Brennender Berg
Crevices with heat release due to smoldering Coal seam at the natural monument Burning Mountain
The Burning Mountain ( 356.7 m above sea level. NN ) is a wooded hill on the border of the cities of Saarbrücken and Saarland Sulzbach. It is home to a smoldering coal seam, which caught fire in the 17th century, still smoldering today and has been designated a natural monument.
Geographical location
The Burning Mountain is located between the district of Saarbrücken Dudweiler the west and the Sulzbacher Neuweiler district in the east and part of the Saarkohlenwald. It is a south-westerly part of a ridge which extends in a north-easterly direction over the six oak head ( 365.8 m above sea level. NHN ), Hofer head ( 395.0 m above sea level. NHN ) at Friedrich Thal ( Saar) and from there rather northwest to Hammerich ( 396, 3 m above sea level. NHN ) at Holy Forest stretches. West past the wooded mountain Burning flows from the east of Sulzbach Coming of northeastern Saar tributary Sulzbach. Some east-northeast tip of his stands on the outskirts of Neuweiler a transmission tower ( 353.5 m above sea level, . Lage49.2839222222227.0569861111111 ).
History
The natural monument Burning Mountain ( 327.6 m above sea level, . Lage49.288757.0521666666667 ) is located approximately 500 m north-northwest of the mountain top in a kind of gorge, which was created by the breakdown of alum. According to tradition, came here in the 1660 -ies a daily close coal seam on fire. Probably it was self-ignition by pressure and decomposition as a result of unplanned coal mining. The oral tradition claims that a shepherd had ignited at a tree Stock a fire that had entered through the roots into the seam. At first they tried to fight the fire with water, but was unsuccessful.
The seam does not burn with an open flame but smoulders. According to reports and drawings from the 18th century, the glow could be seen through gaps in the rock, and there was heavy smoke development. Depending on the weather are still vapors observed, also, at least in a rock column is still the exit of warm air to be felt.
Tourism
The natural monument at Burning Mountain is one of the attractions of the region. It is a popular destination for excursions and hiking school days. Good starting points for hiking are the parking lot of the cemetery in Dudweiler ( at the end of Neuweiler road) and the Burning Mountain Road in Neuweiler; at the end leads near the converter A sloping narrow forest path, which is marked with a vertical green diamond, for about 800 meters away, a natural monument.
Even Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, who in the 1760's laid the beginning of the fire years, visited in June 1770 the Burning Mountain, mentioned in a plaque recalls. He wrote four decades later in his memoirs and fiction about the visit:
"We heard of the rich Dutweiler coal mines, iron and Alaunwerken, even from a burning mountains, and upgraded us to contemplate these wonders nearby. [ ... ] We entered into a staple and found ourselves in the region of the burning mountain. A strong smell of sulfur moved us; one side of the cave was almost glowing, covered with reddish, weißgebranntem stone; a thick steam rising out of the Klunsen and you felt the heat of the soil by the thick soles. "
Schluchtweg a natural monument
Information panel: Goethe visited the Burning Mountain
Information panel: trails at Burning Mountain