The Haar () or Haarstrang is a ridge of hills on the southern edge of the
Westphalian Basin
The Westphalian Lowland, also known as the Westphalian Basin is a flat landscape that mainly lies within the German region of Westphalia, although small areas also fall within North Rhine (in the extreme southwest) and in Lower Saxony (on the nort ...
in the German state of
North Rhine-Westphalia
North Rhine-Westphalia (german: Nordrhein-Westfalen, ; li, Noordrien-Wesfale ; nds, Noordrhien-Westfalen; ksh, Noodrhing-Wäßßfaale), commonly shortened to NRW (), is a state (''Land'') in Western Germany. With more than 18 million inha ...
. From 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 ecological point of view, the naturally occurring flora and ...
perspective it is the southern, submontane part of the
Hellweg Börde
The Hellweg Börde (German: ''Hellwegbörde'') is a ''börde'' landscape and natural region on the southern edge of the Westphalian Lowland in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia, which embraces the old Hellweg trading route cities and tow ...
Möhne
The Möhne () is a river in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is a right tributary of the Ruhr. The Möhne passes the towns of Brilon, Rüthen and Warstein. There is a large artificial lake near the mouth of the river, the Möhne Reservoir, us ...
and Ruhr rivers.E. Meynen and J. Schmithüsen: ''Handbuch der naturräumlichen Gliederung Deutschlands'' - Bundesanstalt für Landeskunde, 6th edition Remagen 1959 (a total of 9 editions in 8 books 1953-1962, updated in 1960 with 1:1,000,000 map of major landscape units)
Its highest elevation is the 391 m high ''Spitze Warte'', which is situationed near
Rüthen
Rüthen () is a town in the district of Soest, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany.
Geography
Rüthen is situated at the northeastern border of the natural preserve Arnsberger Wald between the Haarstrang and the valley of the river Möhne, appro ...
- Hemmern at the eastern end of the Haarstrang. Further west the crest of the ridge reaches heights of generally 200 to 250 m above sea level ( NN) and rises to about 100 to 150 m over the Ruhr and
Möhne
The Möhne () is a river in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is a right tributary of the Ruhr. The Möhne passes the towns of Brilon, Rüthen and Warstein. There is a large artificial lake near the mouth of the river, the Möhne Reservoir, us ...
valleys in the south as well as the valley of the
Lippe
Lippe () is a ''Kreis'' (district) in the east of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Neighboring districts are Herford, Minden-Lübbecke, Höxter, Paderborn, Gütersloh, and district-free Bielefeld, which forms the region Ostwestfalen-Lippe.
The ...
in the north separated by the Upper and Lower
Hellweg
In the Middle Ages, Hellweg was the official and common name given to main travelling routes in Germany. Their breadth was decreed as an unimpeded passageway a lance's width, about three metres, which the landholders through which the Hellweg pas ...