Horben is located to the south of the city of Freiburg and east of the Hexental valley on the western slope of the Schauinsland mountain range.

The local elections on 7 June 2009 with a voter turnout of 72.7% had the following result:[4] Horben originally belonged to the tithe district of Wittnau parish, which was ruled the Abbey of Saint Gall in Switzerland.

Feudal landlords associated with the abbey, the "Lords of Horwen", are mentioned in 12th century documents and were reported as having a castle on "Horben Mountain".

Local landmarks include the Althäusle dower house, pre-dating 1600, the Zum Raben guesthouse, dating from 1604, and the parish church of St Agatha, from 1792.

The main economic activities are forestry, part-time agriculture (de) and tourism; in 2009 Horben recorded 25,000 overnight stays.