Wikipedia:WikiProject Germany/Portal:Rhön

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Milseburg in der Rhön
Portal:Rhön
 Kreuzberg Abbey

Welcome to the Rhön Portal!

The Rhön Mountains or simply the Rhön, also called the Land of Open Distances (Land der offenen Fernen), is a low mountain range of volcanic origin in Central Germany. It covers an area of about 1,500 km², straddling the states of Bavaria, Hesse and Thuringia. Its highest mountain is the Wasserkuppe, whose summit reaches 950 m above sea level (NHN). The Rhön is one of the southernmost ranges of the German Central Uplands. The Rhön's harsh climate, its geography and the fact that it found itself on the borders of different territories until the division of Germany, are factors that all leave their impression on this wild and rather remote region. Today it is increasingly becoming a tourist and holiday destination.

Article of the Quarter

The Heidelstein seen from the Wachtküppel
The Heidelstein seen from the Wachtküppel

The Heidelstein, between Bischofsheim an der Rhön in the Bavarian county of Rhön-Grabfeld and Wüstensachsen in the Hessian county of Fulda, is a 925.7-metre-high border mountain in the High Rhön, part of the Rhön Mountains, a range in the German Central Uplands. The Heidelstein's actual summit in Bavaria and is sometimes also called the Schwabenhimmel. On the Heidelstein is the Heidelstein Transmitter and a commemoration site for the Rhön Club. On its northwestern slopes lies the source of the Ulster (river) and, on the western slopes, is the cross-country skiing centre of Rotes Moor.
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Geography

In the heart of the mountains is the High Rhön, a range of mountains of volcanic origin. Around it, especially to the north and west, rises the so-called Kuppen Rhön, formed predominantly of Bunter sandstone and pierced by basalt cones. Also counted as part of the Rhön, but not geologically related, are the surrounding hills made of different rocks. The orographic boundaries of the range orient themselves on the major rivers - the Fulda, Werra, Franconian Saale and Sinn. The outer belt of hills includes the South Rhön which is geologically more related to the Spessart hills.

Natural region map: The Rhön and its surrounding area
Natural region map: The Rhön and its surrounding area
Natural regions

(to 35 East Hesse Highlands)

  • 353 Anterior and Kuppen Rhön (with the Landrücken)
  • 354 High Rhön
    • 354.0 Southern High Rhön and Dammersfeldrücken, Black Mountains, Kreuzberg Group
    • 354.1 Central Rhön with the Wasserkuppen Rhön, Long Rhön, Eastern Slopes of the Long Rhön, Upper Ulster Valley
  • (to 355 Fulda-Haune Tableland)
    • 355.3 Haune Plateaux and Rombach Plateaux, Haune valley (and Hünfeld Basin), Buchenau Plateau
  • (to 357 Fulda-Werra Highland): Seulingswald
  • (to 358 Salzungen Werra Highland):
    • 358.0 Stadtlengsfeld Hills

(to 13 Mainfranconian Plateaux)

  • (to 1381 Grabfeld)
    • 1381.0 Western Grabfeld
  • (to 1382 Werra Gäu Plateaux)
    • 1382.0 Western Werra Gäu Plateaux with the Mellrichstadt Gäu, Bibra Saddle, St. Bernhard Plateau, Dreißigacker-Sülzfeld Rhön Scarp

(to 14 Odenwald, Spessart and South Rhön)

  • (to 141 South Rhön)
    • 140.0 Gemünden-Zeitlofs Forest
    • (to 140.1 Hammelburg South Rhön) with the Schondra-Thulba-South Rhön, Erthal Chalk Hills
  • (to 140.2 Eastern South Rhön) with the Schönau Plateau
Mountains and hills
Auersberg, Dammersfeldkuppe, Dreistelzberg, Eierhauckberg, Ellenbogen, Gebaberg, Große Haube, Heidelstein, Hohe Schule, Kreuzberg, Milseburg, Pleß, Soisberg, Totnansberg, Wasserkuppe
→ List of mountains and hills of the Rhön
Rivers
Franconian Saale: Brend, Premich, Schondra, Sinn, Streu, Thulba
Fulda: Döllau, Haune, Lütter
Werra: Felda, Herpf, Ulster, Sülze

Settlements

Bischofheim an der Rhön
Bischofheim an der Rhön

This is a list of the main towns in the Rhön.

Bavaria

Bad Brückenau · Bad Kissingen · Bischofsheim an der Rhön · Fladungen · Gemünden am Main · Hammelburg · Mellrichstadt · Ostheim vor der Rhön · Rieneck

Hesse

Gersfeld · Hünfeld · Tann

Thuringia

Geisa · Kaltennordheim · Meiningen · Stadtlengsfeld · Wasungen


History

Restaurant "Zur Post" in Oberweid
Restaurant "Zur Post" in Oberweid

c. 5th century BC - 1st century BC

Celts live on the Milseburg

744 AD

Founding of Fulda Abbey

to 10th century AD

Part of the old Gau of Buchonia

1096-1583

The Hennebergs rule over the eastern part of the Rhön

Middle Ages

Construction of land defences and hill castles

1814/15

Reorganization of territory based on the Congress of Vienna

from 1885

Construction of railway branch lines in the Rhön

1935–1944

Dr. Hellmuth Plan

1938

Creation of Wildflecken Training Area

1949

Division of Germany

1990

German Reunification

1991

Creation of the biosphere reserve

Transport

The Little Rhön Train
The Little Rhön Train

The A7 motorway grazes the Rhön to the west and the A71 in the extreme east. A network of federal highways (Bundesstraßen) runs through the heart of the Rhön. There were once several branch lines in the Rhön; only the Fulda–Gersfeld railway is still working as a normal railway, whilst the Mellrichstadt–Fladungen railway is operated as a heritage line.

The following bus and rail services serve the Rhön:

In addition to the motorways, the following major roads cross the Rhön:

People

Otto Feick, inventor of the Rhön wheel
Otto Feick, inventor of the Rhön wheel

Adalbert Endert: bishop, Andreas Fack: composer and author of the Rhönlied, Otto Feick: inventor of the Rhön wheel, Adalbert Geheeb: botanist, Moritz Goldschmidt: biologist, Franz Kaspar Lieblein: botanist, Ludwig Nüdling: local poet, Johann Heinrich Valentin Paul: Rhön Paulus, Christian Schreiber: philosopher and poet, Karl Straub: writer, Erwin Sturm: local historian, Joseph Vonderau: local historian

Culture and Leisure

Walkers on the High Rhön
Walkers on the High Rhön

In the course of the last two centuries opportunities for recreation have been developed, beginning with walking. Both sporting and cultural activities are widespread and varied. In particular, skiing has become popular in winter.

Cycling
Fulda Cycleway, Kegelspiel Cycleway, Milseburg Cycleway, Rhön Cycleway, Ulster Cycleway
Museums
German Gliding Museum, Franconian Open Air Museum, Art Station, Kleinsassen, Pfundsmuseum, Point Alpha, Sieblos Museum
Theatre
Meiningen Theatre
Wildlife parks
Gersfeld Wildlife Park, Klaushof Wildlife Park
Walking
The Hochrhöner, Point Alpha Way
Winter sport
Ski areas of the Rhön, Kreuzberg Ski Area, Simmelsberg Winter Sports Area

Entry

Image of the Quarter
The Dammersfeldkuppe in 2008
The Dammersfeldkuppe photographed during the Volkswandertage ("People's Walking Days") in 2008
Quickstart

Media related to Rhön at Wikimedia Commons

Good Articles

Featured articles
Good articles


Informative lists

Tasks

New articles
Missing articles

Related Portals

Neighbouring portals from a geographical perspective

Categories

This is the category tree for articles related to the Rhön. Sub-categories, where they exist, may be opened and closed with the arrow symbols.

Rhön Mountains
Mountains and hills of the Rhön
Wildflecken Training Area

Members


This list contains the names and interests of members or those interested in the Rhön Portal.

Areas of interest: Creator of the portal. German geography and history.

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Events and Meetings


Other German regional portals

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