Location and landscape
Staufen lies on the eastern edge of the southern Upper Rhine Graben in the foothill zone of Sulzburg–Staufen. The Neumagen shaped the Staufen Bay during the transition from the Münstertal to the Rhine plain. Its southern side is characterised by gentle Markgräfler hills; the Fohrenberg and the Staufen Castle Hill rise as individual foothill elevations. Staufen railway station is located at 284 metres above sea level.
Viticulture
The Breisgau is considered to be climatically favoured and has long been shaped by viticulture. Viticulture continues to determine the landscape and the villages of the municipality; one of the local vineyard sites is the Staufener Schlossberg. In the Wettelbrunn district, the vineyard site Maltesergarten is located.
Geology and history
The area of Staufen is separated from the crystalline Black Forest by the Black Forest boundary fault. The geological sequence includes Buntsandstein, Upper Muschelkalk, Keuper and tertiary conglomerate over crystalline basement rock. In the 13th century, Staufen developed into a town and in 1806 came under Baden. Wettelbrunn, which is now a district of the town, was first mentioned as Wetilbrunnen around 1100.
