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Wasserkuppe
The Wasserkuppe (German pronunciation: [ˈvasɐˌkʊpə] ⓘ;) is the highest mountain in the Rhön range and the tallest elevation in the German state of Hesse, standing at 950 metres (3,120 ft) above sea level. It forms a prominent plateau within the Fulda district and is known as the "cradle of gliding". Great advances in sailplane development took place here during the interwar period, driven by annual contests. To this day, an airfield near the summit continues to be used by gliding clubs and light aircraft pilots.
The German name is derived from Wasenkuppe, Asenberg or Weideberg and means Pasture mountain.[citation needed]
The Wasserkuppe lies in the administrative district Fulda 5.3 kilometres (3.3 mi) north of Gersfeld. Other villages nearby are Poppenhausen (4.7 kilometres (2.9 mi) west - south west) and Wüstensachsen (5 kilometres (3.1 mi) east, part of Ehrenberg, Hesse). It is part of the Rhön Biosphere Reserve.
The Wasserkuppe sources the spring of the river Fulda (the western source of the Weser) and the river Lütter which joins the Fulda after 50 kilometres (31 mi).
The other peaks near the Wasserkuppe are Abtsrodaer Kuppe (north, 905 metres (2,969 ft) NN), Schafstein (east, 831.8 metres (2,729 ft) NN) and Pferdskopf (south west, 874.9 metres (2,870 ft) NN).
Wasserkuppe's climate is classified as humid continental (Köppen: Dfb; Trewartha: Dclo) closely bordering on a subarctic climate (Dfc). The average annual temperature in Wasserkuppe is 6.0 °C (42.8 °F). The average annual rainfall is 1,106.1 mm (43.55 in) with December as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in July, at around 14.8 °C (58.6 °F), and lowest in January, at around −2.2 °C (28.0 °F).
The Wasserkuppe weather station has recorded the following extreme values:
Students from the Darmstadt University of Technology, then known as Technische Hochschule Darmstadt, began flying gliders from the Wasserkuppe as early as 1911, but interest in gliding in Germany increased greatly after 1918 when the Treaty of Versailles restricted the production or use of powered aircraft in the nation. From 1920 onwards, annual gliding competitions were held, leading to records being set and broken for height, distance and duration of unpowered flight. In 1922 Arthur Martens became the first glider pilot to use an updraft rising along a mountain slope to stay aloft for a lengthy period. He then founded the world's first glider pilot school at the Wasserkuppe.
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Wasserkuppe
The Wasserkuppe (German pronunciation: [ˈvasɐˌkʊpə] ⓘ;) is the highest mountain in the Rhön range and the tallest elevation in the German state of Hesse, standing at 950 metres (3,120 ft) above sea level. It forms a prominent plateau within the Fulda district and is known as the "cradle of gliding". Great advances in sailplane development took place here during the interwar period, driven by annual contests. To this day, an airfield near the summit continues to be used by gliding clubs and light aircraft pilots.
The German name is derived from Wasenkuppe, Asenberg or Weideberg and means Pasture mountain.[citation needed]
The Wasserkuppe lies in the administrative district Fulda 5.3 kilometres (3.3 mi) north of Gersfeld. Other villages nearby are Poppenhausen (4.7 kilometres (2.9 mi) west - south west) and Wüstensachsen (5 kilometres (3.1 mi) east, part of Ehrenberg, Hesse). It is part of the Rhön Biosphere Reserve.
The Wasserkuppe sources the spring of the river Fulda (the western source of the Weser) and the river Lütter which joins the Fulda after 50 kilometres (31 mi).
The other peaks near the Wasserkuppe are Abtsrodaer Kuppe (north, 905 metres (2,969 ft) NN), Schafstein (east, 831.8 metres (2,729 ft) NN) and Pferdskopf (south west, 874.9 metres (2,870 ft) NN).
Wasserkuppe's climate is classified as humid continental (Köppen: Dfb; Trewartha: Dclo) closely bordering on a subarctic climate (Dfc). The average annual temperature in Wasserkuppe is 6.0 °C (42.8 °F). The average annual rainfall is 1,106.1 mm (43.55 in) with December as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in July, at around 14.8 °C (58.6 °F), and lowest in January, at around −2.2 °C (28.0 °F).
The Wasserkuppe weather station has recorded the following extreme values:
Students from the Darmstadt University of Technology, then known as Technische Hochschule Darmstadt, began flying gliders from the Wasserkuppe as early as 1911, but interest in gliding in Germany increased greatly after 1918 when the Treaty of Versailles restricted the production or use of powered aircraft in the nation. From 1920 onwards, annual gliding competitions were held, leading to records being set and broken for height, distance and duration of unpowered flight. In 1922 Arthur Martens became the first glider pilot to use an updraft rising along a mountain slope to stay aloft for a lengthy period. He then founded the world's first glider pilot school at the Wasserkuppe.