The Kandel is a mountain, 1,241.4 metres high, in the
Black Forest
The Black Forest (german: Schwarzwald ) is a large forested mountain range in the state of Baden-Württemberg in southwest Germany, bounded by the Rhine Valley to the west and south and close to the borders with France and Switzerland. It is t ...
in the south of
Baden-Württemberg
Baden-Württemberg (; ), commonly shortened to BW or BaWü, is a German state () in Southwest Germany, east of the Rhine, which forms the southern part of Germany's western border with France. With more than 11.07 million inhabitants across a ...
,
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 ...
.
Geography
The Kandel is located 25 km northeast of
Freiburg
Freiburg im Breisgau (; abbreviated as Freiburg i. Br. or Freiburg i. B.; Low Alemannic: ''Friburg im Brisgau''), commonly referred to as Freiburg, is an independent city in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. With a population of about 230,000 (as o ...
in the
Breisgau
The Breisgau () is an area in southwest Germany between the Rhine River and the foothills of the Black Forest. Part of the state of Baden-Württemberg, it centers on the city of Freiburg im Breisgau. The district of Breisgau-Hochschwarzwald, ...
and has a height of 1,241 m (4,072 ft).
The Kandel belongs to the Central Black Forest
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 ...
region. The overall shape of the
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 ...
was tectonically formed: the Kandel block rises table-like in a northwesterly direction from the
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 ...
around
Sankt Peter. It is surrounded by
faults, some of which form clear steps in the terrain; for example the Rhine Plain lies more than 1,000 metres below the Kandel and the summits on the other side of the
Elz valley are 500-600 metres lower. The ongoing uplifting of the Kandel block from the Rhine Plain (1-2 mm/year) sometimes manifests itself in
earth tremors.
The Kandel massif is cut by deep radial valleys into mountain ridges, some rounded and some rocky. The steep mountainsides reach heights of 600 metres in the southwest (Glotter valley), 650 metres in the northwest (Elz valley) and a good 700 metres in the northeast (valley of the Wild Gutach). Only in the southeast does the mountain descend more gradually towards Sankt Peter by about 500 metres and to the ledge over the Zweribach waterfalls by a good 200 metres. The extensive grasslands of the southern slopes often exhibit clear thermals and are influenced by heavy thunderstorm weather patterns of the Breisgau that often arise here.
The elements of the mountain block that go back to the
ice age
An ice age is a long period of reduction in the temperature of Earth's surface and atmosphere, resulting in the presence or expansion of continental and polar ice sheets and alpine glaciers. Earth's climate alternates between ice ages and gree ...
glaciations are less obvious here that in other Black Forest mountains of comparable height.
Kandel Rock
''Kandel Rock'' (german: Kandelfelsen) is located at a height of about 1,100 m (3,609 ft) on the western slope. Although in 1981, some two thousand cubic metres of rock collapsed, it is still attractive to climbers. Its upper part is called the ''Devil's Pulpit'', because legend has it that this is the place where witches come together to dance with the devil on
Walpurgis Night
Walpurgis Night (), an abbreviation of Saint Walpurgis Night (from the German ), also known as Saint Walpurga's Eve (alternatively spelled Saint Walburga's Eve), is the eve of the Christian feast day of Saint Walpurga, an 8th-century abbess in ...
(''Walpurgisnacht''), which is the night of 30 April/1 May. The rockfall on the Devil's Pulpit occurred on Walpurgis Night in 1981.
Sports and leisure activities
The Kandel offers various leisure activities which are typical for mountainous regions, including hiking and biking trails, for example the southern part of the ''Kandelhöhenweg''. The ''Kandel Rock'' (German: ''Großer Kandelfels'') can be climbed and there are starting points for hang-gliding and paragliding. The mountain is also famous for its drive up, which is used by racing cyclists. The road is 12 km (7.5 mi) long and covers a difference in height of 926 meters (3038 ft), so it has a gradient of 7.7%. The summit can also be reached by bus starting in
St. Peter up to five times a day.
In 2000, the Kandel was the third stage of the
Deutschland Tour
The Deutschland Tour (English: ''Tour of Germany'' and sometimes ''Deutschland-Rundfahrt'' in German) is the most important multi-stage road bicycle race in Germany. Initially the race was held in May/June, but from 2005 until 2008 it was moved to ...
.
Udo Bölts
Udo Bölts (born 10 August 1966) is a retired German racing cyclist, the brother of Hartmut Bölts. Bölts confessed publicly in 2007 to having used EPO and growth hormones in 1996 and 1997.
Biography
Bölts was born in Heltersberg and began h ...
was the first one who reached the summit. An individual time trial took place within the context of the
Regio-Tour
The Regio-Tour is a multi-stage road bicycle race held between France, Switzerland and Germany. It was first held in 1985 and since 2005 it has been organised as a 2.1 event on the UCI Europe Tour. Famous riders like Laurent Brochard, Jan Ullrich ...
on August 13, 2015.
Tony Martin won the race with a time of 33 minutes and 43 seconds. Further, there is a so called “Kandel marathon” every year. The route starts at the market place of
Waldkirch
Waldkirch is a town in Baden-Württemberg, Germany, located 15 kilometers northeast of Freiburg im Breisgau. While the English translation of its name is ''Forest Church'', it is known as the "town of mechanical organs", where fairground organs ...
, it is 12.2 km (7.58 mi) long and covers a difference in height of 940 m (3084 ft). The time of Wolfgang Muenzel, who ran the marathon in 48 minutes and 39 seconds, has been unbeaten since 1986.
In Winter, there are ski lifts in the summit region and a 5 km (3.12 mi) long
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 ...
trail is being prepared if snow conditions are good.
Ski mountaineering
Ski mountaineering (abbreviated to skimo) is a skiing discipline that involves climbing mountains either on skis or carrying them, depending on the steepness of the ascent, and then descending on skis. There are two major categories of equipmen ...
is also possible. Even though slopes near the summit sometimes don’t have ski lifts, skiers still go skiing in these areas. The most precipitous descent is the so called ''Nordhang'' (once called ''Hess-Hang'')
which was built in 1934 and which is the highest part of the former descent to Waldkirch. The Bergwacht Schwarzwald, a mountain rescue which has a station on the Kandel, is responsible for the mountain rescue service in the region.
Merdingen Kandel jm09571.jpg, The Kandel
Attractions
In the early modern period, the Kandel was known as the “
Blockula
Blockula (Blåkulla in modern Swedish, translated to "Blue Hill") was a legendary island where the Devil held his Earthly court during a witches' Sabbath. It was described as containing a massive meadow with no visible end, and a large house whe ...
of the Black Forest”. The Elztal was a hot-spot for witch-hunting in Germany. The
Walpurgis Night
Walpurgis Night (), an abbreviation of Saint Walpurgis Night (from the German ), also known as Saint Walpurga's Eve (alternatively spelled Saint Walburga's Eve), is the eve of the Christian feast day of Saint Walpurga, an 8th-century abbess in ...
is a tradition that is still practiced today. According to a myth, the witch Gfällrote was haunting the region around the Kandel.
The upper part of the ''Kandel Rock'', the so called ''Teufelskanzel'' (''Devil’s Pulpit)'', collapsed in the night from April 30 to March 1 in 1981. Roughly 2,000 cubic meters of stone became loose, fell down and have been lying underneath the rock since then. Some residents believed in a demonic origin of the rockfall as it happened in the Walpurgis Night and a broom was found in the rubble. The reason for the rockfall is still unknown as seismic analysis excluded an earthquake. The geographer Werner Bätzing assumed that the reason was frost weathering which often happens during spring as water freezes and thaws alternately. Icicles were found in the rubble supporting the frost weathering hypothesis. The broom belonged to Peter Rambach, a rock mechanic, who performed safety measures in the months bevor the collapse.
On December 5, 2004 there was an earthquake of magnitude 5.43. The epicenter was in the area of
Waldkirch
Waldkirch is a town in Baden-Württemberg, Germany, located 15 kilometers northeast of Freiburg im Breisgau. While the English translation of its name is ''Forest Church'', it is known as the "town of mechanical organs", where fairground organs ...
/Kandelmassiv, the center of the earthquake was around 12 km (7.5 mi) further below.
External links
The rockfall of the Devil's Pulpit
References
{{Authority control
Mountains and hills of Baden-Württemberg
Mountains and hills of the Black Forest
One-thousanders of Germany
Walpurgis Night