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38-858: The East Hesse Highlands forms a natural region (no. 35 or D47) and is both part of the European Central Uplands as well as the Rhine-Weser watershed. It includes the Vogelsberg - Meißner Axis, also known as the Hessian Central Uplands , the East Hesse Depression and the Rhön . The West and East Hesse Highlands together form the Hesse Highlands and correspond to the geological unit of

76-834: A central dome, is the result of an interplay of uplift processes and ablation acting on all sides. The volcanic activity in the Vogelsberg, as well as that of the North Hessian Volcanic Region to the north which extends as far as Adelebsen in Lower Saxony , is connected with fault block activity that, during the Tertiary , led to the formation of the Lower Hessian Basin . It began in North Hesse about 20 million years ago during

114-721: A section of the Rhine-Weser watershed run over the Vogelsberg, but also (within the Weser and Fulda systems) the watersheds between the Eder and Schwalm and Lower Fulda as well as (within the Rhine basin ) that between the Main and the Lahn . Groundwater and spring water from the Vogelsberg, along with water from the dem Spessart hills and Hessian Ried provides drinking water for

152-406: A significant manner. Thus most natural regions are homogeneous ecosystems . Human impact can be an important factor in the shaping and destiny of a particular natural region. The concept "natural region" is a large basic geographical unit, like the vast boreal forest region. The term may also be used generically, like in alpine tundra , or specifically to refer to a particular place. The term

190-595: A south-to-north direction, whilst the streams running into the Main tributaries of the Nidda , Kinzig and Franconian Saale flow south. The most important rivers of the East Hesse Highlands are listed in the following table, in clockwise order, beginning on the north side of the Rhine-Weser watershed by the Vogelsberg . For a better overview or to see them listed in a downstream order, by river system, enter

228-599: Is a large volcanic mountain range in the German Central Uplands in the state of Hesse , separated from the Rhön Mountains by the Fulda river valley. Emerging approximately 19 million years ago, the Vogelsberg is Central Europe's largest basalt formation, consisting of a multitude of layers that descend from their peak in ring-shaped terraces to the base. The main peaks of the Vogelsberg are

266-455: Is not a former shield volcano , but comprises many individual volcanoes, which are superimposed. Thus it consists of a multitude of overlapping basalt terraces, which descend from the Oberwald , the high central plateau, 600 to 773 metres high, in series of stepped rings to the edges of the mountain region. Its present appearance, which is reminiscent of a large flat, shield-shaped volcano with

304-701: Is particularly useful where there is no corresponding or coterminous official region. The Fens of eastern England , the Thai highlands , and the Pays de Bray in Normandy, are examples of this. Others might include regions with particular geological characteristics, like badlands , such as the Bardenas Reales , an upland massif of acidic rock, or The Burren , in Ireland . Vogelsberg The Vogelsberg

342-554: Is well catered for on the numerous long-distance cycling routes such as the Volcano Cycleway ( Vulkanradweg , Vogelsberg Southern Railway Cycleway ( Vogelsberger Südbahnradweg  ...). Moreover, there are regular RMV buses, the so-called Vulkan Express running from Büdingen , Stockheim , Nidda , Hungen , Mücke and Schlitz via Lauterbach at weekends to the heights of the Vogelsberg. These buses are equipped with bicycle trailers. The majority of bus routes run to

380-641: The Eurasian lynx has returned. There are rumors about wolves being sighted in the region. Sightings have been confirmed in an area north of the Vogelsberg. Wildcats are also said to exist in the region, although they, like lynxes, are notoriously hard to spot. As in most of Hesse, wild boar are present in large numbers. The Vogelsberg is known for its winter sports areas on the Herchenhainer Höhe and Hoherodskopf ( Alpine skiing and 55 km of loipes ). In summer, apart from hiking , cycling

418-469: The Hesse Depression in its wider sense, because geologically recent layers of Zechstein and Bunter sandstone , and in places even younger Muschelkalk rocks, from the lower Jurassic and Tertiary periods have been preserved here. The Hesse Environmental Atlas distinguishes the following major geographical units (three-figure numbers): The East Hesse Highlands is bounded immediately to

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456-555: The Hoherodskopf and so may be used in combination. The Volcano and Southern Railway Cycleways are tarmacked and may also be used by inline skaters . There is a large network of signposted cycleways in and around the Vogelsberg Nature Fitness Park around the highest summits and also 70 km of signed mountain bike routes. The Hoherodskopf is the touristic centre of the region. Here you will find

494-665: The Knüll (636 m) in the centre, the Vogelsberg (773 m) in the southwest and the Rhön (950 m) in the southeast, there are numerous individual singularities which catalogue the volcanic activity between the two Central Uplands regions. The northern part of this natural region includes the Fulda-Werra Uplands , with the Hoher Meissner and Kaufungen Forest , which descends to the Lower Werra Land in

532-573: The Knüll to the northeast. Between them is the Großenlüder-Lauterbacher Graben . By contrast, in the north, the vulcanite does not end until it reaches the adjacent North Vogelsberg Foreland , i.e. outside the actual Vogelsberg. Even the Anterior Vogelsberg which lies outside the latter region still has large areas of basaltic rock. To the west the basalt zone reaches far into the gently rolling lowlands of

570-528: The Rhine-Main region . As early as 1876 were springs in the eastern Vogelsberg enclosed for that purpose and the construction of water pipes from the Spessart and the Vogelsberg to the city of Frankfurt . A lack of understanding of the particular hydrogeological and ecological situation in the Vogelsberg and excessive withdrawal resulted in springs drying up, cracks appearing in buildings and subsidence of

608-799: The Schwalm , which lie almost entirely in the West Hesse Depression, drains the western part of the area, whilst left hand tributaries of the Werra drain the east. Only the source of the Schwalm and the mouth of the Werra lie within the Highlands themselves. The tributaries are also north of the Rhine-Weser watershed, apart from the Ohm the only tributary of the Lahn , which is clearly oriented in

646-609: The Taufstein , 773.0 metres (2,536.1 ft), and Hoherodskopf , 763 metres (2,503 ft), both now within the High Vogelsberg Nature Park . The Vogelsberg lies in the county of Vogelsbergkreis , around 60 kilometres northeast of Frankfurt between the towns of Alsfeld , Fulda , Büdingen and Nidda . To the northeast is the Knüll , to the east the Rhön , to the southeast the Spessart and to

684-652: The Wetterau , this depression lies alongside the middle and lower reaches of the Horloff river. From a natural landscape perspective, the region is an island of forest comprising melic grasses and beech . In the Giesel Forest (350.6), which covers an area of 130 km , the Vogelsberg pushes eastwards at heights of up to over 500 m to the edge of the Fulda Basin. From a natural region perspective,

722-589: The (catchment areas of the) rivers listed are not in the East Hesse Highlands: Natural region A natural region (landscape unit) is a basic geographic unit. Usually, it is a region which is distinguished by its common natural features of geography , geology , and climate . From the ecological point of view, the naturally occurring flora and fauna of the region are likely to be influenced by its geographical and geological factors, such as soil and water availability , in

760-735: The 600 metre contour line . In outer areas of the Vogelsberg, by contrast, there is a tapestry of green pasture, arable fields and woodlands. Large parts of the Oberwald are protected. For example, the beech wood in the Taufstein Nature Reserve has been left to manage itself since 1906. On the northern slopes of the Taufstein are large stone runs of basalt. The valleys of the Western (351.0) and Eastern (351.1) High Vogelsberg generally lie at heights of over 500 m in

798-469: The DGKZ numbers after the number of the parent river followed by a dash. River names and lengths listed in italics are those which clearly leave the region of the East Hesse Highlands (depressions on the perimeter excluded), where catchment areas and discharges are given in italics, it indicates that part of the catchment area is external and has significant tributaries from outside the East Hesse Highlands (see

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836-429: The Giesel Forest in the east is already on bunter sandstone , like the rest of the natural regions towards the east. The Vogelsberg massif has stone runs of basalt and tuff , raised bogs and areas of ancient woodland. Numerous hiking trails cross, not only the Oberwald, but also the rest of the area. The Oberwald (351.2) is the heart of the Vogelsberg and is entirely wooded; its outer boundary roughly follows

874-509: The Vogelsberg: Soils and rocks are, in all parts of the Vogelsberg – with the exception of the Giesel Forest – similar, but average annual temperatures drop noticeably towards the centre of the range (varying by up to 5  K ) and the annual precipitation rises towards the Oberwald to an average of 1,200 mm. The basalt areas of the Vogelsberg continue towards the east and north into its neighbouring natural regions, whilst

912-503: The area of the Lower Main , back to isolated deposits in the central complex. Under tropical to subtropical conditions, the volcanic rocks were turned into red clays by lateritic weathering . In many places, red clays collected and bauxite was formed; moreover, the iron contained in basalt was concentrated to form iron ore . These deposits were mined over a long period of time in order to produce raw materials for industry, and

950-518: The basalt was and still is a highly popular raw material for gravel and natural stone production. The division of the Vogelsberg into individual natural regions is based, on the one hand, on the relief of the mountain range from its highest point towards the outside and, on the other hand, on its river catchments which radiate outwards: the catchments of the Eder ( Schwalm ), Lower Fulda ( Schlitz and Lüder ), Main ( Kinzig and Nidda ) and Lahn ( Ohm ). The following natural regions form

988-526: The compass. In clockwise order, the rivers of the main catchments are the Schwalm, Lower Fulda, Kinzig, Nidda and Ohm. Often a well known river is fed by several almost equal tributaries. The main rivers of the Vogelsberg, in clockwise order starting in the north, are: In the Vogelsberg the following lengths are misleading, however: Among the waterbodies of the Vogelsbergs are the following lakes and reservoirs (sorted alphabetically): In recent years

1026-498: The course of this volcanicity, trachyte and phonolite were produced in the early stages, then alkali-olivine basalts were deposited, which alternated with tholeiites . These volcanic products overlaid a basement of bunter sandstone and tertiary sands, in small areas in the east also rocks of the muschelkalk and keuper . Erosion following the Miocene wore away the contiguous basalt nappes, which originally reached as far as

1064-478: The east by the West Hesse Highlands and Lowlands . Almost all of the region is formed by Bunter sandstone and this defines both its relief and the surface of the land apart from occasional layers of overlying volcanic basalt. All the prominent ridges are, at least partly, characterised by volcanic features. Between the Hoher Meissner (754 m) and Kaufungen Forest (up to 643 m high) in the north,

1102-604: The former encircling the latter. The central river in the area is the Fulda , which runs from south to north and leaves the East Hesse Highlands just before its confluence with the Werra in the West Hesse Depression . Left of the Fulda lie the Knüll and Vogelsberg , right of it the major part of the Fulda-Werra Highlands and the Rhön . Right hand tributaries of the middle and lower reaches of

1140-534: The ground. The Upper Hessian Water Companies ( Oberhessischen Versorgungsbetriebe AG , OVAG) are the largest water suppliers in the Vogelsberg: they pump out around 30 million cubic metres of ground water annually from their wells; about 2/3 goes to the city of Frankfurt in the Rhine-Main region. Numerous rivers and streams rise in the Vogelsberg, and flow radially from its highest point in all directions of

1178-589: The less porous basalt loam soil frequently leads to flooding. In this part of the Vogelsberg, the scenery changes in loose succession from woodlands, rich in springs, wetlands, poor grassland and stream valleys; besides there are also a raised bog and, in the southeast a number of waterbodies, the Vogelsberg Lakes ( Vogelsberger Seen ). The basaltic parts of the Lower Vogelsberg (350.1-350.5) range in height between 300 and 500 m, except on

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1216-494: The lower Miocene , reached a peak about 13-12 million years ago and came to an end about 7 million years ago, during the upper Miocene. The volcanism of the Vogelsberg was mainly active during the Middle Miocene, according to potassium-argon dating 18.5-10 million years ago, reaching its peak 17-15 million years ago. As a result of volcanic activity , mainly basaltic lava and pyroclastic deposits were formed. During

1254-448: The north. In the west, some descend to under 400 m. In the main, the boundaries follow the watersheds of the source region of the most important rivers and especially that of the Rhine-Weser watershed , which runs from southeast to northwest, and the Lahn - Main watershed which heads east. Because large areas of the original forest were cleared and the precipitation exceeds 1,000 mm per year, snow melt starts early. This and

1292-988: The northeast and into the Salzungen Werra Uplands in the southeast. In the southwest of the area are the Knüll Uplands, in the south the Fulda-Haune Plateau and in the southeast the Anterior Rhön and Kuppen Rhön (including the Landrücken ) to the southeast, which run into the High Rhön still further to the southeast. South of the Fulda-Haune Plateau and west of the Rhön are the Lower und High Vogelsberg hills,

1330-951: The notes below the table). Main rivers are linked if they are entirely located outside the area. (*: the source of the Haune lies, strictly speaking, still just in the Western Rhön Foreland , 353.1 **: the Wehre rises, strictly speaking, in the Rommerode Hills , 357.53 , the eastern foreland of the Söhre) ***: the values for catchment area and discharge of the Taft are limited to the Hessian part and do not include its confluence area in Thuringia) The following parts of

1368-440: The only bunter sandstone part of the Vogelsberg is clearly separated from the basaltic areas of the Lower Vogelsberg. In addition to the woods that cover almost the entire natural region (including pine forests) there are extensive vegetation-free areas by the huge spoil tips of the potassium salt mine near Neuhof. The following table lists the natural regions from the centre outwards and then in clockwise order. Not only does

1406-602: The southwest the low-lying Wetterau , which transitions to the South Hessian lowlands of the Rhine-Main region . In the opposite direction, to the northwest, the Vogelsberg transitions into parts of the West Hesse Highlands , whilst retaining the name, Vogelsberg, and the basalt rocks that bear its name continue well beyond the actual Vogelsberg. The Vogelsberg is the largest contiguous volcanic region in Central Europe with an area of 2,500 square kilometres. It

1444-570: The western to southwestern fringes by the Wetterau where they descend below 200 m in places. Its boundary with the Büdingen Forest to the south, with the Landrücken to the southeast and with the Giesel Forest (see below) to the east is less of a relief feature than the geological transition from basalt to bunter sandstone. There is also this geological divide with the Fulda-Haune Tableland , which lies in front of

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