The Huy (, from the

Old High German Old High German (OHG; german: Althochdeutsch (Ahd.)) is the earliest stage of the German language, conventionally covering the period from around 750 to 1050. There is no standardised or supra-regional form of German at this period, and Old High ...

for ''Höhe'' = "heights") or Huywald is a ridge, up to 314.8 metres high, in western

Saxony-Anhalt Saxony-Anhalt (german: Sachsen-Anhalt ; nds, Sassen-Anholt) is a state of Germany, bordering the states of Brandenburg, Saxony, Thuringia and Lower Saxony. It covers an area of and has a population of 2.18 million inhabitants, making it th ...

in Germany. It lies in the northern part of the district of

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

, about 10 kilometres northwest of

Halberstadt Halberstadt ( Eastphalian: ''Halverstidde'') is a town in the German state of Saxony-Anhalt, the capital of Harz district. Located north of the Harz mountain range, it is known for its old town center that was greatly destroyed by Allied bomb ...

and a few kilometres west of

Schwanebeck Schwanebeck is a small town in the district of Harz, in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. It is part of the ''Verbandsgemeinde'' ("collective municipality") Vorharz. The municipal area is situated northeast of Halberstadt, on the '' Bundesstraße 245'' h ...

. It is chiefly composed of

bunter sandstone The Buntsandstein (German for ''coloured'' or ''colourful sandstone'') or Bunter sandstone is a lithostratigraphic and allostratigraphic unit (a sequence of rock strata) in the subsurface of large parts of west and central Europe. The Buntsands ...

and

muschelkalk The Muschelkalk (German for "shell-bearing limestone"; french: calcaire coquillier) is a sequence of sedimentary rock, sedimentary rock strata (a lithostratigraphy, lithostratigraphic unit) in the geology of central and western Europe. It has a Mid ...

and has been designated a protected area. Towards the north and northwest the terrain falls away into the

Großes Bruch The Großes Bruch ("Great Marsh") is a long wetland strip in Germany, stretching from Oschersleben in Saxony-Anhalt in the east to Hornburg, Lower Saxony in the west. The depression formed from a glacial valley. The lowland meadow landscape w ...

. Towards the east the Huy transitions to the

Magdeburg Börde The Magdeburg Börde (german: Magdeburger Börde) is the central landscape unit of the state of Saxony-Anhalt and lies to the west and south of the eponymous state capital Magdeburg. Part of a loess belt stretching along the southeastern rim of th ...

; to the south and southwest it is adjoined by the

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

and the

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

. The highest hill, the 314-metre-high ''Buchenberg'', is located about three kilometres southwest of Dingelstedt am Huy, within the municipality of

Huy Huy ( or ; nl, Hoei, ; wa, Hu) is a city and municipality of Wallonia located in the province of Liège, Belgium. Huy lies along the river Meuse, at the mouth of the small river Hoyoux. It is in the ''sillon industriel'', the former industrial ...

. The Huy Forest (''Huywald'') is one of the largest, almost pure beech forests of central Europe. On the crest of the Huy lies the

Benedictine , image = Medalla San Benito.PNG , caption = Design on the obverse side of the Saint Benedict Medal , abbreviation = OSB , formation = , motto = (English: 'Pray and Work') , foun ...

abbey An abbey is a type of monastery used by members of a religious order under the governance of an abbot or abbess. Abbeys provide a complex of buildings and land for religious activities, work, and housing of Christian monks and nuns. The con ...

Huysburg Huysburg (; german: Kloster Huysburg) is a Order of Saint Benedict, Benedictine monastery situated on the Huy (hills), Huy hill range near Halberstadt, in the Germany, German state of Saxony-Anhalt. The Romanesque architecture, Romanesque abbey has ...

, which is on the

Romanesque Road The Romanesque Road (german: Straße der Romanik) is a scenic route in the German state of Saxony-Anhalt in central-east Germany. It is part of the Transromanica network, a major European Cultural Route since 2006. Route The route takes th ...

, and Daneil's Cave. Politically the Huy belongs to the parish of the same name. Its villages lie around the ridge itself.

History

Between 1882 and 1887 several drillings were carried out in the Huy about five kilometres from Anderbeck. They uncovered large deposits of

potash Potash () includes various mined and manufactured salts that contain potassium in water-soluble form.

and

rock salt Halite (), commonly known as rock salt, is a type of salt, the mineral (natural) form of sodium chloride ( Na Cl). Halite forms isometric crystals. The mineral is typically colorless or white, but may also be light blue, dark blue, purple, pi ...

not far below the surface. This led to the foundation of the Wilhelmshall Mining Company (''Bergrechtliche Gewerkschaft Wilhelmshall''), which started mining salts here in 1926 and triggered a boom in the Huy region. The Jerxheim–Dedeleben–Nienhagen railway, with its industrial siding built in 1891 from Anderbeck to the potash works, was constructed primarily for the transportation of potash salts. In 1897 a

cement works A cement is a binder, a chemical substance used for construction that sets, hardens, and adheres to other materials to bind them together. Cement is seldom used on its own, but rather to bind sand and gravel ( aggregate) together. Cement mix ...

built close to Schwanebeck that used a limestone quarry in the Huy was also connected to the railway line. During quarrying work in 1910 ice age

kettle A kettle, sometimes called a tea kettle or teakettle, is a type of pot specialized for boiling water, commonly with a ''lid'', ''spout'', and ''handle'', or a small electric kitchen appliance of similar shape that functions in a self-contained ...

s were discovered. From 1934 the Dingelstedt b Halberstadt Army Ammunition Depot (''Heeres-Munitionsanstalt Dingelstedt b Halberstadt'') was located in the Huy in several old potash mine galleries. In 1944 up to 600 employees and forced labourers worked here. Two explosions on 21 September 1944 caused 59 deaths. From 1957 to 1961 there was discussion about reopening the potash mines, but the idea was eventually dropped. By 1962 the underground facilities were cleared and, in 1978, the shafts were flooded. Today the Huy is heavily used by hikers, cyclists and riders.

Transport

The Huy lies in the angle formed by the B 244 federal road heading westwards from Helmstedt to

Wernigerode Wernigerode () is a town in the district of Harz, Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. Until 2007, it was the capital of the district of Wernigerode. Its population was 35,041 in 2012. Wernigerode is located southwest of Halberstadt, and is picturesquely s ...

and the B 79 that runs southwards from

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

). It measures about 25 kilometres from east to west and some three kilometres from north to south. The (Jerxheim–)Dedeleben–Nienhagen railway, also known as the Huy Railway (''Huybahn''), rungs along the eastern and northern edge of the Huy. It was closed in 2001.

References

{{Authority control Hills of the Harz Protected areas of Saxony-Anhalt Landforms of Saxony-Anhalt Hill ranges of Germany