The Hahn is a -high

basalt Basalt (; ) is an aphanitic (fine-grained) extrusive igneous rock formed from the rapid cooling of low-viscosity lava rich in magnesium and iron (mafic lava) exposed at or very near the surface of a rocky planet or moon. More than 90 ...

knoll In geography, knoll is another term for a knowe or hillock, a small, low, round natural hill or mound. Knoll may also refer to: Places * Knoll Camp, site of an Iron Age hill fort Hampshire, England, United Kingdom * Knoll Lake, Leonard Canyon, A ...

in the district of

Schwalm-Eder-Kreis Schwalm-Eder-Kreis is a ''Kreis'' (district) in the north of Hesse, Germany. Neighbouring districts are Kassel, Werra-Meißner, Hersfeld-Rotenburg, Vogelsberg, Marburg-Biedenkopf, and Waldeck-Frankenberg. History In 1821 districts were create ...

, within the town of

Edermünde Edermünde is a municipality in northern Hesse, Germany. Geography Location Edermünde lies in the north of the Schwalm-Eder district not far southwest of Kassel. This is where the river Eder empties into the river Fulda. The constituent commu ...

-Holzhausen, in

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 ...

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 ...

. Like many other basalt outcrops in the

West Hesse Depression The West Hesse Depression (german: Westhessische Senke) is part of the West Hesse Highlands and Lowlands region in the north of the German state of Hesse. Like the East Hesse Depression, it is a series of separate depressions that form a natural c ...

, it is the neck of an extinct

Miocene The Miocene ( ) is the first epoch (geology), geological epoch of the Neogene Period and extends from about (Ma). The Miocene was named by Scottish geologist Charles Lyell; the name comes from the Greek words (', "less") and (', "new") and mea ...

volcano A volcano is a rupture in the Crust (geology), crust of a Planet#Planetary-mass objects, planetary-mass object, such as Earth, that allows hot lava, volcanic ash, and volcanic gas, gases to escape from a magma chamber below the surface. On Ear ...

, the rest has been eroded. A small

medieval In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire ...

tower castle once stood on the hill.

Location

The

is located directly north of the town centre of Holzhausen. For this reason the town is often known as Holzhausen am Hahn (engl. Holzhausen on the Hahn). The Pilgerbach stream flows around the southern edge of the Hahn. On the eastern side there is a football field. To the west, the

Autobahn The (; German plural ) is the federal controlled-access highway system in Germany. The official German term is (abbreviated ''BAB''), which translates as 'federal motorway'. The literal meaning of the word is 'Federal Auto(mobile) Track' ...

A49 passes by.

History of the Tower

Count Werner IV von Grüningen (1060-1121), who founded the

Benedictine Monastery , image = Medalla San Benito.PNG , caption = Design on the obverse side of the Saint Benedict Medal , abbreviation = OSB , formation = , motto = (English: 'Pray and Work') , found ...

of Breitenau near Guxhagen in 1113, built a tower castle around 1100 on the Hahn. The castle is first mentioned in documents in 1111. It probably consisted of a tower castle on top of the hill, with further

fortification A fortification is a military construction or building designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is also used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from Latin ''fortis'' ("strong") and ''facere' ...

on the lower

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 ...

. The buildings were probably destroyed before 1294 and fell down after 1346. The ruins of the castle were still mentioned in the 16th Century, and at the beginning of the 19th Century, when material was removed for paths and roads,

masonry Masonry is the building of structures from individual units, which are often laid in and bound together by mortar; the term ''masonry'' can also refer to the units themselves. The common materials of masonry construction are bricks, building ...

stones and mortar, as well as human remains were found. All traces of the castle have now been removed.

Culture

In the 1980s, a rock- and pop-festival was organised in Holzhausen called 'Rock-am-Hahn'. It featured rock bands such as the 'Rodgau Monotones',

Opus ''Opus'' (pl. ''opera'') is a Latin word meaning "work". Italian equivalents are ''opera'' (singular) and ''opere'' (pl.). Opus or OPUS may refer to: Arts and entertainment Music * Opus number, (abbr. Op.) specifying order of (usually) publicatio ...

Wolfgang Ambros Wolfgang Ambros is an Austrian singer-songwriter. He is one of the most important contemporary Austrian musicians and is considered to be one of the founders of Austropop. Life 1952–1970 Wolfgang Ambros was born in the Semmelweisklin ...

and Klaus Lage. This festival was revived in 2006 by the local youth organisations. Its primary objective is to promote up-and-coming bands.

Other Facts

On the hill there are ca. two

hectare The hectare (; SI symbol: ha) is a non-SI metric unit of area equal to a square with 100- metre sides (1 hm2), or 10,000 m2, and is primarily used in the measurement of land. There are 100 hectares in one square kilometre. An acre is ...

s of forest, the basalt cliffs and the south-eastern flank are not forested. The plateau is designated a protected nature area. In 1999 and 2000 the citizens of Holzhausen remediated the path to the top of the hill. From here a good view of Holzhausen and the surrounding area can be seen.

References

{{reflist Hills of Hesse