In German, schwarz means black, and der Wald is the forest. Der Schwarzwald, the Black Forest, is now a popular tourist destination in southern Germany. But it has been known by this name since at least the days of the Romans, who were awed by how dark and dangerous these ancient conifer woods could be. A military posting to a fort in this region could easily mean death; the Germanic tribes attacked and set fire to these forts so regularly that the burning forts themselves served as warning beacons to the rest of the Roman army.