The Fichtel MountainsRandlesome, C. et al. (2011). ''Business Cultures in Europe'', 2nd ed., Routledge, Abingdon and New York, p. 52. . (german: Fichtelgebirge, cs, Smrčiny), form a small horseshoe-shaped
mountain range
A mountain range or hill range is a series of mountains or hills arranged in a line and connected by high ground. A mountain system or mountain belt is a group of mountain ranges with similarity in form, structure, and alignment that have arise ...
in northeastern
Bavaria
Bavaria ( ; ), officially the Free State of Bavaria (german: Freistaat Bayern, link=no ), is a state in the south-east of Germany. With an area of , Bavaria is the largest German state by land area, comprising roughly a fifth of the total lan ...
,
Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
. They extend from the valley of the
Red Main River
The Red Main (german: Roter Main or ''Rotmain'') is a river in southern Germany. It is the southern, left headstream of the river Main. It rises in the hills of Franconian Switzerland, near Haag and flows generally northwest through the towns Cr ...
to the Czech border, a few foothills spilling over into the
Czech Republic
The Czech Republic, or simply Czechia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Historically known as Bohemia, it is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the southeast. The ...
. They continue in a northeasterly direction as the
Elster Mountains
The Elster Mountains (german: Elstergebirge, cs, Halštrovské hory) is a small range of mountains, in Saxony and the Czech Republic, to the west of the Ore Mountains. They lie in a region known as Vogtland, and take their name from the River El ...
, and in a southeasterly direction as the
Upper Palatine Forest
The Upper Palatine Forest (german: Oberpfälzer Wald or ''Böhmischer Wald'', cs, Český les) is a mountain range in Central Europe that is divided between Germany and the Czech Republic. It is part of the larger Bohemian Massif and the German ...
. The Fichtel Mountains contain an important nature park, the
Fichtel Mountain Nature Park
The Fichtel Mountain Nature Park (german: Naturpark Fichtelgebirge) lies in the tri-border area of Saxony, the Czech Republic and Bavaria and has an area of . It is maintained by the ''Naturpark Fichtelgebirge e. V.'' in Wunsiedel.
Landscape ...
, with an area of .
Etymology
The first person to write about the Fichtel Mountains, Matthias of Kemnath (actually Matthias Widmann, born 23 February 1429 in
Kemnath
Kemnath () is a small town in the district of Tirschenreuth, in Bavaria, Germany. It is situated near the Fichtelgebirge, 24 km southeast of Bayreuth. The town's motto is "das Tor zur Oberpfalz," which translates into English as "The Door to ...
) reported in 1476: ''Ein bergk, hoch, weitt, wolbekant ligt in Beiern, gnant der Fichtelberg'' ("A mountain, high, wide and well-known, lies in Bavaria, known as the Fichtelberg"). In descriptions of the border in 1499 and 1536, the mountain that is now called the Ochsenkopf was called ''Vichtelberg''; thereafter the name was extended to the whole mountain region. It is also mentioned in old documents: around 1317 the lords of Hirschberg were enfeoffed ''inter alia'' with the ''walt zu dem Vythenberge''. By the 14th century iron ore was being extracted in the ''St. Veith'' Pit on the southern foot of the mountain. ''Vyth → Veit → Fichtel''. High-profile local history and name researchers have still not had the last word.
Geography
The Fichtel Mountains lie between the towns of Hof and Weiden. In the west there is a good
transport
Transport (in British English), or transportation (in American English), is the intentional movement of humans, animals, and goods from one location to another. Modes of transport include air, land (rail and road), water, cable, pipeline, an ...
link to the nearby city of
Bayreuth
Bayreuth (, ; bar, Bareid) is a town in northern Bavaria, Germany, on the Red Main river in a valley between the Franconian Jura and the Fichtelgebirge Mountains. The town's roots date back to 1194. In the 21st century, it is the capital of U ...
.
The county town in the heart of the Fichtel Mountains is
Wunsiedel
(; Northern Bavarian: ''Wåuṉsieḏl'' or ''Wousigl'') is the seat of the Upper Franconian district of in northeast Bavaria, Germany. The town is the birthplace of poet Jean Paul. It also became known for its annual Festival and the Rudolf ...
Marktredwitz
Marktredwitz () is a town in the Wunsiedel (district), district of Wunsiedel, in Bavaria, Germany, close to the Czech Republic, Czech border. It is situated 22 km west of Cheb, 50 km east of Bayreuth and 50 km south of Hof/Saale. Ma ...
,
Marktleuthen
Marktleuthen () is a municipality in the district of Wunsiedel, in Bavaria, Germany. It is situated on the river Eger, 10 km north of Wunsiedel and 11 km southwest of Selb
Selb is a town in the district of Wunsiedel, in Upper Francon ...
Röslau
Röslau is a municipality in the district of Wunsiedel in Bavaria in Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and ...
,
Weißenstadt
Weißenstadt is a town in the district of Wunsiedel, in Upper Franconia, Bavaria, Germany. It is situated on the shore of the picturesque Weißenstadter See (Weissenstadt Lake), in the Fichtelgebirge Mountains, on the river Eger, 11 km nort ...
,
Waldershof
Waldershof is a town in the district of Tirschenreuth, in Bavaria, Germany. It is situated 22 km northwest of Tirschenreuth, and 3 km southwest of Marktredwitz.
Geography
The 60 square kilometer City of Waldershof is bounded on the N ...
,
Kirchenlamitz
Kirchenlamitz () is a town in the district of Wunsiedel, in Bavaria, Germany. It is situated in the Fichtelgebirge, 13 km northwest of Wunsiedel
(; Northern Bavarian: ''Wåuṉsieḏl'' or ''Wousigl'') is the seat of the Upper Franconia ...
and
Tröstau
Tröstau is a municipality in the district of Wunsiedel in Bavaria in Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and ...
(all on the upper reaches of the
Ohře
The Ohře () or, slightly less commonly in English sources, the Eger (, Czech also: ''Oharka'' or ''Ohara'', Celtic: ''Agara'', pl, Ohrza), is a 316 km river in Germany (50 km) and the Czech Republic (266 km), left tributary of t ...
/
Eger
Eger ( , ; ; also known by other alternative names) is the county seat of Heves County, and the second largest city in Northern Hungary (after Miskolc). A city with county rights. Eger is best known for its castle, thermal baths, baroque build ...
and the
Röslau
Röslau is a municipality in the district of Wunsiedel in Bavaria in Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and ...
rivers). The largest settlement in the Czech part of the Fichtel Mountains is
Aš
Aš (; german: Asch) is a town in Cheb District in the Karlovy Vary Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 12,000 inhabitants.
Administrative parts
Villages of Dolní Paseky, Doubrava (Aš), Doubrava, Horní Paseky, Kopaniny (Aš), Kopaniny, ...
.
Further to the southeast and south are
Bischofsgrün
Bischofsgrün is a municipality in the district of Bayreuth in Bavaria in Germany.
Bischofsgrün is situated within the Fichtelgebirge mountain range between the range's two largest mountains; Schneeberg (1051 m) and the Ochsenkopf (1024 m). T ...
,
Fichtelberg
The Fichtelberg () is a mountain with two main peaks in the middle of the Ore Mountains in the east German state of Saxony, near the Czech border. At above sea level, the Fichtelberg is the highest mountain in Saxony, the second highest in the ...
,
Mehlmeisel
Mehlmeisel is a municipality in the district of Bayreuth in Bavaria in Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, an ...
Neusorg
Neusorg is a municipality in the district of Tirschenreuth in Bavaria, Germany. The town itself is the seat of Neusorg municipal federation.
Geography
Neusorg has nine Ortsteil
A village is a clustered human settlement or community, ...
,
Speichersdorf
Speichersdorf is a municipality in the district of Bayreuth in Bavaria in Germany. It is situated near the Fichtelgebirge
The Fichtel MountainsRandlesome, C. et al. (2011). ''Business Cultures in Europe'', 2nd ed., Routledge, Abingdon and ...
,
Kemnath
Kemnath () is a small town in the district of Tirschenreuth, in Bavaria, Germany. It is situated near the Fichtelgebirge, 24 km southeast of Bayreuth. The town's motto is "das Tor zur Oberpfalz," which translates into English as "The Door to ...
,
Erbendorf
Erbendorf () is a town in the Upper Palatinate (Oberpfalz) region of Germany. As of December, 2006, the town has a population of 5,341.
The following villages are incorporated into the town:
Aschenhof, Birkenreuth, Boxdorf, Eppenhof, Frodersreut ...
,
Wiesau
Wiesau is a municipality in the district of Tirschenreuth in Bavaria, Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and ...
and
Fuchsmühl
Fuchsmühl is a municipality in the district of Tirschenreuth in Bavaria, Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, ...
, in the west are
Weidenberg
Weidenberg is a municipality in the district of Bayreuth in Bavaria in Germany. The Ölschnitz river discharges near Weidenberg-Neunkirchen into the Red Main.
Nearby is the site of a medieval castle, known as Burgstall Schlosshügel
The Burgst ...
,
Creußen
Creußen is a town in the district of Bayreuth in Bavaria, Germany. It is situated on the Red Main river, 13 km southeast of Bayreuth.
Creußen is famous for its stoneware beer steins.
Creußen is the starting point of the Red Main bran ...
,
Bayreuth
Bayreuth (, ; bar, Bareid) is a town in northern Bavaria, Germany, on the Red Main river in a valley between the Franconian Jura and the Fichtelgebirge Mountains. The town's roots date back to 1194. In the 21st century, it is the capital of U ...
,
Goldkronach
Goldkronach (East Franconian: ''Gronich'') is a town in the district of Bayreuth, in Bavaria, Germany. It is situated near the Fichtelgebirge, 12 km northeast of Bayreuth.
History
On 25 June 1836, at 22:15, residents awoke to a man yell ...
,
Bindlach
Bindlach is a municipality in the district of Bayreuth in Upper Franconia in Bavaria, Germany. The town is adjacent immediately north of the town of Bayreuth. The population count of December 2006 was 7197 inhabitants.
History
The name Bindlach ...
and
Bad Berneck
Bad Berneck () is a spa town in the district of Bayreuth, in Bavaria, Germany. It is situated on the White Main river, in the Fichtelgebirge mountains, 13 km northeast of Bayreuth. Its official title is ''Bad Berneck im Fichtelgebirge''. ...
, in the northwest are
Gefrees
Gefrees () is a town in the Bayreuth (district), district of Bayreuth, in Bavaria, Germany. It is situated in the Fichtelgebirge, 21 km northeast of Bayreuth. It was the site of a Battle of Gefrees, battle during the Napoleonic Wars.
Referen ...
,
Zell im Fichtelgebirge
Zell im Fichtelgebirge, formerly Zell (official name until July 2007) is a market town in the district of Hof in Bavaria in Germany.
Geography
The heart of the market parish lies between the towns of Hof and Bayreuth, about 5 km from the ...
Münchberg
Münchberg is a small town in Upper Franconia (Bavaria), Germany. It is sometimes referred to as the ''Textile Town of Bavaria''.
Its sister city is Jefferson City, Missouri, United States.
Geography
The town districts
History
The first set ...
(Obere Saale), and in the north
Selb
Selb is a town in the district of Wunsiedel, in Upper Franconia, Bavaria, Germany. It is situated in the Fichtelgebirge, on the border with the Czech Republic, 20 km northwest of Cheb and 23 km southeast of Hof.
Selb is well known fo ...
,
Rehau
Rehau is a Town#Germany, town in the Hof (district), district of Hof, in Bavaria, Germany. The first documented name of Rehau was "Resawe" in the year 1234. Rehau is situated in the Fichtelgebirge, 12 km southeast of Hof, Germany, Hof, and 12 ...
and Hof.
The boundary between the (East) Franconian dialect in the north and west and the (North) Bavarian and Upper Palatine dialects in the east and south runs diagonally through the Fichtel from northeast to southwest. This language border does not coincide with the administrative boundary of
Upper Franconia
Upper Franconia (german: Oberfranken) is a ''Regierungsbezirk'' (administrative 'Regierungs''region 'bezirk'' of the state of Bavaria, southern Germany. It forms part of the historically significant region of Franconia, the others being Middle F ...
and the
Upper Palatinate
The Upper Palatinate (german: Oberpfalz, , ) is one of the seven administrative districts of Bavaria, Germany, and is located in the east of Bavaria.
Geography
The Upper Palatinate is a landscape with low mountains and numerous ponds and lakes ...
, but, for example, Bavarian is also spoken in the Upper Franconian district of Wunsiedel.
Moreover, there are descendants of those who, after the
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
came from Bohemia, Moravia, Silesia and East Prussia into the Fichtel Mountains, and who make up a significant percentage of the population.
Geomorphology
In terms of geomorphological division of Germany, the Fichtel Mountains forms a major
natural region
A natural region (landscape unit) is a basic geographic unit. Usually, it is a region which is distinguished by its common natural features of geography, geology, and climate.
From the ecology, ecological point of view, the naturally occurring fl ...
called the
Thuringian-Franconian Highlands The Thuringian-Franconian Highlands (german: Thüringisch-Fränkische Mittelgebirge) are a natural region of Germany which is designated as D48 or 39 by the BfN. It consists mainly of a ridge of mountains up to just under 1,000 m high between the C ...
(no. D48 and 39) together with the
Thuringian Forest
The Thuringian Forest (''Thüringer Wald'' in German), is a mountain range in the southern parts of the German state of Thuringia, running northwest to southeast. Skirting from its southerly source in foothills to a gorge on its north-west side i ...
,
Thuringian Highland
The Thuringian Highland, Thuringian Highlands or Thuringian-Vogtlandian Slate MountainsKohl, Horst; Marcinek, Joachim and Nitz, Bernhard (1986). ''Geography of the German Democratic Republic'', VEB Hermann Haack, Gotha, p. 7 ff. . (german: Thüring ...
geomorphological division of the Czech Republic
In terms of geomorphological division, the Czech Republic is a very diverse territory, located in the territory of four geomorphological provinces within four geomorphological subsystems. The Bohemian Massif within the sub-system of Hercynian For ...
, the Fichtel Mountains is a mesoregion within the
Ore Mountains Highlands
Ore is natural rock or sediment that contains one or more valuable minerals, typically containing metals, that can be mined, treated and sold at a profit.Encyclopædia Britannica. "Ore". Encyclopædia Britannica Online. Retrieved 7 April 2 ...
Elbe Sandstone Mountains
The Elbe Sandstone Mountains, also called the Elbe Sandstone Highlands (german: Elbsandsteingebirge; cs, Děčinská vrchovina), are a mountain range straddling the border between the state of Saxony in southeastern Germany and the North Bohemian ...
.
Geomorphologically
Geomorphology (from Ancient Greek: , ', "earth"; , ', "form"; and , ', "study") is the scientific study of the origin and evolution of topographic and bathymetric features created by physical, chemical or biological processes operating at or n ...
the Fichtel Mountains are a horseshoe-shaped
massif
In geology, a massif ( or ) is a section of a planet's crust that is demarcated by faults or flexures. In the movement of the crust, a massif tends to retain its internal structure while being displaced as a whole. The term also refers to a ...
consisting of several linked ridges, hence the term Fichtel Mountain Horseshoe (''Fichtelgebirgs-Hufeisen''). The most important are the:
*
High Fichtel
The High Fichtel Mountains (german: Hohes Fichtelgebirge), or High Fichtel, form a mountainous and heavily forested range consisting of several mountain chains in the shape of a horseshoe, the Fichtel Mountain Horseshoe (''Fichtelgebirgs-Hufei ...
with the Schneeberg, Ochsenkopf and
Kösseine
The Kösseine is a massif in the High Fichtel mountains in Germany, lying in northeast Bavaria south of Wunsiedel. The highest elevation of this granite massif is the summit of the Große Kösseine, . The border between the Bavarian provinces of Up ...
massif,
* Northern ridge of Waldstein including the mountains of
Großer Waldstein
The Großer Waldstein is part of the Waldstein range in the Fichtel Mountains of Germany. It is known primarily for its rock formations caused by spheroidal weathering, its ruined castles and the only remaining bear trap (''Bärenfang' ...
Steinwald
The Steinwald is a mountain range up to in southern Germany and, at the same time, a nature park (''Steinwald Nature Park'') founded in 1970 with an area of in the province of Upper Palatinate, in North Bavaria.
Geography
Geographica ...
and Reichsforst forests and the Kohlberg mountain
* Inner Fichtel Plateau.
To the northeast the Fichtel Mountains transitions into the
Elster Mountains
The Elster Mountains (german: Elstergebirge, cs, Halštrovské hory) is a small range of mountains, in Saxony and the Czech Republic, to the west of the Ore Mountains. They lie in a region known as Vogtland, and take their name from the River El ...
Upper Palatine Forest
The Upper Palatine Forest (german: Oberpfälzer Wald or ''Böhmischer Wald'', cs, Český les) is a mountain range in Central Europe that is divided between Germany and the Czech Republic. It is part of the larger Bohemian Massif and the German ...
, the
Bohemian Forest
The Bohemian Forest, known in Czech as Šumava () and in German as Böhmerwald, is a low mountain range in Central Europe. Geographically, the mountains extend from Plzeň Region and South Bohemia in the Czech Republic to Austria and Bavaria in ...
and the
Bavarian Forest
The village of Zell in the Bavarian Forest
The Bavarian Forest (German: ' or ''Bayerwald''; bar, Boarischa Woid) is a wooded, low-mountain region in Bavaria, Germany that is about 100 kilometres long. It runs along the Czech border and is con ...
. To the northwest is a clear geological divide with the Franconian and
Thuringian Forest
The Thuringian Forest (''Thüringer Wald'' in German), is a mountain range in the southern parts of the German state of Thuringia, running northwest to southeast. Skirting from its southerly source in foothills to a gorge on its north-west side i ...
s. To the southwest it descends to the morphologically very different Franconian fault-block landscape.
In early times the Fichtel was known as the 'navel of Germany' (''Nabel Deutschlands'') or the 'wellspring of Europe' (''Herzbrunnen Europas'') because four important rivers rise here and flow in four different directions of the compass:
* to the north flows the Saxon
Saale
The Saale (), also known as the Saxon Saale (german: Sächsische Saale) and Thuringian Saale (german: Thüringische Saale), is a river in Germany and a left-bank tributary of the Elbe. It is not to be confused with the smaller Fränkische Saale, ...
* to the east flows the
Ohře
The Ohře () or, slightly less commonly in English sources, the Eger (, Czech also: ''Oharka'' or ''Ohara'', Celtic: ''Agara'', pl, Ohrza), is a 316 km river in Germany (50 km) and the Czech Republic (266 km), left tributary of t ...
, known here as the Eger and its tributary, the Röslau
* to the south two headstreams of the
Naab
__NOTOC__
The Naab (Czech: ''Nába'') is a river in Bavaria, Germany, and is a left tributary of the Danube. Including its main source river Waldnaab, it is long. Its average discharge at the mouth is .
The Naab is formed by the confluence of t ...
: the
Fichtelnaab
The Fichtelnaab is a river in Upper Franconia and the Upper Palatinate, Bavaria, Germany. It rises in the Fichtelgebirge and flows into the Waldnaab near Windischeschenbach.
Course
The source of the ''Fichtelnaab'' is located on the southeaste ...
in the centre and the
Haidenaab
The Haidenaab is the right and western headstream of the River Naab in the Upper Palatinate in the south German state of Bavaria. At its confluence with the Waldnaab near Luhe-Wildenau, the Naab is formed.
Course
The river rises in the distri ...
to one side
* to the west the
White Main
The White Main (german: Weißer Main or ''Weißmain'', not to be confused with the Weismain), is the larger and shorter of the two headstreams of the river Main. It rises in the Fichtelgebirge and merges near Steinenhausen, southwest of Kulmbach, ...
Numerous moors and marshes, which are now protected, are valuable water collectors. The European
watershed
Watershed is a hydrological term, which has been adopted in other fields in a more or less figurative sense. It may refer to:
Hydrology
* Drainage divide, the line that separates neighbouring drainage basins
* Drainage basin, called a "watershe ...
from the
North Sea
The North Sea lies between Great Britain, Norway, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands and Belgium. An epeiric sea on the European continental shelf, it connects to the Atlantic Ocean through the English Channel in the south and the Norwegian S ...
to the
Black Sea
The Black Sea is a marginal mediterranean sea of the Atlantic Ocean lying between Europe and Asia, east of the Balkans, south of the East European Plain, west of the Caucasus, and north of Anatolia. It is bounded by Bulgaria, Georgia, Roma ...
runs over these mountains.
Mountains and hills
The highest mountain is the Schneeberg at . Rivers rising from the Fichtel Mountains are the
White Main
The White Main (german: Weißer Main or ''Weißmain'', not to be confused with the Weismain), is the larger and shorter of the two headstreams of the river Main. It rises in the Fichtelgebirge and merges near Steinenhausen, southwest of Kulmbach, ...
, the
Saxon Saale
The Saale (), also known as the Saxon Saale (german: Sächsische Saale) and Thuringian Saale (german: Thüringische Saale), is a river in Germany and a left-bank tributary of the Elbe. It is not to be confused with the smaller Franconian Saale, ...
, the
Ohře
The Ohře () or, slightly less commonly in English sources, the Eger (, Czech also: ''Oharka'' or ''Ohara'', Celtic: ''Agara'', pl, Ohrza), is a 316 km river in Germany (50 km) and the Czech Republic (266 km), left tributary of t ...
/Eger and the
Fichtelnaab
The Fichtelnaab is a river in Upper Franconia and the Upper Palatinate, Bavaria, Germany. It rises in the Fichtelgebirge and flows into the Waldnaab near Windischeschenbach.
Course
The source of the ''Fichtelnaab'' is located on the southeaste ...
which later joins the
Waldnaab
The Waldnaab ( Northern Bavarian: ''Woidnaab'', cs, Lesní Nába, in its upper course: ''Tirschenreuther Waldnaab'') is the left-hand, eastern and longest headstream of the River Naab in the Upper Palatinate (Bavaria, Germany). At its confluenc ...
. Major towns on the edge of the mountain region are
Bayreuth
Bayreuth (, ; bar, Bareid) is a town in northern Bavaria, Germany, on the Red Main river in a valley between the Franconian Jura and the Fichtelgebirge Mountains. The town's roots date back to 1194. In the 21st century, it is the capital of U ...
and Hof.
While the mountains dip gradually away to the north and the south, they form a steep slope in the west where the Red Main forms the boundary of the mountains.
The Ochsenkopf ("Ox Head") is the second highest mountain of the Fichtel Mountains, at . There are two chair-lifts to the summit, one from
Bischofsgrün
Bischofsgrün is a municipality in the district of Bayreuth in Bavaria in Germany.
Bischofsgrün is situated within the Fichtelgebirge mountain range between the range's two largest mountains; Schneeberg (1051 m) and the Ochsenkopf (1024 m). T ...
in the north and one from Fleckl in the south. The "Asenturm" (
Æsir
The Æsir (Old Norse: ) are the gods of the principal pantheon in Norse religion. They include Odin, Frigg, Höðr, Thor, and Baldr. The second Norse pantheon is the Vanir. In Norse mythology, the two pantheons wage war against each other, res ...
Tower) is 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 ...
on the summit with a restaurant attached.
The following are the highest and best-known mountains in the Fichtel Mountains (listed with heights in metres (m) above
sea level
Mean sea level (MSL, often shortened to sea level) is an average surface level of one or more among Earth's coastal bodies of water from which heights such as elevation may be measured. The global MSL is a type of vertical datuma standardised g ...
(NN):
Geology
Early mountain building
Geologically
Geology () is a branch of natural science concerned with Earth and other astronomical objects, the features or rocks of which it is composed, and the processes by which they change over time. Modern geology significantly overlaps all other Eart ...
the Fichtel massif consists mainly of
granite
Granite () is a coarse-grained (phaneritic) intrusive igneous rock composed mostly of quartz, alkali feldspar, and plagioclase. It forms from magma with a high content of silica and alkali metal oxides that slowly cools and solidifies undergro ...
. The history of its
orogeny
Orogeny is a mountain building process. An orogeny is an event that takes place at a convergent plate margin when plate motion compresses the margin. An ''orogenic belt'' or ''orogen'' develops as the compressed plate crumples and is uplifted t ...
begins in the
Precambrian
The Precambrian (or Pre-Cambrian, sometimes abbreviated pꞒ, or Cryptozoic) is the earliest part of Earth's history, set before the current Phanerozoic Eon. The Precambrian is so named because it preceded the Cambrian, the first period of the ...
Eon about 750–800 million years ago. From that time only the truncated uplands of the once-towering mountain chain are left.
Subsequently, the area was covered by sea, and
river
A river is a natural flowing watercourse, usually freshwater, flowing towards an ocean, sea, lake or another river. In some cases, a river flows into the ground and becomes dry at the end of its course without reaching another body of wate ...
s transported
sediments
Sediment is a naturally occurring material that is broken down by processes of weathering and erosion, and is subsequently transported by the action of wind, water, or ice or by the force of gravity acting on the particles. For example, sand a ...
from the old eroding mountains on the coast. These sediments were deposited as layers of
clay
Clay is a type of fine-grained natural soil material containing clay minerals (hydrous aluminium phyllosilicates, e.g. kaolin, Al2 Si2 O5( OH)4).
Clays develop plasticity when wet, due to a molecular film of water surrounding the clay par ...
,
sand
Sand is a granular material composed of finely divided mineral particles. Sand has various compositions but is defined by its grain size. Sand grains are smaller than gravel and coarser than silt. Sand can also refer to a textural class of s ...
and
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 whe ...
.
At the beginning of the
Cambrian
The Cambrian Period ( ; sometimes symbolized C with bar, Ꞓ) was the first geological period of the Paleozoic Era, and of the Phanerozoic Eon. The Cambrian lasted 53.4 million years from the end of the preceding Ediacaran Period 538.8 million ...
Period, about 570 million years ago, these beds were folded and raised up to form new mountains. High
temperature
Temperature is a physical quantity that expresses quantitatively the perceptions of hotness and coldness. Temperature is measured with a thermometer.
Thermometers are calibrated in various temperature scales that historically have relied o ...
s and
pressure
Pressure (symbol: ''p'' or ''P'') is the force applied perpendicular to the surface of an object per unit area over which that force is distributed. Gauge pressure (also spelled ''gage'' pressure)The preferred spelling varies by country and e ...
Upper Carboniferous
Upper may refer to:
* Shoe upper or ''vamp'', the part of a shoe on the top of the foot
* Stimulant
Stimulants (also often referred to as psychostimulants or colloquially as uppers) is an overarching term that covers many drugs including those ...
Period, created
metamorphic rock
Metamorphic rocks arise from the transformation of existing rock to new types of rock in a process called metamorphism. The original rock (protolith) is subjected to temperatures greater than and, often, elevated pressure of or more, causin ...
. The
shale
Shale is a fine-grained, clastic sedimentary rock formed from mud that is a mix of flakes of clay minerals (hydrous aluminium phyllosilicates, e.g. kaolin, Al2 Si2 O5( OH)4) and tiny fragments (silt-sized particles) of other minerals, especial ...
layers were transformed into
phyllite
Phyllite ( ) is a type of foliated metamorphic rock created from slate that is further metamorphosed so that very fine grained white mica achieves a preferred orientation.Stephen Marshak ''Essentials of Geology'', 3rd ed. It is primarily compo ...
s and
schist
Schist ( ) is a medium-grained metamorphic rock showing pronounced schistosity. This means that the rock is composed of mineral grains easily seen with a low-power hand lens, oriented in such a way that the rock is easily split into thin flakes o ...
s, sandstones metamorphosed into
quartzite
Quartzite is a hard, non- foliated metamorphic rock which was originally pure quartz sandstone.Essentials of Geology, 3rd Edition, Stephen Marshak, p 182 Sandstone is converted into quartzite through heating and pressure usually related to tect ...
and limestone produced
Wunsiedel marble
Wunsiedel Marble (german: Wunsiedler Marmor) is a group of metamorphic carbonate rocks, which were, and are, mainly extracted in the German town Wunsiedel at several quarries. This Upper Franconian calcite marble occurs both in this region and beyo ...
. These mountains, which may have been several kilometres high, were also eroded to
sea level
Mean sea level (MSL, often shortened to sea level) is an average surface level of one or more among Earth's coastal bodies of water from which heights such as elevation may be measured. The global MSL is a type of vertical datuma standardised g ...
again.
Variscan orogeny: mountains from the depths of the sea
In the next phase, great, deep-sea sediments were laid down under the present-day Fichtel Mountains and the
Silurian
The Silurian ( ) is a geologic period and system spanning 24.6 million years from the end of the Ordovician Period, at million years ago ( Mya), to the beginning of the Devonian Period, Mya. The Silurian is the shortest period of the Paleozo ...
,
Devonian
The Devonian ( ) is a geologic period and system of the Paleozoic era, spanning 60.3 million years from the end of the Silurian, million years ago (Mya), to the beginning of the Carboniferous, Mya. It is named after Devon, England, whe ...
and
Lower Carboniferous
Lower may refer to:
*Lower (surname)
*Lower Township, New Jersey
*Lower Receiver (firearms)
*Lower Wick
Lower Wick is a small hamlet located in the county of Gloucestershire, England. It is situated about five miles south west of Dursley, eight ...
periods; these are especially well recorded in the Franconian Forest, whose rocks were only subject to very low-grade
metamorphism
Metamorphism is the transformation of existing rock (the protolith) to rock with a different mineral composition or texture. Metamorphism takes place at temperatures in excess of , and often also at elevated pressure or in the presence of chem ...
(associated with volcanism and
ore
Ore is natural rock or sediment that contains one or more valuable minerals, typically containing metals, that can be mined, treated and sold at a profit.Encyclopædia Britannica. "Ore". Encyclopædia Britannica Online. Retrieved 7 April 2 ...
formation) and which contain easily dated
fossil
A fossil (from Classical Latin , ) is any preserved remains, impression, or trace of any once-living thing from a past geological age. Examples include bones, shells, exoskeletons, stone imprints of animals or microbes, objects preserved ...
s. Finally, in the
Upper Carboniferous
Upper may refer to:
* Shoe upper or ''vamp'', the part of a shoe on the top of the foot
* Stimulant
Stimulants (also often referred to as psychostimulants or colloquially as uppers) is an overarching term that covers many drugs including those ...
period 285 million years ago, the
Hercynian mountain building
The Variscan or Hercynian orogeny was a geologic mountain-building event caused by Late Paleozoic continental collision between Euramerica (Laurussia) and Gondwana to form the supercontinent of Pangaea.
Nomenclature
The name ''Variscan'', comes ...
phase began and raised the Fichtel Mountains, Franconian Forest and
Münchberg
Münchberg is a small town in Upper Franconia (Bavaria), Germany. It is sometimes referred to as the ''Textile Town of Bavaria''.
Its sister city is Jefferson City, Missouri, United States.
Geography
The town districts
History
The first set ...
gneiss
Gneiss ( ) is a common and widely distributed type of metamorphic rock. It is formed by high-temperature and high-pressure metamorphic processes acting on formations composed of igneous or sedimentary rocks. Gneiss forms at higher temperatures an ...
plateau into high mountains – like almost all the
fold mountain
Fold mountains are formed by the effects of folding on layers within the upper part of the Earth's crust. Before the development of the theory of plate tectonics and before the internal architecture of thrust belts became well understood, the te ...
s formed during the Hercynian period.
This mountain building episode was the ''
Variscan orogeny
The Variscan or Hercynian orogeny was a geologic mountain-building event caused by Late Paleozoic continental collision between Euramerica (Laurussia) and Gondwana to form the supercontinent of Pangaea.
Nomenclature
The name ''Variscan'', comes f ...
'', named after Hof's Latin name (and the tribe of
Varisci
The Varisci (German: ''Varisker'') were a Germanic tribe, the presumed prior inhabitants of a medieval district, ''Provincia Variscorum'', the same (in presumption) as the Vogtland district of Saxony in Germany. They do not appear under that name e ...
) of ''Curia variscorum''. At the same time, magma intruded in several phases into the folds, where it solidified under the Earth's surface into the present-day granites. As granite formed, secondary rocks were only affected by slight
contact metamorphism
Metamorphism is the transformation of existing rock (the protolith) to rock with a different mineral composition or texture. Metamorphism takes place at temperatures in excess of , and often also at elevated pressure or in the presence of chem ...
. The rest of the molten rock with its
ore
Ore is natural rock or sediment that contains one or more valuable minerals, typically containing metals, that can be mined, treated and sold at a profit.Encyclopædia Britannica. "Ore". Encyclopædia Britannica Online. Retrieved 7 April 2 ...
-containing fluids formed
pegmatite
A pegmatite is an igneous rock showing a very coarse texture, with large interlocking crystals usually greater in size than and sometimes greater than . Most pegmatites are composed of quartz, feldspar, and mica, having a similar silicic com ...
, as well as veins of ore and minerals – the basis of the
medieval
In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the Post-classical, post-classical period of World history (field), global history. It began with t ...
mining industry
Mining is the extraction of valuable minerals or other geological materials from the Earth, usually from an ore body, lode, vein, seam, reef, or placer deposit. The exploitation of these deposits for raw material is based on the economic via ...
and early
industrialisation
Industrialisation ( alternatively spelled industrialization) is the period of social and economic change that transforms a human group from an agrarian society into an industrial society. This involves an extensive re-organisation of an econo ...
of this region.
During the
Upper Carboniferous
Upper may refer to:
* Shoe upper or ''vamp'', the part of a shoe on the top of the foot
* Stimulant
Stimulants (also often referred to as psychostimulants or colloquially as uppers) is an overarching term that covers many drugs including those ...
and Lower
Permian
The Permian ( ) is a geologic period and stratigraphic system which spans 47 million years from the end of the Carboniferous Period million years ago (Mya), to the beginning of the Triassic Period 251.9 Mya. It is the last period of the Paleoz ...
(''
Rotliegendes
The Rotliegend, Rotliegend Group or Rotliegendes (german: the underlying red) is a lithostratigraphic unit (a sequence of rock strata) of latest Carboniferous to Guadalupian (middle Permian) age that is found in the subsurface of large areas in wes ...
'') large quantities of rock debris were deposited in intramontane basins and onto the foreland of the mountain range. These basins were formed by
extensional tectonics
Extensional tectonics is concerned with the structures formed by, and the tectonic processes associated with, the stretching of a planetary body's crust or lithosphere.
Deformation styles
The types of structure and the geometries formed depend on ...
which were accompanied by an intermediate to acidic
volcanism
Volcanism, vulcanism or volcanicity is the phenomenon of eruption of molten rock (magma) onto the surface of the Earth or a solid-surface planet or moon, where lava, pyroclastics, and volcanic gases erupt through a break in the surface called ...
. The
sediments
Sediment is a naturally occurring material that is broken down by processes of weathering and erosion, and is subsequently transported by the action of wind, water, or ice or by the force of gravity acting on the particles. For example, sand a ...
of the ''Rotliegendes'' are only exposed in a few places, but have been confirmed across a wide area by drilling beneath the
platform
Platform may refer to:
Technology
* Computing platform, a framework on which applications may be run
* Platform game, a genre of video games
* Car platform, a set of components shared by several vehicle models
* Weapons platform, a system or ...
southwest of the
Franconian Line
The Franconian Line (german: Fränkische Linie) is a geological fault in south-eastern Germany that forms the border between the South German Scarplands in the west and the Fichtel Mountains in the east.
The Franconian Line was formed as part of ...
. Late Variscan
volcanic rock
Volcanic rock (often shortened to volcanics in scientific contexts) is a rock formed from lava erupted from a volcano. In other words, it differs from other igneous rock by being of volcanic origin. Like all rock types, the concept of volcanic r ...
s occur in the Fichtel Mountains as layers of
rhyolite
Rhyolite ( ) is the most silica-rich of volcanic rocks. It is generally glassy or fine-grained (aphanitic) in texture, but may be porphyritic, containing larger mineral crystals (phenocrysts) in an otherwise fine-grained groundmass. The mineral ...
.
Alpine orogeny creates new pressures
In the
neogene
The Neogene ( ), informally Upper Tertiary or Late Tertiary, is a geologic period and system that spans 20.45 million years from the end of the Paleogene Period million years ago ( Mya) to the beginning of the present Quaternary Period Mya. ...
(
Upper Tertiary
The Neogene ( ), informally Upper Tertiary or Late Tertiary, is a geologic period and system that spans 20.45 million years from the end of the Paleogene Period million years ago ( Mya) to the beginning of the present Quaternary Period Mya ...
beginning 26 million years ago) period,
tectonic
Tectonics (; ) are the processes that control the structure and properties of the Earth's crust and its evolution through time. These include the processes of mountain building, the growth and behavior of the strong, old cores of continents k ...
Alps
The Alps () ; german: Alpen ; it, Alpi ; rm, Alps ; sl, Alpe . are the highest and most extensive mountain range system that lies entirely in Europe, stretching approximately across seven Alpine countries (from west to east): France, Sw ...
,
Carpathians
The Carpathian Mountains or Carpathians () are a range of mountains forming an arc across Central Europe. Roughly long, it is the third-longest European mountain range after the Ural Mountains, Urals at and the Scandinavian Mountains at . The ...
etc.) slowly came to an end. In that time, parts of this and other older massifs (such as the
Bohemian-Moravian Highlands
The Bohemian-Moravian Highlands ( cs, Českomoravská vrchovina or ''Vysočina''; german: Böhmisch-Mährische Höhe) is a geomorphological macroregion and mountain range in the Czech Republic. Its highest peaks are the Javořice at and Devět s ...
or
Bohemian Massif
The Bohemian Massif ( cs, Česká vysočina or ''Český masiv'', german: Böhmische Masse or ''Böhmisches Massiv'') is a geomorphological province in Central Europe. It is a large massif stretching over most of the Czech Republic, eastern Germ ...
in the
Alpine foothills
The Alpine foothills, or Prealps (german: Voralpen; french: Préalpes; it, Prealpi; ), may refer generally to any foothills at the base of the Alps in Europe. They are the transition zone between the High Alps and the Swiss Plateau and the Bavar ...
) sometimes ended up underneath younger rock. In the Upper
Miocene
The Miocene ( ) is the first geological epoch of the Neogene Period and extends from about (Ma). The Miocene was named by Scottish geologist Charles Lyell; the name comes from the Greek words (', "less") and (', "new") and means "less recen ...
(10 million years ago), molten
basalt
Basalt (; ) is an aphanite, aphanitic (fine-grained) extrusive igneous rock formed from the rapid cooling of low-viscosity lava rich in magnesium and iron (mafic lava) exposed at or very near the planetary surface, surface of a terrestrial ...
broke through in northern
Upper Palatinate
The Upper Palatinate (german: Oberpfalz, , ) is one of the seven administrative districts of Bavaria, Germany, and is located in the east of Bavaria.
Geography
The Upper Palatinate is a landscape with low mountains and numerous ponds and lakes ...
as the
Eger Graben
The Eger Graben (much less commonly called the Ohre or Ohře Graben; cs, Oherský rift, german: Egergraben) is a geological structure in the Czech Republic. It runs southwards, parallel to the Ore Mountains and its formation is linked with th ...
was being formed. Through erosion, the remains of former
diatreme
A diatreme, sometimes known as a maar-diatreme volcano, is a volcanic pipe formed by a gaseous explosion. When magma
Magma () is the molten or semi-molten natural material from which all igneous rocks are formed. Magma is found beneath the ...
s have been uncovered and may be seen e.g. on the
Rauher Kulm
The Rauher Kulm is a small basalt mountain located in the Upper Palatinate (Oberpfalz) region of the state of Bavaria, Germany. It is located 23 kilometers southeast of Bayreuth and 5 kilometers south of Kemnath. The town of Neustadt am Kulm ...
or at Parkstein near Weiden. Basaltic surface layers, i.e. extensive flows of low-viscosity
lava
Lava is molten or partially molten rock (magma) that has been expelled from the interior of a terrestrial planet (such as Earth) or a moon onto its surface. Lava may be erupted at a volcano or through a fracture in the crust, on land or un ...
, are visible e. g. on the Teichelberg near
Pechbrunn
Pechbrunn is a municipality in the district of Tirschenreuth in Bavaria, Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, ...
. These basaltic
nappe
In geology, a nappe or thrust sheet is a large sheetlike body of rock (geology), rock that has been moved more than or above a thrust fault from its original position. Nappes form in compressional tectonic settings like continental collision z ...
s should not however be confused with the formation of
tectonic
Tectonics (; ) are the processes that control the structure and properties of the Earth's crust and its evolution through time. These include the processes of mountain building, the growth and behavior of the strong, old cores of continents k ...
layers.
The formation of the present
landscape
A landscape is the visible features of an area of land, its landforms, and how they integrate with natural or man-made features, often considered in terms of their aesthetic appeal.''New Oxford American Dictionary''. A landscape includes the ...
finally took place in the younger
Pliocene
The Pliocene ( ; also Pleiocene) is the epoch in the geologic time scale that extends from 5.333 million to 2.58Franconian fault line came under pressure again and the Fichtel Mountains,
Münchberg
Münchberg is a small town in Upper Franconia (Bavaria), Germany. It is sometimes referred to as the ''Textile Town of Bavaria''.
Its sister city is Jefferson City, Missouri, United States.
Geography
The town districts
History
The first set ...
Gneiss Massif and the northern
Upper Palatine Forest
The Upper Palatine Forest (german: Oberpfälzer Wald or ''Böhmischer Wald'', cs, Český les) is a mountain range in Central Europe that is divided between Germany and the Czech Republic. It is part of the larger Bohemian Massif and the German ...
were uplifted along it. This last
uplift
Uplift may refer to: Science
* Geologic uplift, a geological process
** Tectonic uplift, a geological process
* Stellar uplift, the theoretical prospect of moving a stellar mass
* Uplift mountains
* Llano Uplift
* Nemaha Uplift
Business
* Uplif ...
gave the forces of erosion more to do again and the rivers cut deeply into the already, almost levelled, mountain range. So the present day structure was created from a
plateau
In geology and physical geography, a plateau (; ; ), also called a high plain or a tableland, is an area of a highland consisting of flat terrain that is raised sharply above the surrounding area on at least one side. Often one or more sides ha ...
: a low mountain range which is being gnawed away at on all sides, with a long and varied history. Although often difficult to interpret, it is an 'Eldorado' for
geologist
A geologist is a scientist who studies the solid, liquid, and gaseous matter that constitutes Earth and other terrestrial planets, as well as the processes that shape them. Geologists usually study geology, earth science, or geophysics, althou ...
s from a wide range of specialisms.
Predominant rock types
Granite
Granite () is a coarse-grained (phaneritic) intrusive igneous rock composed mostly of quartz, alkali feldspar, and plagioclase. It forms from magma with a high content of silica and alkali metal oxides that slowly cools and solidifies undergro ...
( lat, granum for
grain
A grain is a small, hard, dry fruit (caryopsis) – with or without an attached hull layer – harvested for human or animal consumption. A grain crop is a grain-producing plant. The two main types of commercial grain crops are cereals and legum ...
) and its derivatives
make up about 40% of the area – its impact being all the more striking because this very hard, yet hydrous, rock forms the highest
peaks Peak or The Peak may refer to:
Basic meanings Geology
* Mountain peak
** Pyramidal peak, a mountaintop that has been sculpted by erosion to form a point Mathematics
* Peak hour or rush hour, in traffic congestion
* Peak (geometry), an (''n''-3)-di ...
in the area. Its stark appearance and the early emergency of industry here have made their mark on
landscape
A landscape is the visible features of an area of land, its landforms, and how they integrate with natural or man-made features, often considered in terms of their aesthetic appeal.''New Oxford American Dictionary''. A landscape includes the ...
and people.
In detail there is:
* ''Porphyritic Granite'' of the
Weißenstadt
Weißenstadt is a town in the district of Wunsiedel, in Upper Franconia, Bavaria, Germany. It is situated on the shore of the picturesque Weißenstadter See (Weissenstadt Lake), in the Fichtelgebirge Mountains, on the river Eger, 11 km nort ...
/Liebenstein massif (including the towns of
Marktleuthen
Marktleuthen () is a municipality in the district of Wunsiedel, in Bavaria, Germany. It is situated on the river Eger, 10 km north of Wunsiedel and 11 km southwest of Selb
Selb is a town in the district of Wunsiedel, in Upper Francon ...
/
Röslau
Röslau is a municipality in the district of Wunsiedel in Bavaria in Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and ...
) and extending into the
Czech Republic
The Czech Republic, or simply Czechia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Historically known as Bohemia, it is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the southeast. The ...
biotite
Biotite is a common group of phyllosilicate minerals within the mica group, with the approximate chemical formula . It is primarily a solid-solution series between the iron-endmember annite, and the magnesium-endmember phlogopite; more alumino ...
(dark
mica
Micas ( ) are a group of silicate minerals whose outstanding physical characteristic is that individual mica crystals can easily be split into extremely thin elastic plates. This characteristic is described as perfect basal cleavage. Mica is ...
) and
phenocryst
300px, feldspathic phenocrysts. This granite, from the Switzerland">Swiss side of the Mont Blanc massif, has large white plagioclase phenocrysts, triclinic minerals that give trapezoid shapes when cut through). 1 euro coins, 1 euro coin (diameter ...
s of
feldspar
Feldspars are a group of rock-forming aluminium tectosilicate minerals, also containing other cations such as sodium, calcium, potassium, or barium. The most common members of the feldspar group are the ''plagioclase'' (sodium-calcium) feldsp ...
up to 8 cm across.
* ''Reut Granite'' near
Gefrees
Gefrees () is a town in the Bayreuth (district), district of Bayreuth, in Bavaria, Germany. It is situated in the Fichtelgebirge, 21 km northeast of Bayreuth. It was the site of a Battle of Gefrees, battle during the Napoleonic Wars.
Referen ...
is, by contrast, finer with a bluish-grey hue.
Selb
Selb is a town in the district of Wunsiedel, in Upper Franconia, Bavaria, Germany. It is situated in the Fichtelgebirge, on the border with the Czech Republic, 20 km northwest of Cheb and 23 km southeast of Hof.
Selb is well known fo ...
Granite (found northeast of the upper massif near Schwarzenhammer and running through the Selb Forest and the Czech Republic into
Saxony
Saxony (german: Sachsen ; Upper Saxon: ''Saggsn''; hsb, Sakska), officially the Free State of Saxony (german: Freistaat Sachsen, links=no ; Upper Saxon: ''Freischdaad Saggsn''; hsb, Swobodny stat Sakska, links=no), is a landlocked state of ...
/
Elster Mountains
The Elster Mountains (german: Elstergebirge, cs, Halštrovské hory) is a small range of mountains, in Saxony and the Czech Republic, to the west of the Ore Mountains. They lie in a region known as Vogtland, and take their name from the River El ...
) is fine-grained, but grey again.
* ''Holzmühl Granite'' occurs in just two small outcrops near Holzmühl, 3 km southeast of Marktleuthen and near Längenau on the Wartberg, east-northeast of
Selb
Selb is a town in the district of Wunsiedel, in Upper Franconia, Bavaria, Germany. It is situated in the Fichtelgebirge, on the border with the Czech Republic, 20 km northwest of Cheb and 23 km southeast of Hof.
Selb is well known fo ...
; medium-grained with a higher biotite content, unevenly grained microstructure.
* ''Redwitzite'' is also called ''Syenite Granite'' and occurs in the
Marktredwitz
Marktredwitz () is a town in the Wunsiedel (district), district of Wunsiedel, in Bavaria, Germany, close to the Czech Republic, Czech border. It is situated 22 km west of Cheb, 50 km east of Bayreuth and 50 km south of Hof/Saale. Ma ...
Thiersheim
Thiersheim is a municipality in the district of Wunsiedel in Bavaria in Germany.
Grafenreuth, now a part of Thiersheim, was the seat of the noble family Gravenreuth for centuries.
Thiersheim - Sankt Ägidien Kirche - 01.jpg, Evangelical Luthe ...
triangle; medium- and also fine-grained, its variable mineral composition produces colourations from light grey, dark grey and dark green-grey to almost black.
* ''Rand Granite (Dach Granite)'' occurs in all the prominent massifs of the Fichtel Mountains (the Ochsenkopf, the southern part of the Schneeberg and the Haberstein, the Platte to the Hohe Matze, the
Kösseine
The Kösseine is a massif in the High Fichtel mountains in Germany, lying in northeast Bavaria south of Wunsiedel. The highest elevation of this granite massif is the summit of the Große Kösseine, . The border between the Bavarian provinces of Up ...
and the Großer Kornberg); its groundmass is small-grained with phenocrysts of
feldspar
Feldspars are a group of rock-forming aluminium tectosilicate minerals, also containing other cations such as sodium, calcium, potassium, or barium. The most common members of the feldspar group are the ''plagioclase'' (sodium-calcium) feldsp ...
,
quartz
Quartz is a hard, crystalline mineral composed of silica (silicon dioxide). The atoms are linked in a continuous framework of SiO4 silicon-oxygen tetrahedra, with each oxygen being shared between two tetrahedra, giving an overall chemical form ...
and
biotite
Biotite is a common group of phyllosilicate minerals within the mica group, with the approximate chemical formula . It is primarily a solid-solution series between the iron-endmember annite, and the magnesium-endmember phlogopite; more alumino ...
, sometimes sprinkled with
muscovite
Muscovite (also known as common mica, isinglass, or potash mica) is a hydrated phyllosilicate mineral of aluminium and potassium with formula K Al2(Al Si3 O10)( F,O H)2, or ( KF)2( Al2O3)3( SiO2)6( H2O). It has a highly perfect basal cleavage ...
as well;
* ''Kösseine-Rand Granite'' occurs on the Kösseine, including the Burgstein, Haberstein and Schauerberg, and the southern part of the Großer Kornberg massif; small- to medium-grained, porphyritic structure weak or missing; low in phenocrysts.
* ''Kern Granite'' is found in the central Fichtelberg/Ochsenkopf/ Nußhardt block and on the eastern perimeter of the Schneeberg; it forms outcrops of in the shape of numerous rock formations; medium- to coarse-grained.
* ''Kösseine and Wolfsgarten Kern Granite.'' There are numerous pockets of Kösseine Granite containing hornfels, cm-large biotite-rich shreds and nodules of host rock, rounded or round quartz-feldspar rich pockets on the Kösseine massif: narrow band on the north, east and southern edge, small labyrinth, Kleinwendern quarry, Hirschensprung rock formation, Wolfstein, Hohenstein, Ochsenkopf, Hundslohe and Gregnitz valley; on the Kornberg: the Wolfsgarten forest and the south-southwestern part of the Großer Kornberg; relatively coarse, has an unusual appearance due to the blue feldspar, black biotite and richly sprinkled dark foreign bodies; Wolfsgarten Granite is somewhat lighter blue.
* ''Zinn Granite'' is restricted to the central massif and occurs on the Rudolfstein, on the Drei Brüder almost to the summit of the Schneeberg, western slope of the Seehügel, between Seehügel and Platte, Fuchsbau and Zufurt west of
Leupoldsdorf Leupoldsdorf is a village in the municipality of Tröstau in the district of Wunsiedel im Fichtelgebirge in Bavaria, Germany.
Geography
Leupoldsdorf is located in the Fichtelgebirge in the province of Upper Franconia in northeast Bavaria. The ri ...
; very even, medium grain; little biotite, a lot of muscovite; lighter, brighter hue.
* ''Rand Granite'' of the Steinwald massif: in the western part of the Steinwald, e. g. on the Dachsfelsen, and the northwestern part of the Grandfelsen; small-grained.
* ''Steinwald Granite'' occurs in the centre, including the Weißenstein, Platte, Katzentrögel, Reiseneggerfelsen and Hackelstein; coarse-grained.
* ''Friedenfels Granite'' is the transitional
facies
In geology, a facies ( , ; same pronunciation and spelling in the plural) is a body of rock with specified characteristics, which can be any observable attribute of rocks (such as their overall appearance, composition, or condition of formatio ...
between the Steinwald Granite and the Falkenberg Porphyritic Granite; it forms the basement of the Pechbrunn basalt region and surfaces there at various places between the basalt nappes; porphyritic structure, especially rich in feldspar phenocrysts.
Mining industry
By the
Early Middle Ages
The Early Middle Ages (or early medieval period), sometimes controversially referred to as the Dark Ages, is typically regarded by historians as lasting from the late 5th or early 6th century to the 10th century. They marked the start of the Mi ...
man had begun to mine in the Fichtel Mountains. The most important products were
gold
Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au (from la, aurum) and atomic number 79. This makes it one of the higher atomic number elements that occur naturally. It is a bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile met ...
,
tin
Tin is a chemical element with the symbol Sn (from la, stannum) and atomic number 50. Tin is a silvery-coloured metal.
Tin is soft enough to be cut with little force and a bar of tin can be bent by hand with little effort. When bent, t ...
,
iron
Iron () is a chemical element with symbol Fe (from la, ferrum) and atomic number 26. It is a metal that belongs to the first transition series and group 8 of the periodic table. It is, by mass, the most common element on Earth, right in f ...
, minerals, earths and rock (
basalt
Basalt (; ) is an aphanite, aphanitic (fine-grained) extrusive igneous rock formed from the rapid cooling of low-viscosity lava rich in magnesium and iron (mafic lava) exposed at or very near the planetary surface, surface of a terrestrial ...
,
brown coal
Lignite, often referred to as brown coal, is a soft, brown, combustible, sedimentary rock formed from naturally compressed peat. It has a carbon content around 25–35%, and is considered the lowest rank of coal due to its relatively low heat ...
,
diabase
Diabase (), also called dolerite () or microgabbro,
is a mafic, holocrystalline, subvolcanic rock equivalent to volcanic basalt or plutonic gabbro. Diabase dikes and sills are typically shallow intrusive bodies and often exhibit fine-graine ...
, granite, silt,
marble
Marble is a metamorphic rock composed of recrystallized carbonate minerals, most commonly calcite or Dolomite (mineral), dolomite. Marble is typically not Foliation (geology), foliated (layered), although there are exceptions. In geology, the ...
,
soapstone
Soapstone (also known as steatite or soaprock) is a talc-schist, which is a type of metamorphic rock. It is composed largely of the magnesium rich mineral talc. It is produced by dynamothermal metamorphism and metasomatism, which occur in the zo ...
, clay and peat). In earlier times
uranium
Uranium is a chemical element with the symbol U and atomic number 92. It is a silvery-grey metal in the actinide series of the periodic table. A uranium atom has 92 protons and 92 electrons, of which 6 are valence electrons. Uranium is weak ...
ore deposits were discovered. The metals were worked in hammer mills (hence the many place names ending with -hammer) on the Fichtel's rivers, in furnaces and at metalsmiths. The forests of the Fichtel Mountains supplied the wood necessary for the manufacture of charcoal. During the
Thirty Years' War
The Thirty Years' War was one of the longest and most destructive conflicts in European history
The history of Europe is traditionally divided into four time periods: prehistoric Europe (prior to about 800 BC), classical antiquity (80 ...
the mining industry became depressed and the ore deposits were largely exhausted. In the 18th century
Alexander von Humboldt
Friedrich Wilhelm Heinrich Alexander von Humboldt (14 September 17696 May 1859) was a German polymath, geographer, naturalist, explorer, and proponent of Romantic philosophy and science. He was the younger brother of the Prussian minister, p ...
tried to revive the mining industry again. Many towns and villages (e. g.
Wunsiedel
(; Northern Bavarian: ''Wåuṉsieḏl'' or ''Wousigl'') is the seat of the Upper Franconian district of in northeast Bavaria, Germany. The town is the birthplace of poet Jean Paul. It also became known for its annual Festival and the Rudolf ...
,
Weißenstadt
Weißenstadt is a town in the district of Wunsiedel, in Upper Franconia, Bavaria, Germany. It is situated on the shore of the picturesque Weißenstadter See (Weissenstadt Lake), in the Fichtelgebirge Mountains, on the river Eger, 11 km nort ...
Goldkronach
Goldkronach (East Franconian: ''Gronich'') is a town in the district of Bayreuth, in Bavaria, Germany. It is situated near the Fichtelgebirge, 12 km northeast of Bayreuth.
History
On 25 June 1836, at 22:15, residents awoke to a man yell ...
) owe their emergence to the mining industry.
An insight into the history of mining in the Fichtel Mountains may be gained from:
* the
visitor mine
A mine, i.e. an industrial facility for the underground extraction of mineral commodities, has three operating phases: it may be open or running, or closed or it may be a working museum. Most mines are simply closed once they are no longer product ...
of Gleissinger Fels near Fichtelberg-Neubau
* the Schmutzler gallery near Goldkronach
* the gold mining museum in Goldkronach
* the mining exhibition in the
Fichtelgebirge Museum
The Fichtelgebirge Museum (german: Fichtelgebirgsmuseum) is a regional museum in Wunsiedel, formerly the 'capital' of the Sechsämterland and the county town (''Kreisstadt'') in the Fichtel Mountains of central Germany.
Formerly important trades, ...
at Wunsiedel
* the mining industry information point at Arzberg
* the local heritage and mining museum in Erbendorf
Traditions
The
Huguenot
The Huguenots ( , also , ) were a religious group of French Protestants who held to the Reformed, or Calvinist, tradition of Protestantism. The term, which may be derived from the name of a Swiss political leader, the Genevan burgomaster Be ...
s introduced the Easter decorations on wells, so-called
Osterbrunnen
The Osterbrunnen (Easter Well or Easter Fountain) is a German tradition of decorating public wells or fountains with Easter eggs for Easter. It began in the early 20th century in the Franconian Switzerland region of Upper Franconia but has spread ...
, in the shape of a lily (emblem of the
Bourbon Bourbon may refer to:
Food and drink
* Bourbon whiskey, an American whiskey made using a corn-based mash
* Bourbon barrel aged beer, a type of beer aged in bourbon barrels
* Bourbon biscuit, a chocolate sandwich biscuit
* A beer produced by Bras ...
kings) (as described e.g. in the April 2007 of the ''Fränkische Post'').
Osterbrunnen Marktleuthen 1- 07.jpg, Easter well in
Marktleuthen
Marktleuthen () is a municipality in the district of Wunsiedel, in Bavaria, Germany. It is situated on the river Eger, 10 km north of Wunsiedel and 11 km southwest of Selb
Selb is a town in the district of Wunsiedel, in Upper Francon ...
Osterbrunnen Weissenstadt 07.jpg, Easter well in
Weißenstadt
Weißenstadt is a town in the district of Wunsiedel, in Upper Franconia, Bavaria, Germany. It is situated on the shore of the picturesque Weißenstadter See (Weissenstadt Lake), in the Fichtelgebirge Mountains, on the river Eger, 11 km nort ...
Economy and tourism
Although the mining industry is only of historic interest today, there are many places in the Fichtel Mountains that still produce glassware at competitive prices. The porcelain industry, centred on the town of
Selb
Selb is a town in the district of Wunsiedel, in Upper Franconia, Bavaria, Germany. It is situated in the Fichtelgebirge, on the border with the Czech Republic, 20 km northwest of Cheb and 23 km southeast of Hof.
Selb is well known fo ...
, is internationally renowned and the foremost in Germany. Local firms such as
Rosenthal
Rosenthal is a German and Jewish surname meaning "rose valley". Notable people with the name include:
A
* Abe M. Rosenthal (1922–2006), ''New York Times'' editor and columnist
*Albert Rosenthal (1863–1939), American portrait artist
* Albert ...
and
Hutschenreuther
Hutschenreuther is the name of a German family that established the production of porcelain in northern Bavaria, starting in 1814.
History
The Hutschenreuther porcelain business was founded in 1814 by Carolus Magnus Hutschenreuther (1794–1845 ...
are of international standing.
Tourism is the main source of income for many places in the Fichtel Mountains today. In some towns such as
Bischofsgrün
Bischofsgrün is a municipality in the district of Bayreuth in Bavaria in Germany.
Bischofsgrün is situated within the Fichtelgebirge mountain range between the range's two largest mountains; Schneeberg (1051 m) and the Ochsenkopf (1024 m). T ...
tourism has a long tradition going back to the 1920s. After the
Second World War
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
the stream of holidaymakers increased sharply, both in summer for walking and in winter for winter sports. The Fichtel Mountains became the local mountain range (''Hausgebirge'') for (West-)Berliners who, unable to holiday in East Germany, were able to get there on the transit route of the A 9 motorway. This has changed since
German reunification
German reunification (german: link=no, Deutsche Wiedervereinigung) was the process of re-establishing Germany as a united and fully sovereign state, which took place between 2 May 1989 and 15 March 1991. The day of 3 October 1990 when the Ge ...
and the opening up of other mountainous holiday areas.
The Fichtel Mountains are a nationally important holiday destination in winter. Several lifts, the longest being two chair lifts on the Ochsenkopf, but also a plethora of cut cross-country trails are the mainstay of this industry.
The Fichtel Mountains attract many tourists throughout the year. In the winter the mountains are a common destination for people seeking outdoor recreational sports like
alpine skiing
Alpine skiing, or downhill skiing, is the pastime of sliding down snow-covered slopes on skis with fixed-heel bindings, unlike other types of skiing ( cross-country, Telemark, or ski jumping), which use skis with free-heel bindings. Whether for ...
,
cross country skiing
Cross-country skiing is a form of skiing where skiers rely on their own locomotion to move across snow-covered terrain, rather than using ski lifts or other forms of assistance. Cross-country skiing is widely practiced as a sport and recreation ...
, and
sledding
Sledding, sledging or sleighing is a winter sport typically carried out in a prone or seated position on a vehicle generically known as a sled (North American), a sledge (British), or a sleigh. It is the basis of three Olympic sports: luge, skele ...
. The warmer summer months find people
mountain biking
Mountain biking is a sport of riding bicycles off-road, often over rough terrain, usually using specially designed mountain bikes. Mountain bikes share similarities with other bikes but incorporate features designed to enhance durability and pe ...
,
hiking
Hiking is a long, vigorous walk, usually on trails or footpaths in the countryside. Walking for pleasure developed in Europe during the eighteenth century.AMATO, JOSEPH A. "Mind over Foot: Romantic Walking and Rambling." In ''On Foot: A Histor ...
, and sight seeing amongst the many large rock formations.
Aš
Aš (; german: Asch) is a town in Cheb District in the Karlovy Vary Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 12,000 inhabitants.
Administrative parts
Villages of Dolní Paseky, Doubrava (Aš), Doubrava, Horní Paseky, Kopaniny (Aš), Kopaniny, ...
*
Bad Berneck
Bad Berneck () is a spa town in the district of Bayreuth, in Bavaria, Germany. It is situated on the White Main river, in the Fichtelgebirge mountains, 13 km northeast of Bayreuth. Its official title is ''Bad Berneck im Fichtelgebirge''. ...
*
Bindlach
Bindlach is a municipality in the district of Bayreuth in Upper Franconia in Bavaria, Germany. The town is adjacent immediately north of the town of Bayreuth. The population count of December 2006 was 7197 inhabitants.
History
The name Bindlach ...
*
Bischofsgrün
Bischofsgrün is a municipality in the district of Bayreuth in Bavaria in Germany.
Bischofsgrün is situated within the Fichtelgebirge mountain range between the range's two largest mountains; Schneeberg (1051 m) and the Ochsenkopf (1024 m). T ...
Ebnath
Ebnath is a municipality in the district of Tirschenreuth in Bavaria, Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and ...
*
Erbendorf
Erbendorf () is a town in the Upper Palatinate (Oberpfalz) region of Germany. As of December, 2006, the town has a population of 5,341.
The following villages are incorporated into the town:
Aschenhof, Birkenreuth, Boxdorf, Eppenhof, Frodersreut ...
*
Fichtelberg
The Fichtelberg () is a mountain with two main peaks in the middle of the Ore Mountains in the east German state of Saxony, near the Czech border. At above sea level, the Fichtelberg is the highest mountain in Saxony, the second highest in the ...
*
Gefrees
Gefrees () is a town in the Bayreuth (district), district of Bayreuth, in Bavaria, Germany. It is situated in the Fichtelgebirge, 21 km northeast of Bayreuth. It was the site of a Battle of Gefrees, battle during the Napoleonic Wars.
Referen ...
*
Goldkronach
Goldkronach (East Franconian: ''Gronich'') is a town in the district of Bayreuth, in Bavaria, Germany. It is situated near the Fichtelgebirge, 12 km northeast of Bayreuth.
History
On 25 June 1836, at 22:15, residents awoke to a man yell ...
*
Hazlov
Hazlov (german: Haslau) is a municipality and village in Cheb District in the Karlovy Vary Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 1,500 inhabitants.
Administrative parts
Villages of Lipná, Polná, Skalka, Vlastislav and Výhledy are admi ...
*
Höchstädt im Fichtelgebirge
Höchstädt im Fichtelgebirge is a municipality in the district of Wunsiedel in Bavaria in Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Euro ...
Kemnath
Kemnath () is a small town in the district of Tirschenreuth, in Bavaria, Germany. It is situated near the Fichtelgebirge, 24 km southeast of Bayreuth. The town's motto is "das Tor zur Oberpfalz," which translates into English as "The Door to ...
Kirchenlamitz
Kirchenlamitz () is a town in the district of Wunsiedel, in Bavaria, Germany. It is situated in the Fichtelgebirge, 13 km northwest of Wunsiedel
(; Northern Bavarian: ''Wåuṉsieḏl'' or ''Wousigl'') is the seat of the Upper Franconia ...
Marktleugast
Marktleugast is a municipality in the district of Kulmbach in Bavaria in Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, an ...
*
Marktleuthen
Marktleuthen () is a municipality in the district of Wunsiedel, in Bavaria, Germany. It is situated on the river Eger, 10 km north of Wunsiedel and 11 km southwest of Selb
Selb is a town in the district of Wunsiedel, in Upper Francon ...
*
Marktredwitz
Marktredwitz () is a town in the Wunsiedel (district), district of Wunsiedel, in Bavaria, Germany, close to the Czech Republic, Czech border. It is situated 22 km west of Cheb, 50 km east of Bayreuth and 50 km south of Hof/Saale. Ma ...
Mehlmeisel
Mehlmeisel is a municipality in the district of Bayreuth in Bavaria in Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, an ...
*
Münchberg
Münchberg is a small town in Upper Franconia (Bavaria), Germany. It is sometimes referred to as the ''Textile Town of Bavaria''.
Its sister city is Jefferson City, Missouri, United States.
Geography
The town districts
History
The first set ...
Neusorg
Neusorg is a municipality in the district of Tirschenreuth in Bavaria, Germany. The town itself is the seat of Neusorg municipal federation.
Geography
Neusorg has nine Ortsteil
A village is a clustered human settlement or community, ...
*
Plesná
Plesná (german: Fleißen) is a town in Cheb District in the Karlovy Vary Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 1,900 inhabitants.
Administrative parts
Villages of Lomnička, Smrčina and Vackov are administrative parts of Plesná.
Geography ...
Rehau
Rehau is a Town#Germany, town in the Hof (district), district of Hof, in Bavaria, Germany. The first documented name of Rehau was "Resawe" in the year 1234. Rehau is situated in the Fichtelgebirge, 12 km southeast of Hof, Germany, Hof, and 12 ...
*
Röslau
Röslau is a municipality in the district of Wunsiedel in Bavaria in Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and ...
*
Schirnding
Schirnding is a municipality in the district of Wunsiedel in Bavaria in Germany. Schirnding station is a border station on the Nuremberg–Cheb railway.
Musicologist Reinhard Schulz
Reinhard Schulz (7 March 1950 – 24 July 2009) was a Germa ...
Selb
Selb is a town in the district of Wunsiedel, in Upper Franconia, Bavaria, Germany. It is situated in the Fichtelgebirge, on the border with the Czech Republic, 20 km northwest of Cheb and 23 km southeast of Hof.
Selb is well known fo ...
*
Skalná
Skalná (; until 1950 Vildštejn, german: Wildstein) is a town in Cheb District in the Karlovy Vary Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 1,900 inhabitants.
Administrative parts
Villages of Kateřina, Starý Rybník, Vonšov and Zelená are a ...
*
Sparneck
Sparneck is a municipality in Upper Franconia in the district of Hof in Bavaria in Germany.
Location
The market town of Sparneck lies at an average height of in the Pfarrbach valley, which forms the larger part of the area. The Saxon Saale r ...
*
Speichersdorf
Speichersdorf is a municipality in the district of Bayreuth in Bavaria in Germany. It is situated near the Fichtelgebirge
The Fichtel MountainsRandlesome, C. et al. (2011). ''Business Cultures in Europe'', 2nd ed., Routledge, Abingdon and ...
*
Thiersheim
Thiersheim is a municipality in the district of Wunsiedel in Bavaria in Germany.
Grafenreuth, now a part of Thiersheim, was the seat of the noble family Gravenreuth for centuries.
Thiersheim - Sankt Ägidien Kirche - 01.jpg, Evangelical Luthe ...
Tröstau
Tröstau is a municipality in the district of Wunsiedel in Bavaria in Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and ...
*
Waldershof
Waldershof is a town in the district of Tirschenreuth, in Bavaria, Germany. It is situated 22 km northwest of Tirschenreuth, and 3 km southwest of Marktredwitz.
Geography
The 60 square kilometer City of Waldershof is bounded on the N ...
*
Warmensteinach
Warmensteinach is a municipality in the district of Bayreuth in Bavaria in Germany.
From here there is a chairlift, the Ochsenkopf South Chairlift, to the summit of the Ochsenkopf, the second highest mountain in the Fichtelgebirge
The Fichtel ...
*
Weidenberg
Weidenberg is a municipality in the district of Bayreuth in Bavaria in Germany. The Ölschnitz river discharges near Weidenberg-Neunkirchen into the Red Main.
Nearby is the site of a medieval castle, known as Burgstall Schlosshügel
The Burgst ...
Weißenstadt
Weißenstadt is a town in the district of Wunsiedel, in Upper Franconia, Bavaria, Germany. It is situated on the shore of the picturesque Weißenstadter See (Weissenstadt Lake), in the Fichtelgebirge Mountains, on the river Eger, 11 km nort ...
*
Wunsiedel
(; Northern Bavarian: ''Wåuṉsieḏl'' or ''Wousigl'') is the seat of the Upper Franconian district of in northeast Bavaria, Germany. The town is the birthplace of poet Jean Paul. It also became known for its annual Festival and the Rudolf ...
*
Zell im Fichtelgebirge
Zell im Fichtelgebirge, formerly Zell (official name until July 2007) is a market town in the district of Hof in Bavaria in Germany.
Geography
The heart of the market parish lies between the towns of Hof and Bayreuth, about 5 km from the ...
Approaches
* ''Rail:''
Marktredwitz
Marktredwitz () is a town in the Wunsiedel (district), district of Wunsiedel, in Bavaria, Germany, close to the Czech Republic, Czech border. It is situated 22 km west of Cheb, 50 km east of Bayreuth and 50 km south of Hof/Saale. Ma ...
station has rail services to Eger, Regensburg, Nuremberg, Munich, Hof, Bayreuth, Dresden and Leipzig
* ''Road:''
** Federal roads (''
Bundesstraße
''Bundesstraße'' (German for "federal highway"), abbreviated ''B'', is the denotation for German and Austrian national highways.
Germany
Germany's ''Bundesstraßen'' network has a total length of about 40,000 km.
German ''Bundesstraßen'' ...
Bundesautobahn
The (; German plural ) is the federal controlled-access highway system in Germany. The official German term is (abbreviated ''BAB''), which translates as 'federal motorway'. The literal meaning of the word is 'Federal Auto(mobile) Track'. ...
* Franz X. Bogner: ''Das Fichtelgebirge im Luftbildportrait''. Ellwanger Verlag, Bayreuth 2009 (twote Auflage). .
* Dietmar Herrmann: ''Vom Bergbau im Fichtelgebirge.'' Heft 11 und 12 der Schriftenreihe „Beiträge zur Geschichts- und Landeskunde des Fichtelgebirges“, Verlag Buchhandlung Kohler, Wunsiedel
* Dietmar Herrmann: "Rund um den Großen Waldstein im Fichtelgebirge", Heft 16/2008 der FGV-Schriftenreihe Das Fichtelgebirge, HG: Fichtelgebirgsverein, Theresienstraße 2, 95632 Wunsiedel
* Reinhard Feldrapp, Bernd Häuser: ''Fichtelgebirge. Streifzüge durch das granitene Hufeisen''. Echter Verlag 2003,
* Dietmar Herrmann: ''Lexikon Fichtelgebirge''. Ackermann-Verlag, Hof,
* Reinhard Müller, Horst Ruhl: ''Mit Kindern im Fichtelgebirge. Wo Wandern zum Erlebnis wird.'' Fleischhauer & Spohn Verlag, Bietigheim 1994,
* Gerhard Bayerl, Manfred Schultes, Bernhard Settwon: ''Steinmeer und Siebenstern.'' Druckhaus Oberpfalz 2000,
* Karl-Heinz Mayer: ''Die Forstgeschichte des Fichtelgebirges''. (Dissertationsschrift.) Forstliche Forschungsberichte München, Nr. 167. Frank, München 1998, 297 (VII/XI) S.
* ''Fichtelgebirge, Frankenwald, Coburger Land. Vom Oberen Maintal bis zum Vogtland.'' HB-Verlags- und Vertriebsgesellschaft 1998 (HB Bildatlas: H.190),
* Gernot Messarius: ''Fichtelgebirge. Steinwald. Bayreuth, Kulmbach, Hof.'' Goldstadtverlag, Pforzheim 2002 (Goldstadt Reiseführer Bd. 318),
* Godehard Schramm, Bernd-Heinz Häuser: ''Fichtelgebirge-Frankenwald-Steinwald. Die schönsten Ausflugsziele.'' Rosenheimer Verlagshaus 1992,
* Reinhard Feldrapp, Günter Hertel: ''Das Fichtelgebirge''. H. Stürtz, Würzburg 1984,
* Friedrich Wilhelm Singer, Georg Pöhlein: ''Fichtelgebirge. Das granitene Hufeisen.'' Oberfränkische Verlagsanstalt, Hof 1983,
* Dietmar Herrmann: "Der Ochsenkopf im Fichtelgebirge", Heft 17/2009 der FGV-Schriftenreihe Das Fichtelgebirge
Maps
* ''Naturpark Fichtelgebirge and Naturpark Steinwald.'' Walking map with tourist tips, coloured path marking and car parks for walkers.. Official walking map of the
Fichtelgebirge Club
The Fichtelgebirge Club (german: Fichtelgebirgsverein or ''FGV'') is a large walking club and local heritage society in Bavaria and recognised conservation group with 20,000 members in 55 local groups. As the name says, its main sphere of activit ...
and
Fichtelgebirge Nature Park
The Fichtel Mountain Nature Park (german: Naturpark Fichtelgebirge) lies in the tri-border area of Saxony, the Czech Republic and Bavaria and has an area of . It is maintained by the ''Naturpark Fichtelgebirge e. V.'' in Wunsiedel.
Landscape ...