Schönberg (Ebringen)
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

The Schönberg (; earlier known as Schirnberg) is located on the southern outskirts of
Freiburg im Breisgau Freiburg im Breisgau or simply Freiburg is the List of cities in Baden-Württemberg by population, fourth-largest city of the German state of Baden-Württemberg after Stuttgart, Mannheim and Karlsruhe. Its built-up area has a population of abou ...
and at 644.9 meters above
sea level Mean sea level (MSL, often shortened to sea level) is an mean, average surface level of one or more among Earth's coastal Body of water, bodies of water from which heights such as elevation may be measured. The global MSL is a type of vertical ...
the
Hausberg {{italic title ''Hausberg'' (lit.: "house mountain", plural: ''Hausberge'') is German for a prominent mountain or hill in the immediate vicinity of a village, town or city, usually located on its municipal territory, but outside the built up are ...
(a prominent mountain) of the municipality of Ebringen.


Municipality

The mountain belongs to Ebringen but the slopes also form part of the districts of Schallstadt,
Merzhausen Merzhausen is a town in the district of Breisgau-Hochschwarzwald in Baden-Württemberg in Germany. Geography Location The northern and eastern part of Merzhausen is attached to the town of Freiburg im Breisgau. To the south, Merzhausen bo ...
, Au,
Wittnau Wittnau is a municipalities of Switzerland, municipality in the district of Laufenburg (district), Laufenburg in the Cantons of Switzerland, canton of Aargau in Switzerland. Geography Wittnau has an area, , of . Of this area, or 39.3% is used ...
,
Sölden Sölden () is a municipality in the Ötztal valley of Tyrol, Austria. Geography At c. , it is the largest municipality in the country. The population of 3,449 (as of 2003) is outnumbered by tourists, of which 15,000 can be accommodated. Wit ...
, and Sankt Georgen (a suburb of Freiburg).


Geology

Together with the
Black Forest The Black Forest ( ) is a large forested mountain range in the States of Germany, state of Baden-Württemberg in southwest Germany, bounded by the Rhine Valley to the west and south and close to the borders with France and Switzerland. It is th ...
and the Rhine plain, the Schönberg forms the third prominent area of land around Freiburg, the foothills of the Black Forest. To the east, the Schönberg is separated from the Black Forest by a valley called the Hexental, to the south by the Staufen Basin, to the north the Bay of Freiburg (Freiburger Bucht) and to the west lies the
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 s ...
. The area thus enclosed is 8 km long and 4 km wide. Together with the Hohfirst (493.6 meters) in the south and the Ölberg (416.4 meters), which is the southernmost spur, the mountain forms the Schönbergmassiv (Schönberg
massif A massif () is a principal mountain mass, such as a compact portion of a mountain range, containing one or more summits (e.g. France's Massif Central). In mountaineering literature, ''massif'' is frequently used to denote the main mass of an ...
), a promontory of the Black Forest, which itself is part of 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 ...
. Due to geological disturbance and rift valleys the surface provides evidence from all periods of the Mesozoic era, as well as signs of volcanic activity of the tertiary era. This includes a small tuff vent on the southern slope close to the chapel of Berghausen and a bigger vent on the northern slope close to the restaurant Schönberger Hof. Along the south east slope, to the west of the former clay pit is a 100 m long basalt
Lode In geology, a lode is a deposit of metalliferous ore that fills or is embedded in a fracture (or crack) in a rock formation or a vein of ore that is deposited or embedded between layers of rock. The current meaning (ore vein) dates from th ...
. The lower areas on the western slope are covered by thick layers of loess. The eastern slope of the Schönberg falls steeply towards a valley called the Hexental. At the foot of the eastern slope, the Kapuzinerbuck (a mountain named after the Friars Minor Capuchin) is evidence of major landslides.


Mining

Trying to achieve autarky, the Third Reich intensified iron ore mining in 1935 which is why the deeper layers of the mountain are well explored today. In close proximity to the town center of Ebringen, two derricks had been erected, which were operating all day. Water from the local creek served as
drilling fluid In geotechnical engineering, drilling fluid, also known as drilling mud, is used to aid the drilling of boreholes into the earth. Used while drilling oil and natural gas wells and on exploration drilling rigs, drilling fluids are also use ...
. Most of the mining took place in two different areas:The northern pit, located in Sankt Georgen (a district of Freiburg) and a southern pit in the Ebringen district, from which smaller amount of ore was extracted. Ore from the southern pit was transported via cableway to the loading station in Sankt Georgen. In addition, a smaller mining field existed close to Bollschweiler (Kuckucksbad). Here, mining was shut down in 1939 however, because the iron ore contained only 20-30 % of iron and was therefore not worth mining. In 1942 mining was already ceased, because, in addition to the low iron content, the course of war led to an increased availability of iron ore from France (
Lorraine Lorraine, also , ; ; Lorrain: ''Louréne''; Lorraine Franconian: ''Lottringe''; ; ; is a cultural and historical region in Eastern France, now located in the administrative region of Grand Est. Its name stems from the medieval kingdom of ...
) and Sweden.The main reason for the cessation, however, might have been caused by the intensified use of the Paschke-Peetz-Method (a method used in steel production) for the metallurgy of acid iron ore. This method made the supply of calcareous ore from the Schönberg unnecessary.


Etymology

Between 1700 and 1900 the standard German name of the mountain - "Schönberg" - progressively replaced the Allemann or Middle High German name "Schirnberg" or "Schimberg" for official purposes. Schönberg is an etymological wrong transcription of the dialect variant.
The word "schin" either derives from the Middle High German word "schin = "shine, visible from a distance" (engl. ''shine'') or from the Middle High German scina/schine relating to the flattened shape. It has nothing to do with the word "schön" = "pretty".


Settlement

It can be assumed that people started visiting the Schönberg 160,000 years ago. Two sites at Bollschweil and Ehrenstetten are 100,000 years old. Bones of mammoths, wild cattle and
woolly rhinoceros The woolly rhinoceros (''Coelodonta antiquitatis'') is an extinct species of rhinoceros that inhabited northern Eurasia during the Pleistocene epoch. The woolly rhinoceros was a member of the Pleistocene megafauna. The woolly rhinoceros was larg ...
were found here. Evidence of hand axes and spearheads indicates that permanent settlement of the Schönberg began at that time. The main neolithic settlement was located on top of the mountain, where there is now a
radio tower Radio masts and towers are typically tall structures designed to support antennas for telecommunications and broadcasting, including television. There are two main types: guyed and self-supporting structures. They are among the tallest human-m ...
of the SWR, a regional public broadcasting cooperation from the southwest of Germany. This 58 meter high steel lattice mast, built in 2012, was erected next to an old
transmission tower A transmission tower (also electricity pylon, hydro tower, or pylon) is a tall structure, usually a lattice tower made of steel that is used to support an overhead power line. In electrical grids, transmission towers carry high-voltage transmis ...
, that has now been demolished. Other prominent sights are the upper Schönberger Hof, a farm on the southern slope of the mountain, and the lower Schönberger Hof, a restaurant with a view of the city of Freiburg. The old castle ruin of Schneeburg is located on a western subsummit of the Schönberg. The Jesuit castle at Merzhausen (northern district of Freiburg) is also worth visiting.


Historical background

On the third of August 1644 the western slope of the Schönberg was the site of the first day of the
Battle of Freiburg The Battle of Freiburg, fought over three days on 3, 5, and 9 August 1644, took place during the Thirty Years' War, near Freiburg im Breisgau, now in Baden-Württemberg. A French army of 16,000, led jointly by Condé and Turenne, sought to rel ...
, that took place during the
Thirty Years' War The Thirty Years' War, fought primarily in Central Europe between 1618 and 1648, was one of the most destructive conflicts in History of Europe, European history. An estimated 4.5 to 8 million soldiers and civilians died from battle, famine ...
. Fighting between Bavarian and French troops continued on the 5 and 9 August on the
Lorettoberg The Lorettoberg, also known as ''Josephsbergle'' in Freiburg, is a mountain ridge in the South-West of the Wiehre district in the city of Freiburg im Breisgau in Germany. The mountain, with its elevation of above sea level, is wooded at its pea ...
, directly opposite the eastern slope of the Schönberg. France's main goal was to regain control over the city of Freiburg, which the allied troops of
Saxe-Weimar Saxe-Weimar () was one of the Saxon duchies held by the Ernestine branch of the Wettin dynasty in present-day Thuringia. The chief town and capital was Weimar. The Weimar branch was the most genealogically senior extant branch of the House of W ...
had lost on 27 July to Bavarian troops after several weeks of siege. The French managed to conquer the district of Bohl on the western slopes of the Schönberg, although with heavy losses. The Bavarian troops retreated over the Schönberg into fortified positions on the Lorettoberg and were thus able to successfully hold the mountain and the city of Freiburg against the French enemy. France sustained heavy losses during the Battle of Freiburg: 1100 soldiers died conquering the district of Bohl, whereas Bavaria only lost 300 men. During the battle the suburbs of Freiburg were destroyed and the villages around the Schönberg were sacked and thereby severely damaged. A memorial cross on the Schönberg above Leutenberg and Ebringen commemorates the battle of Freiburg on 3 August 1644. The cross replaced the ossuary, where the bones of the fallen soldiers were buried thirty years after the battle. The mass grave became a place of pilgrimage, much to the displeasure of the church. Bones were often stolen as they were venerated as relics. The church could not prevent further pilgrimages so Ildefons of Arx ordered the remaining bones to be taken away in 1791, which meant the end of the pilgrimages over the next few decades.


Flora


Forest

The higher mountain slopes of the Schönberg are not suitable for farming, but they are used either for
silviculture Silviculture is the practice of controlling the growth, composition/structure, as well as quality of forests to meet values and needs, specifically timber production. The name comes from the Latin ('forest') and ('growing'). The study of forests ...
or grazing. 9.4 km2 of the Schönberg massif (which is in total 24 km²) and 3.4 km² of the actual mountain are covered with forest. The dominant tree of this mixed deciduous forest is the
common beech ''Fagus sylvatica'', the European beech or common beech, is a large, graceful deciduous tree in the beech family with smooth silvery-gray bark, large leaf area, and a short trunk with low branches. Description ''Fagus sylvatica'' is a large ...
, but due to the many different types of soil and the local climate there are many different forest communities, as well as monocultures. Mainly beeches and silver firs grow in the deep and damp soil and form a dense canopy . For this reason, low shrubbery is almost entirely absent and only shade tolerant plants like enchanter's-nightshade,
arum ''Arum'' is a genus of plants in the Araceae family; they are native to Europe, northern Africa, and western and central Asia, with the highest species diversity in the Mediterranean region. Frequently called arum lilies, they are not closely ...
and woodruff grow there. The major part of the forest stands on dry and nutrient-poor soil. Durmast oak,
field maple ''Acer campestre'', known as the field maple, is a flowering plant species in the family Sapindaceae. It is native to much of continental Europe, Britain, southwest Asia from Turkey to the Caucasus, and north Africa in the Atlas Mountains. It has ...
and
whitebeam The whitebeams are members of the family Rosaceae, tribe Malinae, comprising a number of deciduous simple or lobe-leaved species formerly lumped together within ''Sorbus'' s.l. Many whitebeams are the result of extensive intergeneric hybridisa ...
, as well as the non-local conifer
scots pine ''Pinus sylvestris'', the Scots pine (UK), Scotch pine (US), Baltic pine, or European red pine is a species of tree in the pine family Pinaceae that is native to Eurasia. It can readily be identified by its combination of fairly short, blue-gr ...
are to be found here. In addition, pinnate coralroot,
dog's mercury ''Mercurialis perennis'', commonly known as dog's mercury, is a poisonous woodland plant found in much of Europe as well as in Algeria, Iran, Turkey, and the Caucasus, but almost absent from Ireland, Orkney and Shetland.carex ''Carex'' is a vast genus of over 2,000 species of grass-like plants in the family (biology), family Cyperaceae, commonly known as sedges (or seg, in older books). Other members of the family Cyperaceae are also called sedges, however those of ge ...
and various
orchids Orchids are plants that belong to the family Orchidaceae (), a diverse and widespread group of flowering plants with blooms that are often colourful and fragrant. Orchids are cosmopolitan plants that are found in almost every habitat on Earth ...
, for example
bird's-nest orchid ''Neottia nidus-avis'', the bird's-nest orchid, is a non-photosynthetic orchid, native to Europe, Russia, with sporadic presence in North-Africa, and some parts of the Middle East. Description ''Neottia nidus-avis'' grows to tall and each sh ...
and red and white helleborine grow here. Oak and hornbeam forests grow in some places. Ash-alder communities dominate the headwater regions. It can be assumed that in earlier centuries, when the forests were used as grazing lands, the
woodland edge A woodland edge or forest edge is the transition zone (ecotone) from an area of woodland or forest to fields or other open spaces. Certain species of plants and animals are adapted to the forest edge, and these species are often more familiar to h ...
was less prominent than it is today. Evidence of this is the striking frequency of the
holly ''Ilex'' () or holly is a genus of over 570 species of flowering plants in the family Aquifoliaceae, and the only living genus in that family. ''Ilex'' has the most species of any woody dioecious angiosperm genus. The species are evergreen o ...
tree, that was not cleared and thus spread rapidly. Since the mid-twentieth century the forest has been on the advance and it requires regular care to prevent a forestation of the edge of the meadows. A diploma thesis found that in the early 18th century, the local people cultivated the soil of the upper and lower plateaus, although these plateaus were forest regions at that time.Silvia Faller: ''Gemeinde verdankt dem Wald viel'' In
badische-zeitung.de, Lokales, Ebringen, 3. Februar 2012
(19. Februar 2012)


Viticulture

Vineyards are grown on the western and southern slopes and sporadically even on the southeast slopes. In these altitudes a number of short-living plant species, so-called
annual plant An annual plant is a plant that completes its life cycle, from germination to the production of seeds, within one growing season, and then dies. Globally, 6% of all plant species and 15% of herbaceous plants (excluding trees and shrubs) are ...
s, dominate. They are able to produce three to four
generations A generation is all of the people born and living at about the same time, regarded collectively. Generation or generations may also refer to: Science and technology * Generation (particle physics), a division of the elementary particles * Genera ...
per year and thus survive even frequent weed control as an entire species. Amongst the most well known species are the cickweed, dead-nettles and birdeye speedway. Furthermore, bulb plants, also called geophytes, grow between the vines. Firmly rooted in the ground they survive the intense cultivation of the vineyard. They are largely of Mediterranean origin. Special mention should be made of the very common grape hyacinth and wild garlic, from which this community of herbs derives its name. Less frequent are the hairy star of Bethlehem and the local wild tulip. Since the end of the seventies the flora has been pushed back by lawn thatch, which is frequently used for mulching.


Valleys

* Jennetal


References


Literature

* Helge Körner (Hrsg.): ''Der Schönberg – Natur- und Kulturgeschichte eines Schwarzwald-Vorberges'', 472 S., 48 Farbtafeln und 200 sw-Abb. Lavori-Verlag, Freiburg 2006, .


External links


Eisenerzbergbau am Schönberg 1937–1942





Waldohreulen am Schönberg
{{DEFAULTSORT:Schonberg (Ebringen) Mountains and hills of Baden-Württemberg