The Osser () is a

mountain A mountain is an elevated portion of the Earth's crust, generally with steep sides that show significant exposed bedrock. Although definitions vary, a mountain may differ from a plateau in having a limited summit area, and is usually higher t ...

on the border between

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

and the

Czech Republic The Czech Republic, also known as Czechia, and historically known as Bohemia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the south ...

, in the

Bavarian Forest image:Zell-bayerischer-wald.jpg, The village of Zell in the Bavarian Forest The Bavarian Forest ( or ''Bayerwald'' ; ) is a wooded, low-mountain region in Bavaria, Germany, that is about 100 kilometres long. It runs along the Czech Republic, C ...

and

Bohemian Forest The Bohemian Forest, known in Czech as () and in German as , is a low mountain range in Central Europe. Geographically, the mountains extend from Plzeň Region and the South Bohemian Region in the Czech Republic to Austria and Bavaria in Germ ...

and which belongs to the

Kunisch Mountains The Kunisch Mountains (; – meaning "Royal Forest") is a range that includes part of the Bavarian Forest and the central Bohemian Forest, with its main chain between the Osser and the Zwercheck close to Upper Palatinate. From a geological pers ...

Location and description

A distinction is made between the ''Großer Osser'' (1,293 m) ''(Velký Ostrý)'', which is right on the border, and the ''Kleiner Osser'' (1,266 m) ''(Malý Ostrý)'' to the west which is entirely within

Bavaria Bavaria, officially the Free State of Bavaria, is a States of Germany, state in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the list of German states by area, largest German state by land area, comprising approximately 1/5 of the total l ...

. Both summits lie on the German side in the county of

Cham Cham or CHAM may refer to: Ethnicities and languages *Chams, people in Vietnam and Cambodia **Cham language, the language of the Cham people ***Cham script *** Cham (Unicode block), a block of Unicode characters of the Cham script * Cham Albani ...

and on the municipal boundary between Lohberg to the southeast and Lam to the northwest. Due to their pointed shape, both summits are unique within the Bavarian Forest. They dominate the backdrop of the

Lamer Winkel The Lamer Winkel is a region in the northern Bavarian Forest between the mountains of Hoher Bogen, Osser, Arber and Kaitersberg; politically it belongs to the county of Cham in the Bavarian province of Upper Palatinate. Geography This form ...

, an area of lowland between Arrach, Lam and Lohberg. The Osser lies in the county of Cham and thus within the Bavarian province of

Upper Palatinate The Upper Palatinate (; , , ) is an administrative district in the east of Bavaria, Germany. It consists of seven districts and 226 municipalities, including three cities. Geography The Upper Palatinate is a landscape with low mountains and nume ...

. The Czechs also called the Osser affectionately the "breasts of the

mother of God ''Theotokos'' (Greek: ) is a title of Mary, mother of Jesus, used especially in Eastern Christianity. The usual Latin translations are or (approximately "parent (fem.) of God"). Familiar English translations are "Mother of God" or "God-bearer ...

". Locals also call the local mountain of Lam the "

Matterhorn The , ; ; ; or ; ; . is a mountain of the Alps, straddling the Main chain of the Alps, main watershed and border between Italy and Switzerland. It is a large, near-symmetric pyramidal peak in the extended Monte Rosa area of the Pennine Alps, ...

of the Bavarian Forest". At the summit of the Großer Osser on the Bavarian side of the border is the

mountain hut A mountain hut is a building located at high elevation, in mountainous terrain, generally accessible only by foot, intended to provide food and shelter to mountaineering, mountaineers, climbing, climbers and Hiking, hikers. Mountain huts are us ...

of ''Haus Willmann'', which is owned by the

Bavarian Forest Club The Bavarian Forest Club (), or BWV, is a German club that promotes culture, local history and folklore, nature and landscape conservation, and walking in the Bavarian Forest. It has its head office in Zwiesel and is registered in the register o ...

, which is managed during the summer months and also offers overnight accommodation. The pointed shape of the summit on the German side of the border means that the last 50 vertical metres or so involve an easy climb. Because the Osser is one of the best viewing mountains in the whole of the Bavarian Forest, it receives large numbers of German and Czech visitors on summer weekends, both hikers and tourists. From the

summit cross A summit cross is a Christian cross on the summit of a mountain or hill that marks the top. Often there will be a summit register (''Gipfelbuch'') at the cross, either in a container or other weatherproof case. The practice originated in the Ge ...

there is an extensive view into Czechia over the Bohemian Forest, as well as to the nearly summit of the

Arber Arber is a surname In many societies, a surname, family name, or last name is the mostly hereditary portion of one's personal name that indicates one's family. It is typically combined with a given name to form the full name of a person, ...

and, in good visibility, even as far as the

Alps The Alps () are some of the highest and most extensive mountain ranges in Europe, stretching approximately across eight Alpine countries (from west to east): Monaco, France, Switzerland, Italy, Liechtenstein, Germany, Austria and Slovenia. ...

. Various footpaths lead to the Osser, all of which require

sure-footedness Sure-footedness is the ability, especially when hiking or mountain climbing, to navigate difficult or rough terrain safely. Such situations place demands on a person's coordination and reserves of strength as well as requiring sufficient appreciati ...

. Start points are Lohberg, Silbersbach, Lam, Sattelparkplatz or Lambach. All the routes are steep, rocky and relatively challenging.

History and legends

According to more recent research, the name Osser is of

Celtic Celtic, Celtics or Keltic may refer to: Language and ethnicity *pertaining to Celts, a collection of Indo-European peoples in Europe and Anatolia **Celts (modern) *Celtic languages **Proto-Celtic language *Celtic music *Celtic nations Sports Foot ...

origin. In the 12th century the castle of Osserburg was built on the Osser. It has since been completely destroyed. There are several fairy tales and legends about the Osser. The most popular and best known figure is the Osser Giant (''Osserriese'') and his stories. For example, it is said that there was once a third summit.

Geotopes

Osser Saddle

The striking rocky rib of the Osser Saddle (''Ossersattel'') consists of the so-called Osser Quartzite, which is heavily folded here. Besides

mica slate Micas ( ) are a group of silicate minerals whose outstanding physical characteristic is that individual mica crystals can easily be split into fragile elastic plates. This characteristic is described as ''perfect basal cleavage''. Mica is com ...

quartzite Quartzite is a hard, non- foliated metamorphic rock that was originally pure quartz sandstone.Essentials of Geology, 3rd Edition, Stephen Marshak, p 182 Sandstone is converted into quartzite through heating and pressure usually related to tecton ...

s are common in the area of the Kunisch Mountains. Quartzites are metamorphic rocks formed from sediments that were very rich in quartz sand. The Osser Saddle is designated by the

Bavarian State Office for the Environment Bavarian is the adjective form of the German state of Bavaria, and refers to people of ancestry from Bavaria. Bavarian may also refer to: * Bavarii, a Germanic tribe * Bavarians, a nation and ethnographic group of Germans * Bavarian, Iran, a villag ...

(LfU) as a geo-scientifically valuable

geotope A geotope is the geological component of the abiotic matrix present in an ecotope. Example geotopes might be an exposed outcrop of rocks, an erratic boulder, a grotto or ravine, a cave, an old stone wall marking a property boundary, and so forth. ...

(Geotope number: 372R009).

Kleiner Osser

The rocky summit of the Little Osser consists of quartz-rich and heavily folded mica slate. The rocky crags and numerous blocks are the result of increased weathering and erosion under the

periglacial Periglaciation (adjective: "periglacial", referring to places at the edges of glacial areas) describes geomorphic processes that result from seasonal thawing and freezing, very often in areas of permafrost. The meltwater may refreeze in ice wedg ...

climatic conditions of recent geological history. The crags are designated by the LfU as a geotope of geo-scientific importance (Geotope number: 372R011) and as a

natural monument A natural monument is a natural or cultural feature of outstanding or unique value because of its inherent rarity, representative of aesthetic qualities, or cultural significance. They can be natural geological and geographical features such as w ...

Großer Osser

The crags of the Großer Osser consist of quartz-rich, strongly folded mica slates, which contain numerous garnets (up to 4 mm diameter) in places. The crags are designated by the LfU as a geotope of geo-scientific value (Geotope number: 372R010). They have also been awarded the official seal of approval as one of ''Bavaria's most beautiful geotopes'' by the LfU.

Planned pumped-hydropower station

The planned Johanneszeche pumped storage hydropower station, rejected by the townsfolk of Lam, was to have located its upper basin on the Osser and an almost four kilometre long section of the pressure pipe was to be laid along an existing path.

References

External links

Osser slide show at ''waldberge.de''

panorama-photo.net: Großer Osser (360°)
Annotated all-round view from the Großer Osser {{authority control One-thousanders of Germany Mountains of Bavaria Klatovy District Bohemian Forest Mountains of the Bavarian Forest Cham (district) One-thousanders of the Czech Republic