In the 14th century, the mountain was recorded as the Blauwen or Blawen. Matthäus Merian's Topographia Sueviae in the mid-17th century calls it the Hoche Blawen. The parish boundary plan of the first Baden state survey of 1769/1770 distinguishes between the Hoch Blauen and the Hinter Blauen, a sub-peak, north-northeast of the main summit. As the Blauen M the mountain is shown on the Black Forest map owned by St. Blaise Abbey dating to the year 1788. And in 1845 in the Topographischen Atlas ueber das Grossherzogtum Baden it is called the Blauen, as in other geographical publications of the 19th century. In addition in 19th century travel literature the name Hochblauen occurs frequently, sometimes with the explanation that this is to distinguish it from the Zeller Blauen, away. In fact, the name Hochblauen was normal for the latter on as shown on topographic maps of the time, while the mountain near Badenweiler can still be found on maps today as the Blauen. The name Blauen is borne by various mountains, hills and settlements in Germany and Switzerland. In 1880 in his book on Upper Germanplace names, Oberdeutschen Flurnamenbuch, the cultural historian, Michel Buck, made a connexion between the name Blauen and historical mining activity, by proposing that name was derived from the word Bla = smeltery. However, it could also be derived from the blue colour of coniferous forests or the bluish hue of a mountain when seen from a distance.
Access
The High Blauen Road was opened to private vehicles in 1928. About half the route is in the county of Freiburg-Hochschwarzwald. In its northwestern section it thus bears the designation K 4948, in the southeastern section it runs under the number K 6314, where the Wollbach highway agency is responsible. Winter clearance of the whole route is undertaken by the Müllheim highway agency by arrangement between the counties. The road runs to the top. Since 2011 during the summer months there has also been a bus route that links the summit on Sundays and holidays via Marzell and Kandern with Basle. In addition, variant A of the West Way, a long-distance path maintained by the Black Forest Club that runs for from Pforzheim to Basle, goes over Blauen. Between 1957 and 1980 there was a reallocation of land in the mountain forest which, after comprehensive and expensive survey work, resulted in 42 small parcels of land being consolidated into twelve larger ones. To commemorate this, a monument was erected in 2007 with a brass plate that records the names of all the participants. Tourist facilities on Blauen first appeared in 1872 when a covered forest inn was opened. In June 1875 the first house was opened; it bore the name Krone des Blauen. It was expanded in 1890 and again in 1965–1966, in order to handle the increase number of tourists. The water main installed in 1898 is still used and runs down to a spring. Since 1925, when a cable was laid to Blauen from Marzell there has been electricity at the summit. Three years later the first motorised vehicles made their way up the mountain road. At the summit is the Berghaus Hochblauen, an inn with overnight accommodation. Since spring 2013 the inn has been closed. In 2015 it was being modified and should be open in 2016.
Towers
A steel lattice observation tower was built in 1895 here by the Black Forest Club, replacing a rather low wooden tower dating to 1875. It was inaugurated on 30 August 1895 and fully restored in 1984 with the funding from the Bundespost. The originally tower has a total height today, including antenna, of. It is open at all times. In 1985 not more than south-southeast of the observation tower, a transmission tower, the Sender Blauen, was built. It is not open to the public and restricts the view of the Alps from the observation tower. Northeast of the Hochblauen, at a height of, lies what is probably the highest castle site in Baden-Württembergs, Stockberg Castle. Since summer 2011 there have been discussions about erecting a wind farm on Blauen with three generators to produce electricity.
