Hoher Meissner

P1

Hoher Meißner, above Rommerode

The High Meissner is up to 753.6 m above sea level. NHN high mountain range in the nature park Meissner Kaufunger forest in the eastern part of North Hesse and belongs to the Fulda- Werra- hill country, in the north of the Osthessischen mountain country.

Nationally known is the High Meissner as possible home of the fairy tale Frau Holle. Large parts of the mountain are as diverse protected areas, including nature and bird reserves, reported.

• 5.1 Stinksteinwand and Schwalbenthal
• 5.2 Bransrode
• 5.3 Kalbe ( ex- mining )

Origin of name / change

The original name of the High Meissner is " Wissen " means the first written mention of the name was 1195th It can be on the Old High German root words " wisa " ( " meadow " ) " Wizon " ( " soothsayer " ) or " wiz " ( " white " ) lead back. Probably the interpretation of the name is known as " The White " since the winter with snow on the mountain starts early and lasts long. The name " Meissen " is mentioned in acts of landgräflich - Hessian administration for the first time in 1530.

A slow name renaming learned the mountain by the youth movement. By the First Free German Youth Day on 11 and 12 October 1913, the " Meissen " as " Hoher Meißner " about the German newspapers became known. For migratory birds, this place was before 1913 a popular destination, and at least since 1908, the mountain of them was called " Hoher Meißner ". This naming could have analogous to the target gladly chosen the Göttingen migratory birds, the Hohen Hagen, occurred. With time, more and more was spoken of the Hohe Meissner. A memorial stone with an information board can be found at the parking lot near the Friends of Nature House Meißner, that refer to this name change.

Geography

Location

The High Meissner rises in the Werra- Meißner-Kreis about 27 km (air line) east-southeast of the city of Kassel between Allendorf ( northeast), Berkatal and Meissner ( East), Forest Kappel (south), hessian Lichtenau (west ) and Großalmerode ( northwest). Together with large parts of Kaufunger forest and Söhrewald it forms the beautiful natural park Meissner Kaufunger forest.

On massive Hohe Meissner, the predominantly forested, about 10 km long and 5 km wide, arise, for example, Berka and its tributaries Hollenbach and copper creek that Gelster inflow Laudenbach and weirs inflow Vierbach.

Geomorphology

Hoher Meißner - the highest mountain in North East Hesse

The High Meissner is crowned by a high plateau, the maximum around 4.2 km long in east-west direction up to 2.2 km wide in north-south direction, measured from the 700 -m contour line up. Its highest point is with 753.6 meters high the Kassel top. This is not, as reproduced in many publications, the highest peak in North Hessen, but "only" the highest North Osthessens. The highest mountains in the northern part of North Hessen located far west in Upland ( Langenberg, . Maximum 843.2 m), the Northeast foothills of the Rothaargebirge, and the highest in the often equated with the term northern Hesse Regierungsbezirk Kassel is the water dome ( 950.2 m) in the far south Rhön.

Dominance and prominence

With a predominance of about 59 km is the Meissner (more precisely, its highest point, the summit Kassel ) one of the most dominating mountains in Germany. The Meissner the nearest, next highest point is just this distance directly to foothills of the 916.5 -meter-high Big Island mountain in southeastern Thuringian forest that dominates similar to the Meissner its surroundings.

In the northeast resin is found, the next higher point until about 66 km of the maximum 865.1 m high ridge on the field, in the southern Rhön the height of the Meissner is only at 756.9 m high Auersberg in about 70 km distance achieved in the western Rothaargebirge even only 84 km away on the 775.3 -meter-high Bald Pön.

For the prominence of Kassel tip is not separated by the valley of the Werra Thuringian Forest Mountains respect, but also located between Fulda and Werra Rhon. The lowest point to which one must be reduced to achieve a next higher point in the Rhön, northwest of Hönebach on the Fulda - Werra- watershed between Richelsdorfer Mountains and Seulingswald, 426 m lower altitude than the peak.

Mountains and hilltops

Among the mountains and hilltops of the High Meissner sorted by height in meters ( m) above mean sea level ( MSL ):

• Kassel cap ( 753,6 m)
• Kassel stone ( 748.3 m)
• Kalbe ( 719.5 m)

• Heiligenberg ( 583.4 m)
• Bühlchen ( 537.2 m)
• Hässelkuppe ( 514.8 m)

Transport links

The Hoher Meißner is reached by branching off from the main roads 7, 27 and 451 state roads; the first and last-named Federal Road is well connected via the Meissner - western flank and in particular on the southern part of the Meissner high plateaus and the Meissner - eastern flank extends to an already completed section of the northeast Hessian part of the federal highway 44 in the context of state roads 3241 and 3242, a portion the " Mother Hulda route " of the German Fairy Tale Road.

Geology

The base of the High Meissner was born before 225 million years ago in the Triassic and consists of limestone and sandstone. In the Tertiary 20 million years ago was in the area a sink, where were growing in a tropical climate swamp forests. They formed powerful peat layers, from which emerged brown coal deposits. Due to volcanic activity occurred before 13-5 million years ago by splitting and warping multiple low-viscosity lava and filled the existing sink. So the High Meissner received a 150 m thick basalt still ceiling, more resistant to erosion processes made ​​him as his basalt -free environment. In the long-range enhancement of the entire region, which continues to the present time, the basalt plateau has been called " Härtling " from the softer surrounding strata dissected (relief inversion ), so that the High Meissner its surroundings clearly dominates today.

A geological feature, the Kothsborn source ( ice fountain ) out its unusually low temperature in the amount of only 0 ° C to max. 2 ° C is caused by evaporative cooling inside the basalt boulders.

Reserves

In particular, the edges of the Hohe Meissner, but also parts of his plateau, are designated as a nature reserve Meissner ( NSG-Nr. 6969 ); It was founded in 1970 and is just 9.33 km ². In these areas, guests will find the Established in 2009, Fauna-Flora -Habitat Area ( FFH-Nr. 4725-306 ) and Meissner Meissner foreland with the adjoining conservation area Werra and Wehretal ( FFH-Nr. 4825-302 ) with 241, 7 km ². Totally the massif is located in the 36.90 km ² large bird sanctuary Meissner ( VSG-Nr. 4725-401 ).

Mining the Hohe Meissner

The lignite mining commenced on Hohe Meissner 1560, after he was found in a creek Glanzkohlestückchen, and lasted until 1929 exclusively on underground. The coal was mainly promoted for the Salzsiedebetrieb in Allendorf and later in the open pit operation mainly for the large power plant in Kassel.

Stinksteinwand and Schwalbenthal

A good indication of the centuries- long history of mining in the Hohe Meissner is the " Stinksteinwand ", which is located above the former mining settlement official Schwalbenthal high up on the eastern slope of the mountain. Previously there was mined underground coal. However, as of 1952, the coal was where now is the Kalbesee, even on days dismantled. First, the basalt tanks had to be removed, which is here about 150 feet thick. This created the Stinksteinwand. Finally, it was started with the brown coal mining. For financial reasons, this 1970 has been discontinued and not resumed after demonstrations in 1974. The mine left thereby also on the east side of the Meissner's a characteristic trough in the mountain.

Already 300 to 400 years ago, even as underground mining, lignite had caught fire as it tends upon contact with oxygen to self-ignition. So there smoldering fires were observed in the seams and over again that make up the earth's surface by the characteristic smell of fire and smoke outlet to this day felt. Several such smoke to leak with Schwefelsublimaten ( " flowers of sulfur " ) are mainly located in the southern part of open pit, 400 m north of the parking lot Schwalbenthal. Entry to this area is prohibited for safety and conservation reasons.

Even in recent years then all attempts to delete these coal seams located in Flözbrand, so you not only the parking lot in Schwalbenthal can often perceive a sulfur -like smell of not fully burnt brown coal - some even very strong. The exposed by the open pit lignite was showered with soil. In up to 30 meters deep mining pit in formation of a 2 -hectare lake, which Kalbesee. The somewhat below the Stinksteinwand standing on the mountainside inn Schwalbenthal is the last remnant of a former ten houses extensive mining settlement, had to be demolished as a result of landslides whose houses. On display are also the mining cemetery Schwalbenthal ( about 400 meters from the guest house) and on the New Erbstollen Schwalbenthal the house stockpile, an old miner's house, with a bulk dump of the carbon road that goes down after Germerode.

Bransrode

On the northwest side of the mountain was closed in 1929 with respect to the lignite mining in the mining village Bransrode the last underground stopes, but began at once with the basalt - pit mining, which was operated until 2003. As part of the continuing construction of the A44 in the Werra- Meißner-Kreis of basalt mining was resumed, but currently suspended again.

Kalbe ( ex- mining )

At the basalt dome Kalbe above ground brown coal was mined from 1952 to 1974, which is still clearly visible at the former quarry site where the " Kalbesee " has formed.

Attractions

At various locations of the High Meissner there are wonderful vantage points:

• Kalbe: From the 719.5 m high basalt knoll one looks, among other things to the Werra, Eichsfeld -Hainich- Werra valley, Harz, Thuringian Forest and the Rhön. This viewpoint is, for example, to achieve a beginning on Mother Hulda pond path.

• Schwalbenthal: Easier to reach than the basalt knoll just mentioned Kalbe is located 108 m deeper at a road junction of state road 3241, the coming results of Meissner Vockerode towards Meißner, a similarly good vantage point: Only a few meters below and east of the mentioned here Stinksteinwand is above a parking lot of the " viewpoint Schwalbenthal ", from which you can enjoy from 612 m height the view inter alia, to around 322 meters below Vockerode (approx. 290 m ), but also looks towards Thuringia over.

• Meißner and mountain inn Hoher Meißner: From the southwest side of the mountain you look from the Friends of Nature House Meißner (approx. 665 m) and from the far south-east of it are mountain inn Hoher Meißner (approx. 715 m), among others, to the basement of the forest, hawk forest and Kaufunger forest.

Additional points of interest on the Hohe Meissner include ( in alphabetical order ):

• Mother Hulda pond - small, storied Still Waters
• Kalbe - former lignite mine with Kalbesee lookout mountain calving
• Kitzkammer ( Natural monument - a rock niche between basalt columns )
• Sea Stones - basalt rocks in a forest park with former pond

Fairytale / Sage

The High Meissner is also the land of the fairy tale figure Frau Holle on Mother Hulda path. The Mother Hulda Pond, a protected nature pond on the mountain that is supposed to be bottomless and the input to Frau Holle Otherworld local legends, according to. The pond is since 2004 a wooden statue of Mother Holle.

Sport and leisure

Am Hohen Meissner there is a winter sports area with two slopes for downhill skiing plus lift operation and long trails for cross country skiing. In addition, many extensive and well-marked trails are available, among other things lead over the high plateau of the High Meissner. One of them is the certified Premiumweg 1

Since 8 June 2008, a permanent timing ( Stoppomat ) for cyclists, walkers, Nordic walkers, skaters and bikers hand operated. The best time of 19:30 min. currently occupies the former German champion Dirk Müller.

Transmission facilities and military installations

The High Meissner is an important transmission site of the Hessischer Rundfunk (HR) for FM and digital television ( DVB -T).

In April 1952, the Hessischer Rundfunk took on the experimental factory of the radio, which was completed in June 1952. Three years later, the television station was taken on the Hohe Meissner in operation.

Existing and former antenna structures or transmission facilities on the Hoher Meissner:

• 220 m high grounded, guyed steel lattice mast for FM and TV
• 155 m high grounded, guyed steel lattice mast which carries a cage aerial for medium wave, directional antennas and antenna of the television HR reserve
• 95 m high insulated against ground steel tube mast as a reserve antenna for medium wave
• To 1995, there was a 1951 erected, insulated against ground, guyed steel tube mast with medium-wave system, which served as a listening device of the Bundeswehr and the Americans