The Elm () is a range of hills north of the

Harz The Harz () is a highland area in northern Germany. It has the highest elevations for that region, and its rugged terrain extends across parts of Lower Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, and Thuringia. The name ''Harz'' derives from the Middle High German ...

mountains in the

Helmstedt Helmstedt (; Eastphalian: ''Helmstidde'') is a town on the eastern edge of the German state of Lower Saxony. It is the capital of the District of Helmstedt. The historic university and Hanseatic city conserves an important monumental heritage ...

and

Wolfenbüttel Wolfenbüttel (; nds, Wulfenbüddel) is a town in Lower Saxony, Germany, the administrative capital of Wolfenbüttel District. It is best known as the location of the internationally renowned Herzog August Library and for having the largest ...

districts of

Lower Saxony Lower Saxony (german: Niedersachsen ; nds, Neddersassen; stq, Läichsaksen) is a German state (') in northwestern Germany. It is the second-largest state by land area, with , and fourth-largest in population (8 million in 2021) among the 16 ...

, Germany. It has a length of about 25 km (15.5 mi) and a width of 3–8 km (2–5 mi) and rises to an elevation of 323 meters. Surrounded by the

Northern European Lowlands The North European Plain (german: Norddeutsches Tiefland – North German Plain; ; pl, Nizina Środkowoeuropejska – Central European Plain; da, Nordeuropæiske Lavland and nl, Noord-Europese Laagvlakte ; French : ''Plaine d'Europe du Nor ...

, the Elm is almost uninhabited and the largest

beech Beech (''Fagus'') is a genus of deciduous trees in the family Fagaceae, native to temperate Europe, Asia, and North America. Recent classifications recognize 10 to 13 species in two distinct subgenera, ''Engleriana'' and ''Fagus''. The ''Engle ...

forest in Northern Germany. The hills are of a

triassic The Triassic ( ) is a geologic period and system which spans 50.6 million years from the end of the Permian Period 251.902 million years ago ( Mya), to the beginning of the Jurassic Period 201.36 Mya. The Triassic is the first and shortest period ...

limestone Limestone ( calcium carbonate ) is a type of carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of . Limestone forms wh ...

called ''Elmkalkstein''. Together with the neighbouring Lappwald range, the Elm has been a protected

nature park A nature park, or sometimes natural park, is a designation for a protected natural area by means of long-term land planning, sustainable resource management and limitation of agricultural and real estate developments. These valuable landscapes ...

since 1977. The Elm is a popular among hikers, cyclists, and motor cyclists. Rivers originating in the Elm include: * Altenau * Lutter * Missaue *

Scheppau Scheppau is a river of Lower Saxony, Germany, approximately long. The Scheppau originates on the slope of the Elm hills and is a left tributary of the Schunter. It flows west and north of Königslutter and joins the Schunter in Glentorf, between ...

Schunter Schunter is a river in Lower Saxony, Germany. It has a length of and is a right tributary of the Oker. Etymology The river was first mentioned as ''Schuntra'' in a 781 deed. The name may be of Slavic origin as ''sukątora'' means "with many tu ...

* Wabe Towns on the edge of the Elm include: *

Königslutter Königslutter am Elm is a town in the district of Helmstedt in Lower Saxony, Germany. Geography It is located on the northeastern slopes of the Elm hill range, within the Elm-Lappwald Nature Park, about east of Brunswick, west of the distr ...

Schöningen Schöningen is a town of about 11,000 inhabitants in the district of Helmstedt, in Lower Saxony, Germany. Geography The town is located on the southeastern rim of the Elm hill range, near the border with the state of Saxony-Anhalt. In its current ...

Schöppenstedt Schöppenstedt is a small town in the district of Wolfenbüttel, in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is the administrative seat of the ''Samtgemeinde'' ("collective municipality") of Elm-Asse. Geography It is situated southwest of the Elm and Asse hil ...

Elevations *Eilumer Horn (323,3 m) *Osterberg (c. 314 m) *Drachenberg (c. 313 m) *Burgberg (c. 311 m) *Amplebener Berg (310 m) *Kleiner Tafelberg (c. 302 m) *Kiefelhorn (301 m) *Großer Tafelberg (296 m) *Warberg (290 m) *Wolfsburger Kopf (289 m)

Sources

* Heinz-Bruno Krieger: ''Elmsagen.'' Oeding, Braunschweig-Schöppenstedt 1967. * Heinz Röhr: ''Der Elm.'' Oeding, Braunschweig-Schöppenstedt 1962. * {{DEFAULTSORT:Elm (Hills) Protected areas of Lower Saxony Protected landscapes in Germany Forests and woodlands of Lower Saxony Hill ranges of Lower Saxony