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-Hufeisen''), that rings the Selb-Wunsiedel Plateau. As a

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 ...

the High Fichtel Mountains are major unit 394 within the major unit group of 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 ...

(39), that run from the Thuringian Forest to the

Fichtel Mountains 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 in northeastern Bavaria ...

.E. Meynen and J. Schmithüsen: ''

Handbuch der naturräumlichen Gliederung Deutschlands The ''Handbook of Natural Region Divisions of Germany'' (german: Handbuch der naturräumlichen Gliederung Deutschlands) was a book series resulting from a project by the former German Federal Institute for Regional Studies ('' Bundesanstalt für La ...

'' – Bundesanstalt für Landeskunde, Remagen/Bad Godesberg 1953-1962 (9 issues in 8 books, updated (1960) 1:1,000,000 map with major units) Since September 2010 there is a new system for classifying the natural regions of northeast Bavaria, whereby the natural region of the High Fichtel only covers the central mountain region of the Scheeberg, Ochsenkopf and Kösseine, whilst the Waldstein ridge, the Steinwald and lower parts of the horseshoe represent special subordinate natural regions of the Fichtel Mountains.Karl Heinrich Vollrath: Viola in Nordostbayern (Seite 132-133)
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Geography

The High Fichtel Mountains begin in the northeast at the Kornberg, continue via the Waldstein, Schneeberg, Ochsenkopf and Königsheide in the southwest to 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 ...

, then over the

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 to the Kohlwald in the southeast. In the geomorphological division of the neighbouring Czech Republic, the Asch Hills (german: Ascher Hügelland; cz, Ašská vrchovina), the Haslau Hills (''Haslauer Hügelland'' or ''Hazlovská pahorkatina'') and the Eger Hills (''Egerer Hügelland'' or ''Chebská pahorkatina'') are counted as part of the (High) Fichtel range.Smrčiny (Fichtelgebirge)
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Geology

Geologically the mountain range 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

Pre-Cambrian 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 ...

about 750–800 million years ago – covering almost 20% of the

earth's history The history of Earth concerns the development of planet Earth from its formation to the present day. Nearly all branches of natural science have contributed to understanding of the main events of Earth's past, characterized by constant geologic ...

, something which only applies to a few of the surviving ranges of the truncated Central Uplands of Germany today.

Mountains

The mountains of the High Fichtel include the following, sorted by their elevation in metres (m) above sea level (NN):

Settlements

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 ...

* Brand (Oberpfalz) *

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 ...

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 ...

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 ...

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 ...

* Konnersreuth *

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 ...

* Nagel *

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, ...

* Schönbrunn *

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 ...

* Tröstau *

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 ...

Weißdorf Weißdorf is a municipality in Upper Franconia in the district of Hof in Bavaria in Germany. It lies on the Saale River The Saale (), also known as the Saxon Saale (german: Sächsische Saale) and Thuringian Saale (german: Thüringische Saale) ...

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 ...

Lakes and rivers

* See

article.

Transport

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 ...

railway hub * B 303 and B 15 federal highways *

A 93 A93 or A-93 may refer to: * A93 road (Scotland) * A93 motorway (Germany) * Dutch Defence The Dutch Defence is a chess opening characterised by the moves: :1. d4 f5 Black's 1...f5 stakes a claim to the e4-square and envisions an attack in th ...

and A 9 motorways

References

Sources

* Fritsch Wanderkarte 1:50.000 Fichtelgebirge-Steinwald, {{ISBN, 978-3-86116-052-6

External links

BfN The German Federal Agency for Nature Conservation (german: Bundesamt für Naturschutz, ''BfN'') is the German government's scientific authority with responsibility for national and international nature conservation. BfN is one of the government' ...

- landscape fact file *
Hohes Fichtelgebirge
Natural regions of Germany Fichtel Mountains Mountain ranges of Bavaria