The Odenwald () is a low mountain range in the

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...

states of

Hesse Hesse or Hessen ( ), officially the State of Hesse (), is a States of Germany, state in Germany. Its capital city is Wiesbaden, and the largest urban area is Frankfurt, which is also the country's principal financial centre. Two other major hist ...

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 ...

and

Baden-Württemberg Baden-Württemberg ( ; ), commonly shortened to BW or BaWü, is a states of Germany, German state () in Southwest Germany, east of the Rhine, which forms the southern part of Germany's western border with France. With more than 11.07 million i ...

Location

The Odenwald is located between the

Upper Rhine Plain The Upper Rhine Plain, Rhine Rift Valley or Upper Rhine Graben ( German: ''Oberrheinische Tiefebene'', ''Oberrheinisches Tiefland'' or ''Oberrheingraben'', French: ''Vallée du Rhin'') is a major rift, about and on average , between Basel in the ...

with the Bergstraße and the ''Hessisches Ried'' (the northeastern section of the Rhine rift) to the west, the

Main Main may refer to: Geography *Main River (disambiguation), multiple rivers with the same name *Ma'in, an ancient kingdom in modern-day Yemen * Main, Iran, a village in Fars Province *Spanish Main, the Caribbean coasts of mainland Spanish territ ...

and the

Bauland The Bauland () is a Gäu landscape in the northeast of the German state of Baden-Württemberg. It is a natural region within the Neckar and Tauber Gäu Plateaus (major unit 12) in the South German Scarplands. Location The Bauland is a Gäu l ...

(a mostly unwooded area with good soils) to the east, the

Hanau-Seligenstadt Basin The Hanau-Seligenstadt Basin is a subbasin of the Upper Rhine Graben southeast of Frankfurt am Main (Hesse, Bavaria, Germany). Location The Hanau-Seligenstadt Basin is located in the eastern part of the Lower Main lowlands. The river Main (r ...

– a subbasin of the Upper Rhine Rift Valley in the Rhine-Main Lowlands – to the north and the

Kraichgau The Kraichgau () is a hilly region in Baden-Württemberg, southwestern Germany. It is bordered by the Odenwald and the Neckar to the North, the Black Forest to the South, and the Upper Rhine Plain to the West. To the east, its boundary is c ...

to the south. The part south of the

Neckar The Neckar () is a river in Germany, mainly flowing through the southwestern States of Germany, state of Baden-Württemberg, with a short section through Hesse. The Neckar is a major right tributary of the Rhine. Rising in the Schwarzwald-Baar ...

valley is sometimes called the ''

Kleiner Odenwald The Kleiner Odenwald (“Little Odenwald”) is the southern part of the central German hill range, the Odenwald, and is up to .{{GeoQuelle, DE, BFN-Karten It is also part of the natural region of Sandstein-Odenwald in the north of the state of B ...

'' ("Little Odenwald"). The northern and western Odenwald belong to southern Hesse, with the south stretching into

Baden Baden (; ) is a historical territory in southern Germany. In earlier times it was considered to be on both sides of the Upper Rhine, but since the Napoleonic Wars, it has been considered only East of the Rhine. History The margraves of Ba ...

. In the northeast, a small part lies in

Lower Franconia Lower Franconia (, ) is one of seven districts of Bavaria, Germany. The districts of Lower, Middle and Upper Franconia make up the region of Franconia. It consists of nine districts and 308 municipalities (including three cities). History After ...

in Bavaria.

Geology

The Odenwald, along with other parts of the Central German Uplands, belongs to the

Variscan The Variscan orogeny, or Hercynian orogeny, was a geologic mountain-building event caused by Late Paleozoic continental collision between Euramerica (Laurussia) and Gondwana to form the supercontinent of Pangaea. Nomenclature The name ''Variscan ...

, which more than 300 million years ago in the

Carboniferous The Carboniferous ( ) is a Geologic time scale, geologic period and System (stratigraphy), system of the Paleozoic era (geology), era that spans 60 million years, from the end of the Devonian Period Ma (million years ago) to the beginning of the ...

period ran through great parts of

Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...

. The cause of this

orogeny Orogeny () is a mountain-mountain formation, building process that takes place at a convergent boundary, convergent plate margin when plate motion compresses the margin. An or develops as the compressed plate crumples and is tectonic uplift, u ...

was the collision of

Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent after Asia. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 20% of Earth's land area and 6% of its total surfac ...

’s and Europe's forerunner continents. In the

Triassic The Triassic ( ; sometimes symbolized 🝈) is a geologic period and system which spans 50.5 million years from the end of the Permian Period 251.902 million years ago ( Mya), to the beginning of the Jurassic Period 201.4 Mya. The Triassic is t ...

, about 200 million years ago, the land sank again, forming the

Germanic Basin The Germanic Basin () is a large region of sedimentation in Western and Central Europe that, during the Permian and Triassic periods, extended from England in the west to the eastern border of Poland in the east. To the south it is bounded by the ...

in which the metre-thick layers of red sandstone could build up. These were later covered over with layers of

muschelkalk The Muschelkalk (German for "shell-bearing limestone"; ) is a sequence of sedimentary rock, sedimentary rock strata (a lithostratigraphy, lithostratigraphic unit) in the geology of central and western Europe. It has a Middle Triassic (240 to 230 m ...

from a broad inland sea, then followed by sediments from the

Late Triassic The Late Triassic is the third and final epoch (geology), epoch of the Triassic geologic time scale, Period in the geologic time scale, spanning the time between annum, Ma and Ma (million years ago). It is preceded by the Middle Triassic Epoch a ...

(or Keuper). The South German

Cuesta A cuesta () is a hill or ridge with a gentle slope on one side, and a steep slope on the other. In geology, the term is more specifically applied to a ridge where a harder sedimentary rock overlies a softer layer, the whole being tilted somew ...

Land thus formed. When the land in the Odenwald was uplifted again about 180 million years ago, more than 100 m of the sedimentary layering, in parts, was

eroded Erosion is the action of surface processes (such as water flow or wind) that removes soil, rock, or dissolved material from one location on the Earth's crust and then transports it to another location where it is deposited. Erosion is disti ...

away down to the

bedrock In geology, bedrock is solid rock that lies under loose material ( regolith) within the crust of Earth or another terrestrial planet. Definition Bedrock is the solid rock that underlies looser surface material. An exposed portion of bed ...

, as can still be seen in the western Odenwald. The bedrock here is composed of a number of different rocks, among them

gneiss Gneiss (pronounced ) is a common and widely distributed type of metamorphic rock. It is formed by high-temperature and high-pressure metamorphic processes acting on formations composed of igneous or sedimentary rocks. This rock is formed under p ...

granite Granite ( ) is a coarse-grained (phanerite, phaneritic) intrusive rock, intrusive igneous rock composed mostly of quartz, alkali feldspar, and plagioclase. It forms from magma with a high content of silica and alkali metal oxides that slowly coo ...

diorite Diorite ( ) is an intrusive rock, intrusive igneous rock formed by the slow cooling underground of magma (molten rock) that has a moderate content of silica and a relatively low content of alkali metals. It is Intermediate composition, inter ...

gabbro Gabbro ( ) is a phaneritic (coarse-grained and magnesium- and iron-rich), mafic intrusive igneous rock formed from the slow cooling magma into a holocrystalline mass deep beneath the Earth's surface. Slow-cooling, coarse-grained gabbro is ch ...

in the Frankenstein

pluton In geology, an igneous intrusion (or intrusive body or simply intrusion) is a body of intrusive igneous rock that forms by crystallization of magma slowly cooling below the surface of the Earth. Intrusions have a wide variety of forms and com ...

, and so on. In the eastern Odenwald, the red sandstone is all that is left of the sedimentary mixture. Farther east in the Bauland, the muschelkalk deposits still overlie the

Early Triassic The Early Triassic is the first of three epochs of the Triassic Period of the geologic timescale. It spans the time between 251.9 Ma and Ma (million years ago). Rocks from this epoch are collectively known as the Lower Triassic Series, which ...

layers. Furthermore, in the south near

Heidelberg Heidelberg (; ; ) is the List of cities in Baden-Württemberg by population, fifth-largest city in the States of Germany, German state of Baden-Württemberg, and with a population of about 163,000, of which roughly a quarter consists of studen ...

, there is still

Zechstein The Zechstein ( German either from ''mine stone'' or ''tough stone'') is a unit of sedimentary rock layers of Late Permian ( Lopingian) age located in the European Permian Basin which stretches from the east coast of England to northern Poland. T ...

under the Early Triassic deposits. Roughly 50 to 60 million years ago,

volcano A volcano is commonly defined as a vent or fissure in the crust of a planetary-mass object, such as Earth, that allows hot lava, volcanic ash, and gases to escape from a magma chamber below the surface. On Earth, volcanoes are most oft ...

es formed along the great geological faults. Still bearing witness to this time are the

Otzberg Otzberg is a municipality in the district of Darmstadt-Dieburg, located in the Odenwald forest region of Germany. It was founded in 1972 by the merger of six former independent municipalities. Otzberg consists of seven villages: Habitzheim, Herin ...

, the Daumberg and the Katzenbuckel, all extinct volcanoes in the Odenwald. Furthermore, volcanism with

acid An acid is a molecule or ion capable of either donating a proton (i.e. Hydron, hydrogen cation, H+), known as a Brønsted–Lowry acid–base theory, Brønsted–Lowry acid, or forming a covalent bond with an electron pair, known as a Lewis ...

ic rocks has left a legacy of

rhyolite Rhyolite ( ) is the most silica-rich of volcanic rocks. It is generally glassy or fine-grained (aphanitic) in texture (geology), texture, but may be porphyritic, containing larger mineral crystals (phenocrysts) in an otherwise fine-grained matri ...

s near Dossenheim. At roughly the same time, the Central European plate began to tear apart so that the Upper Rhine Rift developed. Even as the Upper Rhine Rift valley still sinks today by just under a millimetre each year, the Odenwald, relatively to that, was uplifted to the height it has today. Along the faults, the small rivers Gersprenz and Weschnitz have, in part, carved their courses. The Upper Rhine Rift is part of a fracture zone reaching from the

Mediterranean Sea The Mediterranean Sea ( ) is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the east by the Levant in West Asia, on the north by Anatolia in West Asia and Southern Eur ...

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the archipelago of Svalbard also form part of the Kingdom of ...

. Right on the edge of the Odenwald, it is roughly 2 500 m deep, but has been filled in to its current height by river and sea sediment, for until about 20 million years ago, the

North Sea The North Sea lies between Great Britain, Denmark, Norway, Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, and France. A sea on the European continental shelf, it connects to the Atlantic Ocean through the English Channel in the south and the Norwegian Se ...

reached far inland, across the

Wetterau The Wetterau (, ) is a fertile undulating tract, watered by the Wetter (river), Wetter, a tributary of the Nidda (river), Nidda River, in the western German state of Hesse, between the hilly province Oberhessen and the north-western Taunus mounta ...

Depression into the Rhine Valley.

Geological maps

File:Geologie_Odenwald_(Altherr).jpg, Granite-Gneiss-Odenwald (Altherr, 1999) File:Geolog._Karte_(Stein)_Odw7.jpg, Granite-Gneiss-Odenwald (Stein, 2001) File:GeolKarte_Geopark.jpg, Granite-Gneiss- and Redsandstone-Odenwald (Stein, 2001 + Weber, ''Geo-Naturpark'') File:Profil_Geologie_Odenwald.jpg, Geological profile (from left): Rheinplane, Granite-Odenwald, Gneiss-Odenwald, Redsandstone-Odenwald (''Geo-Naturpark'')

History

About 2500 BC, there is evidence that the

Linear Pottery culture The Linear Pottery culture (LBK) is a major archaeological horizon of the European Neolithic period, flourishing . Derived from the German ''Linearbandkeramik'', it is also known as the Linear Band Ware, Linear Ware, Linear Ceramics or Incis ...

settled along the northern (Gersprenz) and southern (Neckar valley) edges of the Odenwald. About 400 BC,

Celts The Celts ( , see Names of the Celts#Pronunciation, pronunciation for different usages) or Celtic peoples ( ) were a collection of Indo-European languages, Indo-European peoples. "The Celts, an ancient Indo-European people, reached the apoge ...

(Gauls) settled throughout southern Germany. Almost all of the Odenwald was covered then with

virgin forest An old-growth forest or primary forest is a forest that has developed over a long period of time without Disturbance (ecology), disturbance. Due to this, old-growth forests exhibit unique ecological features. The Food and Agriculture Organizati ...

, and the outer edges were not settled.

Germanic peoples The Germanic peoples were tribal groups who lived in Northern Europe in Classical antiquity and the Early Middle Ages. In modern scholarship, they typically include not only the Roman-era ''Germani'' who lived in both ''Germania'' and parts of ...

drove the Celts westwards across the Rhine to what is now

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

About AD 100, the older Odenwald line of the

Neckar-Odenwald Limes The Neckar-Odenwald Limes () is a collective term for two, very different early sections of the Upper Germanic-Rhaetian Limes, a Roman defensive frontier line that may have been utilised during slightly different periods in history. The Neckar-Ode ...

was built under

Roman Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of Roman civilization *Epistle to the Romans, shortened to Romans, a letter w ...

Emperor

Trajan Trajan ( ; born Marcus Ulpius Traianus, 18 September 53) was a Roman emperor from AD 98 to 117, remembered as the second of the Five Good Emperors of the Nerva–Antonine dynasty. He was a philanthropic ruler and a successful soldier ...

(98-117). This stretch of the Empire's border ran from Fort Wimpfen in the Valley (''Kastell Wimpfen im Tal'') northwards by way of the Forts of Neckarburken, the lesser forts of Trienz and Robern near

Fahrenbach Fahrenbach is a town in the district of Neckar-Odenwald-Kreis, in Baden-Württemberg, 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 n ...

, Fort Oberscheidental, Fort Schloßau, Fort Hesselbach, Fort Würzberg, Fort Eulbach, Fort Hainhaus and Fort Hesselbach to Fort Wörth on the

. Parts of the Odenwald now lay in Roman-ruled

Germania Superior Germania Superior ("Upper Germania") was an imperial province of the Roman Empire. It comprised an area of today's western Switzerland, the French Jura and Alsace regions, and southwestern Germany. Important cities were Besançon ('' Vesont ...

. About 159, the Limes was shifted about eastwards to the

Miltenberg Miltenberg () is a town in the ''Regierungsbezirk'' of Lower Franconia (''Unterfranken'') in Bavaria, Germany. It is the seat of the Miltenberg (district), like-named district and has a population of over 9,000. Geography Location The old ...

–

Walldürn Walldürn is a town in the Neckar-Odenwald district, in Baden-Württemberg, 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 t ...

–

Buchen Buchen (; South Franconian German, South Franconian: ''Buche'') is a town in the German state of Baden-Württemberg. It is situated in the Odenwald low mountain range, 23 km northeast of the regional center Mosbach. Geography Buchen is situa ...

Osterburken Osterburken () is a town in the Neckar-Odenwald district, in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is situated 28 km southwest of Tauberbischofsheim, 50 km northeast of Heilbronn, 90 km east of Heidelberg, 60 km southwest of Wür ...

line. In 260, Roman hegemony fell. The

Alamanni The Alemanni or Alamanni were a confederation of Germanic tribes * * * on the Upper Rhine River during the first millennium. First mentioned by Cassius Dio in the context of the campaign of Roman emperor Caracalla of 213 CE, the Alemanni c ...

were also thrusting into the Odenwald and settling the land between the Main and Neckar, after whom came the

Franks file:Frankish arms.JPG, Aristocratic Frankish burial items from the Merovingian dynasty The Franks ( or ; ; ) were originally a group of Germanic peoples who lived near the Rhine river, Rhine-river military border of Germania Inferior, which wa ...

. In the 5th century, the Franks, under

Clovis I Clovis (; reconstructed Old Frankish, Frankish: ; – 27 November 511) was the first List of Frankish kings, king of the Franks to unite all of the Franks under one ruler, changing the form of leadership from a group of petty kings to rule by a ...

, divided the land up into districts. In the 7th and 8th centuries came

Christianization Christianization (or Christianisation) is a term for the specific type of change that occurs when someone or something has been or is being converted to Christianity. Christianization has, for the most part, spread through missions by individu ...

by Irish-

Scottish Scottish usually refers to something of, from, or related to Scotland, including: *Scottish Gaelic, a Celtic Goidelic language of the Indo-European language family native to Scotland *Scottish English *Scottish national identity, the Scottish ide ...

and

Anglo-Saxon The Anglo-Saxons, in some contexts simply called Saxons or the English, were a Cultural identity, cultural group who spoke Old English and inhabited much of what is now England and south-eastern Scotland in the Early Middle Ages. They traced t ...

monks ( Pirmin,

Boniface Boniface, OSB (born Wynfreth; 675 –5 June 754) was an English Benedictine monk and leading figure in the Anglo-Saxon mission to the Germanic parts of Francia during the eighth century. He organised significant foundations of the church i ...

). On the muschelkalk lands of today's Bauland, which favoured

agriculture Agriculture encompasses crop and livestock production, aquaculture, and forestry for food and non-food products. Agriculture was a key factor in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created ...

, a broad mesh of settlements arose. The parts of the Odenwald farther in from the rivers, though, with their scant

New Red Sandstone The New Red Sandstone, chiefly in United Kingdom, British geology, is composed of beds of red sandstone and associated rocks laid down throughout the Permian (300 million years ago) to the end of the Triassic (about 200 million years a ...

soils remained uninhabited. Four

Benedictine The Benedictines, officially the Order of Saint Benedict (, abbreviated as O.S.B. or OSB), are a mainly contemplative monastic order of the Catholic Church for men and for women who follow the Rule of Saint Benedict. Initiated in 529, th ...

monasteries were assigned the job of opening the empty woods up by the central Frankish power (

Carolingian The Carolingian dynasty ( ; known variously as the Carlovingians, Carolingus, Carolings, Karolinger or Karlings) was a Frankish noble family named after Charles Martel and his grandson Charlemagne, descendants of the Arnulfing and Pippinid c ...

Lorsch Abbey Lorsch Abbey, otherwise the Imperial Abbey of Lorsch (; or ''Laurissa''), is a former Imperial abbey in Lorsch, Germany, about east of Worms, Germany, Worms. It was one of the most important monasteries of the Carolingian Empire. Even in its ru ...

from the west, Fulda Monastery from the east and Mosbach Monastery from the south. Amorbach Monastery had the greatest importance for ecclesiastical, cultural and economic development in the eastern Odenwald. In the 9th century in the southeastern Odenwald near the now more thickly settled Bauland, settlements were established. The muschelkalk-new red sandstone mineral boundary was crossed.

Name

The following are some theories about the origin of the name ''Odenwald'': #Some have claimed that the toponym comes from ''Odins Wald'' (''Odin’s Woods''). The main problem here is that the god ''Wodanaz'' (known in Norse as ''

Odin Odin (; from ) is a widely revered god in Norse mythology and Germanic paganism. Most surviving information on Odin comes from Norse mythology, but he figures prominently in the recorded history of Northern Europe. This includes the Roman Em ...

'') was worshipped in southern Germany under the name ''Wotan'' (in

Old High German Old High German (OHG; ) is the earliest stage of the German language, conventionally identified as the period from around 500/750 to 1050. Rather than representing a single supra-regional form of German, Old High German encompasses the numerous ...

''Uuodan''; compare

Merseburg Incantations The Merseburg charms, Merseburg spells, or Merseburg incantations () are two medieval magic spells, charms or incantations, written in Old High German. They are the only known examples of Germanic pagan belief preserved in the language. They were ...

). #A further theory holds that there is a link between the name Odenwald and the

administrative unit Civitas Auderiensium, which among other things included the range's northern reaches and might have been named after a tribe called the ''Auderienses''. #There could be some kinship with the word ''öde'', not in the currently understood meaning in German of ''desert'', but rather in the meaning ''thinly settled''. #''

Einhard Einhard (also Eginhard or Einhart; ; 775 – 14 March 840) was a Franks, Frankish scholar and courtier. Einhard was a dedicated servant of Charlemagne and his son Louis the Pious; his main work is a biography of Charlemagne, the ''Vita Karoli M ...

'', the biographer of ''

Charlemagne Charlemagne ( ; 2 April 748 – 28 January 814) was List of Frankish kings, King of the Franks from 768, List of kings of the Lombards, King of the Lombards from 774, and Holy Roman Emperor, Emperor of what is now known as the Carolingian ...

'' used the term ''Odanwald''. Therefore, the renowned historian Karl Christ establishes a connection to the Old High German (ahd.) expression ''odan'' (=to

enfeoff In the Middle Ages, especially under the European feudal system, feoffment or enfeoffment was the deed by which a person was given land in exchange for a pledge of service. This mechanism was later used to avoid restrictions on the passage of t ...

) and presumes, that the ''Odenwald'' was a hunting ground, which the King of the Franks Dagobert I. enfeoffed in 628 the Bishopric of Worms.Morneweg, Karl: Offizieller Führer des Odenwald-Klubs durch den Odenwald und die Bergstrasse. Ravenstein Frankfurt a.M. 1926, S.33. #An eminent geographer of the 16th century, Sebastian Münster, proposed a tribal chief as the name giver (''Odtonwald'', 821, = ''Odo's Woods''). However, it is not proven whether there actually was a count or duke called ''Odo'' (Otto). Finally, Münster's researches do not lead to any result. Linguists who research phonetic changes and the sound shifts reject theories no. 1 to 3 and prefer 4 or 5; some historians favor no. 2.

Legends and mythology

The numerous Odenwald folk legends are mostly connected with historic geographic sites (castle, town, rock, road and so on) They relate: * mysterious actions and appearances of ghosts in a castle (for example the two ''Bergstraße''-ruins ''Auerbach - castle'' and ''Windeck'') or in a nightscape respectively in a cottage: The ''Höhmann'' near Bensheim, the ''White Lady'' of Mossau, the ''Schlurcher'' close by Erbach, the ''Man without head'' near Heppenheim, the ''Goast-nuns'' of monastery ''Steinbach''. * the stories of knights and their ladies: Konrad and Ann-Els von Tannenberg, Edelmut von Ehrenberg and Minna von Horneck at the ''Minneburg'', Georg von Frankenstein and Annemariechen, Hans von Rodenstein and Maria von Hochberg. * the apparitions of the devil: ''Teufelspfad'' (pathway of the devil) to the ''Felsberg'', ''Teufelsstein'' (rock of the devil) in Gorxheimertal, ''Opferstein'' (altar stone) on the top of the ''Juhöhe''. * or the apparitions of a witch: for example in the shape of a pig in Bensheim In some stories the local aspect firstly is connected with monsters (knight Georg fights against the man-eating ''

lindworm The lindworm (''worm'' meaning snake, see germanic dragon), also spelled lindwyrm or lindwurm, is a mythical creature in Northern, Western and Central European folklore that traditionally has the shape of a giant serpent monster which lives de ...

'' near ''Frankenstein-castle'') and creatures of nature with magic potency (a ''water spirit'' changed into a fox near Niedernhausen, the ''merwoman'' in the ''Meerwiese'' of Waldürn). Secondly the local legend is connected with the genre of the historic saga: a historic person or an original is portrayed anecdotally (the count of Erbach and Luther, resp. the ''Raubacher Joggel'', landgrave Ludwig VIII: of Hesse-Darmstadt, robber ''Hölzerlips''). Wildweibchen mit Einhorn

Thirdly a local tale explains an

etiological Etiology (; alternatively spelled aetiology or ætiology) is the study of causation or origination. The word is derived from the Greek word ''()'', meaning "giving a reason for" (). More completely, etiology is the study of the causes, origin ...

or original myth (aetiological saga). For example, there is explained: * why a name is given: many ''Wildweibchensteine'' (''Wild Woman''-Rocks) in the Odenwald, ''Teufelsstein'' (stone of the devil), ''Teufelspfad'' (path of the devil), ''Opfersteine'' (altar stone) and ''Hundsköpfe'' (dogheads) on top of the ''Juhöhe'', ''Hölzerlips''-stone, ''Schimmeldewoog'' for the village Schönmattenwag (→

Folk etymology Folk etymology – also known as (generative) popular etymology, analogical reformation, (morphological) reanalysis and etymological reinterpretation – is a change in a word or phrase resulting from the replacement of an unfamiliar form by a mo ...

) or the phrase “”, * why a natural phenomena, for example a typical landscape, was formed: the saga creates a mythic history for the places of the ''felsenmeer'' and the ''Hohenstein'' near Reichenbach (because giants stoned each other) or the ''Herrgottsfelsen'' (Godrock) near Darmstadt (act of revenge by the devil for finessing), * why a castle (''Minneburg'') was built at a special place (''Minneberg'' at the Neckar) and was so named hereafter, * why a mysterious stone carving was inset in a castle-wall: figure of a dog at the portal of the ''Minneburg'' near Neckargerach, the ''Blecker'' at the town gate of Buchen, the ''Breilecker'' above the door of Breuberg-castle. Beside these legends there are two famous and well-known Odenwaldsagas: In the

Nibelungenlied The (, or ; or ), translated as ''The Song of the Nibelungs'', is an epic poetry, epic poem written around 1200 in Middle High German. Its anonymous poet was likely from the region of Passau. The is based on an oral tradition of Germanic hero ...

(see also

Nibelung The term Nibelung ( German) or Niflungr (Old Norse) is a personal or clan name with several competing and contradictory uses in Germanic heroic legend. It has an unclear etymology, but is often connected to the root ''Nebel'', meaning mist. The ...

) the dragon slayer

Siegfried Siegfried is a German-language male given name, composed from the Germanic elements ''sig'' "victory" and ''frithu'' "protection, peace". The German name has the Old Norse cognate ''Sigfriðr, Sigfrøðr'', which gives rise to Swedish ''Sigfrid' ...

, on a hunting trip (instead of a failed campaign) leading from the Burgundian city of

Worms The World Register of Marine Species (WoRMS) is a taxonomic database that aims to provide an authoritative and comprehensive catalogue and list of names of marine organisms. Content The content of the registry is edited and maintained by scien ...

into the Odenwald, is murdered by Hagen of Tronje. Since no exact spot for this deed has been handed down, countless communities, especially in the Hessian Odenwald are squabbling over the right to call themselves “Siegfried’s Murder Site”, for example a spring near Gras-Ellenbach (''Siegfriedsbrunnen''), Mossautal-Hüttenthal ''Lindelbrunnen'') or Heppenheim (''Siegfriedbrunnen''). The ruins of ''Rodenstein'' (below-mentioned) and ''Schnellerts'' near

Fränkisch-Crumbach Fränkisch-Crumbach is a municipality in the Odenwaldkreis (district) in Hesse, Germany. History Documented references The oldest surviving documentary reference to Crumbach dates back to 1148. Other historically documented forms of the name ...

are the setting of an Odenwald ghost story: during the night the knight ''Rodenstein'' (the ''Rodensteiner'') flies with a berserker-cornet through the air to prophesy the beginning of a war ( Wild Hunt motif). File:Siegfrieds Tod.jpg, "Siegfried's Death" (

Julius Schnorr von Carolsfeld Julius Schnorr von Carolsfeld (26 March 1794 – 24 May 1872) () was a German painter, chiefly of Biblical subjects. As a young man he associated with the painters of the Nazarene movement who revived the florid Renaissance style in religious ...

, 1847): Hagen murdered Siegfried by a spring in the Odenwald. File:Nibelungenlied manuscript-k.jpg, Picture of Siegfrieds assassination in the Nibelungenlied-manuscript k (1480–90) File:Siegfriedbrunnen.png, ''Siegfriedbrunnen'' by Wilhelm Trübner. In the legend there is no exact description in respect of the hunting trip. File:Ritter von Rodenstein und Schnellart.jpg, ''Rodenstein Castle'' is the scene of the ''Rodensteiner'' ghost legend (19th-century picture).

Topography

Mountains

Over 600 m

Katzenbuckel The Katzenbuckel (; 626 metres) is an extinct volcano and the highest elevation in the Odenwald The Odenwald () is a low mountain range in the Germany, German states of Hesse, Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg. Location The Odenwald is locate ...

(626 m; lookout tower),

Neckar-Odenwald-Kreis Neckar-Odenwald-Kreis is a ''Landkreis'' (district) in the north of Baden-Württemberg, Germany. Neighboring districts are (from east clockwise) Main-Tauber-Kreis, Hohenlohe-Kreis, Heilbronn, Rhein-Neckar-Kreis, Odenwaldkreis (Hesse) and Lan ...

Neunkircher Höhe The Neunkircher Höhe (605 metres) is the highest elevation of the Hessian part of the Odenwald. The hill is located near the village Neunkirchen and is the origin of the rivers Modau, Gersprenz Gersprenz () is a river that starts in the Odenw ...

(605 m; Kaiser Tower), Bergstraße district,

File:Katzenbuckel 1.jpg, The ''Crystal Teaching Path'' around the ''Katzenbuckel'' starts near the old volcanic quarry (below-mentioned) File:Neutscher Komplex_Neunkircher_Höhe.JPG, Neutsch with a view to Neunkirchen and the ''Neunkircher Höhe'' File:Hardberg_Götzenstein_Kisselbusch_800.JPG, View from ''Weschnitz''- Valley to the mountains ''Hardberg'' (with transmitter), ''Götzenstein'', ''Kisselbusch'' (from left) File:Tromm329.JPG, ''Weschnitz''- Valley with a view to ''Tromm''-mountain range

Over 450 m

* Hardberg (593 m), Bergstraße district, Hesse * Stiefelhöhe (584 m), Hesse/Baden-Württemberg border * Tromm (577 m; lookout tower), Bergstraße district, Hesse * Krehberg (576 m; with Krehberg transmitter), Bergstraße district, Hesse * Königstuhl (567.8 m;

observatory An observatory is a location used for observing terrestrial, marine, or celestial events. Astronomy, climatology/meteorology, geophysics, oceanography and volcanology are examples of disciplines for which observatories have been constructed. Th ...

funicular railway A funicular ( ) is a type of cable railway system that connects points along a railway track laid on a steep slope. The system is characterized by two counterbalanced carriages (also called cars or trains) permanently attached to opposite ends ...

, Baden-Württemberg * Krähberg (555 m),

Odenwaldkreis The Odenwaldkreis is a ''Kreis'' (district) in the south of Hesse, Germany. Neighboring districts are Darmstadt-Dieburg, Miltenberg, Neckar-Odenwald-Kreis, Rhein-Neckar-Kreis and Kreis Bergstraße. ''Odenwaldkreis'' belongs to the Rhine Neckar ...

, Hesse *Kinzert (554 m),

, Baden-Württemberg *

Weißer Stein Weißer Stein is the name of a 548-metre (1,798 ft) high hill in Germany, located in the Odenwald, north of Heidelberg and east of Dossenheim. On Weißer Stein is a 20 m tall lookout tower. It was built in 1906 by the members of the Odenwal ...

(550 m; lookout tower),

Rhein-Neckar-Kreis The Rhein-Neckar-Kreis is a district in the northwest of Baden-Württemberg, Germany. The administrative headquarters are based in the city Heidelberg, which is a district-free city. As of 2019, the district is the most populous in Baden-Württe ...

, Baden-Württemberg *Hohe Warte (548 m), Rhein-Neckar-Kreis, Baden-Württemberg * Spessartskopf (547 m), Bergstraße district, Hesse *Falkenberg (546 m), Odenwaldkreis, Hesse * Waldskopf (538 m), Gorxheimertal-Trösel, Bergstraße district, Hesse *Das Buch (535.30 m; near Lindenfels), Bergstraße district, Hesse *Wagenberg (535 m), Bergstraße district, Hesse *Eichelberg (526 m; lookout tower), Rhein-Neckar-Kreis, Baden-Württemberg *

Götzenstein The Götzenstein is a hill in the Odenwald range in Hesse, Germany. Hills of Hesse {{Hesse-geo-stub ...

(522 m), Bergstraße district, Hesse *

Melibokus The Melibokus (also ''Melibocus'', ''Malchen'' or ''Malschen'') is at 517 metres (1696 feet), the highest hill in the Bergstraße region of southern Hesse, central Germany. It was also the name of a hill in Germania described by classical ...

(„Malschen“) (517.40 m), Bergstraße district, Hesse * Morsberg (517 m), Odenwaldkreis, Hesse * Felsberg (514 m; with Felsenmeer), Bergstraße district, Hesse *Knodener Kopf (511.20 m), Bergstraße district, Hesse *Wannenberg (482 m), Miltenberg district,

* Daumberg (462 m), Gorxheimertal-Trösel, Bergstraße district, Hesse File:Krehberg Lindenfels 771.JPG, Overlooking the ''Krehberg'' (view from Lindenfels) File:Waldskopf2.jpg, The Waldskopf in the Gorxheim valley File:Melibokus von Zwingenberg.jpg, The

near Zwingenberg File:LAUTERTAL_von Hohenstein_650.JPG, With a view from the ''Lauter''- Valley (Hohenstein) to the ''Melibokus'' (right) and the ''Auerbach'' Castle (background, in the middle) File:Böllsteiner_Odenwald_821.JPG, The ''Gesprenz''-Valley gneiss-sandstone-mountain range: ''Böllsteiner Höhe'' on the left, ''Morsberg'' in the middle File:Lautertal_Felsberg_639.JPG, The ''Felsberg'' (with transmitter, view from the ''Lauter''-Valley), ''Auerbach''-Castle and ''Melibokus'' on the left File:Daumberg.JPG, The Daumberg in the Gorxheim valley File:WESCHNITZPLUTON 72 von Tromm aus.JPG, The ''Weschnitz''-Valley with ''Hirschkopf''-''Juhöhe''-mountain range (view from the Tromm)

Over 300 m

Heiligenberg Heiligenberg is a municipality and a village in the Bodensee (district), Bodensee district in Baden-Württemberg, about seven kilometres north of Salem, Baden-Württemberg, Salem, in Germany. Location and climate Heiligenberg (literally: the H ...

(445 m), Heidelberg, Baden-Württemberg *Knorz (404 m; near Lautern), Bergstraße district, Hesse *Otzberg (367 m; with Otzberg Castle),

Darmstadt-Dieburg Darmstadt-Dieburg is a Kreis (district) in the south of Hesse, Germany. Neighboring districts are Offenbach, Aschaffenburg, Miltenberg, Odenwaldkreis, Bergstraße, Groß-Gerau, and the district-free city of Darmstadt, which it surrounds. Histo ...

, Hesse *Auerberg (339.70 m; with Schloss Auerbach), Bergstraße district, Hesse *Breuberg (306 m; with Breuberg Castle), Odenwaldkreis, Hesse

Bodies of water

Flowing water

Countless streams rise in the Odenwald, the longest of which are the following: *Weschnitz (60 km), tributary to the Rhine *Mümling (50 km), tributary to the Main *Gersprenz (47 km), tributary to the Main *Lauter (43 km), tributary to the Rhine *Erf (40 km), tributary to the Main *Elz (''Elzbach'') (34 km), tributary to the Neckar *Finkenbach (20.5 km), joins the Ulfenbach in Hirschhorn, runs to the Laxbach, tributary to the Neckar *Ulfenbach (19.1 km), joins the Finkenbach in Hirschhorn, runs to the Laxbach, tributary to the Neckar *Grundelbach, (10 km), flows from Trösel to Weinheim *Modau (42 km), tributary to the Rhine *Mud (24 km), tributary to the Main *Steinach (22 km), tributary to the Neckar File:Gersprenz.JPG, The Gersprenz in

Dieburg Dieburg () is a small town in southern Hesse, Germany. It was formerly the seat of the district ("Kreis") of Dieburg, but is now part of the district of Darmstadt-Dieburg. History Early mentions of Dieburg date back to the early 13th century, with ...

File:Erbach 07.JPG, The Mümling in Erbach File:Eutersee 05.JPG, The Eutersee near

Hesseneck Hesseneck is a village and a former municipality in the Odenwaldkreis (district) in Hesse, Germany. With only just over 600 inhabitants, Hesseneck was Hesse’s smallest self-governing community. Since January 2018, it is part of the new town Ober ...

Standing water

There are a few bodies of standing water in the Odenwald, among which are the following: * the Marbach

Reservoir A reservoir (; ) is an enlarged lake behind a dam, usually built to water storage, store fresh water, often doubling for hydroelectric power generation. Reservoirs are created by controlling a watercourse that drains an existing body of wa ...

* the Eutersee

Political divisions

Districts (with district seats)

* Bergstraße district (

Heppenheim Heppenheim (Bergstraße) () is the seat of Bergstraße district in Hesse, Germany, lying on the Bergstraße on the edge of the Odenwald. It is best known for being the birthplace of Sebastian Vettel, a four-time Formula One World Champion and ...

) *

(

, administration in

Darmstadt Darmstadt () is a city in the States of Germany, state of Hesse in Germany, located in the southern part of the Frankfurt Rhine Main Area, Rhine-Main-Area (Frankfurt Metropolitan Region). Darmstadt has around 160,000 inhabitants, making it the ...

- Kranichstein) *

Main-Tauber-Kreis Main-Tauber-Kreis is a ''Landkreis'' (district) in the northeast of Baden-Württemberg, Germany. Neighboring districts are (from northwest clockwise) Miltenberg, Main-Spessart, Würzburg, Neustadt (Aisch)-Bad Windsheim and Ansbach (all in Bavari ...

(

Tauberbischofsheim Tauberbischofsheim () is a German town in the north-east of Baden-Württemberg on the river Tauber with a population of about 13,200. It is the capital of the Main-Tauber (district), Main-Tauber district. It is a popular tourist destination due t ...

) * Miltenberg district (

) *

(

Mosbach Mosbach (; South Franconian: ''Mossbach'') is a town in the north of Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is the seat of the Neckar-Odenwald district and has a population of approximately 25,000 distributed in six boroughs: Mosbach Town, Lohrbach, ...

) *

( Erbach) *

(

)

District-free cities

International relations

Twin towns – Sister cities

Odenwald is twinned with: *

Falkirk Falkirk ( ; ; ) is a town in the Central Lowlands of Scotland, historically within the county of Stirlingshire. It lies in the Forth Valley, northwest of Edinburgh and northeast of Glasgow. Falkirk had a resident population of 32,422 at the ...

, ScotlandFalkirk Twinning Association
, www.falkirktwinning.org Retrieved 2011-05-07

Transport and tourism

The Odenwald is known as a leisure destination easily accessible from the urban areas of

Mannheim Mannheim (; Palatine German language, Palatine German: or ), officially the University City of Mannheim (), is the List of cities in Baden-Württemberg by population, second-largest city in Baden-Württemberg after Stuttgart, the States of Ger ...

and

Frankfurt Frankfurt am Main () is the most populous city in the States of Germany, German state of Hesse. Its 773,068 inhabitants as of 2022 make it the List of cities in Germany by population, fifth-most populous city in Germany. Located in the forela ...

. It is known for its clean thin air and was once known for its health sanitariums. There are many marked hiking paths through the rural areas. Wild

blueberries Blueberries are a widely distributed and widespread group of perennial flowering plants with blue or purple berries. They are classified in the section ''Cyanococcus'' with the genus ''Vaccinium''. Commercial blueberries—both wild (lowbush) ...

strawberries The garden strawberry (or simply strawberry; ''Fragaria × ananassa'') is a widely grown hybrid plant cultivated worldwide for its fruit. The genus ''Fragaria'', the strawberries, is in the rose family, Rosaceae. The fruit is appreciated f ...

and

mushroom A mushroom or toadstool is the fleshy, spore-bearing Sporocarp (fungi), fruiting body of a fungus, typically produced above ground on soil or another food source. ''Toadstool'' generally refers to a poisonous mushroom. The standard for the n ...

s are to be found in the forests.

Roads

The planned extension to the ''Odenwaldautobahn'', that is, the A 45 (

Dortmund Dortmund (; ; ) is the third-largest city in North Rhine-Westphalia, after Cologne and Düsseldorf, and the List of cities in Germany by population, ninth-largest city in Germany. With a population of 614,495 inhabitants, it is the largest city ...

–

Aschaffenburg Aschaffenburg (; Hessian: ''Aschebersch'', ) is a town in northwest Bavaria, Germany. The town of Aschaffenburg, despite being its administrative seat, is not part of the district of Aschaffenburg. Aschaffenburg belonged to the Archbishopric ...

), was never realized. Nevertheless, all these ''

Bundesstraße ''Bundesstraße'' (, ), abbreviated ''B'', is the denotation for German and Austrian national highways. Germany Germany's ''Bundesstraßen'' network has a total length of about 40,000 km. German ''Bundesstraßen'' are labelled with re ...

n'' run through the Odenwald: *B 27:

*B 38:

Reinheim Reinheim () is a town in the Darmstadt-Dieburg district, in Hesse, Germany. It is situated southeast of Darmstadt. International relations Twin towns - Sister cities Reinheim is twinned with: * Licata, Italy (since 29.6.2001) * Cestas, Fran ...

Groß-Bieberau Groß-Bieberau (, , in contrast to " Little Bieberau") is a town in the Darmstadt-Dieburg district, in Hesse, Germany. It is situated 15 km southeast of Darmstadt Darmstadt () is a city in the States of Germany, state of Hesse in Germany ...

Brensbach Brensbach is a municipality in the Odenwaldkreis (district) in Hesse, Germany. Geography Location Brensbach lies in the northern Odenwald in the Gersprenz valley. Neighbouring communities Brensbach borders in the north on the towns of Groß- ...

- Reichelsheim -

Fürth Fürth (; East Franconian German, East Franconian: ; ) is a List of cities and towns in Germany, city in northern Bavaria, Germany, in the administrative division (''Regierungsbezirk'') of Middle Franconia. It is the Franconia#Towns and cities, s ...

Mörlenbach Mörlenbach is a municipality in the Bergstraße district in southern Hesse, Germany. Geography Location The community lies in the Odenwald some 25 km north of Heidelberg and about 30 km northeast of Mannheim, as well as lying 8 ...

Birkenau Auschwitz, or Oświęcim, was a complex of over 40 Nazi concentration camps, concentration and extermination camps operated by Nazi Germany in Polish areas annexed by Nazi Germany, occupied Poland (in a portion annexed into Germany in 1939) d ...

Weinheim Weinheim (; ) is a town with about 43,000 inhabitants in northwest Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is in the Rhine-Neckar Metropolitan Region, approximately north of Heidelberg and northeast of Mannheim. Weinheim is known as the "Zwei-Burgen-Sta ...

*B 45:

Groß-Umstadt Groß-Umstadt (, , in contrast to " Little Umstadt") is a town in the district of Darmstadt-Dieburg in the Bundesland (federal state) of Hesse in Germany. It is near Darmstadt and Frankfurt, in the southeastern part of the Rhine-Main Metropolitan ...

- Höchst -

Bad König Bad König () is a town and resort ('' Kurort'') in the central Odenwald in the Odenwaldkreis (district) in Hesse, Germany, 29 km southeast of Darmstadt. Geography Neighbouring communities Bad König borders in the north on the communit ...

Michelstadt Michelstadt () in the Odenwald is a town in the Odenwaldkreis (district) in southern Hesse, Germany between Darmstadt and Heidelberg. It has a population of 28,629 people. Geography Location Michelstadt is the biggest town in the Odenwaldkre ...

- Erbach -

Beerfelden Beerfelden (pronunciation: ˈbeːɐˌfɛldən) was a town in the Odenwald in the Odenwaldkreis (district) in Hesse, Germany, 28 km northeast of Heidelberg. On 1 January 2018 Beerfelden, Hesseneck, Rothenberg and Sensbachtal merged to create th ...

- Eberbach *B 47:

Bensheim Bensheim () is a town in the Kreis Bergstraße, Bergstraße district in southern Hessen, Germany. Bensheim lies on the Bergstraße Route, Bergstraße and at the edge of the Odenwald mountains while at the same time having an open view over the Rhi ...

Lindenfels Lindenfels () is a town in the Kreis Bergstraße, Bergstraße district in Hesse, Germany. Geography Location The climatic spa, also known as the “Pearl of the Odenwald”, lies in the Odenwald in southern Hesse and is nestled in a mountain ...

- Reichelsheim -

Amorbach Amorbach () is a town in the Miltenberg district in the ''Regierungsbezirk'' of Lower Franconia (''Unterfranken'') in Bavaria, Germany, with some 4,000 inhabitants. It is situated on the small river Mud, in the northeastern part of the Odenwald. ...

*B 426:

Mühltal Mühltal () is a municipality in the district of Darmstadt-Dieburg, which is located in Hesse, Germany. It is situated southeast of Darmstadt from which it is separated by the ''Stadtwald'' (City Forest). Historically, there have been many waterm ...

Ober-Ramstadt Ober-Ramstadt (, , in contrast to ":de:Nieder-Ramstadt, Lower Ramstadt") is a town in the Darmstadt-Dieburg district, in Hessen, Germany. It is situated 9 km southeast of Darmstadt. As of 2020, its population was 15,127. Geography Locatio ...

- Höchst -

Breuberg Breuberg is a town in the Odenwaldkreis, Odenwaldkreis district of Hesse, Germany. It is 28 km east of Darmstadt and 20 km southwest of Aschaffenburg. Geography Location Breuberg lies in the northern Odenwald. Neighbouring communi ...

Obernburg Obernburg am Main (, ; officially ''Obernburg a.Main''; South Franconian German, South Franconian: ''Omborsch''), commonly known as Obernburg, is a town in the Miltenberg (district), Miltenberg district in the ''Regierungsbezirk'' of Lower Francon ...

*B 460:

Mossautal Mossautal in the Odenwald is a municipality and a state-recognized health resort in the Odenwaldkreis (district) in Hesse, Germany. Geography Location The community lies at elevations of between 300 and 500 m above sea level. The ''Nibelun ...

- Hüttenthal Furthermore, the ''Nibelungenstraße'' and the ''Siegfriedstraße'' run through the Odenwald, partly along the roads listed above.

Railways

* Odenwald Railway from

Hanau Hanau () is a city in the Main-Kinzig-Kreis, in Hesse, Germany. It is 25 km east of Frankfurt, Frankfurt am Main and part of the Frankfurt Rhine-Main, Frankfurt Rhine-Main Metropolitan Region. Its railway Hanau Hauptbahnhof, station is a ma ...

by way of Groß-Umstadt Wiebelsbach to Eberbach, opened in 1882, since December 2005 run with modern Itino trains. * Weschnitz Valley Railway from

, opened in 1895. *

Überwald Railway The Überwald is a wooded area in the southeast of Bergstraße (district), Bergstraße district in Hesse, Germany, between the "Anterior" and "Hinder" Odenwald, comprising the communities of Abtsteinach, Grasellenbach and Wald-Michelbach. Wald-Mi ...

from

by way of

Wald-Michelbach Wald-Michelbach is a municipality in the Bergstraße district in Hesse, Germany. Geography Location The community lies in the Odenwald, 12 km east of Weinheim. The now disused ''Überwaldbahn'' (railway) runs through Wald-Michelbach. Geolo ...

to Wahlen, opened in 1901, abandoned in 1996. * Hetzbach–Beerfelden line from Hetzbach to

, opened in 1904, abandoned in 1954. * Mosbach–Mudau line (locally known as the ''Entenmörder'' – “Duck Murderer”) from

Mudau Mudau is a municipality in the Neckar-Odenwald district, Baden-Württemberg, Germany. it has 4,833 inhabitants. Geography Mudau lies in the southeastern Odenwald mountains between the Neckar and Main rivers, 75 km southeast of Frankfurt ...

, former

narrow-gauge railway A narrow-gauge railway (narrow-gauge railroad in the US) is a railway with a track gauge (distance between the rails) narrower than . Most narrow-gauge railways are between and . Since narrow-gauge railways are usually built with tighter cur ...

, opened in 1905, abandoned in 1973, since 1980 right-of-way has been converted into a cycling path. * Neckar Valley Railway from

by way of Eberbach and Mosbach to Bad Friedrichshall-Jagstfeld, opened in 1879. * Neckarelz–Osterburken line, opened in 1866 as part of the Baden Odenwaldbahn * Madonnenland Railway from

Seckach Seckach is a village and a municipality in the district of Neckar-Odenwald-Kreis, in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. The river Seckach passes through it. Twin towns * Gazzada Schianno Gazzada Schianno is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Prov ...

. * Gersprenz Valley Railway from

to Reichelsheim, opened in 1887 and abandoned by 1963.

Special day trips

* In Hainstadt, Hesse (a constituent community of

) in the Mümling valley is a

quarry A quarry is a type of open-pit mining, open-pit mine in which dimension stone, rock (geology), rock, construction aggregate, riprap, sand, gravel, or slate is excavated from the ground. The operation of quarries is regulated in some juri ...

which has been turned into a

climbing Climbing is the activity of using one's hands, feet, or other parts of the body to ascend a steep topographical object that can range from the world's tallest mountains (e.g. the eight thousanders) to small boulders. Climbing is done for locom ...

facility by the ''Odenwälder Kletterfreunde'' ('Odenwald Climbing Friends'). There is also a climbing path secured by wire cables. The Odenwald Climbing Friends take care of the paths. The quarry also lies in the DAV's (''Deutsche Alpenverein e. V. '' – a mountain climbing club)

Section feeder area. *Beneath the 514 m-high Felsberg and north of Lautertal-Reichenbach is found a ''Felsenmeer'' – literally 'cliff sea' – consisting of many weathered stones strewn about the ground which have fallen down from the cliff after having come loose from erosion. The

Romans Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of Roman civilization *Epistle to the Romans, shortened to Romans, a letter w ...

used it as a stone quarry. * In Eberstadt, a constituent community of

, one of southern Germany's most important

dripstone cave Dripstone may refer to: *Hood mould or dripstone, an architectural feature for handling rain water * Dripstone, a type of speleothem (cave formation) that includes for example stalactites * Dripstone, a type of water filter A water filter remov ...

s was discovered in 1971. It is open to the public. *Around the Katzenbuckel runs the ''Kristall-Lehrpfad'' ('Crystal Teaching Path'), which graphically shows the volcanic development in the Odenwald. *From Höchst im Odenwald snakes the Obrunnschlucht (gorge) as a romantic fairytale path towards Rimhorn with many model buildings (palaces, castles and mills) along the valley. *The Odenwald is threaded with a network of more than of hiking trails. *Because the roads have so many bends, the Odenwald is a popular outing destination for motorcyclists. * Every year one of the greatest Halloween events in Germany is organized on the ''Frankenstein Castle'' (see above). The same name suggests a connection with

Mary Shelley Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley ( , ; ; 30 August 1797 – 1 February 1851) was an English novelist who wrote the Gothic novel ''Frankenstein, Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus'' (1818), which is considered an History of science fiction# ...

s famous filmed novel ''Frankenstein or The Modern Prometheus''. The horror scenery and the comedians dressed up as ghosts and witches spook the huge audience. * Walking and climbing through the ''Margarethenschlucht'' (Neckargerach) or the ''Wolfsschlucht'' (Wolf's Glen) near ''Zwingenberg castle'' (Zwingenberg/Neckar) * ''Zwingenberg Castle'' (see above) is the place of an annual castle festival.

Carl Maria von Weber Carl Maria Friedrich Ernst von Weber (5 June 1826) was a German composer, conductor, virtuoso pianist, guitarist, and Music criticism, critic in the early Romantic music, Romantic period. Best known for List of operas by Carl Maria von Weber, h ...

s romantic opera ''

Der Freischütz ' (Friedrich Wilhelm Jähns, J. 277, Opus number, Op. 77 ''The Marksman'' or ''The Freeshooter'') is a German List of operas by Carl Maria von Weber, opera with spoken dialogue in three acts by Carl Maria von Weber with a libretto by Johann Fried ...

'' (translated as ''The Marksman'' or ''The Freeshooter'') is performed at the entrance of the gorge ''Wolfsschlucht''. The plot is based on a German folk legend which the composer discovered in the ''

Gespensterbuch The (literally 'Ghost Book' or 'Book of Spectres') is a collection of German ghost stories written by August Apel and Friedrich Laun and published in seven volumes between 1810 and 1817. Volumes five to seven were also published under the title ...

'' ('Book of Ghosts') during his sojourn in Neuburg Abbey near

in 1810. It is believed, that he also was inspired by the Wolf's Glen in a

tributary valley, but there are many places in Germany with the same name. Anyway. In act 2 the protagonist Max meets the diabolic Caspar in the supernatural creepy opera scene ''Wolfsschlucht'' to become the best shooter with the assistance of magic power. Now a risky action starts. 20060408-Heppenheim Marktplatz Starkenburg

20060408-Heppenheim Marktplatz Starkenburg

* For half a week early July the

er (see above) Street theatre named ''Gassensensationen'' occupies several places und corners of the old town with presentations for children and adults. The outdoor performances include very popular loud and simple genres with music, dance, mime, circus arts and slapstick, but also sensitive theatre plays or songs in discrete spaces. * The granite rocks of the ''Juhöhe'' near Heppenheim inspired people to imagine fairy tales. They told, that the holes were offering cups for the devil. Stones nearby got chapped, when he sharpened his claws. According to a local version of the ''Rodensteiner'' legend the Wild Hunter crossing the ''Juhöhe'' lost his cry of hounds: They crashed and where rammed in the ground. Even today the petrified dogheads are on view at the top of the hill. So the rocks are called ''Hundsköpfe.'' ''Flat iron'' is the name of another granite formation near the ''Juhöhe.'' A long time ago Giant-ladies made use of it to set their Sunday dresses in order. File:Steinbruch Hainstadt.jpg, Climbing path at the

-Hainstadt

File:HOHENSTEIN_Lautertal_631.JPG, ''Hohenstein'' near Reichenbach (Baryte-quartz-cliff) File:BORSTEIN_Reichenbach_622.JPG, ''Borstein'' near Reichenbach (Baryte-quartz-cliff) File:GNEIS-FELSGRUPPE Böllstein-Wallbrunn.JPG, Giant tortoise gneiss rocks (Böllstein) File:TROMMGRANIT Salzlackenbuckel.JPG, Granite rocks (Tromm) File:Felsenmeer Reichenbach Riesensaeule 03.jpg, ''Reichenbach-Felsenmeer'': The giant column (''Riesensäule'') is a workpiece of Roman stonemasons. File:Wildfrauhaus_Lützelbach.JPG, Granite rocks ''Wildfrauhaus'' (Fischbachtal) File:Zwingenberg-wolfsschlucht-web.jpg, Zwingenberg (Neckar) gorge: ''Wolfsschlucht'' File:Ramberg Freischuetz wildes Heer.jpg, When Caspar und Max begin with casting the magic bullets in the ''Wolf’s Glen'' the Wild Hunt appears in the air with demoniacal noise. File: Juhöhe Große Hundsköpfe.JPG, The rocks at the ''Juhöhe'' are supposed to be the petrified dogheads of the ''Rodensteiner'' cry of hounds File:Opferstein Juhöhe.JPG, It is said, that the holes of the ''Opfersteine'' were offering cups for the devil. File: Höhnberg Bügeleisen2.JPG, People of the ''Kreiswald'' near the ''Juhöhe'' told, that a long time ago the granite formation was the flat iron of Giant-ladies

Castles

The Odenwald is home to many historic castles and palatial residences. In times past the fortresses on the top of the Odenwald mountains controlled Bergstraße and the Weschnitz-, the Gersprenz-, the Mümling- and the Neckar-Valley. File:Panorama castle frankenstein.jpg, ''Frankenstein'' near

/Upper Rhine Rift valley File:InnerCastle.jpg,

Frankenstein Castle Frankenstein Castle () is a hilltop castle in the Odenwald overlooking the city of Darmstadt in Germany. This castle may have been an inspiration for Mary Shelley when she wrote her 1818 Gothic novel '' Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus'' ...

File:Spot Ruine Tannenberg.JPG, The ruins of ''Tannenberg'' near Seeheim (

Seeheim-Jugenheim Seeheim-Jugenheim is a municipality in the Darmstadt-Dieburg district in Hesse, Germany. It has a population of approximately 17,000. Seeheim-Jugenheim consists of seven villages: * Balkhausen (population 693) *Jugenheim (population 4,448) *Mal ...

) File:Seeheim-Jugenheim-Heiligenberg-Schloss.jpg, ''Heiligenberg'' Castle near Jugenheim (

) File:Alsbach 2.JPG, ''Alsbach'' Castle, view from ''Melibokus'' (

Alsbach-Hähnlein Alsbach-Hähnlein is a municipality in southern Hesse (Germany) in the district Darmstadt-Dieburg. It resulted from a merger of the two separate municipalities (''Gemeinden'') Alsbach and Hähnlein. Sister city * Diósd, Hungary Hungar ...

) File:Schloss Auerbach.jpg, The ruins of ''Auerbach'' Castle near

File:Fürstenlager Bensheim.jpg, Park and mansion ''Fürstenlager'' near Bensheim-Auerbach File:Schoenberger Schloss 02.jpg, ''Schönberg'' Castle (

-Schönberg) File:2005-10-13 Heppenheim 2.JPG, Bergstaße: ''Starkenburg'' (view from Maiberg,

) File:Starkenburg Schlossberg.jpg, ''Starkenburg'' with ''Schlossberg'' (

) File:Schloss Weinheim 04.jpg, ''

'' Castle File:Burg Windeck (Weinheim).jpg, The ruins of ''Windeck'' (

) File:Wachenburg.jpg, ''Wachenburg'' near

(''Two-Castles-Town'') File:WEINHEIM_Heidelberger Granitgebiet_658.JPG, ''Wachenburg'' (view from ''Hirschkopf''-tower), ''Weißer Stein (lookout tower) in the background'' File:Schriesheim Strahlenburg2.JPG, ''Strahlenburg'' near

Schriesheim Schriesheim (; South Franconian: ''Schriese'') is a town located in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is part of the Rhein-Neckar-Kreis and the Rhine-Neckar Metropolitan Region. Geography Schriesheim lies on the Bergstraße, at the western ed ...

File:Dossenheim_Schauenburg.jpg, The ruins of ''Schauenburg'' in Dossenheim File:Birkenau schloss.JPG,

Castle near Weinheim File:BurgLindenfels.jpg, The ruins of

Castle, ''Bürgerturm'' (tower) File:Lindenfels_Weschnitztal_824.JPG, View from ''Weschnitztal'' to Lindenfels (left), in the background right of centre: ''Reichenberg'' Castle, left picture margin: ''Neunkircher Höhe'' File: Rodenstein_1.jpg, The ruins of ''Rodenstein'' near

are the setting of a ghost story: ''Rodensteiner'' flies with a berserker-cornet in the night through the air to prophesy the start of a war (see above). File:Reichelsheim_Schloss Reichenberg_2.jpg, ''Reichenberg'' Castle, entrance, near Reichelsheim File:Gersprenztal_Böllsteiner_Odenwald.JPG, ''Gersprenz''-Valley with Reichenberg File:Schloss Lichtenberg Blick vom Bollwerk.jpg, ''Lichtenberg'' Castle (Fischbachtal) File:Nördliche Flasergranitoidzone Reinheimer Bucht.JPG, ''Neunkircher Höhe'' with a view to ''Lichtenberg'' Castle (left) and the ''Reinheimer Bucht'': ''Otzberg'' to the right of centre File:Wilhelm Trübner - Schlosspark in Lichtenberg im Odenwald (1900).jpg, ''Castle Grounds in Lichtenberg in Odenwald'',

Wilhelm Trübner Wilhelm Trübner (February 3, 1851 – December 21, 1917) was a German Realism (visual arts), realist Painting, painter of the circle of Wilhelm Leibl. Biography Trübner was born in Heidelberg. He was the third son of a silver- and goldsmit ...

, 1900. Colección Carmen Thyssen Bornemisza. File:Otzberg panoramo 2.jpg, extinct volcano ''

'' and the old fort ''Veste Otzberg'' with the white tower File:Schloss Erbach Odenwald.jpg, Erbach Castle File:Schlossfuerstenau2.jpg, ''Fürstenau'' Castle (near

) with decorative gateway arch File:Bad Koenig Altes Schloss.jpg, Old Castle in

File:Burg Breuberg - Breuberg Odenwald.jpg, ''Burg

'' near Höchst in the summer of 2006 File:Burg Breuberg05.jpg,

Castle, keep (Bergfried) and main gate File:Wildenburg1.JPG, The ruins of ''Wildenberg'' (Kirchzell) from the High Middle Ages, built in the Staufer era, where

Wolfram von Eschenbach Wolfram von Eschenbach (; – ) was a German knight, poet and composer, regarded as one of the greatest epic poets of medieval German literature. As a Minnesinger, he also wrote lyric poetry. Life Little is known of Wolfram's life. Ther ...

is said to have written parts of his

Parzival ''Parzival'' () is a medieval chivalric romance by the poet and knight Wolfram von Eschenbach in Middle High German. The poem, commonly dated to the first quarter of the 13th century, centers on the Arthurian hero Parzival (Percival in English) ...

. File:Wolfram47.jpg, Portrait of the medieval poet

from the Codex Manesse File:Burg Wildenberg Kamin 1.jpg, Fireplace in the great hall. In Wolframs ''Parzival'' the author indirectly compares the gigantic fireplace in the ''Grail Castle'' with that of ''Wildenberg'': “so groziu fiwer sit noch e sach niemen hie ze Wildenberc” (line 230,12-13) File:Burg Freienstein01.jpg, The ruins of ''Freienstein'' near

File:Waldleiningen.jpg, ''Waldleiningen'' Castle in the British-style (near Mudau) File:Heidelberg corr.jpg,

with

Castle A castle is a type of fortification, fortified structure built during the Middle Ages predominantly by the nobility or royalty and by Military order (monastic society), military orders. Scholars usually consider a ''castle'' to be the private ...

and the Old Bridge over river

File:Neckarsteinach1.JPG, Neckarsteinach with ''Mittelburg'' (left) and ''Vorderburg'' (in the middle) File:Neckarsteinach_Vorderburg.JPG, Neckarsteinach: ''Vorderburg'' File:Neckarsteinach_Mittelburg3.JPG, Neckarsteinach: ''Mittelburg'' File:Neckarsteinach_Hinterburg1.JPG, Neckarsteinach: ''Hinterburg'' File:Schadeck-wehrgang.jpg, Neckarsteinach: The ruins of ''Schwalbennest'' File:Codex Manesse Bligger von Steinach.jpg, The medieval feudal lord and poet (minnesinger) Bligger von Steinach (Portrait from the Codex Manesse) resided in Steinach (Neckarsteinach) File:Neckartal.jpg,

Dilsberg Dilsberg Castle () is a ruined castle located in Neckargemünd, Germany. It was built by the counts of Lauffen in the 12th century, but in the 14th century became part of the Electorate of the Palatinate. The castle became an administrative cent ...

with mountain fort File:Burgturm Dilsberg.jpg, Tower and wall of Dilsberg near Neckarsteinach File:Burg Hirschhorn.jpg, Hirschhorn with Hirschhorn Castle File:Burg-Eberbach02.jpg, The ruins of Eberbach Castle File:Burg Zwingenberg 2009.jpg, Zwingenberg Castle (also called the ''Zwingenburg'') (Zwingenberg/Neckar)

Music

Songs have been written about the Odenwald: * ''Es steht ein Baum im Odenwald'' (“There Stands a Tree in the Odenwald”) * ''Tief im Odenwald'' (“Deep in the Odenwald”) * ''Der Bauer aus dem Odenwald'' (“The Farmer from the Odenwald”)text and melody
on the webpage of the Catholic Student Association Markomannia Münster in the KV.

References

External links

Odenwald – Official page of Odenwald-Regional-Gesellschaft (OREG)

UNESCO Geo-Park – Official page of Geo-Naturpark Bergstraße-Odenwald

Odenwaldklub – Official page of Odenwaldklub

Regionalentwicklung Odenwald – Official page of Interessengemeinschaft Odenwald e.V. (IGO)
{{Authority control Mountain and hill ranges of Baden-Württemberg Mountain ranges of Bavaria Mountain ranges of Hesse Global Geoparks Network members Forests and woodlands of Bavaria Geoparks in Germany Forests and woodlands of Baden-Württemberg Regions of Baden-Württemberg Forests and woodlands of Hesse