The Odenwald () is a low mountain range in the

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...

states of Hesse, Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg.

Location

The Odenwald is located between the Upper Rhine Plain with the Bergstraße and the ''Hessisches Ried'' (the northeastern section of the Rhine rift) to the west, the Main and the

Bauland The Bauland is a Gäu landscape in the northeast of the German state of Baden-Württemberg. It is a natural region within the Neckar and Tauber Gäu Plateaus (major unit 12) in the South German Scarplands. Location The Bauland is a Gäu la ...

(a mostly unwooded area with good soils) to the east, the

Hanau-Seligenstadt Basin The Hanau-Seligenstadt Basin is a subbasin of the Upper Rhine Graben southeast of Frankfurt am Main (Hesse, Bavaria, Germany). Location The Hanau-Seligenstadt Basin is located in the eastern part of the Lower Main lowlands. The river Main ( ...

– a subbasin of the Upper Rhine Rift Valley in the Rhine-Main Lowlands – to the north and the Kraichgau to the south. The part south of the

Neckar The Neckar () is a river in Germany, mainly flowing through the southwestern state of Baden-Württemberg, with a short section through Hesse. The Neckar is a major right tributary of the Rhine. Rising in the Schwarzwald-Baar-Kreis near Schwenn ...

valley is sometimes called the ''

Kleiner Odenwald The Kleiner Odenwald (“Little Odenwald”) is the southern part of the central German hill range, the Odenwald, and is up to .{{GeoQuelle, DE, BFN-Karten It is also part of the natural region of Sandstein-Odenwald in the north of the state of ...

'' ("Little Odenwald"). The northern and western Odenwald belong to southern Hesse, with the south stretching into Baden. In the northeast, a small part lies in Lower Franconia in Bavaria.

Geology

The Odenwald, along with other parts of the Central German Uplands, belongs to the

Variscan The Variscan or Hercynian orogeny was a geologic mountain-building event caused by Late Paleozoic continental collision between Euramerica (Laurussia) and Gondwana to form the supercontinent of Pangaea. Nomenclature The name ''Variscan'', comes f ...

, which more than 300 million years ago in the

Carboniferous The Carboniferous ( ) is a geologic period and system of the Paleozoic that spans 60 million years from the end of the Devonian Period million years ago ( Mya), to the beginning of the Permian Period, million years ago. The name ''Carbonifero ...

period ran through great parts of Europe. The cause of this

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 ...

was the collision of Africa’s and Europe's forerunner continents. In the Triassic, about 200 million years ago, the land sank again, forming the

Germanic Basin The Germanic Basin (german: Germanisches Becken) is a large region of sedimentation in Western and Central Europe that, during the Permian and Triassic periods, extended from England in the west to the eastern border of Poland in the east. To the ...

in which the metre-thick layers of red sandstone could

build up ''Build Up'' is the solo debut by Rita Lee, originally released in 1970 during her time with Os Mutantes. Despite the moderate success of the single "José (Joseph)", the album failed to captivate listeners in Brazil. All Music Guide entry/ref> ...

. These were later covered over with layers of muschelkalk from a broad inland sea, then followed by sediments from the Late Triassic (or Keuper). The South German Cuesta Land thus formed. When the land in the Odenwald was uplifted again about 180 million years ago, more than 100 m of the sedimentary layering, in parts, was eroded away down to the

bedrock In geology, bedrock is solid Rock (geology), rock that lies under loose material (regolith) within the crust (geology), crust of Earth or another terrestrial planet. Definition Bedrock is the solid rock that underlies looser surface mater ...

, as can still be seen in the western Odenwald. The bedrock here is composed of a number of different rocks, among them gneiss, granite, diorite, gabbro in the Frankenstein

pluton In geology, an igneous intrusion (or intrusive body or simply intrusion) is a body of intrusive igneous rock that forms by crystallization of magma slowly cooling below the surface of the Earth. Intrusions have a wide variety of forms and com ...

, and so on. In the eastern Odenwald, the red sandstone is all that is left of the sedimentary mixture. Farther east in the Bauland, the muschelkalk deposits still overlie the Early Triassic layers. Furthermore, in the south near Heidelberg, there is still

Zechstein The Zechstein (German either from ''mine stone'' or ''tough stone'') is a unit of sedimentary rock layers of Middle to Late Permian (Guadalupian to Lopingian) age located in the European Permian Basin which stretches from the east coast of Englan ...

under the Early Triassic deposits. Roughly 50 to 60 million years ago, volcanoes formed along the great geological faults. Still bearing witness to this time are the

Otzberg Otzberg is a municipality in the district of Darmstadt-Dieburg, located in the Odenwald forest region of Germany. It was founded in 1972 by the merger of six former independent municipalities. Otzberg consists of seven villages: Habitzheim, Herin ...

, the Daumberg and the Katzenbuckel, all extinct volcanoes in the Odenwald. Furthermore, volcanism with

acid In computer science, ACID ( atomicity, consistency, isolation, durability) is a set of properties of database transactions intended to guarantee data validity despite errors, power failures, and other mishaps. In the context of databases, a sequ ...

ic rocks has left a legacy of

rhyolite Rhyolite ( ) is the most silica-rich of volcanic rocks. It is generally glassy or fine-grained (aphanitic) in texture, but may be porphyritic, containing larger mineral crystals (phenocrysts) in an otherwise fine-grained groundmass. The mineral ...

s near Dossenheim. At roughly the same time, the Central European plate began to tear apart so that the Upper Rhine Rift developed. Even as the Upper Rhine Rift valley still sinks today by just under a millimetre each year, the Odenwald, relatively to that, was uplifted to the height it has today. Along the faults, the small rivers Gersprenz and Weschnitz have, in part, carved their courses. The Upper Rhine Rift is part of a fracture zone reaching from the Mediterranean Sea to Norway. Right on the edge of the Odenwald, it is roughly 2 500 m deep, but has been filled in to its current height by river and sea sediment, for until about 20 million years ago, the North Sea reached far inland, across the Wetterau Depression into the Rhine Valley.

Geological maps

File:Geologie_Odenwald_(Altherr).jpg, Granite-Gneiss-Odenwald (Altherr, 1999) File:Geolog._Karte_(Stein)_Odw7.jpg, Granite-Gneiss-Odenwald (Stein, 2001) File:GeolKarte_Geopark.jpg, Granite-Gneiss- and Redsandstone-Odenwald (Stein, 2001 + Weber, ''Geo-Naturpark'') File:Profil_Geologie_Odenwald.jpg, Geological profile (from left): Rheinplane, Granite-Odenwald, Gneiss-Odenwald, Redsandstone-Odenwald (''Geo-Naturpark'')

History

About 2500 BC, there is evidence that the

Linear Pottery culture The Linear Pottery culture (LBK) is a major archaeological horizon of the European Neolithic period, flourishing . Derived from the German ''Linearbandkeramik'', it is also known as the Linear Band Ware, Linear Ware, Linear Ceramics or Inci ...

settled along the northern (Gersprenz) and southern (Neckar valley) edges of the Odenwald. About 400 BC, Celts (Gauls) settled throughout southern Germany. Almost all of the Odenwald was covered then with

virgin forest ''Virgin Forest'' is a 1985 Filipino period film directed by Peque Gallaga. A self-described B-movie, it stars Sarsi Emmanuel, who plays a barrio lass of Chinese ancestry; Miguel Rodriguez, as a Filipino-Spanish illustrado; and, Abel Jurado, wh ...

, and the outer edges were not settled. Germanic peoples drove the Celts westwards across the Rhine to what is now France. Haselburg Wohntrakt

About AD 100, the older Odenwald line of the Neckar-Odenwald Limes was built under Roman Emperor Trajan (98-117). This stretch of the Empire's border ran from Fort Wimpfen in the Valley (''Kastell Wimpfen im Tal'') northwards by way of the Forts of Neckarburken, the lesser forts of Trienz and Robern near

Fahrenbach Fahrenbach is a town in the district of Neckar-Odenwald-Kreis, in Baden-Württemberg, Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe ...

, Fort Oberscheidental, Fort Schloßau, Fort Hesselbach, Fort Würzberg, Fort Eulbach, Fort Hainhaus and Fort Hesselbach to Fort Wörth on the Main. Parts of the Odenwald now lay in Roman-ruled

Germania Superior Germania Superior ("Upper Germania") was an imperial province of the Roman Empire. It comprised an area of today's western Switzerland, the French Jura and Alsace regions, and southwestern Germany. Important cities were Besançon ('' Vesontio' ...

. About 159, the Limes was shifted about eastwards to the Miltenberg– Walldürn– Buchen- Osterburken line. In 260, Roman hegemony fell. The

Alamanni The Alemanni or Alamanni, were a confederation of Germanic tribes * * * on the Upper Rhine River. First mentioned by Cassius Dio in the context of the campaign of Caracalla of 213, the Alemanni captured the in 260, and later expanded into pres ...

were also thrusting into the Odenwald and settling the land between the Main and Neckar, after whom came the Franks. In the 5th century, the Franks, under

Clovis I Clovis ( la, Chlodovechus; reconstructed Frankish: ; – 27 November 511) was the first king of the Franks to unite all of the Frankish tribes under one ruler, changing the form of leadership from a group of petty kings to rule by a single kin ...

, divided the land up into districts. In the 7th and 8th centuries came Christianization by Irish-

Scottish Scottish usually refers to something of, from, or related to Scotland, including: *Scottish Gaelic, a Celtic Goidelic language of the Indo-European language family native to Scotland *Scottish English *Scottish national identity, the Scottish ide ...

and

Anglo-Saxon The Anglo-Saxons were a Cultural identity, cultural group who inhabited England in the Early Middle Ages. They traced their origins to settlers who came to Britain from mainland Europe in the 5th century. However, the ethnogenesis of the Anglo- ...

monks (

Pirmin Saint Pirmin (latinized ''Pirminius'', born before 700 ( according to many sources), died November 3, 753 in Hornbach, Germany, Hornbach), was a Merovingian dynasty, Merovingian-era monk and missionary. He founded or restored numerous monasteries ...

, Boniface). On the muschelkalk lands of today's Bauland, which favoured agriculture, a broad mesh of settlements arose. The parts of the Odenwald farther in from the rivers, though, with their scant New Red Sandstone soils remained uninhabited. Four Benedictine monasteries were assigned the job of opening the empty woods up by the central Frankish power (

Carolingian The Carolingian dynasty (; known variously as the Carlovingians, Carolingus, Carolings, Karolinger or Karlings) was a Frankish noble family named after Charlemagne, grandson of mayor Charles Martel and a descendant of the Arnulfing and Pippin ...

), Lorsch Abbey from the west, Fulda Monastery from the east and Mosbach Monastery from the south. Amorbach Monastery had the greatest importance for ecclesiastical, cultural and economic development in the eastern Odenwald. In the 9th century in the southeastern Odenwald near the now more thickly settled Bauland, settlements were established. The muschelkalk-new red sandstone mineral boundary was crossed.

Name

Where the name ''Odenwald'' came from is an open question and still causes controversy today. Following are some theories about the name's origin: #Some have claimed that the toponym comes from ''Odins Wald'' (''Odin’s Woods''). The main problem here is that the god ''Wodanaz'' (known in Norse as ''

Odin Odin (; from non, Óðinn, ) is a widely revered Æsir, god in Germanic paganism. Norse mythology, the source of most surviving information about him, associates him with wisdom, healing, death, royalty, the gallows, knowledge, war, battle, v ...

'') was worshipped in southern Germany under the name ''Wotan'' (in Old High German ''Uuodan''; compare Merseburg Incantations). #A further theory holds that there is a link between the name Odenwald and the Roman administrative unit Civitas Auderiensium, which among other things included the range's northern reaches and might have been named after a tribe called the ''Auderienses''. #There could be some kinship with the word ''öde'', not in the currently understood meaning in German of ''desert'', but rather in the meaning ''thinly settled''. #''

Einhard Einhard (also Eginhard or Einhart; la, E(g)inhardus; 775 – 14 March 840) was a Frankish scholar and courtier. Einhard was a dedicated servant of Charlemagne and his son Louis the Pious; his main work is a biography of Charlemagne, the ''Vita ...

'', the biographer of '' Charlemagne'' used the term ''Odanwald''. Therefore, the renowned historian Karl Christ establishes a connection to the Old High German (ahd.) expression ''odan'' (=to enfeoff) and presumes, that the ''Odenwald'' was a hunting ground, which the King of the Franks Dagobert I. enfeoffed in 628 the Bishopric of Worms.Morneweg, Karl: Offizieller Führer des Odenwald-Klubs durch den Odenwald und die Bergstrasse. Ravenstein Frankfurt a.M. 1926, S.33. #An eminent geographer of the 16th century, Sebastian Münster, proposed a tribal chief as the name giver (''Odtonwald'', 821, = ''Odo's Woods''). However, it is not proven whether there actually was a count or duke called ''Odo'' (Otto). Finally, Münster's researches do not lead to any result. Linguists, who research the phonetic changes and the sound shift of the terms, deny the theories Nr. 1 - 3 and prefer Nr. 4 or 5, some historians favor Nr. 2.

Legends and mythology

The numerous Odenwald folk legends are mostly connected with historic geographic sites (castle, town, rock, road and so on) They relate: * mysterious actions and appearances of ghosts in a castle (for example the two ''Bergstraße''-ruins ''Auerbach - castle'' and ''Windeck'') or in a nightscape respectively in a cottage: The ''Höhmann'' near Bensheim, the ''White Lady'' of Mossau, the ''Schlurcher'' close by Erbach, the ''Man without head'' near Heppenheim, the ''Goast-nuns'' of monastery ''Steinbach''. * the stories of knights and their ladies: Konrad and Ann-Els von Tannenberg, Edelmut von Ehrenberg and Minna von Horneck at the ''Minneburg'', Georg von Frankenstein and Annemariechen, Hans von Rodenstein and Maria von Hochberg. * the apparitions of the devil: ''Teufelspfad'' (pathway of the devil) to the ''Felsberg'', ''Teufelsstein'' (rock of the devil) in Gorxheimertal, ''Opferstein'' (altar stone) on the top of the ''Juhöhe''. * or the apparitions of a witch: for example in the shape of a pig in Bensheim In some stories the local aspect firstly is connected with monsters (knight Georg fights against the man-eating '' lindworm'' near ''Frankenstein-castle'') and creatures of nature with magic potency (a ''water spirit'' changed into a fox near Niedernhausen, the ''merwoman'' in the ''Meerwiese'' of Waldürn). Secondly the local legend is connected with the genre of the historic saga: a historic person or an original is portrayed anecdotally (the count of Erbach and Luther, resp. the ''Raubacher Joggel'', landgrave Ludwig VIII: of Hesse-Darmstadt, robber ''Hölzerlips''). Wildweibchen mit Einhorn

Thirdly a local tale explains an etiological or original myth (aetiological saga). For example, there is explained: * why a name is given: many ''Wildweibchensteine'' (''Wild Woman''-Rocks) in the Odenwald, ''Teufelsstein'' (stone of the devil), ''Teufelspfad'' (path of the devil), ''Opfersteine'' (altar stone) and ''Hundsköpfe'' (dogheads) on top of the ''Juhöhe'', ''Hölzerlips''-stone, ''Schimmeldewoog'' for the village Schönmattenwag (→

Folk etymology Folk etymology (also known as popular etymology, analogical reformation, reanalysis, morphological reanalysis or etymological reinterpretation) is a change in a word or phrase resulting from the replacement of an unfamiliar form by a more famili ...

) or the phrase “”, * why a natural phenomena, for example a typical landscape, was formed: the saga creates a mythic history for the places of the ''felsenmeer'' and the ''Hohenstein'' near Reichenbach (because giants stoned each other) or the ''Herrgottsfelsen'' (Godrock) near Darmstadt (act of revenge by the devil for finessing), * why a castle (''Minneburg'') was built at a special place (''Minneberg'' at the Neckar) and was so named hereafter, * why a mysterious stone carving was inset in a castle-wall: figure of a dog at the portal of the ''Minneburg'' near Neckargerach, the ''Blecker'' at the town gate of Buchen, the ''Breilecker'' above the door of Breuberg-castle. Beside these legends there are two famous and well-known Odenwaldsagas: In the Nibelungenlied (see also Nibelung) the dragon slayer

Siegfried Siegfried is a German-language male given name, composed from the Germanic elements ''sig'' "victory" and ''frithu'' "protection, peace". The German name has the Old Norse cognate ''Sigfriðr, Sigfrøðr'', which gives rise to Swedish ''Sigfrid' ...

, on a hunting trip (instead of a failed campaign) leading from the

Burgundian Burgundian can refer to any of the following: *Someone or something from Burgundy. *Burgundians, an East Germanic tribe, who first appear in history in South East Europe. Later Burgundians colonised the area of Gaul that is now known as Burgundy (F ...

city of Worms into the Odenwald, is murdered by Hagen of Tronje. Since no exact spot for this deed has been handed down, countless communities, especially in the Hessian Odenwald are squabbling over the right to call themselves “Siegfried’s Murder Site”, for example a spring near Gras-Ellenbach (''Siegfriedsbrunnen''), Mossautal-Hüttenthal ''Lindelbrunnen'') or Heppenheim (''Siegfriedbrunnen''). The ruins of ''Rodenstein'' (below-mentioned) and ''Schnellerts'' near

Fränkisch-Crumbach Fränkisch-Crumbach is a municipality in the Odenwaldkreis (district) in Hesse, Germany. Geography Location Fränkisch-Crumbach lies in the middle Odenwald on the Gersprenz, which empties into the Main near Stockstadt am Main. Neighbouring com ...

are the setting of an Odenwald ghost story: during the night the knight ''Rodenstein'' (the ''Rodensteiner'') flies with a berserker-cornet through the air to prophesy the beginning of a war ( Wild Hunt motif). File:Siegfrieds Tod.jpg, "Siegfried's Death" (

Julius Schnorr von Carolsfeld Julius Schnorr von Carolsfeld (26 March 1794 – 24 May 1872) () was a German painter, chiefly of Biblical subjects. As a young man he associated with the painters of the Nazarene movement who revived the florid Renaissance style in religious ar ...

, 1847): Hagen murdered Siegfried by a spring in the Odenwald. File:Nibelungenlied manuscript-k.jpg, Picture of Siegfrieds assassination in the Nibelungenlied-manuscript k (1480–90) File:Siegfriedbrunnen.png, ''Siegfriedbrunnen'' by Wilhelm Trübner. In the legend there is no exact description in respect of the hunting trip. File:Ritter von Rodenstein und Schnellart.jpg, ''Rodenstein Castle'' is the scene of the ''Rodensteiner'' ghost legend (19th-century picture).

Topography

Mountains

Over 600 m

Katzenbuckel The Katzenbuckel (626 metres) is an extinct volcano and the highest elevation in the Odenwald region of southeast Germany. The mountain is located eastwards of Eberbach, near the village of Waldbrunn. At the top of the Katzenbuckel is an 18-m-h ...

(626 m; lookout tower), Neckar-Odenwald-Kreis, Baden-Württemberg *

Neunkircher Höhe The Neunkircher Höhe (605 metres) is the highest elevation of the Hessian part of the Odenwald. The hill is located near the village Neunkirchen and is the origin of the rivers Modau, Gersprenz and Lauter Lauter may refer to: People * Lauter ...

(605 m;

Kaiser Tower Emperor towers or Kaiser towers (german: Kaisertürme or ''Kaiserwarten'') are monuments that were built up to 1918 in honour of the German emperors William I, Frederick III and Wilhelm II in the German Empire or for Emperor Franz Josef in Austria ...

), Bergstraße district, Hesse File:Katzenbuckel 1.jpg, The ''Crystal Teaching Path'' around the ''Katzenbuckel'' starts near the old volcanic quarry (below-mentioned) File:Neutscher Komplex_Neunkircher_Höhe.JPG, Neutsch with a view to Neunkirchen and the ''Neunkircher Höhe'' File:Hardberg_Götzenstein_Kisselbusch_800.JPG, View from ''Weschnitz''- Valley to the mountains ''Hardberg'' (with transmitter), ''Götzenstein'', ''Kisselbusch'' (from left) File:Tromm329.JPG, ''Weschnitz''- Valley with a view to ''Tromm''-mountain range

Over 450 m

* Hardberg (593 m), Bergstraße district, Hesse *

Stiefelhöhe Stiefelhöhe is an Odenwald mountain of Baden-Württemberg, 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 ...

(584 m), Hesse/Baden-Württemberg border * Tromm (577 m; lookout tower), Bergstraße district, Hesse *

Krehberg The Krehberg () is a high hill in the Odenwald, west of Lindenfels. On the Krehberg there is the for FM, TV and directional radio services, consisting of a lattice tower A lattice tower or truss tower is a freestanding vertical framework ...

(576 m; with Krehberg transmitter), Bergstraße district, Hesse * Königstuhl (567.8 m;

observatory An observatory is a location used for observing terrestrial, marine, or celestial events. Astronomy, climatology/meteorology, geophysical, oceanography and volcanology are examples of disciplines for which observatories have been constructed. His ...

, funicular railway), Heidelberg, Baden-Württemberg *

Krähberg Krähberg is a hill in the Odenwald range in Hesse, 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 ...

(555 m), Odenwaldkreis, Hesse *Kinzert (554 m), Neckar-Odenwald-Kreis, Baden-Württemberg *

Weißer Stein Weißer Stein is the name of a 548-metre (1,798 ft) high hill in the Odenwald, north of Heidelberg and east of Dossenheim. On Weißer Stein is a 20 m tall lookout tower. It was built in 1906 by the members of the Odenwald club. In good weath ...

(550 m; lookout tower), Rhein-Neckar-Kreis, Baden-Württemberg *Hohe Warte (548 m), Rhein-Neckar-Kreis, Baden-Württemberg *

Spessartskopf Spessartskopf is an Odenwald mountain in Hesse, 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 ...

(547 m), Bergstraße district, Hesse *Falkenberg (546 m), Odenwaldkreis, Hesse *

Waldskopf Waldskopf is an Odenwald mountain in Hesse, 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 me ...

(538 m),

Gorxheimertal Gorxheimertal is a municipality in the Bergstraße district in Hesse, Germany. It is in the Odenwald and the Rhine Neckar Area. Geography Location The community lies along the length of the Grundelbach valley in the Odenwald. The nearest big ...

-Trösel, Bergstraße district, Hesse *Das Buch (535.30 m; near Lindenfels), Bergstraße district, Hesse *Wagenberg (535 m), Bergstraße district, Hesse *Eichelberg (526 m; lookout tower), Rhein-Neckar-Kreis, Baden-Württemberg *

Götzenstein The Götzenstein is a hill in the Odenwald range in Hesse, 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 po ...

(522 m), Bergstraße district, Hesse * Melibokus („Malschen“) (517.40 m), Bergstraße district, Hesse *

Morsberg Morsberg is a hill in the Rhön range in Hesse, 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 me ...

(517 m), Odenwaldkreis, Hesse *

Felsberg Felsberg (german: rock hill, link=no) may refer to: * Felsberg, Hessen, a town in Schwalm-Eder-Kreis, Hessen, Germany * , a part of Überherrn, Landkreis Saarlouis, Saarland, Germany * Felsberg (Odenwald), a mountain in the Odenwald hills, Landk ...

(514 m; with Felsenmeer), Bergstraße district, Hesse *Knodener Kopf (511.20 m), Bergstraße district, Hesse *Wannenberg (482 m), Miltenberg district, Bavaria *

Daumberg The Daumberg is an extinct volcano in the Odenwald mountain range with an altitude of 462 m (1,516 ft). The hill lies south of the district of Trösel in the municipality of Gorxheimtal near the border to Wünsch-Michelbach and thus on the bo ...

(462 m), Gorxheimertal-Trösel, Bergstraße district, Hesse File:Krehberg Lindenfels 771.JPG, Overlooking the ''Krehberg'' (view from Lindenfels) File:Waldskopf2.jpg, The Waldskopf in the Gorxheim valley File:Melibokus von Zwingenberg.jpg, The Melibokus near Zwingenberg File:LAUTERTAL_von Hohenstein_650.JPG, With a view from the ''Lauter''- Valley (Hohenstein) to the ''Melibokus'' (right) and the ''Auerbach'' Castle (background, in the middle) File:Böllsteiner_Odenwald_821.JPG, The ''Gesprenz''-Valley gneiss-sandstone-mountain range: ''Böllsteiner Höhe'' on the left, ''Morsberg'' in the middle File:Lautertal_Felsberg_639.JPG, The ''Felsberg'' (with transmitter, view from the ''Lauter''-Valley), ''Auerbach''-Castle and ''Melibokus'' on the left File:Daumberg.JPG, The Daumberg in the Gorxheim valley File:WESCHNITZPLUTON 72 von Tromm aus.JPG, The ''Weschnitz''-Valley with ''Hirschkopf''-''Juhöhe''-mountain range (view from the Tromm)

Over 300 m

* Heiligenberg (445 m), Heidelberg, Baden-Württemberg *Knorz (404 m; near Lautern), Bergstraße district, Hesse *Otzberg (367 m; with

Otzberg Castle Otzberg Castle (german: Veste Otzberg) in the German state of Hesse is a medieval castle on the summit of the Otzberg in the Odenwald forest at a height of 367 m above NN. On its northern slopes is the village of Hering, which grew out ...

), Darmstadt-Dieburg, Hesse *Auerberg (339.70 m; with Schloss Auerbach), Bergstraße district, Hesse *Breuberg (306 m; with Breuberg Castle), Odenwaldkreis, Hesse

Bodies of water

Flowing water

Countless streams rise in the Odenwald, the longest of which are the following: *Weschnitz (60 km), tributary to the Rhine *Mümling (50 km), tributary to the Main *Gersprenz (47 km), tributary to the Main *Lauter (43 km), tributary to the Rhine *Erf (40 km), tributary to the Main *Elz (''Elzbach'') (34 km), tributary to the Neckar *Finkenbach (20.5 km), joins the Ulfenbach in Hirschhorn, runs to the Laxbach, tributary to the Neckar *Ulfenbach (19.1 km), joins the Finkenbach in Hirschhorn, runs to the Laxbach, tributary to the Neckar *Grundelbach, (10 km), flows from Trösel to Weinheim *Modau (42 km), tributary to the Rhine *Mud (24 km), tributary to the Main *Steinach (22 km), tributary to the Neckar File:Gersprenz.JPG, The Gersprenz in Dieburg File:Erbach 07.JPG, The Mümling in

Erbach Erbach may refer to: Places *Erbach im Odenwald, a town in Hesse, Germany *Erbach an der Donau, a town on the Danube River in Baden-Württemberg, Germany *Erbach, Rheingau, a district of Eltville, Hesse, Germany *Erbach, Rhineland-Palatinate, a mun ...

File:Eutersee 05.JPG, The Eutersee near

Hesseneck Hesseneck is a village and a former municipality in the Odenwaldkreis (district) in Hesse, Germany. With only just over 600 inhabitants, Hesseneck was Hesse’s smallest self-governing community. Since January 2018, it is part of the new town Ober ...

Standing water

There are a few bodies of standing water in the Odenwald, among which are the following: * the Marbach Reservoir * the Eutersee

Political divisions

Districts (with district seats)

* Bergstraße district ( Heppenheim) * Darmstadt-Dieburg ( Dieburg, administration in

Darmstadt Darmstadt () is a city in the States of Germany, state of Hesse in Germany, located in the southern part of the Frankfurt Rhine Main Area, Rhine-Main-Area (Frankfurt Metropolitan Region). Darmstadt has around 160,000 inhabitants, making it th ...

- Kranichstein) * Main-Tauber-Kreis ( Tauberbischofsheim) * Miltenberg district ( Miltenberg) * Neckar-Odenwald-Kreis (

Mosbach Mosbach (; South Franconian: ''Mossbach'') is a town in the north of Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is the seat of the Neckar-Odenwald district and has a population of approximately 25,000 distributed in six boroughs: Mosbach Town, Lohrbach, N ...

) * Odenwaldkreis (

) * Rhein-Neckar-Kreis ( Heidelberg)

District-free cities

* Heidelberg *

International relations

Twin towns – Sister cities

Odenwald is twinned with: *

Falkirk Falkirk ( gd, An Eaglais Bhreac, sco, Fawkirk) is a large town in the Central Lowlands of Scotland, historically within the county of Stirlingshire. It lies in the Forth Valley, northwest of Edinburgh and northeast of Glasgow. Falkirk had a ...

, ScotlandFalkirk Twinning Association
, www.falkirktwinning.org Retrieved 2011-05-07

Transport and tourism

The Odenwald is known as a leisure destination easily accessible from the urban areas of Mannheim and Frankfurt. It is known for its clean thin air and was once known for its health sanitariums. There are many marked hiking paths through the rural areas. Wild

blueberries Blueberries are a widely distributed and widespread group of perennial flowering plants with blue or purple berries. They are classified in the section ''Cyanococcus'' within the genus ''Vaccinium''. ''Vaccinium'' also includes cranberries, bi ...

strawberries The garden strawberry (or simply strawberry; ''Fragaria × ananassa'') is a widely grown hybrid species of the genus '' Fragaria'', collectively known as the strawberries, which are cultivated worldwide for their fruit. The fruit is widely ap ...

and mushrooms are to be found in the forests.

Roads

The planned extension to the ''Odenwaldautobahn'', that is, the A 45 (

Dortmund Dortmund (; Westphalian nds, Düörpm ; la, Tremonia) is the third-largest city in North Rhine-Westphalia after Cologne and Düsseldorf, and the eighth-largest city of Germany, with a population of 588,250 inhabitants as of 2021. It is the la ...

– Aschaffenburg), was never realized. Nevertheless, all these '' Bundesstraßen'' run through the Odenwald: *B 27:

- Buchen - Tauberbischofsheim *B 38:

Reinheim Reinheim is a town in the Darmstadt-Dieburg district, in Hesse, Germany. It is situated southeast of Darmstadt. International relations Twin towns - Sister cities Reinheim is twinned with: * Licata, Italy (since 29.6.2001) * Cestas, France ...

- Groß-Bieberau -

Brensbach Brensbach is a municipality in the Odenwaldkreis (district) in Hesse, Germany. Geography Location Brensbach lies in the northern Odenwald in the Gersprenz valley. Neighbouring communities Brensbach borders in the north on the towns of Groß-Bi ...

- Reichelsheim - Fürth -

Mörlenbach Mörlenbach is a municipality in the Bergstraße district in southern Hesse, Germany. Geography Location The community lies in the Odenwald some 25 km north of Heidelberg and about 30 km northeast of Mannheim, as well as lying 8 ...

Birkenau Auschwitz concentration camp ( (); also or ) was a complex of over 40 concentration and extermination camps operated by Nazi Germany in occupied Poland (in a portion annexed into Germany in 1939) during World War II and the Holocaust. It con ...

Weinheim Weinheim (; pfl, Woinem) is a town with about 43,000 inhabitants in northwest Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is in the Rhine-Neckar Metropolitan Region, approximately north of Heidelberg and northeast of Mannheim. Weinheim is known as the "Zwei ...

*B 45:

Groß-Umstadt Groß-Umstadt is a town in the district of Darmstadt-Dieburg in the Bundesland (federal state) of Hesse in Germany. It is near by Darmstadt and Frankfurt on the northern border of mountain range Odenwald and is on the south-eastern edge of Rhine- ...

- Höchst - Bad König - Michelstadt -

Beerfelden Beerfelden (pronunciation: ˈbeːɐˌfɛldən) was a town in the Odenwald in the Odenwaldkreis (district) in Hesse, Germany, 28 km northeast of Heidelberg. On 1 January 2018 Beerfelden, Hesseneck, Rothenberg and Sensbachtal merged to create ...

- Eberbach *B 47: Bensheim -

Lindenfels Lindenfels is a town in the Bergstraße district in Hesse, Germany. Geography Location The climatic spa, also known as the “Pearl of the Odenwald”, lies in the Odenwald in southern Hesse and is nestled in a mountain landscape with a gre ...

- Reichelsheim - Michelstadt -

Amorbach Amorbach () is a town in the Miltenberg district in the ''Regierungsbezirk'' of Lower Franconia (''Unterfranken'') in Bavaria, Germany, with some 4,000 inhabitants. It is situated on the small river Mud, in the northeastern part of the Odenwald ...

*B 426:

- Mühltal - Ober-Ramstadt -

- Höchst - Breuberg - Obernburg *B 460: Heppenheim - Fürth -

Mossautal Mossautal in the Odenwald is a municipality and a state-recognized health resort in the Odenwaldkreis (district) in Hesse, Germany. Geography Location The community lies at elevations of between 300 and 500 m above sea level. The ''Nibelun ...

- Hüttenthal Furthermore, the ''Nibelungenstraße'' and the ''Siegfriedstraße'' run through the Odenwald, partly along the roads listed above.

Railways

Odenwald Railway The Odenwald Railway (German: ''Odenwaldbahn'') (sometimes referred to as the Baden Odenwald Railway to distinguish it from the Hessian line of the same name) was the name given to a Baden railway line in southwestern Germany built from between ...

from

Hanau Hanau () is a town in the Main-Kinzig-Kreis, in Hesse, Germany. It is located 25 km east of Frankfurt, Frankfurt am Main and is part of the Frankfurt Rhine-Main, Frankfurt Rhine-Main Metropolitan Region. Its Hanau Hauptbahnhof, station is a ...

by way of Groß-Umstadt Wiebelsbach to Eberbach, opened in 1882, since December 2005 run with modern Itino trains. *

Weschnitz Valley Railway The Weschnitz Valley Railway (German: ''Weschnitztalbahn'') is a railway line in Germany that runs from Weinheim an der Bergstraße in the valley of the River Weschnitz The Weschnitz is a right tributary of the Rhine running through the Ge ...

from

to Fürth, opened in 1895. *

Überwald Railway The Überwald is a wooded area in the southeast of Bergstraße district in Hesse, Germany, between the "Anterior" and "Hinder" Odenwald, comprising the communities of Abtsteinach, Grasellenbach and Wald-Michelbach. Wald-Michelbach is the Überwa ...

from

by way of

Wald-Michelbach Wald-Michelbach is a municipality in the Bergstraße district in Hesse, Germany. Geography Location The community lies in the Odenwald, 12 km east of Weinheim. The now disused ''Überwaldbahn'' (railway) runs through Wald-Michelbach. Geo ...

to Wahlen, opened in 1901, abandoned in 1996. * Hetzbach–Beerfelden line from Hetzbach to

, opened in 1904, abandoned in 1954. * Mosbach–Mudau line (locally known as the ''Entenmörder'' – “Duck Murderer”) from

to Mudau, former

narrow-gauge railway A narrow-gauge railway (narrow-gauge railroad in the US) is a railway with a track gauge narrower than standard-gauge railway, standard . Most narrow-gauge railways are between and . Since narrow-gauge railways are usually built with Minimum r ...

, opened in 1905, abandoned in 1973, since 1980 right-of-way has been converted into a cycling path. * Neckar Valley Railway from Heidelberg by way of Eberbach and Mosbach to

Bad Friedrichshall-Jagstfeld Bad Friedrichshall Hauptbahnhof is a regionally important junction station and a former border station in the city of Bad Friedrichshall in the German state of Baden-Württemberg. The modern Elsenz Valley Railway and Neckar Valley Railway branch ...

, opened in 1879. * Neckarelz–Osterburken line, opened in 1866 as part of the Baden Odenwaldbahn * Madonnenland Railway from

Seckach Seckach is a village and a municipality in the district of Neckar-Odenwald-Kreis, in Baden-Württemberg, Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous ...

to Miltenberg. *

Gersprenz Valley Railway The Gersprenz Valley Railway (german: Gersprenztalbahn) is a defunct railway track in the Gersprenz valley of the Odenwald that was operated until 1963 and ran from Reichelsheim via Fränkisch‐Crumbach, Brensbach, and Groß-Bieberau to Reinheim ...

from

to Reichelsheim, opened in 1887 and abandoned by 1963.

Special day trips

* In Hainstadt, Hesse (a constituent community of Breuberg) in the Mümling valley is a quarry which has been turned into a climbing facility by the ''Odenwälder Kletterfreunde'' ('Odenwald Climbing Friends'). There is also a climbing path secured by wire cables. The Odenwald Climbing Friends take care of the paths. The quarry also lies in the DAV's (''Deutsche Alpenverein e. V. '' – a mountain climbing club)

Section feeder area. *Beneath the 514 m-high Felsberg and north of Lautertal (Odenwald), Lautertal-Reichenbach is found a ''Felsenmeer'' – literally 'cliff sea' – consisting of many weathered stones strewn about the ground which have fallen down from the cliff after having come loose from erosion. The Ancient Rome, Romans used it as a stone quarry. * In Eberstadt, a constituent community of Buchen, one of southern Germany's most important dripstone caves was discovered in 1971. It is open to the public. *Around the Katzenbuckel runs the ''Kristall-Lehrpfad'' ('Crystal Teaching Path'), which graphically shows the volcanic development in the Odenwald. *From Höchst im Odenwald snakes the Obrunnschlucht (gorge) as a romantic fairytale path towards Rimhorn with many model buildings (palaces, castles and mills) along the valley. *The Odenwald is threaded with a network of more than of hiking trails. *Because the roads have so many bends, the Odenwald is a popular outing destination for motorcyclists. * Every year one of the greatest Halloween events in Germany is organized on the ''Frankenstein Castle'' (see above). The same name suggests a connection with Mary Shelleys famous filmed novel ''Frankenstein or The Modern Prometheus''. The horror scenery and the comedians dressed up as ghosts and witches spook the huge audience. * Walking and climbing through the ''Margarethenschlucht'' (Neckargerach) or the ''Wolfsschlucht'' (Wolf's Glen) near ''Zwingenberg castle'' (Zwingenberg/Neckar) * ''Zwingenberg Castle'' (see above) is the place of an annual castle festival. Carl Maria von Webers romantic opera ''Der Freischütz'' (translated as ''The Marksman'' or ''The Freeshooter'') is performed at the entrance of the gorge ''Wolfsschlucht''. The plot is based on a German folk legend which the composer discovered in the ''Gespensterbuch'' ('Book of Ghosts') during his sojourn in Neuburg Abbey near Heidelberg in 1810. It is believed, that he also was inspired by the Wolf's Glen in a

tributary valley, but there are many places in Germany with the same name. Anyway. In act 2 the protagonist Max meets the diabolic Caspar in the supernatural creepy opera scene ''Wolfsschlucht'' to become the best shooter with the assistance of magic power. Now a risky action starts. 20060408-Heppenheim Marktplatz Starkenburg

20060408-Heppenheim Marktplatz Starkenburg

* For half a week early July the Heppenheimer (see above) Street theatre named ''Gassensensationen'' occupies several places und corners of the old town with presentations for children and adults. The outdoor performances include very popular loud and simple genres with music, dance, mime, circus arts and slapstick, but also sensitive theatre plays or songs in discrete spaces. * The granite rocks of the ''Juhöhe'' near Heppenheim inspired people to imagine fairy tales. They told, that the holes were offering cups for the devil. Stones nearby got chapped, when he sharpened his claws. According to a local version of the ''Rodensteiner'' legend the Wild Hunter crossing the ''Juhöhe'' lost his cry of hounds: They crashed and where rammed in the ground. Even today the petrified dogheads are on view at the top of the hill. So the rocks are called ''Hundsköpfe.'' ''Flat iron'' is the name of another granite formation near the ''Juhöhe.'' A long time ago Giant-ladies made use of it to set their Sunday dresses in order. File:Steinbruch Hainstadt.jpg, Climbing path at the Breuberg-Hainstadt quarry File:HOHENSTEIN_Lautertal_631.JPG, ''Hohenstein'' near Reichenbach (Baryte-quartz-cliff) File:BORSTEIN_Reichenbach_622.JPG, ''Borstein'' near Reichenbach (Baryte-quartz-cliff) File:GNEIS-FELSGRUPPE Böllstein-Wallbrunn.JPG, Giant tortoise gneiss rocks (Böllstein) File:TROMMGRANIT Salzlackenbuckel.JPG, Granite rocks (Tromm) File:Felsenmeer Reichenbach Riesensaeule 03.jpg, ''Reichenbach-Felsenmeer'': The giant column (''Riesensäule'') is a workpiece of Roman stonemasons. File:Wildfrauhaus_Lützelbach.JPG, Granite rocks ''Wildfrauhaus'' (Fischbachtal) File:Zwingenberg-wolfsschlucht-web.jpg, Zwingenberg (Neckar) gorge: ''Wolfsschlucht'' File:Ramberg Freischuetz wildes Heer.jpg, When Caspar und Max begin with casting the magic bullets in the ''Wolf’s Glen'' the Wild Hunt appears in the air with demoniacal noise. File: Juhöhe Große Hundsköpfe.JPG, The rocks at the ''Juhöhe'' are supposed to be the petrified dogheads of the ''Rodensteiner'' cry of hounds File:Opferstein Juhöhe.JPG, It is said, that the holes of the ''Opfersteine'' were offering cups for the devil. File: Höhnberg Bügeleisen2.JPG, People of the ''Kreiswald'' near the ''Juhöhe'' told, that a long time ago the granite formation was the flat iron of Giant-ladies

Castles

The Odenwald is home to many historic castles and palatial residences. In times past the fortresses on the top of the Odenwald mountains controlled Bergstraße and the Weschnitz-, the Gersprenz-, the Mümling- and the Neckar-Valley. File:Panorama castle frankenstein.jpg, ''Frankenstein'' near

/Upper Rhine Rift valley File:InnerCastle.jpg, Frankenstein Castle File:Spot Ruine Tannenberg.JPG, The ruins of ''Tannenberg'' near Seeheim (Seeheim-Jugenheim) File:Seeheim-Jugenheim-Heiligenberg-Schloss.jpg, ''Heiligenberg'' Castle near Jugenheim (Seeheim-Jugenheim) File:Alsbach 2.JPG, ''Alsbach'' Castle, view from ''Melibokus'' (Alsbach-Hähnlein) File:Schloss Auerbach.jpg, The ruins of ''Auerbach'' Castle near Bensheim File:Fürstenlager Bensheim.jpg, Park and mansion ''Fürstenlager'' near Bensheim-Auerbach File:Schoenberger Schloss 02.jpg, ''Schönberg'' Castle ( Bensheim-Schönberg) File:2005-10-13 Heppenheim 2.JPG, Bergstraße Route, Bergstaße: ''Starkenburg'' (view from Maiberg, Heppenheim) File:Starkenburg Schlossberg.jpg, ''Starkenburg'' with ''Schlossberg'' ( Heppenheim) File:Schloss Weinheim 04.jpg, ''

'' Castle File:Burg Windeck (Weinheim).jpg, The ruins of ''Windeck'' (

) File:Wachenburg.jpg, ''Wachenburg'' near

(''Two-Castles-Town'') File:WEINHEIM_Heidelberger Granitgebiet_658.JPG, ''Wachenburg'' (view from ''Hirschkopf''-tower), ''Weißer Stein (lookout tower) in the background File:Schriesheim Strahlenburg2.JPG, ''Strahlenburg'' near Schriesheim File:Dossenheim_Schauenburg.jpg, The ruins of ''Schauenburg'' in Dossenheim File:Birkenau schloss.JPG,

Castle near Weinheim File:BurgLindenfels.jpg, The ruins of

Castle, ''Bürgerturm'' (tower) File:Lindenfels_Weschnitztal_824.JPG, View from ''Weschnitztal'' to Lindenfels (left), in the background right of centre: ''Reichenberg'' Castle, left picture margin: ''Neunkircher Höhe'' File: Rodenstein_1.jpg, The ruins of ''Rodenstein'' near

are the setting of a ghost story: ''Rodensteiner'' flies with a berserker-cornet in the night through the air to prophesy the start of a war (see above). File:Reichelsheim_Schloss Reichenberg_2.jpg, ''Reichenberg'' Castle, entrance, near Reichelsheim File:Gersprenztal_Böllsteiner_Odenwald.JPG, ''Gersprenz''-Valley with Reichenberg File:Schloss Lichtenberg Blick vom Bollwerk.jpg, ''Lichtenberg'' Castle (Fischbachtal) File:Nördliche Flasergranitoidzone Reinheimer Bucht.JPG, ''Neunkircher Höhe'' with a view to ''Lichtenberg'' Castle (left) and the ''Reinheimer Bucht'': ''Otzberg'' to the right of centre File:Wilhelm Trübner - Schlosspark in Lichtenberg im Odenwald (1900).jpg, ''Castle Grounds in Lichtenberg in Odenwald'', Wilhelm Trübner, 1900. Colección Carmen Thyssen Bornemisza. File:Otzberg panoramo 2.jpg, extinct volcano ''

'' and the old fort ''Veste Otzberg'' with the white tower File:Schloss Erbach Odenwald.jpg,

Castle File:Schlossfuerstenau2.jpg, ''Fürstenau'' Castle (near Michelstadt) with decorative gateway arch File:Bad Koenig Altes Schloss.jpg, Old Castle in Bad König File:Burg Breuberg - Breuberg Odenwald.jpg, ''Burg Breuberg'' near Höchst in the summer of 2006 File:Burg Breuberg05.jpg, Breuberg Castle, keep (Bergfried) and main gate File:Wildenburg1.JPG, The ruins of ''Wildenberg'' (Kirchzell) from the High Middle Ages, built in the Staufer era, where Wolfram von Eschenbach is said to have written parts of his Parzival. File:Wolfram47.jpg, Portrait of the medieval poet Wolfram von Eschenbach from the Codex Manesse File:Burg Wildenberg Kamin 1.jpg, Fireplace in the great hall. In Wolframs ''Parzival'' the author indirectly compares the gigantic fireplace in the ''Grail Castle'' with that of ''Wildenberg'': “so groziu fiwer sit noch e sach niemen hie ze Wildenberc” (line 230,12-13) File:Burg Freienstein01.jpg, The ruins of ''Freienstein'' near

File:Waldleiningen.jpg, ''Waldleiningen'' Castle in the British-style (near Mudau) File:Heidelberg corr.jpg, Heidelberg with Heidelberg Castle, Castle and the Old Bridge over river

File:Neckarsteinach1.JPG, Neckarsteinach with ''Mittelburg'' (left) and ''Vorderburg'' (in the middle) File:Neckarsteinach_Vorderburg.JPG, Neckarsteinach: ''Vorderburg'' File:Neckarsteinach_Mittelburg3.JPG, Neckarsteinach: ''Mittelburg' File:Neckarsteinach_Hinterburg1.JPG, Neckarsteinach: ''Hinterburg'' File:Schadeck-wehrgang.jpg, Neckarsteinach: The ruins of ''Schwalbennest'' File:Codex Manesse Bligger von Steinach.jpg, The medieval feudal lord and poet (minnesinger) Bligger von Steinach (Portrait from the Codex Manesse) resided in Steinach (Neckarsteinach) File:Neckartal.jpg, Bergfeste Dilsberg, Dilsberg with mountain fort File:Burgturm Dilsberg.jpg, Tower and wall of Dilsberg near Neckarsteinach File:Burg Hirschhorn.jpg, Hirschhorn with Hirschhorn Castle File:Burg-Eberbach02.jpg, The ruins of Eberbach Castle File:Burg Zwingenberg 2009.jpg, Zwingenberg Castle (also called the ''Zwingenburg'') (Zwingenberg/Neckar)

Music

Songs have been written about the Odenwald: * ''Es steht ein Baum im Odenwald'' (“There Stands a Tree in the Odenwald”) * ''Tief im Odenwald'' (“Deep in the Odenwald”) * ''Der Bauer aus dem Odenwald'' (“The Farmer from the Odenwald”)text and melody
on the webpage of the Catholic Student Association Markomannia Münster in the Kartellverband katholischer deutscher Studentenvereine, KV.

References

External links

Odenwald – Official page of Odenwald-Regional-Gesellschaft (OREG)

UNESCO Geo-Park – Official page of Geo-Naturpark Bergstraße-Odenwald

Odenwaldklub – Official page of Odenwaldklub

Regionalentwicklung Odenwald – Official page of Interessengemeinschaft Odenwald e.V. (IGO)
{{Authority control Odenwald, Mountain and hill ranges of Baden-Württemberg Mountain ranges of Bavaria Mountain ranges of Hesse Global Geoparks Network members Forests and woodlands of Bavaria Geoparks in Germany Forests and woodlands of Baden-Württemberg Regions of Baden-Württemberg Forests and woodlands of Hesse

Location

Geology

Geological maps

History

Name

Legends and mythology

Topography

Mountains

Over 600 m

Over 450 m

Over 300 m

Bodies of water

Flowing water

Standing water

Political divisions

Districts (with district seats)

District-free cities

International relations

Twin towns – Sister cities

Transport and tourism

Roads

Railways

Special day trips

Castles

Music

See also

References

Further reading

Monographs and anthologies

Periodicals

The Odenwald in Literature

External links