The Bungsberg () is the highest point in the north German state of

Schleswig-Holstein Schleswig-Holstein (; da, Slesvig-Holsten; nds, Sleswig-Holsteen; frr, Slaswik-Holstiinj) is the northernmost of the 16 states of Germany, comprising most of the historical duchy of Holstein and the southern part of the former Duchy of Sch ...

(elevation: ). It lies in the region known as

Holstein Switzerland Holstein Switzerland (german: Holsteinische Schweiz) is a hilly area with a patchwork of lakes and forest in Schleswig Holstein, Germany, reminiscent of Little Switzerland (landscape), Swiss landscape. Its highest point is the Bungsberg (168 m ...

in the

municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality'' may also mean the go ...

of Schönwalde am Bungsberg between Scheelholz and Mönchsneversdorf. The Bungsberg telecommunications tower is located on the Bungsberg. One of the longest rivers in Schleswig-Holstein, the

Schwentine The Schwentine is a river in the North German state of Schleswig-Holstein. It is approximately long and rises on the hill of Bungsberg, the highest point in the state, near the village of Kasseedorf in Ostholstein. It then runs from its source to ...

, rises on the Bungsberg.

Formation

The Bungsberg is an

ice age An ice age is a long period of reduction in the temperature of Earth's surface and atmosphere, resulting in the presence or expansion of continental and polar ice sheets and alpine glaciers. Earth's climate alternates between ice ages and gree ...

terminal moraine A terminal moraine, also called end moraine, is a type of moraine that forms at the terminal (edge) of a glacier, marking its maximum advance. At this point, debris that has accumulated by plucking and abrasion, has been pushed by the front edge ...

. Unusually, though, it was formed in the

Saale glaciation The Saale glaciation or Saale Glaciation, sometimes referred to as the Saalian glaciation, Saale cold period (german: Saale-Kaltzeit), Saale complex (''Saale-Komplex'') or Saale glacial stage (''Saale-Glazial'', colloquially also the ''Saale-Eiszei ...

period about 150,000 years ago. During the subsequent

Weichselian glaciation The Weichselian glaciation was the last glacial period and its associated glaciation in northern parts of Europe. In the Alpine region it corresponds to the Würm glaciation. It was characterized by a large ice sheet (the Fenno-Scandian ice sheet) ...

– only about 10,000 years ago – the

ice sheet In glaciology, an ice sheet, also known as a continental glacier, is a mass of glacial ice that covers surrounding terrain and is greater than . The only current ice sheets are in Antarctica and Greenland; during the Last Glacial Period at Las ...

could not cover the hill due to its height, it could only flow around it, and it therefore formed a

nunatak A nunatak (from Inuit ''nunataq'') is the summit or ridge of a mountain that protrudes from an ice field or glacier that otherwise covers most of the mountain or ridge. They are also called glacial islands. Examples are natural pyramidal peaks. ...

Leisure and recreation

Today the Bungsberg is a very popular viewing point, from which the

Baltic Sea The Baltic Sea is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that is enclosed by Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Russia, Sweden and the North and Central European Plain. The sea stretches from 53°N to 66°N latitude and from ...

may be seen in good weather. An

observation tower An observation tower is a structure used to view events from a long distance and to create a full 360 degree range of vision to conduct long distance observations. Observation towers are usually at least tall and are made from stone, iron, an ...

, the ''Elisabethturm'', was built in 1863 and 1864 on the Bungsberg by the Grand Duke of Oldenburg and, after being increased in height by four metres in 1875, is 22 metres high. It is not open to the public today. As a replacement, a viewing platform was installed halfway up the telecommunications tower on the Bungsberg (see below). In April 2007, the facilities for visitors to the Bungsberg looked rather neglected. The inn was largely demolished and completely fenced off. The observation deck was closed due to vandalism. In late May 2007, after two years of restoration, the tower was re-opened to visitors. Those who climbed the 200 steps to the viewing platform had a unique view in clear weather over large parts of Schleswig-Holstein, and beyond to

Mecklenburg-Vorpommern Mecklenburg-Vorpommern (MV; ; nds, Mäkelborg-Vörpommern), also known by its anglicized name Mecklenburg–Western Pomerania, is a state in the north-east of Germany. Of the country's sixteen states, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern ranks 14th in po ...

. Later, the platform was closed again. In winter the Bungsberg is Germany's most northerly

skiing Skiing is the use of skis to glide on snow. Variations of purpose include basic transport, a recreational activity, or a competitive winter sport. Many types of competitive skiing events are recognized by the International Olympic Committee (IO ...

area and the only one in Schleswig-Holstein with its own

drag lift A surface lift is a type of cable transport for snow sports in which skiers and snowboarders remain on the ground as they are pulled uphill. While they were once prevalent, they have been overtaken in popularity by higher-capacity and higher-co ...

installed for the few days each year when there is enough snow cover. A downhill run on one of the three pistes lasts about 25 seconds; the lift takes a minute and a half to haul skiers to the top. One piste is for tobogganists and two for skiers or snowboarders. The 300-metre-long downhill piste has a gradient of 17 grad. In the 2009-2010 season up to several hundred people used the slopes daily, some even travelling from Lübeck, Hamburg or Kiel. The 250-metre-long steel cable lift with its 34 zinc pylons can in theory transport up to 600 people an hour to the summit. It was procured in 1970-1971 by the parish of Schönwald am Bungsberg in order to increase tourism. As a result of the weather the lift ran for only one week in 2008-2009 and not at all in 2007-2008. Several years ago snow cannon were employed by an event organiser.Holger Karkheck, ''Wo der Berg auf Plattdeutsch ruft''; ''

Bild am Sonntag ''Bild am Sonntag'' (''BamS'') is the largest-selling German national Sunday newspaper published in Berlin, Germany. History and profile ''Bild am Sonntag'' was first published on 29 April 1956.Helmut Böger, '' Bild'', 8 May 2011Die Story von B ...

'' dated 10 January 2010 In 2013, the Bungsberg Special Purpose Association (''Zweckverband Bungsberg'') and the Sparkasse Bank Foundation of East Holstein invested in work to increase the attraction of the Bungsberg as a tourist destination for the whole family and as an educational site for schools as part of the East Holsten Education Pass (''Bildungsspaß Ostholstein''). In 2014 the newly built ''Waldschänke'' inn opened so that there is once again a restaurant on the site.

Bungsberg telecommunication tower and NDR transmission mast

References

{{Authority control Hills of Schleswig-Holstein