Recent from talks
Steinwald
Knowledge base stats:
Talk channels stats:
Members stats:
Steinwald
The Steinwald is a mountain range up to 946 m above sea level (NN) in southern Germany and, at the same time, a nature park (Steinwald Nature Park) founded in 1970 with an area of 246 square kilometres (95 sq mi) in the province of Upper Palatinate, in North Bavaria.
The Steinwald lies south of the Upper Franconian county town of Marktredwitz and north of Erbendorf in the district of Tirschenreuth. The Steinwald is separated from the Fichtel Mountains to the northwest by the Waldershof trough (Waldershofer Senke) and from the Upper Palatine Forest to the southeast by the Waldnaab-Wondreb-trough.
The mountains and hills in the range and in the Steinwald Nature Park include the following − in order of height in metres (m) above sea level (NN):
Like the Fichtel Mountains, the Steinwald consists mainly of granite. In the south and east it is surrounded by a basalt landscape of Kuppen - gentle, rounded summits - (Kemnather Land, Nördlicher Steinwald), whose most striking elevations are the Parkstein near Weiden, the Rauhe Kulm near Kemnath, the Schlossberg near Waldeck, the Armesberg, the Teichelberg and the Ruheberg. Numerous granite blocks and rock 'bastions' are found in the Steinwald, often with fantastic shapes. They have odd names such as Katzentrögel, Zipfeltannenfelsen oder Saubadfelsen.
The Steinwald is still rich in precious stones, including for example agate and jasper, ore and rock types. Ores such as siderite, limonite and haematite occur too. These ores used to be mined, especially in the Middle Ages; today the remaining supplies are too small and too scattered to enable them to be extracted profitably.
The Steinwald is frequently seen as an extension of the Fichtel Mountains. But geological investigations have proved this to be wrong; the granite in the Steinwald is considerably softer than the Fichtel Mountains granite and, unlike the latter, contains no lithium. In addition it is younger than the Fichtel Mountains, as evinced by the numerous deposits of basalt and chalk. The Steinwald is also rich in springs. Water often bubbles out of rock crevices and has a good quality. It also has one of the most iron-rich springs in the whole of the Europe, the King Otto Spring in King-Otto-Bad near Wiesau, which is named after the brother of the Prince Regent Luitpold of Bavaria, Otto I of Greece. Even today the water is bottled by the firm of King-Otto-Sprudel.
The soil quality in the Steinwald depends on the dominant rock locally. Its extremely varied soils can be divided into about four types:
The climate in the Steinwald has Alpine characteristics. It is not snow-free until the middle of May. Giant snowdrifts and severe snow storms render paths and trails impassable in winter. A short spring follows the long and harsh winter; summer has more precipitation and is followed by a mild and fine autumn. Average annual temperatures lie between 4 and 5 °C, average precipitation is about 15 cm.
Hub AI
Steinwald AI simulator
(@Steinwald_simulator)
Steinwald
The Steinwald is a mountain range up to 946 m above sea level (NN) in southern Germany and, at the same time, a nature park (Steinwald Nature Park) founded in 1970 with an area of 246 square kilometres (95 sq mi) in the province of Upper Palatinate, in North Bavaria.
The Steinwald lies south of the Upper Franconian county town of Marktredwitz and north of Erbendorf in the district of Tirschenreuth. The Steinwald is separated from the Fichtel Mountains to the northwest by the Waldershof trough (Waldershofer Senke) and from the Upper Palatine Forest to the southeast by the Waldnaab-Wondreb-trough.
The mountains and hills in the range and in the Steinwald Nature Park include the following − in order of height in metres (m) above sea level (NN):
Like the Fichtel Mountains, the Steinwald consists mainly of granite. In the south and east it is surrounded by a basalt landscape of Kuppen - gentle, rounded summits - (Kemnather Land, Nördlicher Steinwald), whose most striking elevations are the Parkstein near Weiden, the Rauhe Kulm near Kemnath, the Schlossberg near Waldeck, the Armesberg, the Teichelberg and the Ruheberg. Numerous granite blocks and rock 'bastions' are found in the Steinwald, often with fantastic shapes. They have odd names such as Katzentrögel, Zipfeltannenfelsen oder Saubadfelsen.
The Steinwald is still rich in precious stones, including for example agate and jasper, ore and rock types. Ores such as siderite, limonite and haematite occur too. These ores used to be mined, especially in the Middle Ages; today the remaining supplies are too small and too scattered to enable them to be extracted profitably.
The Steinwald is frequently seen as an extension of the Fichtel Mountains. But geological investigations have proved this to be wrong; the granite in the Steinwald is considerably softer than the Fichtel Mountains granite and, unlike the latter, contains no lithium. In addition it is younger than the Fichtel Mountains, as evinced by the numerous deposits of basalt and chalk. The Steinwald is also rich in springs. Water often bubbles out of rock crevices and has a good quality. It also has one of the most iron-rich springs in the whole of the Europe, the King Otto Spring in King-Otto-Bad near Wiesau, which is named after the brother of the Prince Regent Luitpold of Bavaria, Otto I of Greece. Even today the water is bottled by the firm of King-Otto-Sprudel.
The soil quality in the Steinwald depends on the dominant rock locally. Its extremely varied soils can be divided into about four types:
The climate in the Steinwald has Alpine characteristics. It is not snow-free until the middle of May. Giant snowdrifts and severe snow storms render paths and trails impassable in winter. A short spring follows the long and harsh winter; summer has more precipitation and is followed by a mild and fine autumn. Average annual temperatures lie between 4 and 5 °C, average precipitation is about 15 cm.
Recent media