The Upland (
Low German for ''Oberland'' "highland") is a low mountain region forming the northeastern part of the
High Sauerland and belongs the German state of
Hesse
Hesse (, , ) or Hessia (, ; german: Hessen ), officially the State of Hessen (german: links=no, Land Hessen), is a state in Germany. Its capital city is Wiesbaden, and the largest urban area is Frankfurt. Two other major historic cities are Dar ...
, unlike the remainder of the High Sauerland which lies in
Westphalia
Westphalia (; german: Westfalen ; nds, Westfalen ) is a region of northwestern Germany and one of the three historic parts of the state of North Rhine-Westphalia. It has an area of and 7.9 million inhabitants.
The territory of the regio ...
. The Upland falls within the district of
Waldeck-Frankenberg
Waldeck-Frankenberg is a ''Kreis'' (district) in the north of Hesse, Germany. Neighbouring districts are Höxter, Kassel, Schwalm-Eder, Marburg-Biedenkopf, Siegen-Wittgenstein, Hochsauerland.
History
The district was created in 1972 by merging ...
, in North Hesse and corresponds to the territory of the municipality of
Willingen
Willingen (official name: ''Willingen (Upland)'') is a municipality in Waldeck-Frankenberg in northern Hesse, Germany, some 80 km west of Kassel.
Geography
Location
Willingen is found in Waldeck-Frankenberg district in the Upland. Its mai ...
.
Geography
The historic Upland lies in the southwestern area of the
Diemelsee Nature Park at an average height of 500 to 700 m above NN. The northwestern and southwestern parts are almost entirely forested, whilst the centre, the area formally defined as a natural region called ''Upland'' (see below), only has islands of woods around some of the peaks.
Natural regions
The historic Upland lies predominantly in the northwestern
Rothaar Mountains
The Rothaar Mountains (german: Rothaargebirge, , also ''Rotlagergebirge''), or Rothaar, is a low mountain range reaching heights of up to 843.1 m in North Rhine-Westphalia and Hesse, Germany.
It is believed that its name must once have been ...
mountain range with smaller elements also in the East Sauerland foothills. It incorporates the natural region of Upland, as well as the (northeastern) half of the natural region of Langenberg, which contains the highest peak in the Rothaargebirge, the 843,1 m high
Langenberg, as well as other summits over 800 m high.
The following
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 ...
s lie wholly or partly (see brackets) in the historic Upland:
* 33
Süder Uplands
The Süder UplandsRothaar Mountains
The Rothaar Mountains (german: Rothaargebirge, , also ''Rotlagergebirge''), or Rothaar, is a low mountain range reaching heights of up to 843.1 m in North Rhine-Westphalia and Hesse, Germany.
It is believed that its name must once have been ...
*** 333.5 Winterberg Highland
**** 333.58 Langenberg (northeast half)
*** 333.8 Hochsauerland Schlucht Mountains
**** 333.82 Schellhorn and Treis Forests (extreme southeast)
*** 333.9 Upland
**** 333.90 Inner Upland (apart from the extreme north)
**** 333.91 Fore Upland Ridge (west and centre only)
Geology
The soils of the Upland are based mainly on
Upper Devonian
The Devonian ( ) is a geologic period and system of the Paleozoic era, spanning 60.3 million years from the end of the Silurian, million years ago (Mya), to the beginning of the Carboniferous, Mya. It is named after Devon, England, wher ...
marl, argillaceous
shale and calcareous
sandstone
Sandstone is a clastic sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized (0.0625 to 2 mm) silicate grains. Sandstones comprise about 20–25% of all sedimentary rocks.
Most sandstone is composed of quartz or feldspar (both silicates ...
. This combination has produced good soils for arable farming. As a result, the forests were cleared very early on and replaced by
wood pasture
Silvopasture (''silva'' is forest in Latin) is the practice of integrating trees, forage, and the grazing of domesticated animals in a mutually beneficial way. It utilizes the principles of managed grazing, and it is one of several distinct forms ...
(the East Sauerland "mountain heaths").
Mountains
The highest mountain in the Upland is the
Langenberg (), which is located immediately next to the border with neighbouring North-Rhine-Westphalia (and just on the Westphalian side). The almost equally high
Hegekopf
Hegekopf is a mountain of Landkreis Waldeck-Frankenberg, 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 ...
(842.9 m) lies opposite and entirely on Hessian territory.
Since autumn 2002 the
Ettelsberg
Ettelsberg is a mountain of Landkreis Waldeck-Frankenberg, 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 ...
(837.7 m) has had an observation platform on the
Hochheideturm
Hochheideturm is a observation tower, with a completely glassed prospect platform on 831 metres high, located in Ettelsberg, Germany, near Willingen. The northwest side of the tower is the highest artificial climbing wall of Europe (height: 41 ...
with a height of 875 m.
Amongst the mountains of the Upland (including all the "eight hundreds") are those in the following list. They are sorted by height in metres above
Normalnull
("standard zero") or (short N. N. or NN ) is an outdated official vertical datum used in Germany. Elevations using this reference system were to be marked (“meters above standard zero”). has been replaced by (NHN).
History
In 187 ...
(NN) (natural regions in italics; mountains on the state border with North Rhine-Westphalia are asterisked (*)):
*
Langenberg* (843.2 m) - ''Langenberg''
*
Hegekopf
Hegekopf is a mountain of Landkreis Waldeck-Frankenberg, 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 ...
(842.9 m) - ''Langenberg''
*
Ettelsberg
Ettelsberg is a mountain of Landkreis Waldeck-Frankenberg, 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 ...
(837.7 m) - ''Langenberg'' with
Hochheideturm
Hochheideturm is a observation tower, with a completely glassed prospect platform on 831 metres high, located in Ettelsberg, Germany, near Willingen. The northwest side of the tower is the highest artificial climbing wall of Europe (height: 41 ...
* Hopperkopf (832.3 m) - ''Langenberg''
* Mühlenkopf (ca. 825 m) - ''Langenberg''; with
Mühlenkopfschanze
Mühlenkopfschanze is a ski jumping hill located in Willingen, Germany. The audience capacity is 35,000. With a K-point of , it is the largest ski jumping hill in the world, and holds World Cup events every year. The current hill record of was s ...
* Hoher Eimberg* (806.1 m) - ''Schellhorn and Treis Forests''
* Hoppernkopf* (805.0 m) - ''Langenberg/Schellhorn and Treis Forests''
* Mittelsberg (801 m) - ''Langenberg''
* Hohe Pön (792,7 m) - ''Langenberg''
* Krutenberg* (785.0 m) - ''Langenberg''
* Dreiskopf* (781 m) - ''Schellhorn and Treis Forests''
* Kahle Pön (775.3 m) - ''Inner Upland''
* Emmet (742.5 m) - ''Langenberg''
* Auf'm Knoll* (738 m) - ''Langenberg/Inner Upland''
* Dommel (738.0 m) - ''Schellhorn and Treis Forests''; with Dommelturm
* Sähre (726 m) - ''Inner Upland''
* Iberg (720.5 m) - ''Inner Upland''
* Osterkopf (708.5 m) - ''Inner Upland''
* Orenberg (702 m) - ''Inner Upland''
Rivers
The Rhine-Weser watershed runs through the Langenberg natural region, beyond the western perimeter of the historic Upland. East of this the majority of the rivers drain into the Diemel and flow in a north to northeasterly direction. They are, from west to east (source regions in brackets):
*
Hoppecke
Hoppecke is a river in North Rhine-Westphalia and Hesse, Germany. It flows into the Diemel near Marsberg
Marsberg () is a town in the Hochsauerland district, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany.
History
Although its origins are obscure, Marsbe ...
(''Langenberg'')
*
Itter
Itter is a municipality in the Kitzbühel District in the Austrian state of Tyrol located 18.60 km west of Kitzbühel, 5 km southeast of Wörgl, and 2.5 km north of Hopfgarten im Brixental. The village lies on a terrace above the ...
(''Langenberg'')
*
Aarbach (''Langenberg'')
*
Diemel
The Diemel is a river in Hesse and North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is a left tributary of the Weser.
Route
The source of the Diemel is near Willingen, in Sauerland. The Diemel flows generally northeast through the towns Marsberg, Warburg, an ...
(''Inner Upland'')
*
Rhene (source on the ''Fore Upland Ridge'', but outside the historic Upland)
Through the ''Fore Upland Ridge'' (''Vorupländer Rücken''), in a west-southwest to east-northeast direction, runs the watershed between the Diemel and the
Eder, south of which the
Neerdar rises in the Inner Upland, whose upper reaches flow through the southeast of the historic Upland.
Towns and villages
*
Heringhausen (Diemelsee)
Heringhausen in the area of Waldeck, Upland and Sauerland, is a village in the municipality Diemelsee in northern Hesse. Heringhausen is a recognized health resort.
Etymology
Several variants are known concerning the origin of the place ...
is a recognized health resort. In 2023, the place has a 1000-year history.
*
Willingen
Willingen (official name: ''Willingen (Upland)'') is a municipality in Waldeck-Frankenberg in northern Hesse, Germany, some 80 km west of Kassel.
Geography
Location
Willingen is found in Waldeck-Frankenberg district in the Upland. Its mai ...
and its incorporated villages of Usseln, Schwalefeld, Rattlar, Eimelrod, Bömighausen, Hemmighausen, Neerdar and Welleringhausen.
References
External links
* of the Upland with all important peaks
place marks
{{coord missing, Hesse
Natural regions of Germany
Regions of Hesse