Wendelstein (mountain)
The Wendelstein (left) from the north. To the right is the width of stone.
- Rack railway
- Funicular
- Weather Station
- Observatory
- Transmitter
- Wind Turbine
- Church
The Wendelstein from south
The Wendelstein is a 1838 m high mountain in the Bavarian Alps. He belongs to the Mangfallgebirge, the eastern part of the Bavarian Alps. He is the highest peak of Wendelstein mountain range. Due to its exposed location, it offers a very good view into the Bavarian Alpine foothills and is reverse to detect over a wide area. It lies between the valleys of Leitzach and the Inn and is developed with the Wendelstein cable car and the Wendelstein Cog Railway. At its northern reaches of the springs Jenbach, which is on its way to Mangfall to the cold.
Valley communities include Bayrischzell, Brannenburg ( train) and Osterhofen ( cable car ).
Geography
Geology
The mountain consists mainly of Wettersteinkalk from the Upper Triassic with Dasycladaceen - these are marine algae whose habitat are shallow lagoons, tropical climate. The color of the rock varies from gray-white and light gray to mottled.
Climate
The annual rainfall is 1713 mm in the reference period 1961-90 and is extremely high in Germany -wide comparison, as it falls into the upper twentieth of the detected values in Germany. At 99% of the stations of the German Weather Service lower values are registered. In the period from 1971 to 2000, annual precipitation has decreased by about 40 mm compared to the standard period. Most rainfall occurs in July with 199 mm and approximately 2.6 times as much as in driest month, October. The seasonal variations are extremely large. At only 3% of the stations higher seasonal variations are recorded.
Development
On the summit of the mountain is located with the Wendelstein Chapel, an observatory, a weather station, a Geopark and a highly visible transmission system of the Bayerischer Rundfunk a rich infrastructure. About a hundred meters below the summit, on the ridge between Wendelstein and Schwaiger wall, lie the mountain inn, the end stations of cog railway and cable car, the company building the transmitter, the former mine site ( the station), a service hut the mountain rescue service as well as the famous Wendelstein Kircherl.
The buildings around the hill stations are connected to the 100 m higher ground Summit on a paved road, which makes scalable by numerous stairs and switchbacks to the summit even for inexperienced hikers. Since the path in winter can not be used, there is an elevator that can be achieved through a tunnel from the station of the funicular railway from the staff of the observatory, meteorological services and stations in the middle of the mountain.
The cog railway was built in 1912 by Otto von Steinbeis is the oldest still in operation rack railway in Bavaria. Since its restoration in the early 1990s to run their modern railcars, the travel time of more than 50 minutes shortened to about half an hour by the.
Near the funicular top station of the well-developed spiral cave lies with some stalactites, in the far holding up well into the summer ice.
The beautiful panoramic view from the summit of and easy access to the two cable cars have made the Wendelstein despite its relatively dense development into one of the most famous and popular mountains of the Bavarian Alps. The mountain peak is also easily reachable on foot. In the beginning at the base of Wendelsteinbahn in Bavarian Zell - Osterhofen way you need around 3 hours walking to the summit.
Wendelstein
On July 1, 1889 hundred meters below the summit was laid the foundation stone for the Wendelstein on a rocky ridge. On August 20, 1890, to today 's highest church in Germany was dedicated. It is dedicated to the Patrona Bavariae and is from the Archdiocese of Munich and Freising out as a side of the parish church of the Assumption in Brannenburg. The term highest church in Germany carries the Wendelstein Kircherl unchallenged - all the higher places of worship ( such as the Zugspitze in 1981 consecrated chapel ) are in the canonical sense no churches, but only bands. In the mountain church in the summer regular fairs and weddings.
Often the Wendelstein is also referred to as a chapel or Wendelstein Chapel - which is not only in the canonical sense wrong but also misleading, because there is next to the Wendelstein Kircherl actually also a Wendelstein Chapel. This is dedicated to St. Wendelin and is right on the top. This summit chapel, a small wooden structure, is considerably older than the little church; from her early 19th century is already being reported.
Interior
Mountain weather station and observatory
At the peak of Wendelstein mountain there is a staffed around the clock weather station of the German Weather Service and an observatory of the Institute of Astronomy and Astrophysics at the Ludwig- Maximilians- University of Munich. With an average of over 120 clear nights in the Wendelstein in Germany is particularly suited for such plants.
First weather observations were made on the Wendelstein in a chapel at the summit makeshift observatory by Paul Schiegg from July 1804 records, however, were often thwarted by thunderstorms, storms, snow and rain. 1883 by Dr. Fritz Erk of the Bavarian royals meteorological Munich central station at 1700 m altitude, the " Meteorological Station Wendel stone house" built, which was the first station in the Alps Bavarian royals meteorological station network. The carriage of mail to and from this station was carried out in winter by the members of the Alpine Club Wendel stone house and in summer by tourists. In 1962, today's weather observatory was built on the top, this is staffed around the clock with all official staff. After 130 years of continuous weather observation, the German Weather Service to abandon the station on September 21, 2012 for cost reasons decided. Thus, the weather records ended on Wendelstein.
The observatory was founded by Karl- Otto Kiepenheuer as a solar observatory of the Air Force of the Armed Forces in December 1939. Through observation of solar activity with an accurate prediction of the optimal frequencies for the military radio traffic should be allowed. After the Second World War, the Observatory for the same purpose by the U.S. armed forces has been funded. Since 1949, the facility is part of the University of Munich. In the sixties, the observatory was extended by a coronagraph; with this device, the solar atmosphere could now be explored. Because of the increasing air pollution and a shift in research focus towards the night astronomy scientific solar observation in the 80 years was set. Since 1988, the plant is a pure observatory; the dome of the coronagraph is now used only for illustrative purposes yet. Today is wanted by the Wendelstein from using a 80 - cm reflecting telescope and CCD cameras by evaluation of occultations for extrasolar planets and researched by variable stars in dwarf galaxies. On 21 May 2012, the 80 - cm telescope was replaced by an instrument with two meters opening.
In addition, existed from 1950 to 1960 an observatory on the eastern peak of Wendelstein mountain, consisting of an observation dome and a residential building. There researched the astronomer Rudolf Kühn. The plant was completely demolished around 1965, only the remains of the foundations are still visible today. Where earlier the observation dome stood, a wind power plant was built later, but this was dismantled in 2007.
Ski resort
The two lifts and two ski lifts open up a small but challenging ski area on the Wendelstein. Plans to establish a connection to the ski resort Sudelfeld were discarded. Because of a dispute with a Almbauern the skiing rested on the spiral stone from 1995 to 1997.
Despite numerous blasting and other construction projects in the past 40 years, the most runs at the Wendelstein are proud cliffs, which are only suitable for experienced skiers. The most feared of departure is the Ostabfahrt that runs from the terminus of laughter to lift Mitteralm. At 3.8 km length of this descent covers 500 m height difference. It is similarly difficult, although only a few hundred meters long, is the descent over the so-called Hotel slope, which opens up the actual ski area from the terminal stations of the two cable cars from - here every skier needs to, even if its goal slightly lighter runs around the Wendelstein mountain pastures are. At the Wendelstein mountain pastures also Lacher lift, which opens up the Ostabfahrt begins. The departure from the hotel to the slope Wendelstein mountain pastures leads past the so-called crematorium, a rock wall, which is exposed in fine weather the sun. The course was therefore previously used by skiers for sunbathing and tanning - just to " corpses burn ", hence the macabre name. In the further course, there are two options: a steep slope and the slightly lighter version of the "Davos " - " there 's where ' is easier, as the saying goes.