Vorderwald
In its own language: Vorderwälder Rind
Black Forest breed with a white face and limbs, coloured patches, forward-curving horns
The Vorderwald is a breed of cattle from Germany's Black Forest. White marks its face and lower limbs, red, brown or black patches cover the body, the horns curve forward, and it is known for a long life and for grazing mountain land; a herd book dates from 1896.
- Named for the frontwoods of the Black Forest, against the smaller backwoods Hinterwälder
- Wald Cattle, the older name, appears in records from 1544
- A herd book for the breed was set up in 1896
- Cows about 135 cm and 600 kg; bulls about 150 cm and 1,050 kg
- The 2004 herd book listed 4,826 females, a slowly falling number
What do Vorderwald cattle look like?
The Vorderwald is a German breed of cattle from the Black Forest. White marks its face and lower limbs, while the rest of the coat carries patches or spots of red, brown or even black. The horns curve forward. There is a clear size gap between the sexes: a bull stands around 150 cm at the withers, the ridge between the shoulders, and weighs about 1,050 kg, while a cow is nearer 135 cm and 600 kg. The breed is known for reaching a good age, and its limbs carry it over mountain grazing.
Where does the Vorderwald come from?
Cattle of this kind were written down as Wald Cattle, Wäldervieh, as early as 1544. The breed took the name Vorderwälder, meaning from the frontwoods, once it was told apart from a smaller sister breed, the Hinterwälder, from the backwoods. The two names describe neighbouring parts of the Black Forest. A herd book for the breed was set up in 1896. From 1960 onwards, some crossing with Ayrshire cattle took place.
What the Vorderwald is known for
The Vorderwald is described as long-lived. It is also able to graze on mountain ground, and that pair of qualities is what it is best known for. The animal is a hill-country breed of the Black Forest, where walking over uneven pasture and living to a good age both matter to the people who keep it.
How the Vorderwald is bred and kept
A herd book has existed since 1896. From 1960, breeders brought Ayrshire cattle in through crossbreeding. In 2004 the book listed 4,826 females, and that figure has been slipping slowly rather than falling sharply.
Vorderwald, drawn
The land and climate of the Vorderwald
The breed belongs to the Black Forest in Germany. Its home ground is mountain country, and the animals are grazed out on the mountains; being able to do so is one of the things noted about them. The upland setting in the south-west of Germany is the district the breed is tied to.
At a glance: where it belongs
Land and climate
Numbers, conservation and the herd book
The herd book was opened in 1896. In 2004 it held 4,826 females, and the total was drifting down slowly. The breed stays close to its home district, the Black Forest in Germany, and Ayrshire cattle have been crossed into it since 1960.
From the Vorderwald
Questions people ask about Vorderwald
Where does the Vorderwald come from?
It comes from the Black Forest in Germany. Cattle of the same kind were already written down as Wald Cattle in 1544. The name Vorderwälder was taken once the breed was told apart from the smaller Hinterwälder, the backwoods breed.
What is it kept for?
It is grazing cattle of mountain country: the animals are described as long-lived and able to graze on mountain ground. In 2004 the herd book recorded 4,826 females, with the numbers slowly falling.
How tall and how heavy is it?
Bulls stand about 150 cm at the withers and weigh roughly 1,050 kg. Cows reach about 135 cm and about 600 kg.
What does the coat look like?
The face and the lower parts of the limbs are white. Across the body there are patches or spots, which may be red, brown or even black. The horns curve forward.
How many Vorderwald cattle are there?
The 2004 herd book entry listed 4,826 females, and that number was declining slowly. The herd book itself goes back to 1896.
Good reading and sources
- Vorderwald on WikipediaEncyclopedia
- More photos on Wikimedia CommonsPhotos and video
- Wikidata recordOpen data
The facts on this page come from the Wikipedia article "Vorderwald", written by its contributors and used under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence, and from its Wikidata record (CC0). EveryCow rewrote the text in its own words, with AI assistance, and compares every page with the article to make sure no passage is copied. It may be reused under the same CC BY-SA 4.0 licence with a link back.
It may contain mistakes. Sizes, colours and customs differ from one herd, valley or breeder to the next. Folk beliefs are described as tradition, never as advice. If something is wrong, tell us. Last refreshed 2026-10-16.
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