The Hersbrucker Alb ("Hersbruck Jura") – also called ''Hersbrucker Schweiz'' ("Hersbruck Switzerland") or ''Pegnitz-Alb'' ("Pegnitz Jura") – is the northeastern part of the

Franconian Jura The Franconian Jura ( , , or ) is an upland in Franconia, Bavaria, Germany. Located between two rivers, the Danube in the south and the Main in the north, its peaks reach elevations of up to and it has an area of some 7053.8 km2. Emil Meyne ...

near the town of

Hersbruck Hersbruck () is a small town in Middle Franconia, Bavaria, Germany, belonging to the district Nürnberger Land. It is best known for the late-gothic artwork of the Hersbruck altar, the "Hirtenmuseum" and the landscape of Hersbruck Switzerland. Hi ...

. The River Pegnitz and its tributaries flow through the region.

Location

In the west the Hersbrucker Alb reaches the valley of the

Schnaittach Schnaittach is a market town in Middle Franconia, Bavaria, Germany. Geography Schnaittach is on the river Schnaittach, a tributary of the Pegnitz. History Schnaittach was first mentioned in 1011. Until 1806 the Christian population of S ...

. It is bounded by the course of the Pegnitz and

Hiltpoltstein Hiltpoltstein is a market village in the district of Forchheim in Bavaria in Germany. At its centre is Hiltpoltstein Castle Hiltpoltstein Castle (german: Burg Hiltpoltstein) was originally a high mediaeval aristocratic castle dating to the 11 ...

to the west,

Betzenstein Betzenstein () is a town in the district of Bayreuth, in Bavaria, Germany. It is situated in the Franconian Switzerland, 35 km northeast of Nuremberg Nuremberg ( ; german: link=no, Nürnberg ; in the local East Franconian dialect: ''Nä ...

to the north,

Auerbach in der Oberpfalz Auerbach in der Oberpfalz () is a town in the Amberg-Sulzbach district, Bavaria, Germany. It is located 45 km northeast of Nuremberg. In the subdivision Michelfeld there was a Michelfeld Abbey, Benedictine monastery which is now a nursing hom ...

and

Sulzbach-Rosenberg Sulzbach-Rosenberg ( bar, label=Northern Bavarian, Suizboch-Rosnberg) is a municipality in the Amberg-Sulzbach district, in Bavaria, Germany. It is situated approximately 14 km northwest of Amberg, and 50 km east of Nuremberg. The town c ...

to the east and Alfeld (Mittelfranken) to the south. Much of it lies within the Bavarian provinces of

Middle Franconia Middle Franconia (german: Mittelfranken, ) is one of the three administrative regions of Franconia in Bavaria, Germany. It is located in the west of Bavaria and borders the state of Baden-Württemberg. The administrative seat is Ansbach; however, ...

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 ...

; a small part is in

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 ...

. The Hersbrucker Alb is formed from the

White Jura The White Jurassic or White Jura (german: Weißer Jura or ''Weißjura'') in earth history refers to the upper of the three lithostratigraphic units of the South German Jurassic, the latter being understood not as a geographical, but a geological t ...

platform of hard, brittle and

karstified Karst is a topography formed from the dissolution of soluble rocks such as limestone, dolomite, and gypsum. It is characterized by underground drainage systems with sinkholes and caves. It has also been documented for more weathering-resistant ro ...

massive and

Corallian Limestone The Corallian Group or Corallian Limestone is a geologic group in England. It is predominantly a coralliferous sedimentary rock, laid down in the Oxfordian stage of the Jurassic. It is a hard variety of "coral rag". Building stones from this geol ...

s and the Franconian

dolomite Dolomite may refer to: *Dolomite (mineral), a carbonate mineral *Dolomite (rock), also known as dolostone, a sedimentary carbonate rock *Dolomite, Alabama, United States, an unincorporated community *Dolomite, California, United States, an unincor ...

together with their more recent depositions. Numerous

cave A cave or cavern is a natural void in the ground, specifically a space large enough for a human to enter. Caves often form by the weathering of rock and often extend deep underground. The word ''cave'' can refer to smaller openings such as sea ...

s and a striking rock landscape have resulted in the area being referred to as "Hersbruck Switzerland" (''Hersbrucker Schweiz'', formerly ''Nürnberger Schweiz''). The Hersbrucker Alb is part of the Northern Franconian Jura climbing area. The term ''Alb'' may come from the Latin ''montes albi'' ("white mountains"). The term is however probably an old

Celtic Celtic, Celtics or Keltic may refer to: Language and ethnicity *pertaining to Celts, a collection of Indo-European peoples in Europe and Anatolia **Celts (modern) *Celtic languages **Proto-Celtic language * Celtic music *Celtic nations Sports Fo ...

word meaning "mountain meadow". The Ossinger is the highest point of the Hersbrucker Alb.

Literature

* Eckhardt Pfeiffer: ''Hersbrucker Alb'' (2001), Pfeiffer Verlag, 2001, * Friedrich Herrmann: ''Höhlen der Fränkischen und Hersbrucker Schweiz.'' Regensburg, 1980 * Hardy Schabdach: ''Unterirdische Welten - Höhlen der Fränkischen und Hersbrucker Schweiz.'' Verlag Reinhold Lippert, Ebermannstadt, 2000

Maps

* No.53 Sheet South. ''Veldensteiner Forst, Hersbrucker Alb.'' * No.72 ''Hersbrucker Alb in der Frankenalb, Pegnitz- und Hirschbachtal. ''

External links

Tourism portal for the Hersbrucker Schweiz: natural monuments
Central Uplands Regions of Bavaria Mountain ranges of Bavaria {{Bavaria-geo-stub