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 ''Rod-Hard-Gebirge'', or "the cleared forest mountain range", as the range has nothing whatsoever to do with the colour red (''rot'' in
German
German(s) may refer to:
* Germany (of or related to)
**Germania (historical use)
* Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language
** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law
**Ger ...
), nor with hair (''Haar'').
Geography
Location
The thickly wooded Rothaar, rich in mineral deposits, is found (mostly) in
Westphalia sandwiched between the
Sauerland Mountain Range to the north, the
Upland mountain range (northeastern foothills of the Rothaar) to the northeast, Wittgenstein Land to the southeast and the
Siegerland
The Siegerland is a region of Germany covering the old district of Siegen (now part of the district of Siegen-Wittgenstein in North Rhine-Westphalia) and the upper part of the district of Altenkirchen, belonging to the Rhineland-Palatinate adjoin ...
to the southwest. The range's southeastern foothills are lies in
Hesse, and is the only part that lies outside of
Westphalia. It stretches from the upper
Eder Eder may refer to:
People
* Eder (surname)
* Éder (given name), a Portuguese or Spanish given name
*Éder (footballer, born 1986), Brazilian footballer Éder Citadin Martins
*Eder (footballer, born 1987), Portuguese footballer from Guinea-Bissau E ...
and the
Lenne from the ''
Kahler Asten'' (841 m) southwest of the Winterberg Tableland (''Winterberger Hochfläche'') some 30 km to the southwest and drops off steeply towards the west, but much less sharply towards the east.
The Rothaar is a narrow, banklike mountain chain, mostly over 600 m forming a large part of the
Rhine Massif
), Surselva, Graubünden, Switzerland
, source1_coordinates=
, source1_elevation =
, source2 = Rein Posteriur/Hinterrhein
, source2_location = Paradies Glacier, Graubünden, Switzerland
, source2_coordinates=
, source ...
(''Rheinisches Schiefergebirge''). The highest peak in the Rothgaar Mountains is the ''
Langenberg'' at 843.1 m. The elevation of other mountains in the area are only slightly lower so that the individual mountains that make up the range ' hardly stand out from each other.
The Rothaar Mountains are more or less co-extensive with the Rothaar Mountain Nature Park, parts of which do, however, reach into adjacent areas.
Bodies of water
In the northern Rothaar rise, among others, the rivers
Diemel,
Lenne, Neger, Nuhne, Odeborn, Orke,
Ruhr
The Ruhr ( ; german: Ruhrgebiet , also ''Ruhrpott'' ), also referred to as the Ruhr area, sometimes Ruhr district, Ruhr region, or Ruhr valley, is a polycentric urban area in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. With a population density of 2,800/km ...
, Wenne and Wilde Aa. In the south rise the
Dill,
Eder Eder may refer to:
People
* Eder (surname)
* Éder (given name), a Portuguese or Spanish given name
*Éder (footballer, born 1986), Brazilian footballer Éder Citadin Martins
*Eder (footballer, born 1987), Portuguese footballer from Guinea-Bissau E ...
, Ferndorfbach, Ilse,
Lahn and
Sieg. Over the range runs the Rhine-Weser
watershed
Watershed is a hydrological term, which has been adopted in other fields in a more or less figurative sense. It may refer to:
Hydrology
* Drainage divide, the line that separates neighbouring drainage basins
* Drainage basin, called a "watershe ...
. In the farthest southwest of the Rothaar are the Obernau and Breitenbach
dams.
Mountains
Among the best known (but not necessarily the highest) of the Rothaar's peaks, which consist partly of
porphyry, are (including all ''"Achthunderter"'', or "eight-hundreders", sorted by height):
The
German Wikipedia
The German Wikipedia (german: Deutschsprachige Wikipedia) is the German-language edition of Wikipedia, a free and publicly editable online encyclopedia.
Founded on March 16, 2001, it is the second-oldest Wikipedia (after the English Wikipedia), ...
has a more exhaustive
list of the Rothaar's many peaks.
Places
In the Rothaar Mountains and/or the Rothaar Mountain Nature Park or their outskirts are found, among others, these municipalities:
Activities
Many
hiking trails run through the Rothaar Mountains, among others the ''
Rothaar Path'', a 154 km-long trail through the heights, and the ''Waldskulpturenweg'' ("Forest Sculpture Way") along which are found various sculptures and other artworks by different artists.
In winter, many sporting opportunities beckon visitors to the range. Suitable facilities for this include the Postwiesen
skiing area (near Neuastenberg), the ''Skiliftkarussell Winterberg'' and ''Snow World Züschen''.
Within or on the outskirts of the Rothaar are found the ''Panorama-Park Sauerland'' and ''Fort Fun Abenteuerland''
amusement park
An amusement park is a park that features various attractions, such as rides and games, as well as other events for entertainment purposes. A theme park is a type of amusement park that bases its structures and attractions around a central ...
s.
Free-ranging wisents
In 2011 began the reintroduction of free-ranging
wisents into the Rothaar Mountains.
The project is, however, not without its controversy in the region, with cultivators in particular worrying about possible damage that the creatures might do.
References
External links
Rothaar Mountain RegionRothaarsteig
Waldskulpturenweg
{{Authority control
Mountain ranges of North Rhine-Westphalia
Regions of Hesse
Mountain ranges of Hesse
Natural regions of the Süder Uplands