Falkenberg (Lüneburg Heath)

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The Falkenberg is located on the north western edge of the district of Celle on the territory of the NATO military training area mountains, between Wardböhmen and Bad Fallingbostel. It is 150 m above sea level one of the highest elevations of the Lüneburg Heath and the highest point of the South Heath.

Development and relief

The Falkenberg belongs to a small mountain -style way, SSW - NNE - extending ridge, known as Falkenberg - terminal moraine. He has emerged as a remote without concomitant compression operations terminal moraine from the last Eisvorstoß during the older of two stages of the Saale glaciation, the Drenthe - stage, ie, before about 200,000 years. The deposits were wedged between two glaciers praise from Böhmetal in the west, and a third, the approach pushed from the northeast, leaving the basin of the upper Wietze and Meiss. Therefore, the kame -like northern part of the ridge ( Hook Mountain, 145 m ) rises abruptly on both sides of adjacent swampy depressions. In the following phases icing contemporary intensive Zertalung arose. The relief energy and steepness of the central and southwestern part was earlier conjectures occasion, the moraine belong to a younger phase of the Saale glaciation. Gravels and block accumulations resulted particularly on the southern edge to the formation of isolated, distinctive peaks as the now humiliated by tanks exercises Härtlingskegel of tooting mountain ( 116 m).

The Falkenberg itself is a mehrgipfeliger ridge, which passes in a south-western edge of the hill country. The 147 -meter-high western summit falls on three sides from 45 to 60 feet deep. At the foot extend several basin-like dry valleys. Waterlogging and sources occur only below a height of 82 meters.

Cultural landscape

As the Lüneburg Heath in general until the end of the 18th century, the territory of the Falk mountain was almost deforested by forest grazing and to a lesser extent by Plagge blow up a few steep slopes and mud sinks. Only the large systematic reforestation in the second half of the 19th century led to the present-day landscape.

Until about 1910, the Falkenberg had been tapped by the recreation facility Achterberg southeast of Dorfmark in Böhmetal from intensive tourism. Staircase paths led through the grounds and back by the steep valley, which the crescent-shaped ridge line of the mountain in the north includes the peak point. From it you could see through the more than 50 meters below Osterheide away in good weather Hanover.

Today you can from the Falkenberg - terminal moraine on weekends only seven stone houses, about seven kilometers south-west of the Falk mountain visit. Otherwise, the entire mountain range is still closed military zone.

Importance for the land surveying

Commissioned in 1820 by the then King George IV the professor of astronomy and director of the observatory of the University of Goettingen, Carl Friedrich Gauss, to measure the Kingdom of Hanover. The mathematician used for surveying including the summit of Falkenberg's as one of the points of triangulation. Another central triangle point was the further north Wilseder mountain ( 169 m above sea level) and the easternmost Haußelberg. These points were then to free, non-forested hilltops, probably surrounded by heathland.

A portion of the triangle mesh of the Gaussian factor measurement, with the Falkenberg was depicted on the reverse side of the "10 DM" banknote of the fourth series of the German mark (see picture, with triangular network and Falkenberg ).