 180 Comedy sketches include: "Vera DeMilo: Veracosa, Mistress of Destruction," "Cephus and Reesie: Christmas Album," and "Homey the Clown: Homey Clause."
Last Christmas Tomorrow, 3:35 PM / HBOWAL 208 A young woman who appears to have an endless amount of bad luck decides to accept a job working as an elf in a year-round Christmas store, but after a man enters her life and her life starts to change, she wonders if it's all too good to be true.
A Christmas in Tennessee Tomorrow, 4:00 PM / LIF-E 38 When a real estate developer comes to White Pines, Tennessee, three bakers and the townspeople must find a way to prevent the man from building a ski resort on top of their town, but an unexpected visitor with a sweet-tooth may have a solution.
Scrooged Tomorrow, 4:00 PM / AMCALL 64 The executive of a major TV network nearly ruins a holiday after he fires a low-level aide, exploits his good-hearted secretary and trashes a holiday show on Christmas Eve, but visitations from various ghosts manage to show him the error of his ways.
On the 12th Date of Christmas Tomorrow, 4:00 PM / HALMRK 68 Two game designers who hardly seem compatible with each other work together to organize a large scavenger hunt with a romantic "12 Days of Christmas" theme.
Meet Me at Christmas Tomorrow, 4:00 PM / HALLMV 84 When her sons wedding planner unexpectedly quits, his mother must coordinate his Christmas Eve wedding with the help of the brides uncle, but as they work alongside each other, they discover that their fates and pasts are intertwined.
My Best Friend's Christmas Tomorrow, 4:30 PM / SHOWMW 252 When a woman returns home for the holidays hoping to reconnect with her high school sweetheart, she meets his new girlfriend, so to escape the embarrassment, she and her best friend fake their own holiday romance, but her fake feelings turn real.
The Family Stone Tomorrow, 5:10 PM / HBO2W 209 A successful businessman brings his straight-laced and uptight fiancée home to meet his free-thinking, high-spirited and rebellious family for Christmas, but he runs into problems after he tries to give her the heirloom wedding ring.
It Happened on Fifth Avenue Tomorrow, 5:25 PM / WTVT-DT2 613 / MOVIES! When a family leaves their luxurious New York City mansion unattended for a vacation during the Christmas holiday season, a small group of homeless people decide to utilize the opportunity to make the residence their home for a few days.
Christmas a La Mode Tomorrow, 6:00 PM / LIF-E 38 A dairy farmer is determined to keep her family's legacy alive in the midst of hard times by hosting an ice cream flavor contest during Christmas, but her sister intends to sell off her shares if she cannot raise enough money in time.
Christmas Town Tomorrow, 6:00 PM / HALMRK 68 A woman decides to leave her old life behind in Boston and to set sail on a new chapter in her career and personal life, but a detour to a different town leads her to make new and unexpected discoveries about the heart and family.
Looks Like Christmas Tomorrow, 6:00 PM / HALLMV 84 Two single parents battle for control of the Christmas holiday at the middle school their children attend and learn a lesson about the true meaning of Christmas, and they also wind up opening themselves to the possibility of a new romance.
Family Matters - Fa La La La Laaugghh! Tomorrow, 6:00 PM / TVONE 146 Despite Carl's disapproval, Steve continues to put up Christmas decoration on the house, but when Carl learns of an upcoming contest, his attitude changes; Laura and Eddie's absence from the family's Christmas activities saddens Harriette.
Annie Tomorrow, 6:27 PM / ENCORFM 378 A spunky girl who lives in an orphanage is chosen to spend the Christmas holidays with a billionaire who grows to love the child, and wants to adopt her, but her true happiness may be jeopardized by the scheming headmistress of her orphanage.
Jingle All the Way Tomorrow, 8:00 PM / TNT 33 A mattress salesman with the habit of putting his work ahead of his family scrambles around the city fighting crowds and other overzealous parents in a desperate search for the prized toy of the year, a Turbo Man, for his attention-starved son.
A Taste of Christmas Tomorrow, 8:00 PM / LIF-E 38 After learning her cousin has to cancel the Christmas Eve launch of her new restaurant, a woman tries to find a way to make the opening happen, but she must convince the restaurant chef they can pull it off with three days until Christmas.
Christmas with the Darlings Tomorrow, 8:00 PM / HALMRK 68 After an assistant gives her final notice, she gets drawn into helping the younger brother of her wealthy boss as he looks after his orphaned nieces and nephew through the Christmas season.
Top Elf - Tis the Season to be Top Elf Tomorrow, 8:30 PM / NIC-E 36 For the second time in history, Santa Claus transports seven extraordinary elf contestants to the North Pole to compete for the title of Top Elf, and social media star Addison Rae joins Santa and Ms. Jingles to judge life-sized advent calendar.
Great Performances - Irving Berlin's Holiday Inn: The Broadway Musical Tomorrow, 9:00 PM / WEDU-DT 3 / PBS / HDTV The Broadway adaptation of the classic 1942 movie musical "Holiday Inn," showcases the score by Irving Berlin, with big dance numbers, comedy and a hit parade of some of the songwriter's famous songs, including the Oscar-winning "White Christmas."
An Old Fashioned Christmas Tomorrow, 9:00 PM / HALLDRMHD 1124 / HDTV When an aspiring writer and her wealthy grandmother travel to Ireland to get her work published, they meet a family who are in desperate need of her fortune and try to make her fall in love, so they can inherit her wealth.
Annie Tomorrow, 9:27 PM / WAM-W 389 A spunky girl who lives in an orphanage is chosen to spend the Christmas holidays with a billionaire who grows to love the child, and wants to adopt her, but her true happiness may be jeopardized by the scheming headmistress of her orphanage.
Christmas at the Plaza Tomorrow, 10:00 PM / HALMRK 68 With the holiday season approaching, an archival historian in a declining relationship gets hired to create an exhibition to honor the history of an event, and she ends up working with a decorator and soon finds herself falling in love.
A Very Charming Christmas Town Tomorrow, 10:05 PM / LIF-E 38 A travel and lifestyle blogger heads to a small Danish town in California to write about their extravagant Christmas celebration, but she clashes with the local community coordinator assigned to give her a tour of the village.
Biggest Little Christmas Showdown Tomorrow, 11:01 PM / HGTV 57 / New A group of miniaturists, people who make and collect miniature objects, competes to create tiny holiday homes and villages that boast a Christmastime theme, and the winning exhibit is to be recreated as a full-size vacation home

What is Hotel Management?
The hotel industry deals with all sorts of visitor holiday accommodation. As a matter of fact, the hotel industry not only associates with deluxe hotels as well as resorts, but it additionally consists of over night accommodation in guesthouses, motels, inns, as well as hostels as short-term types of holiday accommodation. The primary function of hotels is to supply visitor tourists with food, drinks, solutions, and shelter whilst they are far from residence.
Friendliness management is so much more than running the day-to-day business of a resort or resort. Along with making certain business is profitable, a hospitality supervisor has to work to create a pleasurable, inviting atmosphere and a winning identity for their premises. And there are lots of behind-the-scenes responsibilities to oversee, such as marketing, guaranteeing policies are abided by, and staff administration.
What is Hotel Management all about?
Resort monitoring includes the monitoring of anything that's related to the resort industry. If you wish to gain a foothold in this service, you will certainly need to find out about all the techniques of managing a hotel company including advertising, hotel administration, providing monitoring, house cleaning, as well as accounts. The main objective behind finding out the ins and outs of resort monitoring is to run a resort effectively while handling the other elements of the business at the same time.
What is the difference Between Hospitality and Hotel Management?
The main difference between hotel management and also Hospitality is as the name recommends, hotel management, covers all elements of handling a resort, whereas hospitality management is a broader term that deals with people administration in fields, such as bars, casino sites, restaurants, transportation, and even resorts.
A Brief History of Hotel Management
From the early 17th century, local business owner across America began developing and also developing inns to serve the lodging needs of travelers. At the start, these inns just used basic services, however as time passed and also demand for short-term accommodation grew, the hotel proprietors ended up being ready to provide guests with even more centers. Ever since, the hotel sector expanded additionally as people were willing to pay more for far better high-quality solutions. This industry has actually constantly striven to meet the changing demands of the culture as well as has actually turned into a vital part of the economic climate. Today, vacationers can discover different kinds of accommodation based upon their budget, from cheap b and b, to elegant 5-star resorts.
Hotel Management is a quickly expanding industry.
In a fast-changing globe, friendliness is just one of those uncommon 'conventional' trades that are actually on the rise. Regardless of the recession of 10 years ago, the number of offered tourism work is expanding all the time. The USA alone has a friendliness revenue of over $200 billion annually-- as well as certainly, tourist is an international phenomenon, so there are lots of possibilities popping up for friendliness supervisors throughout the globe.
You fulfill individuals from all over the globe as well as obtain an opportunity to boost their lives
If Hotel Management is your calling, however you likewise have the wish to fulfill varied brand-new people one-on-one, hospitality is the profession for you. New people reoccur daily, and also those you please one of the most will certainly return from time to time to reconnect.
Obviously, you are not just making dreams come true but likewise resolving troubles and also learning to reverse different type of difficulties. That's when you really feel that you have had a positive influence on the lives of others. As well as you will certainly never ever quit finding out or traveling: as soon as you're a resort manager, you will certainly be happily shocked the amount of various other hotels you reach remain in!
You will never be embedded a routine
Friendliness administration is one of one of the most creative forms of management around. Every day and also every consumer are various and also has fresh requirements. On the one hand, you need to think rapidly to solve issues as they arise, while in the long-term you have the responsibility of creatively creating the feel of your resort.
The Big Effect of COVID-19 on Hotel Management
Considering that the start of the year, the corona crisis has made a considerable impact on Hotel Management. The full or partial lock downs bought by federal governments around the globe have made taking a trip impossible. There have actually likewise been several regional and also international events getting cancelled due to corona infection concerns, such as the Olympic Gaming in Japan as well as the biggest travel event, ITB Berlin.
The corona infection brought with it an unpredictable future for the hotel as well as hospitality sector. With the termination of business journeys as well as occasions around the globe, fewer individuals are keen to prepare their 2020 or perhaps 2021 holidays, especially now that their task protection is at threat.
With little as well as large hotel chains facing tenancy decreases of approximately 90 per cent, some have no choice but to stop company as they are compelled to cancel reservations. This has led to considerable profits loss for hoteliers. There are additionally several hotel owners that are frantically attempting to keep their head over water by waiting to see what takes place.
In the classification "Corona" you locate an option of suggestions which helps businesses running in the hospitality and also traveling market to recover and get ready for better times.
What Sort of Jobs Can You Get with a Hotel Management Degree?
Hotel management can open up a huge number of other possibilities in the market consisting of cruise ship resort monitoring, restaurant management, catering management, airline catering solutions, as well as guest house management. Some of the work placements that relate to your level are:
· Holiday accommodation manager
· Retail manager
· Event coordinator
· Hotel manager
· Wedding catering supervisor
· Dining establishment supervisor
· Pub manager
· Customer support supervisor
· HR manager
· Traveling agent
AIHM Institute of Hotel Management & Technology, Agra was established in 2003 and is registered as Educational Society under Societies Act 1958. The society regulates academics for Hospitality Management through structured courses of studies. Quality of education provided through the Institute helps, one to emerge as professional of top order for hospitality and other service sectors.
AIHM is the Best hotel management institute. Hotel Management is a location of research study that covers a wide range of subjects interested in the operational facets of hotel activities.
http://aihmagra.com

accusations of BHK chief Gagik Tsarukyan extorting a business
A business owner Tadevosyan (hereby Founder) is complaining that BHK chief Gagik Tsarukyan stole a company from him under threats. The full shares went under the control of Tsarukyan's Multi Group company's director Sedrak Arustamyan (hereby MultiSedrak), who is currently under investigation in a money laundering case around North-South highway.
 
Founder says: "I was threatened to sign a document to give my shares of a fish breeding business to Tsarukyan, or else they said they would retaliate."
 
A few weeks ago MultiSedrak claimed someone broke into a fish business which is 100% owned by him. They countered the intruder thieves, a scuffle happened, they called the cops on intruders, said MultiSedrak. The intruders were trying to move some fish from that factory to another factory, owned by the intruders. The intruder is the Founder, the man who claims he owned part of the business.
Then a similar incident happened. This time the Founder called the police on MultiSedrak.
 
The Founder tells the story:
I wrote a letter to Pashinyan and prosecutors to report a crime and business extortion. I created this business from scratch in 2010 with the help of my friend Shaqaryan (hereby Friend). My Friend then sold his shared to me and I became the 100% owner. Then came the former Prime Minister Hovik Abrahamyan and BHK Gagik Starukyan and said they would help me financially and make my firm powerful in exchange for running the business together. I hesitantly agreed.
 
34% went to Tsarukyan, 33% to Founder, 33% to Prime Minister Abrahamyan's son Jonik. Tsarukyan promised to make investments in exchange for those shares. However, Tsarukyan only invested a third of what he promised, claiming that there is a financial crisis in the world and he can't invest more.
 
2 years later, together with the other 2 shareholders, we founded 2 other fish firms, in which we were equal shareholders.
Besides this, PM's son and I were doing another side business together. Tsarukyan got jealous. They invited me to Tsarukyan's dacha to speak with Tsarukyan. He told me that it's against the law for PM's son and me together to do a fish business without him. He then spoke with PM's son about the same thing at my presence. He told us that we can't do a side business, that he invested a lot of money to help us. He then told us that we should quit this business and do our own thing. I think he planned this tactic with PM's son ahead of time because the latter easily agreed to quit after Tsarukyan told him to.
 
PM's son's shares went under the ownership of a joint business we owned. It was then distributed to us. We became 50/50 owners of this fish factory. The business was worth ~$1. Tsarukyan then decided to get rid of me too. He sent Multi Group auditors to check the business, which was a pretense for giving full ownership to MultiSedrak.
 
I resisted the takeover. Tsarukyan threatened to destroy me and said «Ես խնամուս ձեռքից խլել եմ բաժնեմասը, հիմա որ դու իմ անունով չձեւակերպես, ես իմ խնամիների հետ խնդիրներ կունենամ: Այսինքն, որ իբր քո ձեռքից էլ եմ խլում» (Tsarukyan apparently pretended the takeover from Founder was only temporary just to show PM's son that Tsarukyan also took the business from the Founder, so PM's son wouldn't feel cheated, in reality, Tsarukyan had no intentions to return the shares to Founder)
This was 2016, Tsarukyan's years of unruliness. He had connections with govt. They brought the papers for me to sign. Tsarukyan was saying "don't worry fam, we got you, it's only temporary, I'm not a son of a bitch (ես շան տղա չեմ, Ծառուկյանն իր խոսքի տերն ա)".
 
They never returned my shares. In late-2019 I went to MultiSedrak and told him to return my shares or else I'd declare war against them.
In Dec-10-2019 they told me Tsarukyan wants to meet me at the Shangrila casino. They invited me to the table. Everyone was there. Tsarukyan and I separated from the group. I told him I want to end my ties with Tsarukyan. He tried to convince otherwise. I reminded him that it's been 4 years they won't give me my shares back. He said I'll either work at the factory with them, or nothing, and that I don't own any of the factory shares. I said goodbye then. He told me to "siktir".
 
Next day Multi Group workers and I clashed at the factory. They wouldn't allow my son's fish to be extracted from the waters. Let the law enforcement decide. I'm not afraid of TSarukyan.
The above is the story told by the businessman.
 
Armtimes outlet contacted MultiSedrak but the latter didn't respond. Armtimes then contacted the Founders Friend who works with Tsarukyan.
Friend says: I was invited to a police station to testify. I'm the director of the fish factory. The Founder came and hindered our work. Police were called. The real owner is MultiSedrak, who appointed me as director. Tsarukyan has nothing to do with this. The Founder is a liar. I don't know when MultiSedrak got the ownership, I was appointed as a director recently. (then how do you know the Founder is lying?)
This story is from yesterday.
https://www.facebook.com/armtimes/videos/605825623572988/
https://armtimes.com/hy/article/178094
https://armtimes.com/hy/article/178066
CorrupTV
Pashinyan:
There are at least 2 TV channels that could change their logo to add a "corruption" tag. There needs to be transparency in the media field and no monopolies.
There are 2 institutes in the media field: one handles media advertising finances, another measures TV ratings and distributes money based on that. This is the structure that has been monopolized.
 
Media outlets and NGOs need transparency including their ownership info being public.
The media field is open and democratic, and some corruption peddlers operate networks. At least 2 of them could essentially change their name to add a corruption tag. For example "Corruption Group". (He's referring to BHK chief Gagik Tsarukyan's Multi Group company)
 
The ongoing media war against the public helps us better fight against corruption. Eventually, they need to have the "corruption" tag, tho. In some instances, I make bets with friends about which corrupt politicians, that are currently going through trials, will be invited and glorified next by such outlets.
 
Justice Minister Rustam Badasyan: ongoing transparency reforms will envision making media ownership information more transparent. (This was earlier supported and encouraged by a union of journalists and free speech advocates who want to improve trust towards media by increasing transparency.)
https://armtimes.com/hy/article/178161
TV & Radio laws discussion
The chief of the TV & Radio Committee went to Parliament and asked them to remove the existing law that prohibits local radio-stations in Lori and Shirak provinces."It's an absurd restriction. Even bordering regions, in which radio is a matter of national security, aren't allowed to have it. All free radio waves in provinces should be given to those who want to broadcast", said Tigran Hakobyan.
 
He then explained the proposed reforms:
The proposed radio-airways reforms should have been done 5 years ago. The current sate of media laws is archaic.
We need to remove restrictions on some equipment requirements so more people can create their own media outlets. The public-sector outlets are currently regulated more strictly than the non-traditional TV medium providers, which creates unfair competition conditions for them.
If you podcast our outlet online or with "new" methods, you'll be free to do what you want, but if you call yourself a TV network and use satellite or TV airways, you should follow a set of standards. This is done everywhere including the EU. The standards require information diversity and non-misleading coverage of news, which we don't have in Armenia today. The new law should regulate this.
 
About public "multiplex". There is one big airway pipe. They stuffed all channels in that pipe. This distorts the point of Public Multiplex.
What is the point of Public Multiplex? Each country has to have public channels that provide free entertainment and info to population. These public TVs have a strict set of standards in all countries, except Armenia, where it's anarchy. If such rules are implemented, not all TVs will meet the standards. Only the ones that qualify will be in the Public Multiplex. All TVs in this Public Multiplex are free and broadcasted across Armenia.
 
What are the minimal standards TVs must meet to be in the Public Multiplex? Respect public peace, adopt a humane approach, protect national interests, provide fair news coverage, balance the share of entertainment/info/culture programming, 70% of programming language must be in Armenian, at least 40% of content made in Armenia. etc.
 
There is an argument around this between free speech advocates and those who want public to receive politically independent and non-misleading information. We are yet to achieve an agreement on this.
European countries have done this. Public Multiplex (minimum social package) still exists to serve the population that doesn't have cable.
 
Those TVs that don't qualify for the aforementioned standards can continue to operate on the Private Multiplex. This is what we need to create in Armenia. The existing law was created in the past deliberately in a way to prevent the creation of the Private Multiplex. We need to reduce some regulations to encourage Private Multiplex investments.
 
But some TV networks say it's not financially beneficial to be in Private Multiplex. They want to do their business, they want to decide which share of programming is entertainment (money-maker), what share is in Armenia language, etc. Their ideal vision may not meet the aforementioned standards.
At the same time, they want to continue to use Public Multiplex because it has the best coverage across Armenia.
 
Only 40% of Armenians have cable TV coverage. TV networks find this coverage too small, so they want to spread their content across Public Multiplex to maximize revenues.
We need to work on making it profitable.
https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1001554.html
full https://youtu.be/dx1j0toe-hY
Tag: #TVLaw #PublicTelevision #TVreform #TV&Radio #television
"Armenia's anti-trust agency to reveal monopolists in the local media market"
TV & Radio Committee will hire an international auditing firm to audit the media field. It'll verify the reliability of telemonitoring tech to see if it complies with international criteria.
"Taking into account the experience of past years and complaints about the media field in 2019, this year one of the 5 priority monitoring areas will be examining the media advertising market, the mechanisms used to distribute advertising and the relationship between TV companies," chief said.
http://arka.am/en/news/society/armenia_s_anti_trust_agency_to_reveal_monopolists_in_local_media_market/
slaughterhouse laws
Pashinyan about poverty aid reforms: the kids in poor families need help to get education and skills. Those who are disabled should receive full support, but the able-bodied non-workers need to be encouraged to find work. We need a dialogue with the public about this.
https://armtimes.com/hy/article/178157
A group of farmers was protesting outside the govt building. "Pashinyan says people should stand up and work, but when we do, they take away our ability", complained one butcher, who says his revenues took an impact after recent changes to the law.
The reason is stricter food safety laws regulating the meat slaughtering industry.
 
Last year a law was passed requiring slaughtering be done in areas that have certain safety standards. A meeting was held between butchers and Food Safety Committee. At the time the plan was that those farmers who didn't meet the standards would sell the animals to slaughtering facilities, who would come and pick up the animals.
 
The Food Safety administration met the protesters to discuss.
Pashinyan wasn't happy with the protesters' conduct: there is a big garbage bin in the area. When they left the area, there were lots of cigarette butts on the ground. And then they demand us not to increase the sanitary conditions for meat purchased from them.
(ballzy lmao)
 
The Food Safety Committee conducted audits in supermarkets and a few other chains and found that the meat met the safety standards.
 
One requirement is the butcher has to have a veterinary document that has a QR code that points to electronic info about the meat's origins, where it was butchered, medical info about the animals. Agency will continue to enforce the new rules.
 
Food Safety committee met representatives of dozens of slaughterhouse reps and farmers. The certified butcheries signed a contract with the Committee, which requires them to pick up and transport live animals to the butchery area at their own expense, and to transport the meat to its destination at their own expense within a 30KM radius. Prices were set for butchering each type of animal.
People are still allowed to slaughter their animals for personal consumption and festivities, but for business, they need to follow the safety and health standards.
https://armtimes.com/hy/article/178176
newarmenia.am/պարտադիր-սպանդանոցային-մորթի-անցման/
newarmenia.am/սպանդանոցային-մորթն-այլընտրանք-չուն/
https://armtimes.com/hy/article/178178
https://armtimes.com/hy/article/178182
https://www.armtimes.com/hy/article/178231
https://www.armtimes.com/hy/article/178230
no daily savings time
Govt rejected QP MP Alen Simonyan's bill to adjust the summer and winter clock in March and October. It was meant to add 50 minutes of light time throughout the day.
Based on observations in other countries, in Armenia, it could reduce artificial light usage hours by 9% or up to 1.1bln AMD. But it could also reduce human productivity by 650mln because of some accidents due to people needing time to adjust physically.
 
Govt found that the bill's math was flawed in some areas and was financially risky. Only 70 out of 200 countries still change clocks. None in EAEU do. 84% of European citizens are against it, and beginning next year the EU states will have the right not to change clocks. Jet flight issues could arise.
Govt will not amend the current law.
https://armtimes.com/hy/article/178159
polis
Justice Minister Rustam Badasyan met US ambassador Lynne to discuss police and anti-corruption reforms.
https://armtimes.com/hy/article/178166
Police arrested several members of the criminal subculture.
Getting dragged out of Brabus: https://youtu.be/eEsXLoEyxFM
https://armtimes.com/hy/article/178162
Healthcare Ministry
Update: Several birth clinics in provinces are set to lose license because not enough pregnant women go there, which damages the doctor's experience and raises the risk of harm to the newborn child. Some clinics had no specialty doctors.
Healthcare Ministry decided to give a few clinics up to 1 year to meet the requirements by finding doctors, etc.
https://armtimes.com/hy/article/178167
Healthcare Ministry issued a warning to the 5th Channel and a birth clinic for violating safety rules. The outlet went to film a birth LIVE (is this even a thing?). They didn't wear protection. The doctor didn't have a mask. This is concerning especially since it's a flu season, says the memo.
https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1001565.html
Razmik Abrahamyan is a clinic official accused of child trafficking in the infamous case busted by NSS a few months ago. For years, dozens of kids were fraudulently stolen from parents and taken abroad.
The suspect has bad health and earlier went to the hospital. A court trial happened today.
Mother of a child tells suspect: I hope you have good health until I find my child.
Suspect: our clinic has nothing to do with those adoptions.
Mother: you told me my child was dead, but she wasn't.
Suspect: eh, go search and find her.
Mother: How can I find the child now? You were present at birth.
https://armtimes.com/hy/article/178189
tax waiver
Govt gave a tax waiver to Nikola International firm to make 1.6bin investments to import and process olives in Kotayk.
Pashinyan: It's too hot in Armenia. If it continues like this we will grow olives next winter. There are already some attempts, but it's not significant on a grand scale.
https://armtimes.com/hy/article/178164
bolola
Last year Yerevan municipality opposition Luys alliance got in hot water for crossing the line and creating bolola. In addition, accusations were made by them that some donors donated garbage trucks to Yerevan in exchange for favors. The municipality provided docs to counter the "favor" rumors. Looks like mayor Hayk Marutyan has had it enough.
Mayor's spokesman says:
A few months ago certain officials began to spread fake news. Then, LHK chief Edmon Marukyan went on TV and said the donors didn't give a truck but rather cash so the city could buy the garbage trucks. A similar thing was said by Luys MP Khajakyan on Azatutyun media.
None of them provided any evidence, and they couldn't because that's misinformation.
Today mayor Marutyan sent letters to both of them asking for either evidence or retraction.
https://armtimes.com/hy/article/178170
NSS vs army theft
NSS busted 85 tons of fuel theft in the Army.
Memo: a group of soldiers colluded in late-2019 to steal and sell 40mln worth fuel meant for exercises. They got caught while smuggling the next batch. A felony case is launched.
https://armtimes.com/hy/article/178187
An Armenian soldier was wounded in the northeastern region. That's the area that's active due to Azeri attempts to strengthen their positions. Earlier one Azeri soldier was killed during attempted engineering work.
https://armtimes.com/hy/article/178204
Pashinyan administration earlier created a group consisted of NGOs and law enforcement to work together to improve transparency whenever a soldier dies and an investigation opens.
The group has sent a petition to re-open one such criminal investigation that was earlier shut down. The request was accepted and the case re-opened.
https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1001600.html
charity
Civil Aviation chief Tatevik Revazyan worked as a waiter at the ROOMZ restaurant for 4 hours. All tips went towards medical care for a kid named Tigran Amirkhanyan.
https://youtu.be/zjm0LGdI3j0?t=9
https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1001598.html
engineering labs ArmAt
The Education Ministry's budget for ArMat engineering program, in millions of Drams:
2014: 14 but for salaries only
2015: 23 but for salaries only
2016: 23 but for salaries only
2017: 127 but for salaries only
2018: 187 but for salaries only
2019: 352 but for salaries only, plus 834mln for 284 new lab installations (until this point ArmAt itself was finding cash for labs, now Ministry chips-in too)
2020: 671
https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1001634.html
5 soccer playgrounds were opened in Gegharquniq... under the snow.
Pics https://armtimes.com/hy/article/178165
Gucci's Armenian model Armine Harutyunyan is back in Italy for a new photoshoot, just so you know.
It all started last year when she went to Berlin to attend her favorite K-Pop concert. A Gucci recruiter saw and asked if she's interested in auditioning. She was asked to fly the next day but she couldn't due to the Visa regime. She eventually did. No makeup or special attire was allowed for the "natural" contest. Alessandro Michele was the judge.
https://www.1tvlive.am/2020/01/blog-post_43.html?m=1
https://armtimes.com/hy/article/178213
President Sarkissian has been թրև գալ in the Middle East lately. He met Rotana Hotel chief and an investor in Abu Dhabi. They spoke about cooperation.
https://armtimes.com/hy/article/178174
A 2,000 - 3,000-year-old dungeon, and several 200yo cellar and storages were discovered by archeologists on Dalma gardens located in Yerevan's Malatia-Sebastia district.
They wrote a letter to PM and law enforcement to halt any construction work in the area. Education Ministry confirmed the archeological findings after a 4-day examination. An archeological agency was instructed to preserve the findings.
https://armtimes.com/hy/article/178200
Disclaimer: All the accused are innocent until proven guilty in the court of law, even if they may sound as being guilty. Currency in Armenian Drams unless specified otherwise. Older posts can be found at: PART 1 ; PART 2 ; PART 3 ; PART 4 , credits to Idontknowmuch.

Schwarz – Black, and Wald – Forest. Simple.
The official tourist website is very extensive - https://www.blackforest-tourism.com/ as is - https://www.black-forest-travel.com/ . Each end also has it’s own regional tourism website: the northern Black Forest National Park (Nationalpark Schwarzwald), and the southern High Black Forest (Hochschwarzwald). Those should cover just about everything you could want.
The Black Forest is a roughly 60% forested mountain/hill range in south western Germany stretching down from Karlsruhe to the Swiss border. It never gets THAT high: at 1493m Feldberg is only just above the local tree-line. Generally speaking the northern part tends to be more touristy, and the southern end is the higher (and can offer some good Alpine views in the right weather conditions). What the actual area covered by it can be hard to define; some definitions go all the way down to the Rhein, others stop with the trees.
Something about it seems to give people romanticised ideas (and many others sell it hard on that), making it sound like a magical location (indeed many people seem to – falsely - think that all the Grimm’s fairy tales originate from here). Maybe just the name itself does that. I certainly had such feelings that it was an exotic and exciting place when I went there the first time. However having been back many times I would say it is not a truly unique place (you can find comparable landscapes all over Germany and central Europe) and it isn’t any more dark or sinister than any other forest. but is still very nice and you do get scenes like this painting. I think it works better if you think of it as an outdoor activity area for those from northern/central Europe, rather than as a must-see for someone coming from the USA or Australia.
Mark Twain wrote about it in “A Tramp Abroad”, which is free to read but that bit is much weaker than his accounts of Switzerland. Including the quote about the spas "Here . . . you lose track of time in ten minutes and the world in twenty" which is used by apparently everybody who writes about the area.

• There are three clichés which are usually beaten to death: Cuckoo clocks, cakes, and ham. These are covered in more detail further down.
  
• The other cliché thing is the hat with big red balls, the Bollenhut. Though oddly it was just a thing in a few protestant villages, but has now been taken to represent the mostly catholic Black Forest as a whole.
  
• Tourism is a major source of income (originally tourism kicked off due to the spas which are still open). But tourism tends to be heavy in some areas and almost non-existent in others. It is very easy to find a quiet bit of woodland or hilltop. It is far enough from most standard European destinations to be more of a “passing-through” spot for people from further away so mass tourism mostly isn’t a problem outside of a few focal points like Triberg.
  
• Towns/villages are best seen as starting points or easy places to reach, rather than the main focus (other than bigger places like Freiburg). Some are pretty, but none are very big and are just a nice place to grab some food or supplies. The most interesting sight is the giant wooden farmhouse which are very indicative of the area. Though most modern buildings are a fairly standard concrete design which keeps the overall aesthetics, but just isn’t the same.
  
• Being mountainous the weather is a little more extreme than the surrounding areas, but only a little (this is not the high Alps). It still pays to check ahead and prepare of course. During summer weather is warm and sunny enough to grow wine, but there is also a very high rainfall and there can be cold snaps. It can be very snowy in winter, though in recent years this has been drastically reduced. The main problem in winter is the fog, so plan to go to the higher parts (if possible over 1000m) to avoid that.
  
• Being a widely populated and touristy area you are never that far from food and shelter. But there can still be danger if you are caught out by the weather.
  
• Clearly German is the default language. Getting by in other languages should be easy enough in the tourist hotspots. Though it might be a bit more hit and miss in the quieter and more remote areas. There is a local Alemannische dialect but that won’t be anything to worry about unless you want to eavesdrop on the locals.
  

Just to ruin a few magical things…..

• The cake was probably not invented in the Black Forest. More on that later.
  
• It isn’t especially linked to any fairy tales. There are some local myths and tales like any region has. But the Brothers Grimm were never known to even visit the area (plus they collected/recorded/edited as an academic exercise into culture, rather than wrote the tales), they lived further north - hence the Fairy Tale Road is up around Marburg and Kassel. So most of their works are more local to Hesse/Westphalia (though they would have existed in various forms all over the region of modern Germany, and some were told to them by French Huguenots). By all means read their tales (though ideally in the first edition version) take in the atmosphere and imagine the places that could be just like the stories, just don’t think that the itself Black Forest inspired those exact stories.c
  
• It isn’t much of an ancient forest – the region was heavily deforested by 1850 with a monoculture of fast growing Spruce planted to replace the missing woods. Efforts have been made to fix this and it is looking much better, but it can still be very apparent in some parts.
  
• Dark on Netflix is filmed in the Brandenburg/Berlin area – totally the wrong side of the country. The landscape is far too flat, and the brick houses are a rare sight in the south of Germany.
  
• Gummy bears come from Germany but were invented in Bonn. The Black Forest Gummy bears that Americans go on about are made in the USA and unknown elsewhere. Showing the advert to my Black Forest native girlfriend produced something of a confused reaction.
  
• You probably didn’t play here in Age of Empires 2. With the language set to German you are instead playing in “Dunkelwald” (dark forest). The Black Forest map is the right sort of region, but far too flat.
  

Getting around
Realistically you need a car to explore the area properly. You can still see some parts easily enough without a car, but you will be a little limited and much slower (figure 2x the travel time).

• The main scenic drive is the Schwarzwald-Hochstrasse, but there is also apparently: the Valley Road, the Spa Road, the Baden Wine Road, the Asparagus Road, and the Clock Road. Though most driving in the area will be scenic, especially on the quieter backroads.
  
• Driving is mostly easy, but can be a little round-about with so many hills requiring diversions around them. Smaller roads might be narrow without markings down the centre, and single lane roads going up to or connecting smaller villages are not uncommon. Cyclists can be a surprise and then hard to overtake on the windy roads, then from behind you have motorbikes who are often suicidal and will try and overtake you on blind corners.
  
• There are forest car parks that offer free parking. So it is very easy to park at the start of a hike or by a scenic lookout.
  
• There are a few train lines, but the coverage is really far from total. There are also a few with historic trains running: Waldenburg-Liestal, Ettlingen-Bad Herrenalb (the Albtalbahn) and the Dampfzug Chanderli, between Kandern and Basel.
  
• Bus routes from Freiburg to the bigger tourist spots tend to be slow but will do the job. Those covering smaller villages in quieter areas tend to be the “once or twice a day and stop everywhere” sort.
  
• If you are using public transport then the Baden-Württemberg-Ticket offers a cheap day pass for local transport in the region, and it gets cheaper for each extra person in your group.
  

What to do
Outdoor activities are pretty much the main reason to go. The winters are getting increasingly less snowy. So the area is starting to focus more on hiking and biking that can increasingly be done year round.
hiking
There are well marked paths everywhere covering everything from short and easy to multi-day long distance routes. Sign posts give you destinations, and the distance to get there in km (as opposed to the time estimate in Switzerland).
A quick google of the area you plan to be in should bring up plenty of ideas.
Eg:
https://www.komoot.com/guide/37/hiking-in-the-black-forest
https://www.outdooractive.com/en/hikes/loerrach/hiking-in-loerrach/1453476/
https://monkeysandmountains.com/tips-for-hiking-in-the-black-forest-germany/
Biking
There are a mix of local loops and long distance routes.

• The white and green routes that are well signposted do a good job of keeping you away from traffic: either on quieter backroads, or on gravel roads through the forest. In places where you have to follow a major road there will at least be a safe side path.
  
• The yellow signs are the mountain bike cross routes. This is distance and height gain on gravel-paths rather than single trails and technical downhills. I plan to do the Schwarzwald-cross route at some point in the future, though maybe cutting the length of some of the harder sectons….
  
• Ebikes are becoming very popular. In more touristy spots you might see more groups on ebikes than hikers.
  
• There are a number of dedicated mountainbike parks. EG: https://bikepark-todtnau.de/
  
• There are vast amounts of double or single trail paths that go through the forest which you can use. Often the marked footpaths follow gravel-roads rather than single trail, so it is easy to follow them. But this can be a little hit and miss with making the distances and climbs longer and harder.
  

Winter sports
When there is enough snow there are lots of cross-country skiing options. Downhill skiing is mostly bunny slopes, though some areas like around the Feldberg are more extensive. However the snow in recent years has been so poor that you are more likely to need a mountain bike than a pair of skis.
View points
Too many to list.
Castles and ruins
There are not many castles in the Black Forest, mostly you will find the odd ruin.

• Erberstein
  
• Schloss Hohenbaden. A ruin.
  
• You have some impressive castles and fortresses in the region. Like Hohenzollern Castle, Lichtenstein Castle, Heidelberg, Neuf-Brisach, Château du Haut-Kœnigsbourg. But these are very much not in the Black Forest.
  
• Klosterruine Hirsau.
  

Where to go
I have mapped out the places listed below.
In general if you pick a random point you will probably find something nice around it.
In December many of these places have Christmas Markets, especially Freiburg.
Main tourist spots
Triberg, Titisee, Feldberg, and Baden-Baden are arguably the biggest tourist focal points inside the Black Forest. Anywhere within a short hop of the bigger urban areas like Freiburg will also likely be quite busy on nice days.

• Freiburg (im Breisgau). Not really Black Forest (depending on who you ask), but a nice city and a good entry point.
  
• Titisee (yes that is Titi-lake). REALLY TOURISTY. The historical home of tourism in the area, also home to a slightly comical number of boats.
  
• Feldberg. The highest point in the Black Forest. See also the Feldsee just below it.
  
• Schluchsee. A slightly quieter lake than the Titisee. It is a dammed lake so the changing water level leaves the sides a bit barren, and the north side is dominated by a busy road that gives you the roar of motorbikes anywhere in the area. By far the nicest part of the lake is the restaurant/café at Unterkrummenhof-Schluchsee.
  
• Rothaus Braueri. The makers of the beer that dominates much of the region. They have a barestaurant/shop/exhibition/hotel at their brewing site.
  
• Mummelsee.
  
• Baden Baden. The classic spa/casino town. Like Freiburg it isn’t really the Black Forest, but makes a good starting point.
  
• Triberg. REALLY TOURSITY. See also the local waterfall which is apparently the highest in Germany.
  
• There are quite a few Rödelbahn (alpine coasters).
  
• Altensteig.
  
• Baiersbronn. A higher end resort town with lots of fancy restaurants.
  
• Open air museum Vogstbauernhof
  
• Allerheiligen. Featuring a pretty waterfall and a ruined monastery.
  
• Staufen
  
• Wolfach.
  
• Hexenlochmühle (witch hole mill)
  
• The Kinzig valley, including Gengenbach and Schiltach.
  
• Schloss Hohenbaden.
  
• Hausach.
  
• Bad Wildbad.
  
• Gutachtal.
  
• Ravennaschluct and the Christmas Market there.
  
• Donauquelle (source of the Danube river).
  

Other spots
These might also be touristy to some extent, but probably far less so.

• Wutachschlucht.
  
• Sankt Blasien (a surrealy big church in a small valley).
  
• Kloster St. Peter auf dem Schwarzwald.
  
• Geroldsau Waterfall.
  
• Zweribach Waterfall.
  
• Freudenstadt.
  
• Alpirsbach.
  
• Bernau.
  
• Menzenschwand.
  
• Herzogenhorn.
  
• Calw.
  
• Nagold.
  
• Schitach.
  
• Hornisgrinde.
  
• Alternativer Wolf- und Bärenpark
  

Food and drink
Separating truly Black Forest and anything from that region is a little hard. Being a rural area there are plenty of local jams/honey/etc on sale

• Schwarzwälder Kirschtorte (Black Forest gâteau/cake). Quite why it got the name is unclear and there are various stories, it might be the flavouring with Kirsch (hence the name in German). The origin of the cake itself is also seemingly uncertain, with there being no absolute proof that it originated in the Black Forest. More likely it seems to have come from Bonn. You can certainly find it easily and enjoy it in the Black Forest though.
  
• Schwarzwälder schinken (Black Forest Ham). A smoke-cured raw ham. In Europe this has regional protection, so it has to be produced in the region to a certain standard to have the name. The name seems to resonate strongly with people from the USA - where it is not under any protection and seems to be a common exotic sounding description slapped on the name of any old pork product (this can vary from something respectable looking, to a level of “DEAR GOD WHAT THE IN NAME OF FUCK IS THAT”). Whatever it is that Subway sells has certainly never been anywhere near the Black Forest. There is apparently a museum about the meat in Musbach bei Freudenstadt, and certainly one at the Feldberg. There is even a ham themed hiking route.
  
• Beer. Rothaus is the most common beer in the area, and can increasingly be found further and further away. Waldhaus is a favourite of mine, and there are numerous others. Again the tourism website is quite informative (though not all inclusive).
  
• Other Alcohol. The cherry brandy Kirsch(wasser) is the most famous and traditional. There are various other fruit based Schnapps. There are also more modern drinks like Whiskey such as the Marder Whiskey or Black Forest (from Rothaus) and gin such as the Monkey 47 (to name just a few).
  
• Wine is made in the area – especially in the Rhein valley around Freiburg.
  

Other bits
There are endless little museums.

• Cuckoo clocks (Kuckucksuhr). That other Black Forest thing. They might not have originated in the Black Forest, but they became very popular there. There is a museum, and Triberg and Schonach both claim to have the world's largest cuckoo clock, among other clock based touristy-things scattered around. You will never be short of the chance to buy one.
  
• Glassmaking is an old tradition and there are workshops and show-rooms all over the area. There should also be a glass making themed hike in the south somewhere.
  
• For a rather unique spot read this article and then visit the Engländerdenkmal.
  

Articles and other resources

• https://www.independent.co.uk/travel/europe/the-complete-guide-to-the-black-forest-5353552.html

Reading/culture

• Three Men on the Bummel - Jerome K. Jerome. The sequel as such to the classic Three men on a boat.
  
• If you speak German then looking for “SWR schwarzwald” on Youtube will find you lots of Black Forest related shows on history, culture, and travel in the area.
  
• There is a long running and apparently popular German TV series set in the area - Die Schwarzwaldklinik.
  
• Likewise if you can read German then you can read some local Krimis by the publisher Eamon.
  

Other points

• For similar areas the Swiss Jura mountains are very close. Likewise the Emmental (especially around Napf) and Appenzell. The latter have the advantage that in addition to deeply folded wooded valleys, the landscape then rises up to the Alps.
  
• There have been a few suspected wolf sightings but nothing to worry you – motorbikes present a far bigger danger.
  
• A far realer danger than wolfs is hunters during the autumn – it is best not to go off of the paths then. You will see their high perches all over the Black Forest and Germany.
  
• I don’t care how much I have been inconsistent with the ordering of English (German) and German (English).
  

Looking for some fun alternatives to my usual weekend of going out to bars, dinners, and spending too much money. Living in the Hartford area, but I would drive up to an hour for something worth it. Preferably something I can do with my GF. I'm 26. I'm seriously open to just about anything, including going to bars, dinners, and spending money if it's different than my normal routine. Thanks CT!

Schwarz – Black, and Wald – Forest. Simple. Though the real origin of the name seems unclear. There are various myths but non seem to be true for certain.
The official tourist website is very extensive - https://www.blackforest-tourism.com/ as is - https://www.black-forest-travel.com/ . Each end also has it’s own regional tourism website: the northern Black Forest National Park (Nationalpark Schwarzwald), and the southern High Black Forest (Hochschwarzwald). Those should cover just about everything you could want.
The Black Forest is a roughly 60% forested mountain/hill range in south western Germany stretching down from Karlsruhe to the Swiss border. It never gets THAT high: at 1493m Feldberg is only just above the local tree-line. Generally speaking the northern part tends to be more touristy, and the southern end is the higher (and can offer some good Alpine views in the right weather conditions). What the actual area covered by it can be hard to define; some definitions go all the way down to the Rhein, others stop with the trees.
Something about it seems to give people romanticised ideas (and many others sell it hard on that), making it sound like a magical location (indeed many people seem to – falsely - think that all the Grimm’s fairy tales originate from here). Maybe just the name itself does that. I certainly had such feelings that it was an exotic and exciting place when I went there the first time. Having been back many times I would say it is not a truly unique place (you can find comparable landscapes all over central Europe) and it isn’t any more dark or sinister than any other forest. but is still very very nice and you do get scenes like this painting. I also think it works better as an outdoor activity area for those from northern/central Europe, rather than as a must-see for someone coming from the USA or Australia and who only has a short time to work with.
Mark Twain wrote about it in “A Tramp Abroad”, which is free to read but that bit is much weaker than his accounts of Switzerland. Including the quote about the spas "Here . . . you lose track of time in ten minutes and the world in twenty" which is used by apparently everybody who writes about the area.

• There are three clichés which are usually beaten to death: Cuckoo clocks, cakes, and ham. These are covered in more detail further down.
  
• The other cliché thing is the hat with big red balls, the Bollenhut. Though oddly it was just a thing in a few protestant villages, but has now been taken to represent the mostly catholic Black Forest as a whole.
  
• Tourism is a major source of income (originally tourism kicked off due to the spas which are still open). But tourism tends to be heavy in some areas and almost non-existent in others. It is very easy to find a quiet bit of woodland or hilltop. It is far enough from most standard European destinations to be more of a “passing-through” spot for people from further away so mass tourism mostly isn’t a problem outside of a few focal points like Triberg.
  
• Towns/villages are best seen as starting points or easy targets than rather than the main focus (other than bigger places like Freiburg). Some are pretty pretty, but none are very big. The most interesting sight is the giant wooden farmhouses which are very indicative of the area (and also Bern region in Switzerland).
  
• Being mountainous the weather is a little more extreme than the surrounded area, but only a little (this is not the high Alps). It still pays to check ahead and prepare of course. During summer weather is warm and sunny enough to grow wine, but there is also a very high rainfall and there can be cold snaps. It can be very snowy in winter, though in recent years this has drastically been reduced. The main problem in winter is the fog, so plan to go to the higher parts if possible (over 1000m) to avoid that.
  
• Being a widely populated and touristy area you are never that far from food and shelter. But there can still be danger if you are caught out by the weather.
  
• Clearly German is the default language. Getting by in other languages should be easy enough in the tourist hotspots. Though it might be a bit more hit and miss in the quieter and more remote areas. There is a local Alemannische dialect but that won’t be anything to worry about unless you want to eavesdrop on the locals.
  

Just to ruin a few magical things…..

• The cake was probably not invented in the Black Forest. More on that later.
  
• It isn’t especially linked to any fairy tales. There are some local myths and tales like any region has. But the Brothers Grimm were never based around there (and they collected/recorded/edited rather than wrote the tales), they were further north hence the fairy tale road is up around Marburg and Kassel and so most of their works are more local to Hesse/Westphalia (though they would have existed in various forms all over the region of modern Germany, and some were told to them by French Huguenots). By all means read their tales (though ideally in the first edition version) take in the atmosphere and imagine the places that could be just like the stories, just don’t think that the itself Black Forest inspired those exact stories.
  
• It isn’t much of an ancient forest – the region was heavily deforested by 1850 with a monoculture of fast growing Spruce planted to replace the missing woods. Efforts have been made to fix this and it is looking muc better, but it can still be very apparent in some parts.
  
• Dark on Netflix is filmed in Brandenburg/Berlin area – totally the wrong side of the country. The landscape is far too flat, and the brick houses are a rare sight in the south of Germany.
  
• Gummy bears come from Germany but were invented in Bonn. The Black Forest Gummy bears that Americans go on about are made in the USA and unknown elsewhere. Showing the advert to my Black Forest native girlfriend produced something of a confused reaction.
  
• You probably didn’t play here in Age of Empires 2. With the language set to German you are instead playing in “Dunkelwald” (dark forest). The Black Forest map is the right sort of region, but far too flat.
  

Getting around
Realistically you need a car to explore the area properly. You can still see some parts easily enough without a car, but you will be a little limited and much slower (figure 2x the travel time).

• The main scenic drive is the Schwarzwald-Hochstrasse, but there is also apparently: the Valley Road, the Spa Road, the Baden Wine Road, the Asparagus Road, and the Clock Road. Though most driving in the area will be scenic, especially on the quieter backroads.
  
• There are a few train lines, but the coverage is really far from total. There are also a few with historic trains running: Waldenburg-Liestal, Ettlingen-Bad Herrenalb (the Albtalbahn) and the Dampfzug Chanderli, between Kandern and Basel.
  
• Bus routes from Freiburg to the bigger tourist spots tend to be slow but will do the job. Those covering smaller villages in quieter areas tend to be the “once or twice a day and stop everywhere” sort.
  
• If you are using public transport then the Baden-Württemberg-Ticket offers a cheap day pass for local transport in the region, and it gets cheaper for each extra person in your group.
  

Sports
Outdoor activities are pretty much the main reason to go. The winters are getting increasingly less snowy. So the area is starting to focus more on hiking and biking that can increasingly be done year round.
hiking
There are well marked paths everywhere covering everything from short and easy to multi-day long distance routes. A quick google of the area you plan to be in should bring up plenty of ideas. Eg:
https://www.komoot.com/guide/37/hiking-in-the-black-forest
https://www.outdooractive.com/en/hikes/loerrach/hiking-in-loerrach/1453476/
https://monkeysandmountains.com/tips-for-hiking-in-the-black-forest-germany/
Biking
Likewise there are lots of biking routes of various types that are covered by the tourist websites.
I plan to do the Schwarzwald-cross route at some point in the future. Though maybe cutting the length of some of the harder sectons….
Snow
When there is enough snow there are lots of cross-country skiing options. Downhill skiing is mostly bunny slopes, though some areas like around the Feldberg are more extensive. However the snow in recent years has been so poor that your are more likely to need a mountain bike than a pair of skis.
Where to go
I have mapped out the places listed below.
In general if you pick a random point you will probably find something nice around it.
In December many of these places have Christmas Markets, especially Freiburg.
Main tourist spots
Triberg and Titisee are arguably the two biggest tourist focal points inside the Black Forest. Anywhere within a short hop of the bigger urban areas like Freiburg will also likely be quite busy on nice days.

• Freiburg (im Breisgau). Not really Black Forest (depending on who you ask), but a nice city and a good entry point.
  
• Titisee (yes that is Titi-lake). REALLY TOURISTY. The historical home of tourism in the area, also home to a slightly comical number of boats.
  
• Feldberg. See also the Feldsee just below it.
  
• Schluchsee. A slightly quieter lake than the Titisee.
  
• Mummelsee.
  
• Baden Baden. The classic spa/casino town. Like Freiburg it isn’t really the Black Forest, but makes a good starting point.
  
• Triberg. REALLY TOURSITY. See also the local waterfall which is apparently the highest in Germany.
  
• There are quite a few Rödelbahn (alpine coasters).
  
• Altensteig.
  
• Baiersbronn. A higher end resort town with lots of fancy restaurants.
  
• Open air museum Vogstbauernhof
  
• Allerheiligen. Featuring a pretty waterfall and a ruined monastery.
  
• Staufen
  
• Wolfach.
  
• Hexenlochmühle (witch hole mill)
  
• The Kinzig valley, including Gengenbach and Schiltach
  
• Schloss Hohenbaden
  
• Hausach.
  
• Bad Wildbad
  
• Gutachtal
  
• Ravennaschluct and the Christmas Market there
  
• Donauquelle (source of the Danube river).
  

Other spots
These might also be touristy to some extent, but probably far less so.

• Wutachschlucht
  
• Sankt Blasien (the big church)
  
• Kloster St. Peter auf dem Schwarzwald.
  
• Geroldsau Waterfall
  
• Zweribach Waterfall
  
• Freudenstadt
  
• Alpirsbach
  
• Bernau
  
• Menzenschwand.
  
• Herzogenhorn.
  
• Calw
  
• Nagold
  
• Schitach
  
• Hornisgrinde
  
• Alternativer Wolf- und Bärenpark
  

Food and drink
Separating truly Black Forest and anything from that region is a little hard. Being a rural area there are plenty of local jams/honey/etc on sale

• Schwarzwälder Kirschtorte (Black Forest gâteau/cake). Quite why it got the name is unclear and there are various stories, it might be the flavouring with Kirsch (hence the name in German). The origin of the cake itself is also seemingly uncertain, with there being no absolute proof that it originated in the Black Forest. More likely it seems to have come from Bonn. You can certainly find it easily and enjoy it in the Black Forest though.
  
• Schwarzwälder schinken (Black Forest Ham). A smoke-cured raw ham. In Europe this has regional protection, so it has to be produced in the region to a certain standard to have the name. The name seems to resonate strongly with people from the USA - where it is not under any protection and seems to be a common exotic sounding description slapped on the name of any old pork product (this can vary from something respectable looking, to a level of “DEAR GOD WHAT THE IN NAME OF FUCK IS THAT”). Whatever it is that Subway sells has certainly never been anywhere near the Black Forest. There is apparently a museum about the meat in Musbach bei Freudenstadt, and certainly one at the Feldberg. There is even a ham themed hiking route.
  
• Beer. Rothaus is the most common beer in the area, and can increasingly be found further and further away. Waldhaus is a favourite of mine, and there are numerous others. Again the tourism website is quite informative (though not all inclusive).
  
• Wine is made in the area – especially in the Rhein valley around Freiburg.
  
• Other Alcohol. The cherry brandy Kirsch(wasser) is the most famous. There are various other fruit based Schnapps. There are also Whiskey and gin producers (to name just a few).
  

Other bits
There are endless little museums.

• Cuckoo clocks (Kuckucksuhr). That other Black Forest thing. They might not have originated in the Black Forest, but they became very popular there. There is a museum, and Triberg and Schonach both claim to have the world's largest cuckoo clock, among other clock based touristy-things scattered around. You will never be short of the chance to buy one.
  
• Glassmaking is an old tradition and there are workshops and show-rooms all over the area. There should also be a glass making themed hike in the south somewhere.
  
• For a rather unique spot read this article and then visit the Engländerdenkmal.
  

Other points

• For similar areas the Swiss Jura mountains are very close. Likewise the Emmental (especially around Napf) and Appenzell. The latter have the advantage that in addition to deeply folded wooded valleys the landscape then rises up to the Alps.
  
• There have been a few suspected wolf sightings but nothing to worry you – motorbikes present a far bigger danger.
  
• A far realer danger than wolfs is hunters during the autumn – best not to go off of the paths then. You will see their high perches all over the Black Forest and Germany.
  
• If you speak German then looking for “SWR schwarzwald” on Youtube will find you lots of Black Forest related shows on history, culture, and travel in the area.
  
• There is a long running and apparently popular German TV series set in the area - Die Schwarzwaldklinik.
  
• Likewise if you can read German then you can read some local Krimis by the publisher Eamon.
  
• https://www.independent.co.uk/travel/europe/the-complete-guide-to-the-black-forest-5353552.html
  
• I don’t care how much I have been inconsistent with the ordering of English (German) and German (English).
  

Schwarz – Black, and Wald – Forest. Simple. Though the real origin of the name seems unclear. There are various myths but non seem to be true for certain.
The official tourist website is very extensive - https://www.blackforest-tourism.com/ as is - https://www.black-forest-travel.com/ . Each end also has it’s own regional tourism website: the northern Black Forest National Park (Nationalpark Schwarzwald), and the southern High Black Forest (Hochschwarzwald). Those should cover just about everything you could want.
The Black Forest is a roughly 60% forested mountain/hill range in south western Germany stretching down from Karlsruhe to the Swiss border. It never gets THAT high: at 1493m Feldberg is only just above the local tree-line. Generally speaking the northern part tends to be more touristy, and the southern end is the higher (and can offer some good Alpine views in the right weather conditions). What the actual area covered by it can be hard to define; some definitions go all the way down to the Rhein, others stop with the trees.
Something about it seems to give people romanticised ideas (and many others sell it hard on that), making it sound like a magical location (indeed many people seem to – falsely - think that all the Grimm’s fairy tales originate from here). Maybe just the name itself does that. I certainly had such feelings that it was an exotic and exciting place when I went there the first time. Having been back many times I would say it is not a truly unique place (you can find comparable landscapes all over central Europe) and it isn’t any more dark or sinister than any other forest. but is still very very nice and you do get scenes like this painting. I also think it works better as an outdoor activity area for those from northern/central Europe, rather than as a must-see for someone coming from the USA or Australia and who only has a short time to work with.
Mark Twain wrote about it in “A Tramp Abroad”, which is free to read but that bit is much weaker than his accounts of Switzerland. Including the quote about the spas "Here . . . you lose track of time in ten minutes and the world in twenty" which is used by apparently everybody who writes about the area.

• There are three clichés which are usually beaten to death: Cuckoo clocks, cakes, and ham. These are covered in more detail further down.
  
• The other cliché thing is the hat with big red balls, the Bollenhut. Though oddly it was just a thing in a few protestant villages, but has now been taken to represent the mostly catholic Black Forest as a whole.
  
• Tourism is a major source of income (originally tourism kicked off due to the spas which are still open). But tourism tends to be heavy in some areas and almost non-existent in others. It is very easy to find a quiet bit of woodland or hilltop. It is far enough from most standard European destinations to be more of a “passing-through” spot for people from further away so mass tourism mostly isn’t a problem outside of a few focal points like Triberg.
  
• Towns/villages are best seen as starting points or easy targets than rather than the main focus (other than bigger places like Freiburg). Some are pretty pretty, but none are very big. The most interesting sight is the giant wooden farmhouses which are very indicative of the area (and also Bern region in Switzerland).
  
• Being mountainous the weather is a little more extreme than the surrounded area, but only a little (this is not the high Alps). It still pays to check ahead and prepare of course. During summer weather is warm and sunny enough to grow wine, but there is also a very high rainfall and there can be cold snaps. It can be very snowy in winter, though in recent years this has drastically been reduced. The main problem in winter is the fog, so plan to go to the higher parts if possible (over 1000m) to avoid that.
  
• Being a widely populated and touristy area you are never that far from food and shelter. But there can still be danger if you are caught out by the weather.
  
• Clearly German is the default language. Getting by in other languages should be easy enough in the tourist hotspots. Though it might be a bit more hit and miss in the quieter and more remote areas. There is a local Alemannische dialect but that won’t be anything to worry about unless you want to eavesdrop on the locals.
  

Just to ruin a few magical things…..

• The cake was probably not invented in the Black Forest. More on that later.
  
• It isn’t especially linked to any fairy tales. There are some local myths and tales like any region has. But the Brothers Grimm were never based around there (and they collected/recorded/edited rather than wrote the tales), they were further north hence the fairy tale road is up around Marburg and Kassel and so most of their works are more local to Hesse/Westphalia (though they would have existed in various forms all over the region of modern Germany, and some were told to them by French Huguenots). By all means read their tales (though ideally in the first edition version) take in the atmosphere and imagine the places that could be just like the stories, just don’t think that the itself Black Forest inspired those exact stories.
  
• It isn’t much of an ancient forest – the region was heavily deforested by 1850 with a monoculture of fast growing Spruce planted to replace the missing woods. Efforts have been made to fix this and it is looking muc better, but it can still be very apparent in some parts.
  
• Dark on Netflix is filmed in Brandenburg/Berlin area – totally the wrong side of the country. The landscape is far too flat, and the brick houses are a rare sight in the south of Germany.
  
• Gummy bears come from Germany but were invented in Bonn. The Black Forest Gummy bears that Americans go on about are made in the USA and unknown elsewhere. Showing the advert to my Black Forest native girlfriend produced something of a confused reaction.
  
• You probably didn’t play here in Age of Empires 2. With the language set to German you are instead playing in “Dunkelwald” (dark forest). The Black Forest map is the right sort of region, but far too flat.
  

Getting around
Realistically you need a car to explore the area properly. You can still see some parts easily enough without a car, but you will be a little limited and much slower (figure 2x the travel time).

• The main scenic drive is the Schwarzwald-Hochstrasse, but there is also apparently: the Valley Road, the Spa Road, the Baden Wine Road, the Asparagus Road, and the Clock Road. Though most driving in the area will be scenic, especially on the quieter backroads.
  
• There are a few train lines, but the coverage is really far from total. There are also a few with historic trains running: Waldenburg-Liestal, Ettlingen-Bad Herrenalb (the Albtalbahn) and the Dampfzug Chanderli, between Kandern and Basel.
  
• Bus routes from Freiburg to the bigger tourist spots tend to be slow but will do the job. Those covering smaller villages in quieter areas tend to be the “once or twice a day and stop everywhere” sort.
  
• If you are using public transport then the Baden-Württemberg-Ticket offers a cheap day pass for local transport in the region, and it gets cheaper for each extra person in your group.
  

Sports
Outdoor activities are pretty much the main reason to go. The winters are getting increasingly less snowy. So the area is starting to focus more on hiking and biking that can increasingly be done year round.
hiking
There are well marked paths everywhere covering everything from short and easy to multi-day long distance routes. A quick google of the area you plan to be in should bring up plenty of ideas. Eg:
https://www.komoot.com/guide/37/hiking-in-the-black-forest
https://www.outdooractive.com/en/hikes/loerrach/hiking-in-loerrach/1453476/
https://monkeysandmountains.com/tips-for-hiking-in-the-black-forest-germany/
Biking
Likewise there are lots of biking routes of various types that are covered by the tourist websites.
I plan to do the Schwarzwald-cross route at some point in the future. Though maybe cutting the length of some of the harder sectons….
Snow
When there is enough snow there are lots of cross-country skiing options. Downhill skiing is mostly bunny slopes, though some areas like around the Feldberg are more extensive. However the snow in recent years has been so poor that your are more likely to need a mountain bike than a pair of skis.
Where to go
I have mapped out the places listed below.
In general if you pick a random point you will probably find something nice around it.
In December many of these places have Christmas Markets, especially Freiburg.
Main tourist spots
Triberg and Titisee are arguably the two biggest tourist focal points inside the Black Forest. Anywhere within a short hop of the bigger urban areas like Freiburg will also likely be quite busy on nice days.

• Freiburg (im Breisgau). Not really Black Forest (depending on who you ask), but a nice city and a good entry point.
  
• Titisee (yes that is Titi-lake). REALLY TOURISTY. The historical home of tourism in the area, also home to a slightly comical number of boats.
  
• Feldberg. See also the Feldsee just below it.
  
• Schluchsee. A slightly quieter lake than the Titisee.
  
• Mummelsee.
  
• Baden Baden. The classic spa/casino town. Like Freiburg it isn’t really the Black Forest, but makes a good starting point.
  
• Triberg. REALLY TOURSITY. See also the local waterfall which is apparently the highest in Germany.
  
• There are quite a few Rödelbahn (alpine coasters).
  
• Altensteig.
  
• Baiersbronn. A higher end resort town with lots of fancy restaurants.
  
• Open air museum Vogstbauernhof
  
• Allerheiligen. Featuring a pretty waterfall and a ruined monastery.
  
• Staufen
  
• Wolfach.
  
• Hexenlochmühle (witch hole mill)
  
• The Kinzig valley, including Gengenbach and Schiltach
  
• Schloss Hohenbaden
  
• Hausach.
  
• Bad Wildbad
  
• Gutachtal
  
• Ravennaschluct and the Christmas Market there
  
• Donauquelle (source of the Danube river).
  

Other spots
These might also be touristy to some extent, but probably far less so.

• Wutachschlucht
  
• Sankt Blasien (the big church)
  
• Kloster St. Peter auf dem Schwarzwald.
  
• Geroldsau Waterfall
  
• Zweribach Waterfall
  
• Freudenstadt
  
• Alpirsbach
  
• Bernau
  
• Menzenschwand.
  
• Herzogenhorn.
  
• Calw
  
• Nagold
  
• Schitach
  
• Hornisgrinde
  
• Alternativer Wolf- und Bärenpark
  

Food and drink
Separating truly Black Forest and anything from that region is a little hard. Being a rural area there are plenty of local jams/honey/etc on sale

• Schwarzwälder Kirschtorte (Black Forest gâteau/cake). Quite why it got the name is unclear and there are various stories, it might be the flavouring with Kirsch (hence the name in German). The origin of the cake itself is also seemingly uncertain, with there being no absolute proof that it originated in the Black Forest. More likely it seems to have come from Bonn. You can certainly find it easily and enjoy it in the Black Forest though.
  
• Schwarzwälder schinken (Black Forest Ham). A smoke-cured raw ham. In Europe this has regional protection, so it has to be produced in the region to a certain standard to have the name. The name seems to resonate strongly with people from the USA - where it is not under any protection and seems to be a common exotic sounding description slapped on the name of any old pork product (this can vary from something respectable looking, to a level of “DEAR GOD WHAT THE IN NAME OF FUCK IS THAT”). Whatever it is that Subway sells has certainly never been anywhere near the Black Forest. There is apparently a museum about the meat in Musbach bei Freudenstadt, and certainly one at the Feldberg. There is even a ham themed hiking route.
  
• Beer. Rothaus is the most common beer in the area, and can increasingly be found further and further away. Waldhaus is a favourite of mine, and there are numerous others. Again the tourism website is quite informative (though not all inclusive).
  
• Wine is made in the area – especially in the Rhein valley around Freiburg.
  
• Other Alcohol. The cherry brandy Kirsch(wasser) is the most famous. There are various other fruit based Schnapps. There are also Whiskey and gin producers (to name just a few).
  

Other bits
There are endless little museums.

• Cuckoo clocks (Kuckucksuhr). That other Black Forest thing. They might not have originated in the Black Forest, but they became very popular there. There is a museum, and Triberg and Schonach both claim to have the world's largest cuckoo clock, among other clock based touristy-things scattered around. You will never be short of the chance to buy one.
  
• Glassmaking is an old tradition and there are workshops and show-rooms all over the area. There should also be a glass making themed hike in the south somewhere.
  
• For a rather unique spot read this article and then visit the Engländerdenkmal.
  

Other points

• For similar areas the Swiss Jura mountains are very close. Likewise the Emmental (especially around Napf) and Appenzell. The latter have the advantage that in addition to deeply folded wooded valleys the landscape then rises up to the Alps.
  
• There have been a few suspected wolf sightings but nothing to worry you – motorbikes present a far bigger danger.
  
• A far realer danger than wolfs is hunters during the autumn – best not to go off of the paths then. You will see their high perches all over the Black Forest and Germany.
  
• If you speak German then looking for “SWR schwarzwald” on Youtube will find you lots of Black Forest related shows on history, culture, and travel in the area.
  
• There is a long running and apparently popular German TV series set in the area - Die Schwarzwaldklinik.
  
• Likewise if you can read German then you can read some local Krimis by the publisher Eamon.
  
• https://www.independent.co.uk/travel/europe/the-complete-guide-to-the-black-forest-5353552.html
  
• I don’t care how much I have been inconsistent with the ordering of English (German) and German (English).
  

Below is what I have created for my upcoming campaign. They will be mainly playing in Cape Town in Azania.
- Most of this information has been created by me, as there was not a lot of "cannon" game information in the books. where there was info, I tried to use it as much as possible. (but I also had to make it mine, so...some liberties have been taken).
​
My questions are what do you think about it, should I change or add anything...or is it a nice starting point for what players would know about the nation and city they live in.
​
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Azania (South Africa):
The Azanian Confederation was formed in 2040 when the Cape Republic, Oranje-Vrystaat, Trans-Swazi Federation, and Zulu Nation decided to combine into one nation.
It fully participates in the Global SIN Registry
​
Geography:
The whole central and northern area is on a great plateau
· Northern Azania is almost all rain forest
· Easterly and center Azania is all arid desert
· Center Azania is mostly savannah and scrublands
· Westerly and center Azania is all plainlands
· Southern coast of Azania is varied and mountainous
There are gold mines and diamond mines that give Azania it’s wealth
· It is not uncommon to see slaves and indentured servants
Weather:
· Generally, the climate is temperate (remember that the seasons are opposite of North America)
· It doesn’t rain often, but when it does, it rains for a long stretch of time.
o This doesn’t include the far northern and the eastern region around Pretoria and Zulu
o This also doesn’t include Cape Town that has a dragon that makes it rain
Travel:
There are several highways that crisscross the nation (The below are the ones that are still mostly intact and maintained)
· The N1 is the fastest route to and from Cape Town to Pretoria
o The “No-Oners” is a gang that is found between Cape Town and Pretoria and frequently travel the N1 looking for those targets that are easy pickings. They are responsible for smuggling and trafficking the majority of contraband between the cities.
· The N2 is along the south coast from Cape Town
· The N7 will take you north up towards farmlands where it abruptly ends in a crater
· The N12 breaks from the N1 and takes you north through farmlands to the “Central Kalahari Reserve”
o The “Grey Coats” are a gang that operates from where the N12 breaks north, and highway road travel is safe if you pay the tolls that they enforce throughout the stretch. They are not that large though and will stay away from protected targets.
· The N3 will take you to and from Pretoria to New Hlobane
A super railway system runs the entirety on the country, and the main line runs from Cape Town to Pretoria
· It runs semi close to highway N1 (running next to it at a few stretches and runs a couple miles away at others)
· This rail system is protected and well maintained
· It is also instrumental for getting workers, tourists, and cargo between the cities
Languages:
· English and Afrikaans are tied for the most known/used languages
o English is more prevalent in the large cities and Afrikaans is more prevalent everywhere else
· The second most used language is Portuguese, and the third language is German
· The largest language spoken with in the Wakyambi Elves is Zulu
· After that; it is crime languages (Russian, Italian, Cantonese) and dialects (Swazi, Tsonga, etc.)
Flora and Fauna:
· The biodiversity here is too numerous to list, but all the standard African critters are present
o Awakened creatures are in excess, take a guide or ranger with you
§ Those that stray far from the highways and roads end up missing
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Cape Town:
​
If someone could describe Cape Town in a single sentence it would probably be…
· A land where riches such as diamonds, gold, and uranium spring from the soil like savannah grass, life is still the cheapest of commodities and people are still desperate enough to indenture their offspring to corporate strip mines.
It is not the biggest city in Azania, but it is the most diverse and the capital of the country, as well as being the home to the most elite and powerful creatures in the nation.
<>
Leadership (movers and shakers):
^{Mujaji (f} (dragon) The Rain Queen – Great Feathered Serpent)
^{Richard Wong (m} (dwarf) Mayor)
^{Jan Vermeer (m} (human) CEO of DeBeers-Omnitech ()^Diamonds)
^{Erich Sladek (m} (ork) Lone Star Police Chief)
^{Jabu Goduka (m} (human) District Attorney)
^{Tanya Solari (f} (Elf) Ares District Director)
^{Quinton Lavigne (m} (human) Neo-Net District Director)
^{Steven Mbulo (m} (troll) Military General)
^{Rondo Gibbon (m} (dwarf) Shiawase District Director)
^{Tricia Mika (f} (human) Evo District Director)
^{Newton Buccan (m}(ork) Elite – Wealthy Investor)
^{Cayla Maille (f} (human) Elite – Wealthy Philanthropist)
^{Watha Yol (m} (Elf) Elite – Wealthy Investor)
^{Mabuki Njombo (m} (elf) Former “Rain Queen” Shaman)
^{Luis Barreto (m} (human) Pirate/Philanthropist/Humanitarian)
^{Malcolm Slayton (m} (human) Silver Skull Transportation CEO)
​
Parliament council members:
These are a few of the persons that handle all the nation’s major decisions and also reside in Cape Town.
(where-as not an official member, Mujaji is always welcome when she wants)
^{Nancy Finch (f} (human))
^{Sarah Tempra (f} (dwarf))
^{Fando Vuyo (m} (Elf))
^{Demetri Olof (m} (human))
^{Elizabeth West (f} (human))
^{Sean Killdeer (m} (troll))
^{Peter Williams (m} (human))
^{Hank Ford (m} (ork))
​
Robben Island:
· Robben Island is an island located on the table shelf and is approximately four miles northwest away at its closest.
o By boat it takes approximately three and a half hours to ferry there, as there are many maritime hazards.
o It is most notably known for the military base and the prison it houses
§ It also has a small airport and community of military family members
Neighborhoods (the bowl):
Those that live in the bowl are not necessarily any better off then those that live in the fringe, they just get away with more.
Some well-known locales:
Waterfront:
· Visible from almost anywhere in Capetown, the blue harbor swarms with ships of all flags.
· This is the city’s seaport and despite Mujaji’s attempts, this remains in the hands of pirates and gangs.
· However, with the presence of corporate district offices, there is a common set of unspoken rules that keep trouble to a minimum.
· Victoria Wharf Mega-mall
· Cape Town Customs Office
· Two Oceans Aquarium
Mouilli Point:
· This neighborhood lies west of the waterfront, but still on the coast and lies within the harbor, and it also houses the large stadium (Green Point Stadium) where several sports are played.
· Several elite condominiums and resorts have also been built here.
· Home to upscale fortified gated estates of the super wealthy.
· This is also the home of the largest park in the city.
· Metropolitan Golf Club
· Green Point Stadium
· The Granger Hotel
Downtown:
· This area has seen the most renovation and revitalization in the past decade with an uncountable amount of nuyen poured into it.
· It rivals other large city downtowns like Seattle, Detroit, and Berlin in way of scope and verticality.
· Several large corporations have headquarters or district offices here, as well as housing large mega-mall/apartment complexes.
· Kirstenbosch Botanical Garden (Biotech greenhouse dome)
· Castle of Good Hope
· Cape Town City Municipal Buildings
· Arcade Café (BaClub)
· The Gin Bar (BaClub)
· Publik (Dance Club)
· Quiksotic Train Terminal
· Ares Macrotechnology Capital Building
The Gardens:
· This neighborhood is located south of Mouilli Point and is home to middle/upper-class families and tourists.
· The closer you live to the mountain, the nicer houses you will find, and the closer to the coast you will find apartment complexes.
· This district is also named after its many gardens, botanical works of art, and luxurious fountains.
· Newmark Hotel and Garden
· Protea Zoo
· Stella Varis Garden and Fountain
Castlen:
· South of the Garden along the coast and tucked away from the drek of city life you can find Castlen.
· There are few ways to get to this uber-rich neighborhood and all are closely monitored. There is a stretch for commercial…
· To even work as a servant in this neighborhood, you have to go through a vigorous background check.
· The Crystal Fairway (Golfcourse)
· The Roundhouse (5-star restaurant)
· Bungalow 52 (Dance Club)
Buisenkant:
· This neighborhood is located south of the downtown district, and has some of the best nightly views, too bad it is overpopulated.
· This area would be the slums of the bowl, with houses practically built adjoining and on top of each other.
· Those with the most money can afford the houses closer to the mountainside and thus upper manses with views.
· De Waal Park (and accompanying Molteno Reservoir)
· Marko’s Killa’ Party (Outdoor Club, Amphitheater)
· The Lions Hotel
Neighborhoods (the fringe and sprawl):
For all the money spending going into the neighborhoods of the “Bowl”, the rest of the sprawl has been left to filth and decay
Some well-known locales:
Lower Addeley:
· East of Waterfront and northeast of Longmarket, the “Low-ady” is mostly industrial shipping and industrial manufacturing
· This is also where the airport is located.
· It has been rebuilt to accommodate leisurely activities.
Far north, is where the dismantling of old ships happens, they are run-a-shore and those that want, get to work on them.
· Cape Town Airport
· Brooklyn Tower “the Brook” (Mega-mall)
· Buffelsfontein Hotel
Crossroads:
· This area is actually four neighborhoods that all border each other where the N1 and N7 highways intersect.
· These areas are mostly lower-class poor and industrial neighborhoods, that most choose to forget or look the other way.
· Summer Green: Spearhead Business Park
· Summer Green: Chemira Tek HQ
· Edgemead: De Akker Pub (Bar)
· Edgemead: Cape Town Community College
· Acacia Park: St. John’s Church
· Acacia Park: Maitland Cemetery
· Glenwood: Planet Bar (BaClub)
· Glenwood: N1 City Mega-Mall
Vesperdene:
· This neighborhood lies east of downtown and is one of the more affluent (but still middle-class) and commercial areas of the fringe.
· It also could be because it is pretty much just a huge bazaar and one can find pretty much anything here for a price.
Tourist and criminals travel these streets and visit these locales.
· Indra (Dance Club)
· Dunn’s Dungeon (BaClub)
· Magica Roma (Bawell known magic shop)
Pinelands:
· The largest neighborhood in the fringe, it is located east of Vesperdene and is like a small city in its own right.
· West of the N7 is mostly made up of lower-class apartment complexes and east of the N7 is middle-class suburbanite homes.
There is a downtown that spans the whole distance of the N7 within the boundaries of this area.
· West of N7: Star Holiday Mega-Apartments
· West of N7: Neo-Net Grid Housing
· West of N7: Morningside Mega-Apartments
· East of N7: GrandWest Casino and Resort
· East of N7: Renegades Pub (Bar)
Gugulethu (the Gut):
· This area is located south of Vesperdene and is a slumland.
· Whereas not as bad as Longmarket, it is still the bottom of society and slummy
· Belmont Square (series of Mega-Apartments)
· Cambridge Quart (series of Mega-Apartments)
· Rondebosch Commons (Park)
Longmarket:
· This neighborhood is located south of the Pinelands and east of Gugulethu.
· This is also where a lot of gang activity takes place, as does smuggling and black-market importing.
This is a neighborhood where even Lone Star will refuse to go to answer calls of criminal activity.
· Mostly slums and nobody ever goes there to visit
· These are mostly just metal shacks huddled together.
​
Organized Crime:
​
Mujaji recently decimated the powerful crime families, in an order to stem their illicit activities, this has left a large power vacuum in the city, that criminals and shadowrunners alike are weighing the options to take. There are three factions that have seemingly survived the “purging” and are vying for control of the cape.
· With the deaths of the boss Anthony Ferraro and underboss Killian O’Neill, the Mafia has been in an inter-political war where the “capos” are struggling to decide on a leader.
o Joseph Ferraro claims he has the greater entitlement to the spot, as his Uncle was the boss.
§ Joe is also rumored to be the richest and rumored to live in the “Castlen” neighborhood.
o Sean O’Neill is demanding he is the rightful heir to command, as he is the son of the underboss.
§ Sean is rumored to control the largest force of mobsters.
o Nicolas Panchini is claiming that it is time for new blood and ideas, as the last regime brought death.
§ Nick makes sure to get any rumors squashed but ask around everyone has ideas.
· The Vory were also decimated and lost a lot of their command; however, they were quick to hash out new leadership quickly; and in doing so have also been able to take territory from the Mafia.
o It is rumored that the new “Prakhan” (leadeboss) is “Vetka Artov”, she used to be the “Obshchak” (security overseer)
§ This is a tall muscular female troll, no one messed with her before, and now even more so…
· The “Blue Lotus” Triad survived and has quickly claimed with force the old Yakuza territories of Vesperdene
o It is rumored that have a powerful backer assisting them.
​
Gangs:
There are eight main gangs that reside within and battle for neighborhoods; then there are several minor subsidiary gangs that control smaller “blocks” within those larger main gang territories. Below are the gang names and within that will be listed a few minor gangs they control.
· The “Drek-Heads” reside in and claim the northern part of the “Lower Addeley” as their own. It is rumored that the Drak-Heads are being led by Luis Barreto, a rumor that he vehemently denies. And no one has been able to expose this rumor to be the truth.
o The “Scrappers” control the criminal enterprises of “Dismantlers Corner” north of “Lower Addy”.
o The “Picaroons” reside in the “Racine Block” of the “Lower Addy” and are known for carjacking and piracy.
· The “Clowns” used to be part of the largest gang in the entire nation, the “Hard Time Kids”, but a recent schism has wrenched them apart. They are now known as the Clowns and despite the name are just as bad, if not worse than they were. They reside mostly in the “Longmarket” but are found in the “Pinelands” too.
o The “Jesters” reside in the “54th Block” of the western “Pinelands” and are more small-time criminals than anything else.
§ The 54th Block is also the location of the “Morningside Mega-Apartment Complex”
o The “Ha-ha Boys” reside in “Beggar’s Point” in “Longmarket” and are more violent than the clowns.
· The “Harvesters” are mostly found in the Matrix where they steal and extort the common wageworkeslave. Outside of the Matrix they reside in southern “Buisenkant” and deal in counterfeiting, Loansharking, and gambling.
o “DotEXE” works for them outside of the bowl and resides in the “Frankfort Block” of Vesperdene.
· The “Tusks” are primarily an ork and troll gang that will sometimes allow those that are not orks and trolls entrance if they prove their worth and dedication to the gang. They reside in within the “Acacia Park” region of the crossroads.
o There are no smaller gangs that work directly for the Tusks.
o The Tusks associate with many gangs and on any given day they could be an ally or an enemy.
· The “Reapers” are the only major gang that requires you to be awakened to join. They mostly deal with the occult and some even call them a cult with their rituals and practices. They reside in “the Gut”, but their influence is felt through-out the entire city by way of the astral realm.
o The “Spirit Guides” are an organization that claims no affiliation with the Reapers, however, most of the known members of the Reapers were once Spirit Guides. The guides are a pseudo religious group that worships astral creatures. They have “lodges” located all over the city. However, unlike the Reapers they will recruit non-awakened.
· The “Draak Elwe” are a group of gang bangers that consider themselves trophy hunters more then a street gang. They call Vesperdene their home, but travel throughout the city and nation hunting the Zulu Wakyambi and other; quote, “over-abundant species’.
o There are no smaller gangs that work directly for the Draak Elwe.
· The “Red Demons” are the city’s resident go-gang. They reside and strike bystanders along the northern part of the N7. This leads to clashes with the Drek-Heads and the scrappers. Lone Star has also upped its manpower in this region, but with an already tight shift of officers working night and day, it has been hardly an improvement.
o The “Speed-Freaks” are a gang that deals with primarily moving cargo safely for a cost. They can be found in any blackmarket where one would need to get things into or out of city limits.
o The “Road-Master” is a gang in his own right, although there are many who take up the mantle of road-master within it this gangs ranks, it is believed that there is an original person, an old shadow-runner, that controls the far northern stretch of N7, by the boarder through military like force. No one has ever seen him or has there been a recent accounting of an attack.
· The “Sisters” were recently run out of Acacia Park and their church, the famous St. John’s Church, by city municipalities and have moved to the “Summer Green” region of the crossroads. They are a religious gang that is all female and is militant and brutal.
o The “Crusaders” are the militant arm of the Sisters and are just as violent and vicious as their historic counterparts.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Pretoria-Witwatersrand-Vaal (Johannesburg):
​
Northeast of the center of the country you will find the remains of Johannesburg, a once great city is now just a huge slum encircling the inner city reserved for the elites and administrators that run the labor camps.
· This is the largest city in Azania, but that size comes from two cities merging and the vast sprawl that extends from the center
<>
Leadership (movers and shakers):
^{Marielle Castilione (f} (human) Mayor)
^{Trenton Jobs (m} (human) Metro Police Force Chief)
^{Tandi Izula (m} (ork) District Attorney)
^{Galen Kader (m} (human) Saeder-Krup District Director)
^{Vala Ifu (f} (Elf) Neo-Net District Director)
^{Ganya Ulwazi (m} (elf) “King of the Garden” ()^{lord of the slums})
^{Malik Basset (m} (shapechanger) Prime Minister of Azania)
^{Nandi Mogayna (m} (human) Council of city affairs – Transportation)
^{Darron Frack (m} (Elf) Council of city affairs – Logistics)
^{Lori Hadel (f} (human) Council of city affairs – Human Services)
^{Zonke Opopa (m} (dwarf) Council of city affairs – Safety)
^{Ingwe Layga (f} (human) Council of city affairs – Operations)
​
Parliament council members:
The Parliament Building can be seen in the very center of the picture above
These are a few of the persons that handle all the nation’s major decisions and also reside in Pretoria.
(where-as not an official member, Mujaji is always welcome when she wants)
^{Yuko Locke (f} (Elf))
^{Kwanele Nana (f} (human))
^{Lunga Catz (m} (human))
^{Cole Hayland (m} (Elf))
^{Mercy Bennett (f} (human))
^{Jama Mange (m} (human))
^{Kennith Stoyer (m} (dwarf))
^{Maddie Sharp (f} (ork))
^{Ndonsa Endika (f} (troll))
^{Gentry Foster (m} (ork))
^{Eli Wood (m} (human))
^{Nolan Richards (m} (human))
^{Kayla Steward (f} (Elf))
^{Abelo Nowlz (m} (human))
^{Ufasimba Dulaka (m} (Elf))
^{Isabelle Mitchel (f} (human))
​
Neighborhoods:
The neighborhoods are broken into zones, these zones have names associated with them, but can be commonly identified by numbeletter
Zone “A” and “B” are both inside the massive walls, the other six zones are numbers and represent 1/6th of the outer portion of the city, alphabetically.
Zone A – (Randburg – dual inner circles ):
· This is where the elite and rich live, and it is protected as such.
· Most of this part of the city is clean and white
· Travel to and from and even through in some places is closely monitored and check pointed.
There are no ground passageways outside of this zone that lead outside of the walls, that are not heavily monitored.
Zone B – (Johannesburg – outer circle)):
· This where the uppemiddle class and also the servants live.
· Travel through-out this area is as free as any other city, however, there are check points to move outside of the walls.
· Lone Star has a national large headquarters here.
· The largest “Urban Brawl” stadium is located here and spans several city blocks
​
Starting clock-ways (north) and going around...
Zone One – (Tembisa):
· This is mostly commercial and lower-class to middle-class residents that live in this zone.
· This section is built up and is mostly made up of multi-story buildings and well-kept streets.
Those that visit Pretoria for work or pleasure will often stay here if they cannot afford the inner circles.
Zone Two – (Kempton Park):
· Mostly lower-class residential, and unmaintained parks dot this zone with habitation.
· This glorified slum is not as densely populate as zone 04 or 05, and as such, the shacks are a little more well build and most are built on a stone/brick foundation and have a second or third story.
· The further you get away from the city This zone is farmland.
Zone Three – (Alberton):
· One can find mostly slums and industrial parks here, it is not uncommon for large caliber weaponry to be brandished here with no repercussions.
· For a price though, you can rent personal security while there.
· The “king” controls this zone as well and has his own personal security force that he employs to keep the peace.
Zone Four – (Soweto):
· This cesspit and slum, is also the largest zone, and extends out to the Driefontein Mine
· This zone is controlled by slums Ganya Ulwazi, the self-proclaimed “King of the Slums”. As such no work gets done without his approval and assistance.
· This zone is mostly comprised of tightly condensed shacks.
Zone Five – (Roodepoort):
· This is all lower-class with a few strips of slumlands near the south
· This zone is mostly farmland and that land acts as a barrier from the slum of zone 04 and the nicer zone 06.
· Parts of the southern region and the farmlands of this zone are controlled by the “King” and his “Pretorian Guard”
· It is crucial that the food crops are maintained and defended.
Zone Six – (Steyn City):
· One of the smaller zone, it is sandwiched between Pretoria and “The Cradle Game Reserve”
· It has some of the best gardens in any of the outer zones and a lower-class population that works diligently to keep and maintain the look. However, they do not take kindly to visitors or tourist.
· Everyone here feels a duty to pitch in and help out.
​
Organized Crime:
· Most of the criminal activities are handled by the gangs of Pretoria
o They constantly work together to make sure not one gang gets too big to take control, and this is all rumored to be orchestrated by one man. The “King of the Slums”
o There is a rumor that this is enhanced by the vast wealth exchanging hands and no one wanting to rock the boat
· The Metropolitan Police Force is also a well-paid elite subsidiary of Lone Star and does its best to keep crime to a minimum throughout the city and the subsequent zones.
​
Gangs:
There are three main gangs within the city of Pretoria and one that plies in criminal activities but rumored for the good of the people…sort of like the old stories of Robinhood.
· The “Hard Time Kids” reside in Alberton (Zone 03) and are the original gang before the schism that broke the most powerful into the two most powerful and largest in their respected cities.
o The “Bucket Brothers”
· The “Tusks” that reside within Pretoria are a colony gang that broke away when those from Cape Town started allowing non-ork and non-trolls into their ranks. They reside in Styen City (zone 06)
o Like their counterparts, they are too violent to work with any minor gangs for too long.
· The “Stutzer” are a white only branch of the Humanist Poli-club that works exclusively in South Africa. They reside mostly in Kempton Park (zone 02). They attack everyone that isn’t human and white.
o The “5th Reich” is a German only branch of the Stutzer and a lot of members are in both gangs, you must speak German as a natural language and be able to trace your lineage. It is rumored that they are the ones that are actually in command.
· The “Pretorian Guard” are as much a gang as any other group of misfit criminals. They reside primarily in Soweto (zone 04), but their reach extends all the way into the capital and inner circle. They act as defenders of the people more than violent hoodlums.
o The king is a Wakyambi (elf) and is believed to have been in the city before everything went down 60+ years ago. Thus, he has a lot of pull and influence within the city and its residence.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Zulu Nation:
​
Far to the east along the coast is the home of the Zulu tribal Nation of Elves. Visitors need to get special permits to travel past their boarders into their capital of New Hlobane; and even if you are an elf your chances are not good. There are even Wakyambi that are not even allowed to enter. Being banished is a fate worse than death to most nationals.
The N3 is the highway that cuts through the capital of New Hlobane
<>
Leadership (movers and shakers):
^{Celogal Xanth (m} (elf) Prince)
^{Eragor Kant (m} (elf) National Military General)
^{Larry Walker (m} (elf) Chief City Relation Advisor)
^{Arien Lace (f} (elf) Chief Royal Attendant)
^{Grant Evans (m} (human) Pretoria Diplomat and Ambassador)
^{Yalaris Moot (f} (elf) Cape Town Diplomat and Ambassador)
^{Camanchi (f} (shapechanger) Willowton District Alderman)
^{Wami Chundo (m} Lincoln Meade District Alderwoman)
^{Olas Munga (m} (elf) Loop District Alderman)
^{Reidrey Hado (m} (ork) Downtown District Alderman)
^{Eris Jalamba (f} (elf) Clarendon District Alderwoman)
^{Popau Lolula (m} (elf) Scottsville District Alderman)
​
Neighborhoods:
These areas are broken into districts that each have a representative on the “High Seats” these members along with the price oversee the affairs and direction that the city will take.
· Willowton
o This district is northeast of the loop and is comprised mostly of industrial factories and the slums that surround them. When one pictures slums, they picture Cape Town’s Longmarket or Pretoria’s Soweto neighborhoods, but this would be more like lower-class in those cities. The nation of Zulu prides itself on maintaining their empire.
· Lincoln Meade
o This district is located east of the loop and is comprised of middle-class families and large parkland, that of which rivals the loop. It is one of the newer districts and is still in development, thus the lush natural aesthetics that still remain.
· Loop
o The Loop is the district that binds all the other districts together, it is at the center of the city and all the major roadways converge in this area. It also has the most parks and gardens of any other district.
· Downtown
o This district is northwest of the loop and is all larger buildings and vertical gardens. The city is surrounded by an unrelenting jungles with many unpleasant creatures and this makes it hard for farmers to keep land safe. So downtown has become the largest food depository in all of the nation. At least 2/3rds of all the high rises have some sort of agriculture built into them.
· Clarendon
o This district is located north-northeast of downtown and is mostly middle-class single-family homes broken into suburbs. Most of the working class live in this zone and the houses are the oldest in the city.
· Signal Hill
o This district is west of downtown and the loop and is a gated community and a small town in unto itself. It is also where the royal family lives in their castle and surrounding them are the uber-elite mansions.
· Scottsville
o This district is located south of the loop and is includes mostly tightly packed lower-class suburbs and a few middle-class houses sprinkled throughout the area of those that haven’t moved out yet. This district also has the most apartment complexed save for downtown.
​
Organized Crime:
· It is alleged that technically there is no organized crime within the Zulu nation. This is speculated with rumors and whispers that the Zulu nation is in fact a criminal organization that actually controls the nation.
· This conspiracy theory is backed by stories of Zulu nationals in other parts of the country intertwined within other criminal networks.
​
Gangs:
· The “Pack” is the only one main gang within the city boundaries and it likes to keep it that way. They are rumored to be unofficial defenders and protectors of the city and the nation. They can be found throughout the whole nation.
o It is mostly comprised of shapeshifters and unbound spirits