Schotten is a town in the middle of Hesse, Germany . Larger towns nearby include Alsfeld in the north, Fulda in the east, Friedberg in the south and Gießen in the west.
40-592: The officially recognised climatic spa lies between 168 m and 773 m above sea level on the western slope of the Vogelsberg Mountains . Nearby are Hoherodskopf (764 m) and Taufstein (773 m), the two highest peaks in the High Vogelsberg Nature Park. Schotten is a tourist town thanks to reliably high snowfall in the winter and hiking opportunities in the summer in the extensive forests . Watersports are also possible on
80-599: 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 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
120-483: A hill. Or, the golden hill stands for the Vogelsberg Mountains . The falcon comes from a legend about the town's founding. Schotten is twinned with: Schotten also has friendly relations with Bogen , Germany and Ozimek , Poland. Federal highways ( Bundesstraßen ) B 455 and B 276 run through the town. The nearest Autobahnen are the A ;5 and the A 45 . The B 276 from Gedern by way of Schotten to Laubach
160-467: 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 a central dome, is the result of an interplay of uplift processes and ablation acting on all sides. The volcanic activity in
200-732: 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 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
240-501: Is a notorious motorcycle road that attracts motorcyclists, not least of all for the motorcycle clubs along the road, such as the Falltorhaus ("Portcullis House"). There have been problems with street racing, which in 2005 left 12 people dead and another 129 injured. A particular problem on the highway is the "Applauskurve", a 180° bend in the road between Schotten and Laubach, known to motorcyclists all over Germany. In motorsport,
280-733: Is one of the three major natural regions of Germany . It stretches east to west across the country. To the north lies the North German Plain or Northern Lowland ; to the south, the Alps and the Alpine Foreland . The German Central Uplands, like the Scandinavian and British mountain ranges and the Urals , belong to the oldest mountains of Europe, even if their present-day appearance has only developed relatively recently. In
320-575: The Carboniferous , i.e. about 350 million years ago, Variscan mountain ranges were formed in central Europe by the uplifting caused by tectonic plate collision. Immediately after their formation the erosion of the mountains began under the influence of exogenous processes during the Permian period. During the Triassic period, which began about 225 million years ago, what is now central Europe
360-813: The Harz ), or downfaulted (trough faults or graben such as the Upper Rhine Valley ) or thrust over one another (tilted fault blocks such as the Ore Mountains ). Thus the German Central Uplands exhibit the widest variety of forms, something that is also attributable to the erosion of sediments from the Mesozoic ( Triassic , Jurassic and Cretaceous ). In some ranges the sediments have been relatively well-preserved, in others they have been carried away completely. The determining factor
400-780: 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 the southwest the low-lying Wetterau , which transitions to the South Hessian lowlands of the Rhine-Main region . In
440-555: 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
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#1732783773450480-540: 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 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
520-522: 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 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
560-479: 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
600-520: The 1970s, and they were interpreted as having been a Carolingian royal court. Schotten is said to have been founded by Irish - Scottish monks. The Gothic Church of Our Lady was built in the 14th century. In the Middle Ages , Schotten belonged to the Eppstein and Trimberg noble families. The Rhenish League of Towns, in a feud with these families, captured the town and destroyed the walls and
640-585: 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, 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
680-598: 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 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
720-585: The Nature Conservation Information Centre for the High Vogelsberg Nature Park and a tourist information centre for the town of Schotten , which are open daily all year-round. From this point, three nature trails have been set up, covering in the fields of geology, nature and sensory perception. There is a summer toboggan run, a tree ropes course , numerous hiking trails and several restaurants. Central Uplands The Central Uplands ( German : die Mittelgebirge )
760-528: The Nidda Reservoir. In the outermost northwestern municipal area is the source of the river Nidda , a favourite destination for hikers. Schotten borders in the north on the town of Ulrichstein , in the northeast on the town of Herbstein , in the east on the community of Grebenhain , in the south on the town of Gedern and the community of Hirzenhain (both in the Wetteraukreis ), and in
800-593: 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 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
840-528: The Schotten area reach back to the New Stone Age . Several barrows bear witness to prehistoric times as do the "Alteburg" and "Wildhauskopf" ringwalls, whose building date is unknown. Schotten had its first documentary mention in 778. The "Horstburg", a local castle near the constituent community of Rudingshain, may have stood in connection with the town's founding. There were digs at the ruins in
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#1732783773450880-763: 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 the lower Miocene , reached a peak about 13-12 million years ago and came to an end about 7 million years ago, during
920-550: 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 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
960-566: The beginning of the Cenozoic era, some 70 million years ago, the process of erosion of the Hercynian mountain ranges changed. During the Tertiary , alpidic mountain building took place, in the course of which strong forces deformed the stumps of the Hercynian mountains. As these rocks were already folded, further tension led to cracks and fractures, which in turn created fault blocks . These blocks were later uplifted (forming horsts such as
1000-531: 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 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
1040-534: 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 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
1080-620: 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 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
1120-548: 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 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
1160-518: 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 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
1200-558: 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 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
1240-610: 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 is not a former shield volcano , but comprises many individual volcanoes, which are superimposed. Thus it consists of
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1280-489: The particular hydrogeological and ecological situation in the Vogelsberg and excessive withdrawal resulted in springs drying up, cracks appearing in buildings and subsidence of 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
1320-468: 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 is well catered for on the numerous long-distance cycling routes such as
1360-624: 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 the Taufstein , 773.0 metres (2,536.1 ft), and Hoherodskopf , 763 metres (2,503 ft), both now within
1400-538: The stately home. From 1403, Schotten belonged to the Hessian Landgraves . The current stately home, the Schotten Castle, dates from this time. Under the municipal reforms in the early 1970s, 15 communities were amalgamated into a greater community of Schotten. Schotten's civic coat of arms might heraldically be described thus: In azure a falcon argent armed gules wings outstretched standing upon
1440-729: The town is known for the Schottenring races. In the Old Town, there is the Church of Our Lady with its famous Marienaltar . The winged altar was made about 1385 by an unknown painter. Schotten is home to the Niddastau Lake, a man-made lake suitable for recreation and water sports. Vogelsberg Mountains The Vogelsberg is a large volcanic mountain range in the German Central Uplands in
1480-584: 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 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
1520-419: The west on the town of Nidda (Wetteraukreis) and the town of Laubach ( district ). Besides the main town, which bears the same name as the whole municipality, Schotten is divided into the following communities: Betzenrod, Breungeshain, Burkhards, Busenborn, Eichelsachsen, Einartshausen, Eschenrod, Götzen, Kaulstoß, Michelbach, Rainrod, Rudingshain, Sichenhausen and Wingershausen. Archaeological finds from
1560-409: 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 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
1600-544: Was sometimes above and sometimes below sea level. As a result, there are various layers of sedimentary rock in the Central Uplands: in most cases new red sandstone has been laid down as the terrestrial layer of rock and keuper and muschelkalk as marine sedimentary layers. The Jurassic period primarily saw the formation of limestone , whilst chalk was the main deposition from the Cretaceous period. With
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