Wendelstein is a mountain in the
Bavarian Alps
The Bavarian Alps (german: Bayerische Alpen) is a collective name for several mountain ranges of the Northern Limestone Alps within the German state of Bavaria.
Geography
The term in its wider sense refers to that part of the Eastern Alps that ...
in South Germany. It is part of the
Mangfall Mountains
The Mangfall Mountains (german: Mangfallgebirge), or sometimes Mangfall Alps, are the easternmost part of the Bavarian Prealps that, in turn, belong to the Northern Limestone Alps. The name comes from the river Mangfall, whose tributaries, the Ro ...
, the eastern part of the Bavarian Pre-Alps, and is the highest peak in the Wendelstein massif. It lies between the valleys of the
Leitzach and
Inn
Inns are generally establishments or buildings where travelers can seek lodging, and usually, food and drink. Inns are typically located in the country or along a highway; before the advent of motorized transportation they also provided accommo ...
and is accessible via the
Wendelstein Cable Car and the
Wendelstein Rack Railway
The Wendelstein Rack Railway (german: Wendelsteinbahn), sometimes just referred to as the Wendelstein Railway, is an electrically-driven metre gauge rack railway (with several adhesion sections) that runs up the Wendelstein in the Upper Bavarian ...
. On its northern foothills rises the Jenbach, which becomes the Kalten on its way to the River
Mangfall
The Mangfall is a river of Upper Bavaria, Germany. The Mangfall is the outflow of the Tegernsee lake and discharges in Rosenheim from the left into the Inn. It is long.
Towns and villages on the Mangfall
* Gmund am Tegernsee
* Valley
* Weyar ...
. Local valley settlements include
Bayrischzell
Bayrischzell is a municipality in the district of Miesbach in Bavaria in Germany.
Geography
Bayrischzell is located in the Mangfallgebirge between Schliersee in the West and Oberaudorf in the East. It is located at the foot of Wendelstein m ...
,
Brannenburg
Brannenburg is a municipality in the district of Rosenheim in Bavaria in Germany. There is a train station
A train station, railway station, railroad station or depot is a railway facility where trains stop to load or unload passengers, ...
and Osterhofen.
Geography
Geology
The mountain consists mainly of
Wetterstein limestone
The Wetterstein Formation is a regional geologic formation of the Northern Limestone Alps and Western Carpathians extending from southern Bavaria, Germany in the west, through northern Austria to northern Hungary and western Slovakia in the east. ...
from the Upper
Triassic
The Triassic ( ) is a geologic period and system which spans 50.6 million years from the end of the Permian Period 251.902 million years ago ( Mya), to the beginning of the Jurassic Period 201.36 Mya. The Triassic is the first and shortest period ...
with
dasycladales
Dasycladales is an order of large unicellular green algae in the class Ulvophyceae. It contains two families, the Dasycladaceae and the Polyphysaceae.
These single celled algae are from 2 mm to 200 mm long. They live on substrates ...
- marine algae whose natural
habitat
In ecology, the term habitat summarises the array of resources, physical and biotic factors that are present in an area, such as to support the survival and reproduction of a particular species. A species habitat can be seen as the physical ...
is shallow lagoons in tropical climates. The colour of the rock varies between grey white and light grey to speckled.
File:Wendelstein von Westen-1.jpg, The Wendelstein seen from the west
File:Wendelstein Nov2011.jpg, The Wendelstein from the south
File:Wendelstein Transmitter.jpg, Wendelstein's BR transmission mast
File:WendelsteinBayerischZell.jpg, View from Bayrischzell of the summit
Climate
![WENDELSTEIN WEWA nieder](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/6d/WENDELSTEIN_WEWA_nieder.svg)
The annual
precipitation
In meteorology, precipitation is any product of the condensation of atmospheric water vapor that falls under gravitational pull from clouds. The main forms of precipitation include drizzle, rain, sleet, snow, ice pellets, graupel and hail. ...
is , which is extremely high, lying in the upper twentieth of values in Germany. 99% of
German Met Office
The () or DWD for short, is the German Meteorological Service, based in Offenbach am Main, Germany, which monitors weather and meteorological conditions over Germany and provides weather services for the general public and for nautical, aviati ...
weather stations register lower values. The driest month is October, the wettest is July, which experiences 2.6 times as much precipitation as October. Annual variations are extremely large. Only 3% of weather stations register higher annual variations.
Development
On the summit of the mountain is the Wendelstein Chapel, an
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 ...
, a
weather station
A weather station is a facility, either on land or sea, with instruments and equipment for measuring atmospheric conditions to provide information for weather forecasts and to study the weather and climate. The measurements taken include tempera ...
, a
geopark
A geopark is a protected area with internationally significant geology within which sustainable development is sought and which includes tourism, conservation, education and research concerning not just geology but other relevant sciences.
In 20 ...
and a transmission mast for the
Bayerischer Rundfunk
Bayerischer Rundfunk (BR; "Bavarian Broadcasting") is a public-service radio and television broadcaster, based in Munich, capital city of the Free State of Bavaria in Germany. BR is a member organization of the ARD consortium of public broadcas ...
. About a hundred metres below the summit, on the ridge between the Wendelstein and the Schwaigerwand, lie the mountain inn, the termini of the rack railway and cable car, the service building for the mast, the former mountain hotel (above the station), a hut for the
mountain rescue service
Mountain rescue refers to search and rescue activities that occur in a mountainous environment, although the term is sometimes also used to apply to search and rescue in other wilderness environments. This tends to include mountains with tech ...
and the Wendelstein Church. The buildings around the mountain stations are linked to the summit by a metalled track, which also enables the summit to be reached by inexperienced hikers. Because the path cannot be used in winter, there is also a lift in the middle of the mountain for employees of the observatory, weather service and transmission site, accessed from the station of the rack railway through a tunnel.
The rack railway was built in 1912 by
Otto von Steinbeis. Since its renovation in the early 1990s, it has been worked by modern
railcar
A railcar (not to be confused with a railway car) is a self-propelled railway vehicle designed to transport passengers. The term "railcar" is usually used in reference to a train consisting of a single coach (carriage, car), with a drive ...
s that have reduced journey times from over 50 minutes to about half an hour. Near the rack railway mountain station is the
Wendelstein Cave Wendelstein may refer to:
* Wendelstein (mountain), a mountain in the Chiemgau
* Wendelstein, Bavaria, a town in the district of Roth in Bavaria, Germany
* two experimental stellarators (nuclear fusion reactors) of the Max-Planck-Institut für Plas ...
with several
stalactite
A stalactite (, ; from the Greek 'stalaktos' ('dripping') via
''stalassein'' ('to drip') is a mineral formation that hangs from the ceiling of caves, hot springs, or man-made structures such as bridges and mines. Any material that is soluble an ...
s and
stalagmite
A stalagmite (, ; from the Greek , from , "dropping, trickling")
is a type of rock formation that rises from the floor of a cave due to the accumulation of material deposited on the floor from ceiling drippings. Stalagmites are typically ...
s, and which contain ice until well into the summer months.
Wendelstein Church
The foundation stone of the Wendelstein Church (''Wendelsteinkircherl'') was laid on 1 July 1889 on a rocky ridge a hundred metres below the summit. On 20 August 1890 Germany's highest church was consecrated. It is dedicated to the
Patrona Bavariae and is managed by the
Archdiocese of Munich and Freising
The Archdiocese of Munich and Freising (german: Erzbistum München und Freising, la, Archidioecesis Monacensis et Frisingensis) is an ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Roman Catholic Church in Bavaria, Germany. as a satellite church of the parish of Maria Himmelfahrt in Brannenburg. The Wendelstein Church's description as the "highest church in Germany" is indisputable; all other higher church buildings (such as the Zugspitze Chapel consecrated in 1981) are not churches in the ecclesiastical sense, but only chapels. Regular masses and marriage services take place in the mountain church in summer.
Wendelstein Church is also often called the Wendelstein Chapel, but there is a separate Wendelstein Chapel. This is dedicated to St. Wendelin and stands just below the summit. This summit chapel, made of wood, is considerably older than the church; there are reports of it going back to the early 19th century.
File:Wendelstein 20090320 SK 002.jpg, The Wendelstein Church
File:0546 - Church on Wendelstein.JPG, Interior
Mountain weather station and observatory
![Wendelstein Domes](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a1/Wendelstein_Domes.jpg)
On the summit of the Wendelstein there is a
weather station
A weather station is a facility, either on land or sea, with instruments and equipment for measuring atmospheric conditions to provide information for weather forecasts and to study the weather and climate. The measurements taken include tempera ...
belonging to the
German Meteorological Office, which is manned around the clock, and an
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 ...
of the Institute for
Astronomy
Astronomy () is a natural science that studies astronomical object, celestial objects and phenomena. It uses mathematics, physics, and chemistry in order to explain their origin and chronology of the Universe, evolution. Objects of interest ...
and
Astrophysics
Astrophysics is a science that employs the methods and principles of physics and chemistry in the study of astronomical objects and phenomena. As one of the founders of the discipline said, Astrophysics "seeks to ascertain the nature of the h ...
at the
Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich
The Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich (simply University of Munich or LMU; german: Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München) is a public research university in Munich, Germany. It is Germany's sixth-oldest university in continuous operatio ...
.
The first
weather observations on the Wendelstein were recorded in a makeshift observatory erected by the summit chapel by Paul Schiegg in July 1804, the records were, however, often frustrated by
lightning
Lightning is a naturally occurring electrostatic discharge during which two electric charge, electrically charged regions, both in the atmosphere or with one on the land, ground, temporarily neutralize themselves, causing the instantaneous ...
,
storms
A storm is any disturbed state of the natural environment or the atmosphere of an astronomical body. It may be marked by significant disruptions to normal conditions such as strong wind, tornadoes, hail, thunder and lightning (a thunderstorm), ...
,
snow
Snow comprises individual ice crystals that grow while suspended in the atmosphere—usually within clouds—and then fall, accumulating on the ground where they undergo further changes.
It consists of frozen crystalline water throughout ...
and
rain
Rain is water droplets that have condensed from atmospheric water vapor and then fall under gravity. Rain is a major component of the water cycle and is responsible for depositing most of the fresh water on the Earth. It provides water f ...
. In 1883 the Wendelsteinhaus Meteorological Station was built by Dr. Fritz Erk of the Royal Bavarian Meteorological Central Station in Munich at an altitude of 1700 m. This was the first Alpine station in the Royal Bavarian Meteorological Station Network. The delivery of mail to and from this station was carried out in winter by the members of the Wendelsteinhaus Alpine Club and in summer by tourists. In 1962, the present weather station was built at the summit. It is staffed around the clock with full-time staff.
The observatory was founded in December 1939 by
Karl-Otto Kiepenheuer
Karl-Otto Kiepenheuer (10 November 1910 – 23 May 1975) was a German astronomer and astrophysicist. His research focused on the Sun, and for that purpose he initiated construction of several solar telescopes and founded the Kiepenheuer Institute ...
as a solar observatory for the
Luftwaffe
The ''Luftwaffe'' () was the aerial-warfare branch of the German ''Wehrmacht'' before and during World War II. Germany's military air arms during World War I, the ''Luftstreitkräfte'' of the Imperial Army and the '' Marine-Fliegerabtei ...
. The recording of
solar activity
Solar phenomena are natural phenomena which occur within the atmosphere of the Sun. These phenomena take many forms, including solar wind, radio wave flux, solar flares, coronal mass ejections, coronal heating and sunspots.
These phenomena are ...
was supposed to enable the most accurate forecast possible of the optimal frequencies used for military
communications
Communication (from la, communicare, meaning "to share" or "to be in relation with") is usually defined as the transmission of information. The term may also refer to the message communicated through such transmissions or the field of inquir ...
. After the
Second World War
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
the observatory was funded by the US forces for the same purpose. Since 1949 the facility has belonged to the University of Munich. In the 1960s the observatory was enhanced with a
coronagraph
A coronagraph is a telescopic attachment designed to block out the direct light from a star so that nearby objects – which otherwise would be hidden in the star's bright glare – can be resolved. Most coronagraphs are intended to view ...
, a device that enabled research to be carried out on the atmosphere of the sun. Due to increasing air pollution and research priorities switching back to night-time astronomy, scientific observations of the sun were ceased in the 1980s. Since 1988 the facility has become purely an observatory; the dome of the
coronograph
A coronagraph is a telescopic attachment designed to block out the direct light from a star so that nearby objects – which otherwise would be hidden in the star's bright glare – can be resolved. Most coronagraphs are intended to view ...
is only used today for viewing purposes. Searches were conducted from the Wendelstein for
extrasolar planet
An exoplanet or extrasolar planet is a planet outside the Solar System. The first possible evidence of an exoplanet was noted in 1917 but was not recognized as such. The first confirmation of detection occurred in 1992. A different planet, init ...
s by evaluating
occultation
An occultation is an event that occurs when one object is hidden from the observer by another object that passes between them. The term is often used in astronomy, but can also refer to any situation in which an object in the foreground blocks ...
s and research is carried out on
variable star
A variable star is a star whose brightness as seen from Earth (its apparent magnitude) changes with time. This variation may be caused by a change in emitted light or by something partly blocking the light, so variable stars are classified as ...
s in
dwarf galaxies
A dwarf galaxy is a small galaxy composed of about 1000 up to several billion stars, as compared to the Milky Way's 200–400 billion stars. The Large Magellanic Cloud, which closely orbits the Milky Way and contains over 30 billion stars, is s ...
using an 80-cm
telescope
A telescope is a device used to observe distant objects by their emission, absorption, or reflection of electromagnetic radiation. Originally meaning only an optical instrument using lenses, curved mirrors, or a combination of both to observe ...
and
CCD cameras. In 2012, the 80-cm telescope was replaced by an instrument with a two-metre aperture.
Universitäts-Sternwarte München: Geschichte
/ref>
In addition, from 1950 to 1960 there was an observatory on the eastern summit of the Wendelstein, consisting of an observation dome and a residential house. There, the astronomer Rudolf Kühn carried out research. The facility was completely demolished in 1965, only the remains of the foundations are still visible. Where the observation dome once stood, a wind turbine
A wind turbine is a device that converts the kinetic energy of wind into electrical energy. Hundreds of thousands of large turbines, in installations known as wind farms, now generate over 650 gigawatts of power, with 60 GW added each year. ...
was later built, but that, too, was dismantled in 2007.
Ski area
The rack railway and gondola lift and two drag lift
A surface lift is a type of cable transport for snow sports in which skiers and snowboarders remain on the ground as they are pulled uphill. While they were once prevalent, they have been overtaken in popularity by higher-capacity and higher-co ...
s serve a small ski area
A ski area is the terrain and supporting infrastructure where skiing and other snow sports take place. Such sports include alpine and cross-country skiing, snow boarding, tubing, sledding, etc. Ski areas may stand alone or be part of a ski resort.
...
on the Wendelstein. Plans to link it to the Sudelfeld
Bayrischzell is a municipality in the district of Miesbach in Bavaria in Germany.
Geography
Bayrischzell is located in the Mangfallgebirge between Schliersee in the West and Oberaudorf in the East. It is located at the foot of Wendelstein moun ...
ski area were discarded. Because of a dispute with an alpine farmer, there was no skiing on the Wendelstein from 1995 to 1997. In spite of numerous explosions and other construction projects in the past 40 years, most of the runs on the Wendelstein are steep rugged slopes that are only suitable for experienced skiers. Throughout the year members of the Brannenburg Mountain Rescue Service are on duty at the Klausen Hut (opposite the Wendelstein Church) and in the ski area.
References
External links
Picture of the Wendelstein
{{Authority control
Mountains of Bavaria
One-thousanders of Germany
Mountains of the Alps