The Bussen is a mountain in southern Germany, in the region of Upper Swabia, with an elevation of 767 metres (approximately 2516 ft). It is also known as the ''Holy Mountain of Upper Swabia.'' It is situated on the border between the Swabian ''Alb'' and Upper Swabia proper. Being one of the most visited places of pilgrimage in Upper Swabia, it also has views as far as the Alps more than to the south.

Geography

The Bussen is in the west of the district of Biberach in the state of Baden-Württemberg between Lake Federsee and the town of Riedlingen. It is one of the highest mountains in Upper Swabia. In clear weather conditions, it is possible to see the Münster in Ulm as well as the chain of mountains stretching from Füssen in southern Bavaria to the Säntis in

Switzerland ). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...

. The village of Offingen, part of the municipality of

Uttenweiler Uttenweiler () is a municipality in the district of Biberach in Baden-Württemberg in Germany. History Uttenweiler was first mentioned in 1173. The name allegedly goes back to Blessed Uta, who is said to have died in the area. For a short peri ...

, is situated on the southern slopes of the Bussen.

Geology

When the mountain range of the Alps was formed during the tertiary period, the Bussen was part of the folding up process. The mountain is protected from erosion by a layer of limestone, which is up to 8 metres (26 ft) thick. The mountain glaciers of the ice ages were not able to surmount it as a result of which the mountain was not levelled and still exists today. Adel im Wandel246

History

Due to its exposed location, the Bussen has been visited and revered since

prehistoric Prehistory, also known as pre-literary history, is the period of human history between the use of the first stone tools by hominins 3.3 million years ago and the beginning of recorded history with the invention of writing systems. The use of ...

times. The Celts used the mountain for sacrifices during their fertility rites. A church on top of the mountain was first mentioned in a

charter A charter is the grant of authority or rights, stating that the granter formally recognizes the prerogative of the recipient to exercise the rights specified. It is implicit that the granter retains superiority (or sovereignty), and that the rec ...

dating from the reign of Charlemagne in 805, when the church was transferred to the monastery of St. Gallen. From this time on, the Bussen has been known as a place of pilgrimage. During the 13th century, an

imperial Imperial is that which relates to an empire, emperor, or imperialism. Imperial or The Imperial may also refer to: Places United States * Imperial, California * Imperial, Missouri * Imperial, Nebraska * Imperial, Pennsylvania * Imperial, Texa ...

castle A castle is a type of fortified structure built during the Middle Ages predominantly by the nobility or royalty and by military orders. Scholars debate the scope of the word ''castle'', but usually consider it to be the private fortified r ...

owned by the Hohenstaufen was mentioned. After the fall of the Hohenstaufen dynasty, the castle first passed into the possession of the Counts of Veringen, subsequently falling to the house of

Habsburg The House of Habsburg (), alternatively spelled Hapsburg in Englishgerman: Haus Habsburg, ; es, Casa de Habsburgo; hu, Habsburg család, it, Casa di Asburgo, nl, Huis van Habsburg, pl, dom Habsburgów, pt, Casa de Habsburgo, la, Domus Hab ...

. In 1387, the mountain was mortgaged to the Truchsess of Waldburg. The military and political function of the Bussen came to an end in 1633, when the castle was destroyed by

Swedish Swedish or ' may refer to: Anything from or related to Sweden, a country in Northern Europe. Or, specifically: * Swedish language, a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Sweden and Finland ** Swedish alphabet, the official alphabet used by ...

troops during the Thirty Years' War. In 1786, the Waldburg dynasty sold the Lordship Bussen to Karl Anselm, 4th Prince of Thurn and Taxis. Following the

Reichsdeputationshauptschluss The ' (formally the ', or "Principal Conclusion of the Extraordinary Imperial Delegation"), sometimes referred to in English as the Final Recess or the Imperial Recess of 1803, was a resolution passed by the ' (Imperial Diet) of the Holy Roman Em ...

, the mediatisation and secularisation of numerous secular and

ecclesiastical {{Short pages monitor