The Long Rhön () is a ridge in the
Central Rhön
The Central Rhön () is a 5th level natural region which, together with the Southern High Rhön, forms the High Rhön. The region has several mountains over 900 metres high, including: the Wasserkuppe (950.0 m) and Heidelstein (926 m). O ...
which forms part of the
High Rhön
High may refer to:
Science and technology
* Height
* High (atmospheric), a high-pressure area
* High (computability), a quality of a Turing degree, in computability theory
* High (tectonics), in geology an area where relative tectonic uplift to ...
within the
Rhön Mountains
The Rhön Mountains () are a group of low mountains (or ''Mittelgebirge'') in central Germany, located around the border area where the states of Hesse, Bavaria and Thuringia come together. These mountains, which are at the extreme southeast end o ...
. The Long Rhön is an elongated
basalt
Basalt (; ) is an aphanite, 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 planetary surface, surface of a terrestrial ...
plateau in the centre, roughly 800 metres above sea level, which is only occasional interrupted by mountain peaks. Its highest mountain is the
Heidelstein ().
A majority of the area is part of the Long Rhön Nature Reserve. In this area of the Rhön is the
Black Moor Black Moor may refer to:
* Black Moor (musical group), a heavy metal band
* Black Moor (Rhön), a wetland habitat in Germany
* Black Telescope goldfish, known as black moor, a variant of telescope eye goldfish
* "Harap Alb", a 1877 Romanian-languag ...
.
Natural region grouping
The Long Rhön was first defined in 1968 as part of the
natural region classification (
M = 1:200,000) as a
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 ...
and grouped as follows:
*(to 35
East Hessian Highlands)
**(to 354
High Rhön
High may refer to:
Science and technology
* Height
* High (atmospheric), a high-pressure area
* High (computability), a quality of a Turing degree, in computability theory
* High (tectonics), in geology an area where relative tectonic uplift to ...
)
***(to 354.1 Central Rhön)
****354.11 Long Rhön
Boundaries
The boundary of the Long Rhön in the west along the
Ulster
Ulster (; or ; or ''Ulster'') is one of the four traditional or historic provinces of Ireland, Irish provinces. It is made up of nine Counties of Ireland, counties: six of these constitute Northern Ireland (a part of the United Kingdom); t ...
valley may be taken from
Hilders
Hilders is a municipality in the district of Fulda, in Hesse, Germany. To the north rises the mountain of Auersberg
Auersberg is a mountain in the Ore Mountains in Saxony, southeastern Germany. Auersberg is above sea level. It is located in ...
to its source roughly on the 600-metre-contour. The
B 278 and an imaginary line several hundred metres west to roughly the height of the
Rhönhaus separates it from the
Wasserkuppen Rhön. The treeline as far as the
Rhönkopf may be taken as the boundary with the
Eastern slopes of the Long Rhön to the south and east of the area, continued by an imaginary line running north-northeast to the L1123 near Reichenhausen. The boundary in the north with the
Auersberg Kuppenrhön is once again the 600-metre-contour and thuse circumnavigates the
Buchschirm.
Mountains
*
Heidelstein(926 m; west of Oberelsbach;
Heidelstein transmitter)
**
Schwabenhimmel (912.6 m; eastern spur with a memorial site for the
Rhön Club)
*** Maihügel (775 m; eastern spur)
** Münzkopf (849.0 m; southern spur)
** Ottilienstein (846.4 m; Nordwestausläufer)
** Hoher Dentschberg (777.4 m; southeastern spur)
*
Stirnberg (901.9 m;)
** Huckel (829 m;northeastern spur)
* Hangenberg (809.1 m;southeastern spur)
*
Steinkopf (Wüstensachsen) (888 m; nature reserve)
* Hohe Dalle (862.0 m;)
*
Schnitzersberg (815.5 m; highest mountain in the Thuringian Rhön)
**
Ellenbogen (Rhön)
The Ellenbogen is an 814-metre high extinct volcano in the Thuringian Rhön in the district of Landkreis Schmalkalden-Meiningen, Thuringia, Germany.
Location
The Ellenbogen rises between the villages of Oberweid, Frankenheim/Rhön, Frankenheim ...
(813.2 m; northern spur, Rhön Clubhouse, Eisenacher Haus)
*** Schafküppel (806.8 m; northern spur)
**** Weidberg (724.9 m;)
*** Steinköpfchen (738.1 m;north-northeastern spurof the Ellenbogen)
**
Buchschirm (745.2 m; western spur, with an observation platform)
** Espenhauck (664.6 m; western spur)
* Querenberg (Rhön) (804.8 m;)
** ''
Rhönhof'' (794.1 m; eastern spur; unnamed summit, but a top with over 15 metres prominence)
*** Bloßberg (743.3 m; eastern spur)
* Grabenberg (796.2 m; site of a former East German border tower)
*
Ilmenberg (787.1 m; ski area by the Thüringer Hut)
* Rhönkopf (779.7 m; also called the Salkenberg or Heimatblick after the memorial site to East German refugees)
* Dungberg (772.7 m;)
Climate and Vegetation
In 1969, Frankenheim had the following climatic statistics: 940 mm of precipitation, about 125 days of mist and fog during the year, and an average annual temperature of 5.1 °C.
As a result of centuries of deforestation a harsh, grassland countryside has evolved on the Long Rhön. Reforestation was not undertaken until 1815. Over 80% of the land is used for agriculture.
References
[Brigitte Schwenzer:'' Geographische Landesaufnahme: Die naturräumlichen Einheiten auf Blatt 140 Schweinfurt'' –- Bundesanstalt für Landeskunde, Bad Godesberg, 1968 â†]
Naturraum-Karte
(PDF, 4 MB)
[Werner Röll:'' Geographische Landesaufnahme: Die naturräumlichen Einheiten auf Blatt 126 Fulda'' – Bundesanstalt für Landeskunde, Bad Godesberg, 1969 â†]
Naturraum-Karte
(PDF, 4 MB)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lange Rhon
Rhön Mountains
East Hesse
Fulda (district)
Rhön-Grabfeld
Schmalkalden-Meiningen
Mountain ranges of Bavaria
Natural regions of the East Hesse Highlands