Ahr Hills
Encyclopedia
The Ahr Hills are a range of low mountains and hills up to high and 25 kilometres (15.5 mi) long in the Eifel
region of Germany
, which lie roughly southwest of Bonn
on the border between the German states of North Rhine-Westphalia
and Rhineland-Palatinate
.
The forested Ahr Hills have numerous tourist destinations (e. g. Aremberg Castle and the Effelsberg Radio Telescope) and the section of a Roman road
with its ancient Eifel Aqueduct
.
the bulk of which lies to the south and southwest of it. It lies on the left, i.e. northwestern, bank of the river Ahr
, roughly 40 km southwest of Bonn
. Sometimes the ridge on the right, southeastern, bank of the Ahr in the area of Altenahr is also counted as part of the Ahr Hills. This small range is bordered by a square enclosed by the Grafschaft and Remagen
to the east, by Altenahr
to the southeast, Antweiler
to the south, Blankenheim to the west and Bad Münstereifel
and Rheinbach
to the north.
To the north the terrain of the Ahr Hills descends into the Cologne Bay, to the east it drops down to the Voreifel
and the valley of the Middle Rhine
, to the south on the far side of the Ahr is the Eifel
proper (up to ), to the west the Zitter Forest
and in the northwest the North Eifel
.
Other places in the Ahr Hills include:
, and the ruins of the 11th century castle of Tomburg above Wormersdorf with views of Cologne. Near Effelsberg
is the Effelsberg Radio Telescope, on the summit of the Michelsberg is a Catholic
chapel
, dedicated to the Archangel Michael and regularly visited by pilgrim
s and walkers. Part of the Roman Eifel Aqueduct
, which runs through the northern part of the Ahr Hills, is a popular tourist destination. The Ahr Valley with its wine centres is also picturesque; the southeastern slopes of the Ahr Hills above the Ahr have vineyards that may be walked through on the Red Wine Path (Rotweinwanderweg).
Eifel
The Eifel is a low mountain range in western Germany and eastern Belgium. It occupies parts of southwestern North Rhine-Westphalia, northwestern Rhineland-Palatinate and the south of the German-speaking Community of Belgium....
region of Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, which lie roughly southwest of Bonn
Bonn
Bonn is the 19th largest city in Germany. Located in the Cologne/Bonn Region, about 25 kilometres south of Cologne on the river Rhine in the State of North Rhine-Westphalia, it was the capital of West Germany from 1949 to 1990 and the official seat of government of united Germany from 1990 to 1999....
on the border between the German states of North Rhine-Westphalia
North Rhine-Westphalia
North Rhine-Westphalia is the most populous state of Germany, with four of the country's ten largest cities. The state was formed in 1946 as a merger of the northern Rhineland and Westphalia, both formerly part of Prussia. Its capital is Düsseldorf. The state is currently run by a coalition of the...
and Rhineland-Palatinate
Rhineland-Palatinate
Rhineland-Palatinate is one of the 16 states of the Federal Republic of Germany. It has an area of and about four million inhabitants. The capital is Mainz. English speakers also commonly refer to the state by its German name, Rheinland-Pfalz ....
.
The forested Ahr Hills have numerous tourist destinations (e. g. Aremberg Castle and the Effelsberg Radio Telescope) and the section of a Roman road
Roman road
The Roman roads were a vital part of the development of the Roman state, from about 500 BC through the expansion during the Roman Republic and the Roman Empire. Roman roads enabled the Romans to move armies and trade goods and to communicate. The Roman road system spanned more than 400,000 km...
with its ancient Eifel Aqueduct
Eifel Aqueduct
The Eifel Aqueduct was one of the longest aqueducts of the Roman Empire.The aqueduct, constructed in AD 80, carried water some from the hilly Eifel region of what is now Germany to the ancient city of Colonia Claudia Ara Agrippinensium . If the auxiliary spurs to additional springs are included,...
.
Location
The Ahr Hills is part of the EifelEifel
The Eifel is a low mountain range in western Germany and eastern Belgium. It occupies parts of southwestern North Rhine-Westphalia, northwestern Rhineland-Palatinate and the south of the German-speaking Community of Belgium....
the bulk of which lies to the south and southwest of it. It lies on the left, i.e. northwestern, bank of the river Ahr
Ahr
Ahr is a river in Germany, a left tributary of the Rhine. Its source is at an elevation of approximately 470 metres above sea level in Blankenheim in the Eifel, in the cellar of a timber-frame house near the castle of Blankenheim...
, roughly 40 km southwest of Bonn
Bonn
Bonn is the 19th largest city in Germany. Located in the Cologne/Bonn Region, about 25 kilometres south of Cologne on the river Rhine in the State of North Rhine-Westphalia, it was the capital of West Germany from 1949 to 1990 and the official seat of government of united Germany from 1990 to 1999....
. Sometimes the ridge on the right, southeastern, bank of the Ahr in the area of Altenahr is also counted as part of the Ahr Hills. This small range is bordered by a square enclosed by the Grafschaft and Remagen
Remagen
Remagen is a town in Germany in Rhineland-Palatinate, in the district of Ahrweiler. It is about a one hour drive from Cologne , just south of Bonn, the former West German capital. It is situated on the River Rhine. There is a ferry across the Rhine from Remagen every 10–15 minutes in the summer...
to the east, by Altenahr
Altenahr
Altenahr is a municipality in the district of Ahrweiler, in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is situated on the river Ahr, in the Eifel mountains, approx. 10 km west of Bad Neuenahr-Ahrweiler....
to the southeast, Antweiler
Antweiler
Antweiler is a municipality in the district of Ahrweiler, in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany....
to the south, Blankenheim to the west and Bad Münstereifel
Bad Münstereifel
Bad Münstereifel is a historical spa town in the district of Euskirchen, Germany, with about 19,000 inhabitants, situated in the far south of the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia...
and Rheinbach
Rheinbach
Rheinbach is a town in the Rhein-Sieg-Kreis district , in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It belongs to the administrative district of Cologne .-Geography:...
to the north.
To the north the terrain of the Ahr Hills descends into the Cologne Bay, to the east it drops down to the Voreifel
Voreifel
The Voreifel is the name of a settlement area in the southern part of the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia. It is a term that grew out of the local speech....
and the valley of the Middle Rhine
Middle Rhine
Between Bingen and Bonn, Germany, the Rhine River flows as the Middle Rhine through the Rhine Gorge, a formation created by erosion, which happened at about the same rate as an uplift in the region, leaving the river at about its original level, and the surrounding lands raised...
, to the south on the far side of the Ahr is the Eifel
Eifel
The Eifel is a low mountain range in western Germany and eastern Belgium. It occupies parts of southwestern North Rhine-Westphalia, northwestern Rhineland-Palatinate and the south of the German-speaking Community of Belgium....
proper (up to ), to the west the Zitter Forest
Zitter Forest
The Zitter Forest is located in the Eifel region in the German district of Euskirchen and in the Belgian province of Liège . Its highest point is ....
and in the northwest the North Eifel
North Eifel
The North Eifel , the northern part of the Eifel, a low mountain range in Germany and East Belgium, comprises the following six sub-regions:*Venn Foreland,*Hohes Venn,*Rur Eifel,*Limestone Eifel,*Our Valley and*High Eifel....
.
Hills
The summits of the Ahr Hills include the:- Aremberg with Aremberg Castle
- Michelsberg
- Junkerberg
- Knippberg
- Hühnerberg (Lommersdorf)
- Kopnück
- Hühnerberg (Kirchsahr)
- Tomberg and the ruins of the Tomburg castle
Streams
The Ahr Hills is crossed by the following streams, some of which have their sources here:- AhrAhrAhr is a river in Germany, a left tributary of the Rhine. Its source is at an elevation of approximately 470 metres above sea level in Blankenheim in the Eifel, in the cellar of a timber-frame house near the castle of Blankenheim...
(source in Blankenheim) - ErftErftThe Erft is a river in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It flows through the foothills of the Eifel, and joins the Lower Rhine . Its origin is near Nettersheim, and its mouth in Neuss-Grimlinghausen south of the Josef-Cardinal-Frings-bridge. The river is 103 km long, which is significantly...
(source on the western edge) - Liersbach,
- Sahrbach,
- Steinbach
- SwistSwistThe Swist is a brook in North Rhine-Westphalia and Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It rises in Rhineland-Palatinate at the Eifel on 330 m sealevel. The brook is 43,6 km long, and joins the Erft at the mouth in North Rhine-Westphalia. It flows through the municipality Swisttal, the town Meckenheim...
(source near Kalenborn).
Places
The following towns and villages border the Ahr Hills:- RheinbachRheinbachRheinbach is a town in the Rhein-Sieg-Kreis district , in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It belongs to the administrative district of Cologne .-Geography:...
(north) - Meckenheim (northeast)
- RemagenRemagenRemagen is a town in Germany in Rhineland-Palatinate, in the district of Ahrweiler. It is about a one hour drive from Cologne , just south of Bonn, the former West German capital. It is situated on the River Rhine. There is a ferry across the Rhine from Remagen every 10–15 minutes in the summer...
(east) - Bad Neuenahr-AhrweilerBad Neuenahr-AhrweilerBad Neuenahr-Ahrweiler is a town in the German Bundesland of Rhineland-Palatinate. It is the capital of the Ahrweiler district. It is a renowned spa and it has a casino. The A61 motorway connects the town with cities like Cologne and Mainz. The city consists of two parts, Bad Neuenahr in the east...
(south) - AntweilerAntweilerAntweiler is a municipality in the district of Ahrweiler, in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany....
(south) - Blankenheim (west)
- Bad MünstereifelBad MünstereifelBad Münstereifel is a historical spa town in the district of Euskirchen, Germany, with about 19,000 inhabitants, situated in the far south of the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia...
(northwest)
Other places in the Ahr Hills include:
- AltenahrAltenahrAltenahr is a municipality in the district of Ahrweiler, in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is situated on the river Ahr, in the Eifel mountains, approx. 10 km west of Bad Neuenahr-Ahrweiler....
- AhrbrückAhrbrückAhrbrück is a municipality in the district of Ahrweiler, in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. The municipality comprises the three districts of Ahrbrück , Brück and Pützfeld.-History:...
- ArembergArembergAremberg is a municipality in the district of Ahrweiler, in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany....
- EffelsbergEffelsbergThe Effelsberg 100-m Radio Telescope is a radio telescope in the Ahrgebirge in Bad Münstereifel, district of Euskirchen, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany.- Geography :...
- Grafschaft
- Hilberath
- Kalenborn
- Mahlberg
- Mutscheid
- OhlenhardOhlenhardOhlenhard is a municipality in the district of Ahrweiler, in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany....
- Odesheim
- Rupperath
- WershofenWershofenWershofen is a municipality in the district of Ahrweiler, in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany....
Tourism
The Große Eifelroute ("Great Eifel Route"), a tourist route, runs through the Ahr Hills. There are also numerous footpaths for walkers. Amongst its places of interest are Aremberg Castle, on the eponymous hill above ArembergAremberg
Aremberg is a municipality in the district of Ahrweiler, in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany....
, and the ruins of the 11th century castle of Tomburg above Wormersdorf with views of Cologne. Near Effelsberg
Effelsberg
The Effelsberg 100-m Radio Telescope is a radio telescope in the Ahrgebirge in Bad Münstereifel, district of Euskirchen, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany.- Geography :...
is the Effelsberg Radio Telescope, on the summit of the Michelsberg is a Catholic
Catholic
The word catholic comes from the Greek phrase , meaning "on the whole," "according to the whole" or "in general", and is a combination of the Greek words meaning "about" and meaning "whole"...
chapel
Chapel
A chapel is a building used by Christians as a place of fellowship and worship. It may be part of a larger structure or complex, such as a church, college, hospital, palace, prison or funeral home, located on board a military or commercial ship, or it may be an entirely free-standing building,...
, dedicated to the Archangel Michael and regularly visited by pilgrim
Pilgrim
A pilgrim is a traveler who is on a journey to a holy place. Typically, this is a physical journeying to some place of special significance to the adherent of a particular religious belief system...
s and walkers. Part of the Roman Eifel Aqueduct
Eifel Aqueduct
The Eifel Aqueduct was one of the longest aqueducts of the Roman Empire.The aqueduct, constructed in AD 80, carried water some from the hilly Eifel region of what is now Germany to the ancient city of Colonia Claudia Ara Agrippinensium . If the auxiliary spurs to additional springs are included,...
, which runs through the northern part of the Ahr Hills, is a popular tourist destination. The Ahr Valley with its wine centres is also picturesque; the southeastern slopes of the Ahr Hills above the Ahr have vineyards that may be walked through on the Red Wine Path (Rotweinwanderweg).