Rauher Kulm

The Rough Kulm

The Rough Kulm is a prominent mountain in Neustadt am Kulm in the Upper Palatinate, 23 kilometers southeast of Bayreuth and 5 kilometers south of Kemnath.

Geology

He is a volcano that never erupted. Deep cracks in the earth's crust, which arose in connection with the wrinkling of the Alps, enabled its emergence. The dark magma does not originate from the earth's crust but comes from the upper zone of the mantle, from about 50 km depth. On the way up the magma solidified before reaching the surface. After the existing mainly of Keuper surrounding rock layers were eroded away, broke the exposed basalt columns, which resulted in a debris field around the peak. The age of the roughening Kulms is approximately 21 million years. The present form of napping Kulms that of a stratovolcano. The mountain is 682 meters high and offers from its 25 meter high observation tower an impressive panoramic view of the Fichtelgebirge, the Franconian Jura and the northern Upper Palatinate.

The mountain is one of the most imposing basalt mountains of Bavaria. He has a geological, nature conservation, historical and tourist importance. At the western foot of the roughening Kulms Neustadt am Kulm. There is also a rock formation called Little Kulm. In the opposite direction is the second brother, who Kühhübel. The Rough Kulm is protected as a natural monument since 1949 and part of the Natural Park Northern Upper Palatinate Forest.

Flora and Fauna

The basalt block heap and the historic rock cellar around the mountain provide habitat for rare animal and plant species. This is due to the following features: If the ambient temperature in the summer significantly higher than those in the heap inside, enter into force on the heap of cold air. Conversely, in the winter the pile head for the exit of warm air when the ambient temperature is below that in the heap inside. These particular microclimatic conditions permit the existence of rare creatures on Rauhen Kulm. The occurring rare plant species include the Polypody, the Alpine Widertonmoos that Scharlachflechte and Nordic Spleenwort. On Rauhen Kulm -based, generally only rarely occurring and therefore under protection animal species, for example, are endangered bat groups such as the brown long-eared and Natterer's bat but also the wolf spider ( Acantholycosa norvegica - sudetica ) and the Alpine shrew.

Settlement history

In historical terms, the Rough Kulm is interesting. He is the natural center of Flednitz, Slavic or naabwendischen settlement chamber. Just below the basalt field of the cone is surrounded by a ring wall. This is only preserved in residues essential parts of the wall were destroyed by the basalt mining in the late 19th century. Archaeological excavations in the years 2004-2007 showed that the wall was originally stacked as the wall. The mountain was long before the settlement of Slavs, while the Celts, settled around 500 BC. A post slot wall could belong to this period. Also in the early Middle Ages, the region inhabited as Slavs around the mountain, the height was fixed. However, the sequence of the ramparts and walls is difficult to determine, as from the 8th century, a formidable fortress was built, which also stones of earlier walls that involved. During the Hungarian invasions in the 10th century, the rampart was apparently enhanced. A particularly striking finding joined a small mission cross of the early Middle Ages (8th -10th century ) revealed that one could attach through a hole on a string.

Later was on the mountain a castle, 1281 Burggraf Friedrich III. of Nuremberg including the associated places acquired by the Landgrave of Leuchtenberg. In the so-called Second Margrave War it was destroyed after a long siege by troops of the imperial city of Nuremberg. More detailed information provides the

Towers

Throughout history, the roughening Kulms many watch towers were installed on the top of the mountain. Already in 1807, Nicolaus Apel has created a wooden tower. It was about a room a movable gilt sun, which is why the tower was also called Temple of the Sun. Apel's tower lasted till the year 1895. Later that year, the dilapidated structure was replaced by a new tower. This second tower was replaced in 1937 by a third, 6 meters high, tower. Due to weather conditions, this platform had to be replaced in 1962 by a new one: From now enthroned a 25 meter high steel construction with larch wood paneling above the town of Neustadt am Kulm.

On June 30, 1984, this fourth tower burned by arson from within half an hour. The perpetrator could not be determined until today. In the following years, a fifth, until now existing tower was built. The total mass of the tower with its 110 steps is 85 tons. The inauguration took place on 1 July 1987 under Mayor Karl Pühl, who was one of the driving forces in terms of the reconstruction. Construction costs amounted at that time to around 850,000 German marks.

A detailed presentation provides the

Seal for napping Kulm (selection)

At the roughening Kulm ( At Miss Charlotte v. A. )

By Justus Friedrich Zehelein: in Mixed Poems (1787 )

Where the grizzled heights

Johann Nicolaus Apel: in the rough Kulm and its surroundings [ ...] ( 1811)

Others

In memory of his origin from the northern Oberpfalz the historian, geographer, theologian and professor Georg Horn formulated in his work Orbis Politicus in 1667 over the roughening Kulm: In the center of Germany he is, all the mountains far and wide outstanding, as it were a wonder of the world and continues in relation to the little ones and the Kulm Kulm Rauhen that you can find only in Arabia, the Sinai and Horeb second to none.

The Rough Kulm eV in a survey of Heinz Sielmann Foundation EUROPARC Germany voted Germany's most beautiful natural wonders of the Year 2013. The choice was between 21 natural monuments from the National Natural Landscapes and other regions of Germany.