Hesselberg
Encyclopedia
Hesselberg is the highest point in Middle Franconia
and the Franconian Jura
and is situated 60 km south west of Nuremberg
, Germany. The mountain stands isolated and far from the center of the Franconian Jura, in its southwestern border region, 4 km to the north west of Wassertrüdingen
. The mountain's first recorded name was Öselberg, which probably derived from öder Berg (bleak mountain). This name later changed to Eselsberg and finally to the current name Hesselberg. As a butte
the mountain provides an insight into Jurassic
geology. It has also witnessed an eventful history, many incidents were handed down from generation to generation and these mixed with facts have become legends. Nowadays many people visit Hesselberg in order to enjoy nature and the wonderful vista. When the weather is clear the Alps
150 km away can be seen.
bushes. Hesselberg can be divided into 5 sections along its center-line (see panorama image).
s in Bavaria
. On September 24, 2005 it was awarded the cachet Bayerns schönste Geotope (Bavarian's most beautiful geotopes) by Georg Schlapp (director of the Bavarian Environmental Protection Office) in the course of a ceremony.
200 million years ago the Jurassic
sea extended from the North Sea
basin far to the South and covered the late Triassic
land. At that time the Hesselberg region was on the border of that sea. Many affluxes
brought huge masses of rubble
from the eastern mainland and formed a multilayer seafloor, which had a rich flora
and fauna
. During more than 40 million years the different layers of Jurassic rock consecutively deposited: the Black Jurassic (Lias
) at the bottom, the Brown Jurassic (Dogger
) above, and the White Jura (Malm
) at the top. Each of these layers is characterised by the typical rock and embedded fossil
s that are specific for each era. Because certain fossils are solely found in certain layers, they are referred to as index fossil
s. In Jurassic rock ammonite
s are the index fossils. In the course of time the Jurassic sea silted up completely. Because during the Early Jurassic Hesselberg was located in a sheltered basin it was not as eroded by wind and water as the plain between the mountain and the Hahnenkamm
. The hard rock resisted erosion and left Hesselberg as a distinctive Zeugenberg rising above the landscape like an island. This kind of mountain-formation is known as relief inversion.
alpha
to zeta
(Quenstedt's classification). The rocks that are found in the different layers are assigned to this classification.
The Black Jurassic is so called due to the dark colours of clay
and marl
characteristic of this era. This layer is approximately 50 m thick and forms the fertile hilly area around the mountain. Its lowest sub-layers (Lias alpha to gamma) are beneath the surface. The Amaltheenton (Lias delta)at 35 m is the thickest sub-layer of the Lias. A special feature is the Posidonia schist
(Lias epsilon), which is 10 m thick. In this sub-layer fossils from larger animals are also found such as ichthyosaur
s. The cavity of the Posidonia schist, which is at the starting point of the nature trail, is a unique natural geological monument where it is prohibited to search for and to collect fossils. Above these well visible schist layers lies the Jurassic marl (Lias zeta), which is 2.7 m thick.
upper layers give the name to the Brown (or Middle) Jurassic. The colours are a result of highly concentrated iron
. The layer of the Dogger which is 135 m thick forms the main part of Hesselberg's slopes. The lowest sub-layer (Dogger alpha) is formed of 75 m thick Opalinus-clay. The soil of these layers is very susceptible to landslides which has resulted in the unevenness of the meadows. On top of the Opalinus-clay lies a layer of iron sandstone
(Dogger beta), which is 40 m thick. This layer is very distinctive due to its steep rise. Because the Opalinus-clay layer is impervious to water, a spring horizon
has formed at the transition to the iron sandstone. The layers of Dogger gamma (Sowerby
layers) (1 m), Dogger delta (Ostreen-lime) (4 m), and Dogger epsilon (Oolith-lime) (2 m) are summarised under the term "ooliths". These layers contain many fossils. On the very top of the Middle Jurassic layers is the Ornate's clay layer (Dogger zeta), which is only 2 m thick. This small layer forms a terrace around the Hesselberg. On its southern side the buildings of the folk high school
were constructed.
The topmost Jurassic layer is called the White Jurassic due to its light colour. These layers can be up to 400 m thick in the Franconian Jura, but at Hesselberg they are mostly ablated; only 85 m is left. The rocks of the Malm are partly sediments and partly formed from reefs
of ancient sea sponge
s. This rock is widely distributed on the main peak. The light-coloured lime
of the White Jurassic was a popular building material for houses (burnt lime
) and for road construction (rubble
). The depressions on the western plateau are caused by these excavations. The lowest layers form the Impressa-layers (low Malm alpha), which are approximately 25 m thick, and the Bimammatum-lime (high Malm alpha). The old name of the Planula
-lime (Malm beta) is factory lime, which indicates the use as building material. This layer, which is 15 m thick and interspersed with sponge reef
s, forms the plateau of the Osterwiese. The small quarry
below the main peak consists of Planula-lime in its lower part, and the Ataxiocerate's layer (Malm gamma) in its upper, which builds up the main peak and is 20 m thick. The top layer of Malm gamma and the layers of Malm delta to Malm zeta have already been eroded away on Hesselberg.
(approx. 10,000–2000 BC) have been found mainly on the Osterwiese. In the Bronze Age
(approx. 2000–1300 BC) it was constantly settled. In the Urnfield time
(approx. 1200–750 BC) the colony at the plateaus was surrounded with curtain wall
s, and moat
s. Even today the 5 km long remains of the border walls around the Osterwiese, the Ehinger mountain, and the Gerolfinger mountain provide an idea of the importance of these fortifications. Behind this sheltering stonework an important political, economic, and religious center evolved. For a long time these constructions were thought to be of celt
ic origin, but only one artefact (the weapons of a warrior) from the La Tène period
(500–15 BC) indicates any Celtic involvement. In the restless Migration Period
and during the Middle Ages
the walls of Hesselberg were used as a shelter and for defensive purposes. The city museum of Oettingen
and the museum for pre- and early history in Gunzenhausen
contains many exhibits such as tools and weapons.
Under the rules of emperors Domitian
(81–96 AD) and Hadrian
(117–138 AD) the Romans pushed the border of their province Raetia
farther to the North. They expanded the wall of Limes
in order to protect against the Germanic peoples
and equipped it with many watchtowers, and in the immediate vicinity of Hesselberg large Castella
were built. Under the rule of emperor Caracalla
(around 213 AD) the last and widest extension of the Limes took place. To the west of the mountain the wall crossed the rivers Wörnitz
and Sulzach
in a north-south direction. A few kilometres to the north of Wittelshofen
it turned eastward. Due to this sharp bend the strategically important Hesselberg was included within the Roman empire
. There were Castella at Aufkirchen, Ruffenhofen, Dambach, and Unterschwaningen
. Castellum Ruffenhofen was the largest in the Hesselberg area. No Roman buildings have been found by archeologists on the mountain itself. The remains of the Limes now form stone ridges hidden in the woods. Nowadays most of the civil and military wall remains are hidden beneath the ground of local meadows and fields. On top of Castellum Ruffenhofen a Roman park is built. In the local museum of Weitlingen there are a few Roman exhibits.
c and Germanic groups entered the region and destroyed the fortifications of the Limes, the Castelli, and many settlements. The Romans had to shift their borders back to the Danube
. The Alamanni founded their first grange
s and farmed the land as arable and livestock farmers. As well as the local town names that end with "-ingen" the strip cultivation
indicates Alamannic foundation. The villages Röckingen, Ehingen, Gerolfingen, Weiltingen, and Irsingen have their origins in that period. At the end of the 5th century the Franks
emerged from the lower Main valley and initiated the second wave of colonisation. From 496 to 506 and under the rule of Merovingian king Clovis I
they defeated the Swabia
n Alamanni, who lost their northern territories that had formerly reached into the Neuwieder basin, and they were pushed back behind the Oos
-Hornisgrinde
-Asperg
-Hesselberg line. Today this line closely matches the boundary of the Franconian and the Swabian/Alamannic dialects. Despite the fact that the Franks overrode the Alamanni in a partly violent fashion, mixed settlements, such as Ehingen and Röckingen, almost always with a Franconian mayor, developed in the Hesselberg region. The Franks founded the villages of Lentersheim, Obermögersheim, Geilsheim, Frankenhofen, and Königshofen amongst others. The Franconian peasants established the three field crop rotation
with its Flurzwang
(a German system of rules relating to communal farmland in the Middle Ages), which was practiced until the modern consolidation of farming. In the 7th century—under the rule of Merovingian king Dagobert I
—Christianisation started in Augsburg
. In the 8th century Anglo-Saxon
missionaries
founded the monastery of Heidenheim
under Franconian Carolingian
rule.
In the early Middle Ages
the Hesselberg region was part of the king's forests. Sparse castle ruins are found on Ehinger mountain and on Schlössleinsbuck. The construction on Ehinger mountain has its seeds in the Carolingian
-Ottonian period (8th–9th centuries). Tombs discovered there point towards a violent end caused by Hungarian soldiers at the end of the 10th century when the Hungarians
burnt down the whole castle. The building on Schlössleinsbuck was originally intended for use as a refuge, in the 11th or 12th century it was expanded by the lord
s of Lentersheim and adapted as a well-fortified knight
's castle. The castle's destruction is related in the family tree
of the lords of Lentersheim: When Conrad of Lentersheim returned from the northern Italian campaigns of king Frederick II. in 1246, his castle was completely destroyed. Thereupon he began building a new castle in Neuenmuhr. In fact, soldiers from the Hesselberg region accompanied the mentioned Hohenstaufen king Frederick II
to Italy in 1239 in order to fight against pope Gregory IX
. Until they died off at the beginning 19th century, the lords of Lentersheim lived at their castles in Alten- and Neuenmuhr, today's Muhr am See
. After this direct colonisation of Hesselberg ended.
Aufkirchen, which was fortified during medieval times, had a city wall and four city gate
s. At that time Aufkirchen had town privileges
.
s in Middle Franconia had its origin in the High Middle Ages
when king Henry VI
feoffed Frederick III
, who originated from Swabia
, with the heritable fiefdom of the Nuremberg
burgrave office in 1192. Frederick III founded the Frankish line of the House of Hohenzollern
under the name "Burgrave Frederick I of Nuremberg". Due to clever marriages and trade-offs the Frankish Zollern gained increasing wealth and influence.
In 1331 the burgraves moved to Ansbach. In 1363 they were elevated to sovereign
s and in 1417 they were feoffed with the margrave
of Brandenburg
. Expensive holding of court and persistent conflicts with the imperial city Nuremberg lead to a high level of debt of the young principality
and consequently they imposed an unbearable burden of taxes upon their subjects. As a consequence, on 6 May 1525 the peasant's war also broke out in southern Franconia. On this day rebellious peasants gathered on Hesselberg's peak, thence they went to Wassertrüdingen
and captured the margrave vogt
. Afterwards they plundered the monastery of Auhausen
. On their way to Heidenheim
the peasants were captured or killed by margrave soldiers from Gunzenhausen
.
During the Thirty Years' War
(1618–1648) large areas of today's Middle Franconia were devastated and depopulated. It was not until the end of the 17th century that the economic and financial situation of the margraves improved. The margraves allowed Austrian and French religious refugee
s to become nationals and supported Jewish merchants in building up an existence, therefore a large number of Jews settled down in villages around Hesselberg. In addition the margraves ran mercantilistic
politics and expanded agricultural education. The last margrave Alexander
handed over the principality, now free from debt, to the Prussia
ns in 1791.
An important date in the mountain's history was June 10, 1803, when the Prussian king Frederick Wilhelm III
climbed Hesselberg during his visit to his Frankish estates. In memory of this event the king endowed the Hesselberg Mass. In 1806 the Hesselberg region was handed over to Bavaria
in the course of an exchange of lands between Bavaria and Prussia: Bavaria received the Prussian principality Ansbach including Hesselberg and in return Prussia obtained the Wittelsbach
's earldom of Berg
(capital city Düsseldorf
), located at the Niederrhein
(Bavarian-Prussian Contract of Paris, February 15, 1806). In 1808 the first local code provided the basis for municipal autonomy, which was expanded by the second Bavarian municipal edict
in 1818. Following this many small villages became self-administrating and received the status of a municipality—by the means of law as juristic persons.
Prior to World War II Jewish life and culture played an important role in the whole Hesselberg region. Jewish settlers had already been mentioned in writs in the 14th century and many Jews achieved eminence as merchants and scholars. The National Socialists
were active in the villages around Hesselberg, they destroyed synagogue
s and expelled or displaced Jews to internment
camps. The notorious anti-semitic publisher Julius Streicher
, as the head of the Frankish Nazi district, established Hesselberg as a meeting place of the Nazis. After the NSDAP came to power in 1933 the annual Frankish Days (held until 1939) developed from party manifestations. Those were the largest manifestations in Franconia besides the Nuremberg rally
. Hermann Göring
attended the Frankish Days twice as a speaker and Adolf Hitler
also once attended. Up to 100,000 visitors on the Osterwiese listened to the virulently anti-Semitic speeches of Julius Streicher. At that time Hesselberg was named Heiliger Berg der Franken (Holy Mountain of the Franks). No remains of this dark time are left on Hesselberg. The lofty Nazi plans were never put into practice—the construction of the Adolf-Hitler-School was not realised, nor the Julius-Streicher-Mausoleum
. Prior to World War II the Nazis could only finish an administration building with a garage. Later this garage was used as a chapel by the refugees that were placed on Hesselberg.
Since 1951 Hesselberg has been important to the local Lutherans. In this year the Lutheran adult education center was founded and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Bavaria
Congress took place for the first time. Since then thousands of Christians have gathered on Whit Monday
to celebrate this ceremony of faith. Between 1945 and 1992 the area around the main peak served as a radar
station for the U.S. Army. In 1972 the Landkreis (district) of Dinkelsbühl and the Hesselberg municipalities was closed in the course of the district reform and incorporated into the Landkreis Ansbach
. In the course of latter reforms many small autonomous municipalities merged into the municipalities of today.
The most important annual event is the Bavarian Protestant Church Congress. This well known beyond the region and each year on Whit Monday
it attracts thousands of Protestants. In a tradition dating from 1803 the Hesselberg Mass has been held on the Osterwiese on the first Sunday in July; it was on this day that king Frederick William III of Prussia
and his wife Luise visited the mountain.
The Protestant-Lutheran Adult Education Center Hesselberg was founded on May 14, 1951; it was the first Bavarian adult education center. Its main task is adult education for the rural deaconry (family nursing, village assistant, business assistant). On September 15, 2005 it was renamed to Protestant Education Center Hesselberg (EBZ Hesselberg - Evangelisches Bildungszentrum Hesselberg). According to Reverend Bernd Reuther, chairman of the new education center, its mission is the expansion of the range of education available with emphasis on "Faith, Rural Space, and Development of Personality" furthermore guest groups should be addressed with their own education programme.
The Protestant-Lutheran deaconry Ansbach
has made a popular youth center out of the old Hesselberg house near the peak.
The afar visible television tower with its 119 m is a terrestrial transmitter of the ZDF
and of the Bayerisches Fernsehen (Bavarian television) for the Franconian region. This tower, which is located at 49° 4' 12" N and 10° 31' 37" E, has an unusual construction: It is a so-called "hybrid tower" and consists of a free-standing steel skeleton framing base and a wired transmission tower on top. It also broadcasts the UKW
radio programme Radio 8.
In addition radio amateurs maintain a small relay
station on the mountain for voice radio, packet radio
, and amateur television. The energy for this station is supplied by solar cell
s and wind power
.
The borders of four municipalities cross at the mountain. It is noteworthy that the main villages of these municipalities are located at the mountain's foot, whereas the other municipal parts form a starlike pattern around these centers. In the north is Ehingen
with about 2,100 inhabitants and an area of 47 square kilometres. A trail leads from here through meadows with fruit trees then the afforested northern slope towards the peak. The signs on this trail contain information about beekeeping
. In the east is the small municipality Röckingen
with about 800 inhabitants and an area of . The predominantly sunny trail towards the Osterwiese leads through a picturesque, shady linden
avenue in its final part. On the southern slope lies Gerolfingen
with about 1,100 inhabitants and an area of 13 km² with a road to the parking lots on Hesselberg. A trail leads from Gerolfingen through meadows with fruit trees and a beautiful chestnut
avenue, whose older part was complemented with new plantations in autumn 2004. The village of Aukirchen with its historical town-hall and St. John's Church, which is visible from afar, belongs to Gerolfingen. In the west is Wittelshofen
with about 1,300 inhabitants and an area of , at the confluence of Wörnitz
and Sulzach
rivers. The town is the starting point of the geological nature trail.
Together with the municipality of Unterschwaningen
these four municipalities form the administrative collective of Hesselberg.
, Gerolfingen
, Röckingen
, and Wittelshofen
joined with the municipalities of Dürrwangen
, Langfurth
, Mönchsroth
, Unterschwaningen
, Wassertrüdingen
, Weiltingen
, and Wilburgstetten
on January 31, 1973 to form the Fremdenverkehrsverband Hesselberg e. V. (Tourist Association Hesselberg e. V.). Dürrwangen has since left the association. On the occasion of its 30th anniversary the Fremdenverkehrsverband Hesselberg e. V changed its name to Touristikverband Hesselberg e. V.. Its headquarters is in Wassertrüdingen. The term Hesselberg recreational region refers to the combined area of these member municipalities. The German Limes road leads through this region from the West to the East. The Entwicklungsgesellschaft Region Hesselberg mbH (Development Incorporation of Hesselberg Region) was founded on October 5, 1999. This is a federation of municipalities that extends far beyond the borders of the Hesselberg region. The tasks and spheres of influences of this incorporation are very broad and contain amongst others the economy, culture, and tourism. The main office resides at castle Unterschwaningen.
The huge number of meadows containing fruit trees has led to the formation of the Interessengemeinschaft Moststraße (Community of Interest Must
-Road) by several communes. The Must-Road around Hesselberg is planned for the near future, both to better market the fruit products and as a new tourist attraction.
In and around the Hesselberg area there are many trails. The two main trails have many signs containing information for the hiker. The geological nature trail, which is 3 km long, leads from its starting point near Wittelshofen to the mountain's peak. The signs along the route tell of the geological history and structure of the mountain. The Hesselberg-trail forms a round-trip of Hesselberg's heights. Both trails are well combinable. The Osterwiese is meeting point for model plane pilots, the launch areas for hang-gliders and paragliders can be found there too. The regional gliding
airfield is in nearby Irsingen. Sporting clays
was prohibited by the Nature Conservation Agency due to lead
exposure. The Hesselberg Tourist Office, the Bund Naturschutz in Bayern (Bavarian Nature Conservation Alliance) (Ansbach district group), and the Landesbund für Vogelschutz in Bayern (Bavarian State Bird Conservation Alliance) (Ansbach district group) organise guided excursions and walking tours. At the mountain's foot anglers can indulge their passion at the Wörnitz and Sulzach rivers. The German Alpine Association (Hesselberg section with an office in Bechhofen
) have built a small hut on the northern slope in order to support winter sports.
Tourist destinations include:
of the herding areas is necessary for the conservation of the semidry and dry meadows. However, encroachment of scrub such as blackthorne
, rose
, juniper
, and ash
has greatly increased at many places on the mountain despite the presence of herds belonging to two sheep farms (northern side: approx. 600 ewes, southern side: approx. 1000 ewes). Without additional mechanical maintenance the open space on the mountain will not remain open in the long term. Since 1997 the municipality of Ehingen has struck out in new directions to deal with the conservation of these vast herding areas on Hesselberg's northern slopes. Annual civil campaigns of important "descrubbing" and maintenance tasks are performed as a collaboration between the Landschaftspflegeverband Mittelfranken (Middle Franconian Landscape Conservation Association) and the shepherd Hans Goth. Under the banner phrase "One day for the mountain" many teenagers, seniors citizens, farmers, and non-farmers make a pilgrimage to the mountain on a particular day each autumn and work together. The work gets done in just four hours of working time, interrupted by a short snack and finished with lunch. On average there are 40 people voluntarily working in Ehingen. This active support of sheep farming by the citizens ("descrubbing" significantly improves the pasture conditions) has multiple functions:
with some plant communities particular to the area.
An important task of the landscape maintenance
is the conservation of the dry and non-forested neglected meadows and dry meadowy slopes. Botanists have named this type of vegetation Magerrasen (neglected grassland). The ground there is covered with thin dry grass and a typical feature are the irregularly spaced juniper
bushes. Well over 40 different species of flowering plants grow on this nutrient-poor, non-fertilised soil. Often different small species of gentian
can be found. In late summer pasqueflower
and Carline thistle
bloom. From April until June orange tips fly over the sunny slopes. One of the most important tasks for conservation of the neglected grassland is traditional herding
. Grazing with sheep is a prerequisite for the long-lasting conservation of this grassland. If the amount of herding was reduced, initially more thorny and needle-bearing shrubs would grow because these are eschewed by sheep - the large number of juniper bushes thrive for the same reason. Under cover of these thornbushes and hedges other groves and the first trees would develop. In the final stage the mountain would become mostly overgrown with forest. The herbs and grasses of the neglected grassland have a positive influence on the quality of the sheep's meat. Due to this fact the restaurants of the Hesselberg region increasingly offer dishes of Hesselberg lamb.
In many ways the fruitful meadows and fields of the Early Jurassic soil in Hesselberg's vicinity are the opposite of the nutrient-poor neglected grassland. This region has been traditionally used for agriculture. In its fields wheat
, rye
, oat
, beetroot
, and corn
are cultivated. On the farms Pigs
and cattle
are raised and dairy farming
is performed.
In the lower and middle parts of the slopes old and non-fertilised meadows with fruit trees offer a blaze of colour of different flowers. With their high trunks the fruit groves provide the optimal habitat for a diversity of small animals, birds, and plants. The wryneck
is one of the typical inhabitants of these meadows, because they avoid bleak areas and dense forests. Just as important for the small animals, birds, and plants are the various hedges and shrubs, which can be found everywhere on and around Hesselberg. In our farmed landscape hedges have the largest variety of microhabitats. In addition to the groves there is a herb layer—rich in species—a sunny herb fringe, coarse woody debris
, and possibly special biotope
s, such as the piles of stones. Because of the transition from water-permeable to impermeable rock layers several spring horizons have emerged, explaining the richness of the springs. On Hesselberg there are several deep wells, but most springs appear in the form of flat swamp
s. The special flora and fauna of the wells is not immediately obvious, because most of the organisms are microscopic
. Sundew
is a very rare plant found in these wetlands.
On Hesselberg all forms (high forest
, coppice-with-standards, coppice) and types (temperate coniferous forest, mixed forest, deciduous forest) of forests can be found. The coppice in the upper regions of the northern slope has the strangest appearance. After coppicing
more light reaches the ground and thermophile animals such as the Sand Lizard
thrive. Later, when the canopy closes again, many other specialised animals such as the Eurasian woodcock
find a suitable habitat. All game
that is typical of German forests (for example hare
, roe
, red fox
, and squirrel
) are present in Hesselberg's woods. The drumming of woodpeckers
and the crying of cuckoos
contribute to the mood of the wood as well as the singing of countless birds. Various Ranunculaceae
—such as liverworts
and wood anemones
—are the signs of spring in Hesselberg's forests. In May ramsons
turn the ground of the deciduous forest into a carpet of green and white blooms. After blooming the intense odour of garlic fills the air. The various species of orchids such as the Red Helleborine
have become increasingly rare. The Turk's-cap lily
, which belongs to the Lily family
, can still be found relatively often but flower's diversity is in need of protection. The erica
and the Cytisus scoparius
prefer the iron sandstone layers of the lower parts of the slopes.
A long time ago some young lads herded sheep on Hesselberg. At that time there was a deep cave on the mountain, which is buried today. Bursting with curiosity they wanted to know what was inside. One of them was lowered by rope down into the deep hole. Beforehand the boys had decided to pull him up immediatedly when he gave a tug on the rope. Soon after the boy went into the cave, a three-legged rabbit hobbled across the way, the other lads followed it spontaneously in order to catch it, but the farther they chased the faster the rabbit ran. Finally they gave up. When they returned to the cave they remembered their fellow in the hole and they immediatedly pulled the rope up. It was stained with blood and at its end there hung a goat's hoof, but the boy was gone forever.
invaded the Hesselberg region, they burnt down the castle and the girl died within the ruins. Legend has it that she still haunts the mountain carrying her bunch of keys on her belt. She is seen mostly in Saturday night after the four Ember days
.
Middle Franconia
Middle Franconia is one of the three administrative regions of Franconia in Bavaria, Germany. It is in the west of Bavaria and adjoins the state of Baden-Württemberg...
and the Franconian Jura
Franconian Jura
The Franconian Jura is an upland in Bavaria, Germany. Located between two rivers, the Danube in the south and the Main in the north, its peaks reach elevations of up to .Large portions of the Franconian Jura are part of the Altmühl Valley Nature Park...
and is situated 60 km south west of Nuremberg
Nuremberg
Nuremberg[p] is a city in the German state of Bavaria, in the administrative region of Middle Franconia. Situated on the Pegnitz river and the Rhine–Main–Danube Canal, it is located about north of Munich and is Franconia's largest city. The population is 505,664...
, Germany. The mountain stands isolated and far from the center of the Franconian Jura, in its southwestern border region, 4 km to the north west of Wassertrüdingen
Wassertrüdingen
Wassertrüdingen is a town in the district of Ansbach, Middle Franconia, Bavaria, Germany. It is between the Hesselberg, the only Franconian mountain with a view on the Alps, the wooded heights of the Oettinger Forest and the foothills of the Hahnenkamm. The Fränkisches Seenland recreation area is...
. The mountain's first recorded name was Öselberg, which probably derived from öder Berg (bleak mountain). This name later changed to Eselsberg and finally to the current name Hesselberg. As a butte
Butte
A butte is a conspicuous isolated hill with steep, often vertical sides and a small, relatively flat top; it is smaller than mesas, plateaus, and table landform tables. In some regions, such as the north central and northwestern United States, the word is used for any hill...
the mountain provides an insight into Jurassic
Jurassic
The Jurassic is a geologic period and system that extends from about Mya to Mya, that is, from the end of the Triassic to the beginning of the Cretaceous. The Jurassic constitutes the middle period of the Mesozoic era, also known as the age of reptiles. The start of the period is marked by...
geology. It has also witnessed an eventful history, many incidents were handed down from generation to generation and these mixed with facts have become legends. Nowadays many people visit Hesselberg in order to enjoy nature and the wonderful vista. When the weather is clear the Alps
Alps
The Alps is one of the great mountain range systems of Europe, stretching from Austria and Slovenia in the east through Italy, Switzerland, Liechtenstein and Germany to France in the west....
150 km away can be seen.
Shape, location, and dimension
The mountain has a length of approximately 6 km and an average width of 1 to 2 km. All of its slopes except for those on the southern side are covered with coniferous or mixed forest. On the upper slopes, and especially on the eastern slope of the Röckinger mountain, there are large areas of deciduous forest. The upper part of the prominent southern side is free of forest. On the southern and north-eastern slopes there are large areas of neglected grassland with their typical juniperJuniper
Junipers are coniferous plants in the genus Juniperus of the cypress family Cupressaceae. Depending on taxonomic viewpoint, there are between 50-67 species of juniper, widely distributed throughout the northern hemisphere, from the Arctic, south to tropical Africa in the Old World, and to the...
bushes. Hesselberg can be divided into 5 sections along its center-line (see panorama image).
- On the western slope there is mainly coniferous forest. This is the starting point for the geological nature trail.
- The western plateauPlateauIn geology and earth science, a plateau , also called a high plain or tableland, is an area of highland, usually consisting of relatively flat terrain. A highly eroded plateau is called a dissected plateau...
, also called Gerolfinger mountain, has an especially unspoilt appearance with its sinkholeSinkholeA sinkhole, also known as a sink, shake hole, swallow hole, swallet, doline or cenote, is a natural depression or hole in the Earth's surface caused by karst processes — the chemical dissolution of carbonate rocks or suffosion processes for example in sandstone...
-like depressions, hedges and shrubShrubA shrub or bush is distinguished from a tree by its multiple stems and shorter height, usually under 5–6 m tall. A large number of plants may become either shrubs or trees, depending on the growing conditions they experience...
s. The depressions were, however, not formed naturally, they are the result of miningMiningMining is the extraction of valuable minerals or other geological materials from the earth, from an ore body, vein or seam. The term also includes the removal of soil. Materials recovered by mining include base metals, precious metals, iron, uranium, coal, diamonds, limestone, oil shale, rock...
of material for road construction and lime burning. - Since 1994 the central part, known as Ehinger mountain, with the main peak and the transmitter tower has been accessible again; previously there was a restricted military area of the United States ArmyUnited States ArmyThe United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
here. - The woodless eastern plateau, which is called Osterwiese or Röckinger mountain is the most important area for tourism. This section serves as a launching zone for model planes and hang-gliders and as an observation platform. On especially clear days one can see the ZugspitzeZugspitzeThe Zugspitze, at 2,962 metres above sea level, is the highest peak of the Wetterstein Mountains as well as the highest mountain in Germany. It lies south of the town of Garmisch-Partenkirchen, and the border between Germany and Austria runs over its western summit. South of the mountain is...
in the Alps can be seen. - The highly afforested eastern foothill, known for its legends, has the name Schlössleinsbuck. This small hill top is also called Small Hesselberg. The Röckinger mountain and the Schlössleinsbuck are separated by the DruidDruidA druid was a member of the priestly class in Britain, Ireland, and Gaul, and possibly other parts of Celtic western Europe, during the Iron Age....
's valley.
Origin and geological structure
Hesselberg is amongst the most important geotopeGeotope
Geotope is the geological component of the abiotic matrix present in an ecotope. Example geotopes might be: an exposed outcrop of rocks, an erratic boulder, a grotto or ravine, a cave, an old stone wall marking a property boundary, and so forth....
s in Bavaria
Bavaria
Bavaria, formally the Free State of Bavaria is a state of Germany, located in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the largest state by area, forming almost 20% of the total land area of Germany...
. On September 24, 2005 it was awarded the cachet Bayerns schönste Geotope (Bavarian's most beautiful geotopes) by Georg Schlapp (director of the Bavarian Environmental Protection Office) in the course of a ceremony.
Jurassic origin
Jurassic
The Jurassic is a geologic period and system that extends from about Mya to Mya, that is, from the end of the Triassic to the beginning of the Cretaceous. The Jurassic constitutes the middle period of the Mesozoic era, also known as the age of reptiles. The start of the period is marked by...
sea extended from the North Sea
North Sea
In the southwest, beyond the Straits of Dover, the North Sea becomes the English Channel connecting to the Atlantic Ocean. In the east, it connects to the Baltic Sea via the Skagerrak and Kattegat, narrow straits that separate Denmark from Norway and Sweden respectively...
basin far to the South and covered the late Triassic
Late Triassic
The Late Triassic is in the geologic timescale the third and final of three epochs of the Triassic period. The corresponding series is known as the Upper Triassic. In the past it was sometimes called the Keuper, after a German lithostratigraphic group that has a roughly corresponding age...
land. At that time the Hesselberg region was on the border of that sea. Many affluxes
Tributary
A tributary or affluent is a stream or river that flows into a main stem river or a lake. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea or ocean...
brought huge masses of rubble
Rubble
Rubble is broken stone, of irregular size, shape and texture. This word is closely connected in derivation with "rubbish", which was formerly also applied to what we now call "rubble". Rubble naturally found in the soil is known also as brash...
from the eastern mainland and formed a multilayer seafloor, which had a rich flora
Flora
Flora is the plant life occurring in a particular region or time, generally the naturally occurring or indigenous—native plant life. The corresponding term for animals is fauna.-Etymology:...
and fauna
Fauna
Fauna or faunæ is all of the animal life of any particular region or time. The corresponding term for plants is flora.Zoologists and paleontologists use fauna to refer to a typical collection of animals found in a specific time or place, e.g. the "Sonoran Desert fauna" or the "Burgess shale fauna"...
. During more than 40 million years the different layers of Jurassic rock consecutively deposited: the Black Jurassic (Lias
Early Jurassic
The Early Jurassic epoch is the earliest of three epochs of the Jurassic period...
) at the bottom, the Brown Jurassic (Dogger
Middle Jurassic
The Middle Jurassic is the second epoch of the Jurassic Period. It lasted from 176-161 million years ago. In European lithostratigraphy, rocks of this Middle Jurassic age are called the Dogger....
) above, and the White Jura (Malm
Late Jurassic
The Late Jurassic is the third epoch of the Jurassic Period, and it spans the geologic time from 161.2 ± 4.0 to 145.5 ± 4.0 million years ago , which is preserved in Upper Jurassic strata. In European lithostratigraphy, the name "Malm" indicates rocks of Late Jurassic age...
) at the top. Each of these layers is characterised by the typical rock and embedded fossil
Fossil
Fossils are the preserved remains or traces of animals , plants, and other organisms from the remote past...
s that are specific for each era. Because certain fossils are solely found in certain layers, they are referred to as index fossil
Index fossil
Index fossils are fossils used to define and identify geologic periods . They work on the premise that, although different sediments may look different depending on the conditions under which they were laid down, they may include the remains of the same species of fossil...
s. In Jurassic rock ammonite
Ammonite
Ammonite, as a zoological or paleontological term, refers to any member of the Ammonoidea an extinct subclass within the Molluscan class Cephalopoda which are more closely related to living coleoids Ammonite, as a zoological or paleontological term, refers to any member of the Ammonoidea an extinct...
s are the index fossils. In the course of time the Jurassic sea silted up completely. Because during the Early Jurassic Hesselberg was located in a sheltered basin it was not as eroded by wind and water as the plain between the mountain and the Hahnenkamm
Hahnenkamm (Altmühltal)
Hahnenkamm is a mountain of Bavaria, Germany....
. The hard rock resisted erosion and left Hesselberg as a distinctive Zeugenberg rising above the landscape like an island. This kind of mountain-formation is known as relief inversion.
Rock layers of the mountain
There is a geological nature trail on the mountain with signs that describe its origin. Each of the three main parts of the Jurassic era is divided into six sub-divisions, which are numbered with Greek lettersGreek alphabet
The Greek alphabet is the script that has been used to write the Greek language since at least 730 BC . The alphabet in its classical and modern form consists of 24 letters ordered in sequence from alpha to omega...
alpha
Alpha (letter)
Alpha is the first letter of the Greek alphabet. In the system of Greek numerals it has a value of 1. It was derived from the Phoenician letter Aleph...
to zeta
Zeta
-Science:* Zeta functions, in mathematics** Riemann zeta function* Zeta potential, the electrokinetic potential of a colloidal system* Tropical Storm Zeta , formed in December 2005 and lasting through January 2006* Z-pinch, in fusion power...
(Quenstedt's classification). The rocks that are found in the different layers are assigned to this classification.
Early Jurassic (Lias) layers
Clay
Clay is a general term including many combinations of one or more clay minerals with traces of metal oxides and organic matter. Geologic clay deposits are mostly composed of phyllosilicate minerals containing variable amounts of water trapped in the mineral structure.- Formation :Clay minerals...
and marl
Marl
Marl or marlstone is a calcium carbonate or lime-rich mud or mudstone which contains variable amounts of clays and aragonite. Marl was originally an old term loosely applied to a variety of materials, most of which occur as loose, earthy deposits consisting chiefly of an intimate mixture of clay...
characteristic of this era. This layer is approximately 50 m thick and forms the fertile hilly area around the mountain. Its lowest sub-layers (Lias alpha to gamma) are beneath the surface. The Amaltheenton (Lias delta)at 35 m is the thickest sub-layer of the Lias. A special feature is the Posidonia schist
Schist
The schists constitute a group of medium-grade metamorphic rocks, chiefly notable for the preponderance of lamellar minerals such as micas, chlorite, talc, hornblende, graphite, and others. Quartz often occurs in drawn-out grains to such an extent that a particular form called quartz schist is...
(Lias epsilon), which is 10 m thick. In this sub-layer fossils from larger animals are also found such as ichthyosaur
Ichthyosaur
Ichthyosaurs were giant marine reptiles that resembled fish and dolphins...
s. The cavity of the Posidonia schist, which is at the starting point of the nature trail, is a unique natural geological monument where it is prohibited to search for and to collect fossils. Above these well visible schist layers lies the Jurassic marl (Lias zeta), which is 2.7 m thick.
Middle Jurassic (Dogger) layers
The dark brown colours of the weatheredWeathering
Weathering is the breaking down of rocks, soils and minerals as well as artificial materials through contact with the Earth's atmosphere, biota and waters...
upper layers give the name to the Brown (or Middle) Jurassic. The colours are a result of highly concentrated iron
Iron
Iron is a chemical element with the symbol Fe and atomic number 26. It is a metal in the first transition series. It is the most common element forming the planet Earth as a whole, forming much of Earth's outer and inner core. It is the fourth most common element in the Earth's crust...
. The layer of the Dogger which is 135 m thick forms the main part of Hesselberg's slopes. The lowest sub-layer (Dogger alpha) is formed of 75 m thick Opalinus-clay. The soil of these layers is very susceptible to landslides which has resulted in the unevenness of the meadows. On top of the Opalinus-clay lies a layer of iron sandstone
Sandstone
Sandstone is a sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized minerals or rock grains.Most sandstone is composed of quartz and/or feldspar because these are the most common minerals in the Earth's crust. Like sand, sandstone may be any colour, but the most common colours are tan, brown, yellow,...
(Dogger beta), which is 40 m thick. This layer is very distinctive due to its steep rise. Because the Opalinus-clay layer is impervious to water, a spring horizon
Spring horizon
A spring horizon is an impervious layer of rock reaching the surface, along which springs emerge. Since aquifers and impervious strata often lie on top of one another in horizontal layers, adjacent contact springs often emerge at the same height along a line called the spring horizon....
has formed at the transition to the iron sandstone. The layers of Dogger gamma (Sowerby
Sowerby
The Sowerby family was a British family of four generations of naturalists, illustrators, botanists, and zoologists.*James Sowerby **James De Carle Sowerby **George Brettingham Sowerby I...
layers) (1 m), Dogger delta (Ostreen-lime) (4 m), and Dogger epsilon (Oolith-lime) (2 m) are summarised under the term "ooliths". These layers contain many fossils. On the very top of the Middle Jurassic layers is the Ornate's clay layer (Dogger zeta), which is only 2 m thick. This small layer forms a terrace around the Hesselberg. On its southern side the buildings of the folk high school
Folk high school
Folk high schools are institutions for adult education that generally do not grant academic degrees, though certain courses might exist leading to that goal...
were constructed.
Late Jurassic (Malm) layers
Coral reef
Coral reefs are underwater structures made from calcium carbonate secreted by corals. Coral reefs are colonies of tiny living animals found in marine waters that contain few nutrients. Most coral reefs are built from stony corals, which in turn consist of polyps that cluster in groups. The polyps...
of ancient sea sponge
Sea sponge
Sponges are animals of the phylum Porifera . Their bodies consist of jelly-like mesohyl sandwiched between two thin layers of cells. While all animals have unspecialized cells that can transform into specialized cells, sponges are unique in having some specialized cells, but can also have...
s. This rock is widely distributed on the main peak. The light-coloured lime
Lime (mineral)
Lime is a general term for calcium-containing inorganic materials, in which carbonates, oxides and hydroxides predominate. Strictly speaking, lime is calcium oxide or calcium hydroxide. It is also the name for a single mineral of the CaO composition, occurring very rarely...
of the White Jurassic was a popular building material for houses (burnt lime
Calcium oxide
Calcium oxide , commonly known as quicklime or burnt lime, is a widely used chemical compound. It is a white, caustic, alkaline crystalline solid at room temperature....
) and for road construction (rubble
Rubble
Rubble is broken stone, of irregular size, shape and texture. This word is closely connected in derivation with "rubbish", which was formerly also applied to what we now call "rubble". Rubble naturally found in the soil is known also as brash...
). The depressions on the western plateau are caused by these excavations. The lowest layers form the Impressa-layers (low Malm alpha), which are approximately 25 m thick, and the Bimammatum-lime (high Malm alpha). The old name of the Planula
Planula
A planula is the free-swimming, flattened, ciliated, bilaterally symmetric larval form of various cnidarian species. The planula forms from the fertilized egg of a medusa, as the case in scyphozoans and some hydrozoans, or from a polyp, as in the case of anthozoans...
-lime (Malm beta) is factory lime, which indicates the use as building material. This layer, which is 15 m thick and interspersed with sponge reef
Sponge reef
Sponge reefs serve an important ecological function as habitat, breeding and nursery areas for fish and invertebrates. The reefs are currently threatened by the fishery, offshore oil and gas industries[3,4]...
s, forms the plateau of the Osterwiese. The small quarry
Quarry
A quarry is a type of open-pit mine from which rock or minerals are extracted. Quarries are generally used for extracting building materials, such as dimension stone, construction aggregate, riprap, sand, and gravel. They are often collocated with concrete and asphalt plants due to the requirement...
below the main peak consists of Planula-lime in its lower part, and the Ataxiocerate's layer (Malm gamma) in its upper, which builds up the main peak and is 20 m thick. The top layer of Malm gamma and the layers of Malm delta to Malm zeta have already been eroded away on Hesselberg.
History of colonisation and important incidents in the Hesselberg region
There are illustrated charts in some of the parking lots of the region which provide an insight into the area's settlement history.Pre- and early history
Hesselberg was used as a shelter and dwelling in prehistoric times. Archaeological artefacts from the Stone AgeStone Age
The Stone Age is a broad prehistoric period, lasting about 2.5 million years , during which humans and their predecessor species in the genus Homo, as well as the earlier partly contemporary genera Australopithecus and Paranthropus, widely used exclusively stone as their hard material in the...
(approx. 10,000–2000 BC) have been found mainly on the Osterwiese. In the Bronze Age
Bronze Age
The Bronze Age is a period characterized by the use of copper and its alloy bronze as the chief hard materials in the manufacture of some implements and weapons. Chronologically, it stands between the Stone Age and Iron Age...
(approx. 2000–1300 BC) it was constantly settled. In the Urnfield time
Urnfield culture
The Urnfield culture was a late Bronze Age culture of central Europe. The name comes from the custom of cremating the dead and placing their ashes in urns which were then buried in fields...
(approx. 1200–750 BC) the colony at the plateaus was surrounded with curtain wall
Curtain wall (fortification)
A curtain wall is a defensive wall between two bastions of a castle or fortress.In earlier designs of castle the curtain walls were often built to a considerable height and were fronted by a ditch or moat to make assault difficult....
s, and moat
Moat
A moat is a deep, broad ditch, either dry or filled with water, that surrounds a castle, other building or town, historically to provide it with a preliminary line of defence. In some places moats evolved into more extensive water defences, including natural or artificial lakes, dams and sluices...
s. Even today the 5 km long remains of the border walls around the Osterwiese, the Ehinger mountain, and the Gerolfinger mountain provide an idea of the importance of these fortifications. Behind this sheltering stonework an important political, economic, and religious center evolved. For a long time these constructions were thought to be of celt
Celt
The Celts were a diverse group of tribal societies in Iron Age and Roman-era Europe who spoke Celtic languages.The earliest archaeological culture commonly accepted as Celtic, or rather Proto-Celtic, was the central European Hallstatt culture , named for the rich grave finds in Hallstatt, Austria....
ic origin, but only one artefact (the weapons of a warrior) from the La Tène period
La Tène culture
The La Tène culture was a European Iron Age culture named after the archaeological site of La Tène on the north side of Lake Neuchâtel in Switzerland, where a rich cache of artifacts was discovered by Hansli Kopp in 1857....
(500–15 BC) indicates any Celtic involvement. In the restless Migration Period
Migration Period
The Migration Period, also called the Barbarian Invasions , was a period of intensified human migration in Europe that occurred from c. 400 to 800 CE. This period marked the transition from Late Antiquity to the Early Middle Ages...
and during the Middle Ages
Middle Ages
The Middle Ages is a periodization of European history from the 5th century to the 15th century. The Middle Ages follows the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 and precedes the Early Modern Era. It is the middle period of a three-period division of Western history: Classic, Medieval and Modern...
the walls of Hesselberg were used as a shelter and for defensive purposes. The city museum of Oettingen
Oettingen in Bayern
Oettingen in Bayern is a town in the Donau-Ries district, in Bavaria, Germany. It is situated northwest of Donauwörth, and northeast of Nördlingen.-Geography:...
and the museum for pre- and early history in Gunzenhausen
Gunzenhausen
Gunzenhausen is a town in the Weißenburg-Gunzenhausen district, in Bavaria, Germany. It is situated on the river Altmühl, 19 km northwest of Weißenburg in Bayern, and 45 km southwest of Nuremberg. Gunzenhausen is a nationally recognized recreation area. The city was mentioned first in the...
contains many exhibits such as tools and weapons.
Romans
Domitian
Domitian was Roman Emperor from 81 to 96. Domitian was the third and last emperor of the Flavian dynasty.Domitian's youth and early career were largely spent in the shadow of his brother Titus, who gained military renown during the First Jewish-Roman War...
(81–96 AD) and Hadrian
Hadrian
Hadrian , was Roman Emperor from 117 to 138. He is best known for building Hadrian's Wall, which marked the northern limit of Roman Britain. In Rome, he re-built the Pantheon and constructed the Temple of Venus and Roma. In addition to being emperor, Hadrian was a humanist and was philhellene in...
(117–138 AD) the Romans pushed the border of their province Raetia
Raetia
Raetia was a province of the Roman Empire, named after the Rhaetian people. It was bounded on the west by the country of the Helvetii, on the east by Noricum, on the north by Vindelicia, on the west by Cisalpine Gaul and on south by Venetia et Histria...
farther to the North. They expanded the wall of Limes
Limes Germanicus
The Limes Germanicus was a line of frontier fortifications that bounded the ancient Roman provinces of Germania Inferior, Germania Superior and Raetia, dividing the Roman Empire and the unsubdued Germanic tribes from the years 83 to about 260 AD...
in order to protect against the Germanic peoples
Germanic peoples
The Germanic peoples are an Indo-European ethno-linguistic group of Northern European origin, identified by their use of the Indo-European Germanic languages which diversified out of Proto-Germanic during the Pre-Roman Iron Age.Originating about 1800 BCE from the Corded Ware Culture on the North...
and equipped it with many watchtowers, and in the immediate vicinity of Hesselberg large Castella
Castellum
A castellum is a small Roman detached fort or fortlet used as a watch tower or signal station. The Latin word castellum is a diminutive of castra , which in turn is the plural of castrum ; it is the source of the English word "castle".The term castellum was also used to refer to a settling or...
were built. Under the rule of emperor Caracalla
Caracalla
Caracalla , was Roman emperor from 198 to 217. The eldest son of Septimius Severus, he ruled jointly with his younger brother Geta until he murdered the latter in 211...
(around 213 AD) the last and widest extension of the Limes took place. To the west of the mountain the wall crossed the rivers Wörnitz
Wörnitz
Wörnitz is a municipality in the district of Ansbach, in Bavaria, Germany. It is situated on the river Wörnitz, west of Ansbach....
and Sulzach
Sulzach
Sulzach is a river of Bavaria, Germany....
in a north-south direction. A few kilometres to the north of Wittelshofen
Wittelshofen
Wittelshofen is a municipality in the district of Ansbach in Bavaria in Germany.-Geography:The municipality is located near the delta of the Sulzach into the Wörnitz at the foot of the Hesselberg mountains...
it turned eastward. Due to this sharp bend the strategically important Hesselberg was included within the Roman empire
Roman Empire
The Roman Empire was the post-Republican period of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial holdings in Europe and around the Mediterranean....
. There were Castella at Aufkirchen, Ruffenhofen, Dambach, and Unterschwaningen
Unterschwaningen
Unterschwaningen is a municipality in the district of Ansbach in Bavaria in Germany....
. Castellum Ruffenhofen was the largest in the Hesselberg area. No Roman buildings have been found by archeologists on the mountain itself. The remains of the Limes now form stone ridges hidden in the woods. Nowadays most of the civil and military wall remains are hidden beneath the ground of local meadows and fields. On top of Castellum Ruffenhofen a Roman park is built. In the local museum of Weitlingen there are a few Roman exhibits.
Alamanni and Franks
Around 260 AD AlamanniAlamanni
The Alamanni, Allemanni, or Alemanni were originally an alliance of Germanic tribes located around the upper Rhine river . One of the earliest references to them is the cognomen Alamannicus assumed by Roman Emperor Caracalla, who ruled the Roman Empire from 211 to 217 and claimed thereby to be...
c and Germanic groups entered the region and destroyed the fortifications of the Limes, the Castelli, and many settlements. The Romans had to shift their borders back to the Danube
Danube
The Danube is a river in the Central Europe and the Europe's second longest river after the Volga. It is classified as an international waterway....
. The Alamanni founded their first grange
Manorialism
Manorialism, an essential element of feudal society, was the organizing principle of rural economy that originated in the villa system of the Late Roman Empire, was widely practiced in medieval western and parts of central Europe, and was slowly replaced by the advent of a money-based market...
s and farmed the land as arable and livestock farmers. As well as the local town names that end with "-ingen" the strip cultivation
Open field system
The open field system was the prevalent agricultural system in much of Europe from the Middle Ages to as recently as the 20th century in some places, particularly Russia and Iran. Under this system, each manor or village had several very large fields, farmed in strips by individual families...
indicates Alamannic foundation. The villages Röckingen, Ehingen, Gerolfingen, Weiltingen, and Irsingen have their origins in that period. At the end of the 5th century the Franks
Franks
The Franks were a confederation of Germanic tribes first attested in the third century AD as living north and east of the Lower Rhine River. From the third to fifth centuries some Franks raided Roman territory while other Franks joined the Roman troops in Gaul. Only the Salian Franks formed a...
emerged from the lower Main valley and initiated the second wave of colonisation. From 496 to 506 and under the rule of Merovingian king Clovis I
Clovis I
Clovis Leuthwig was the first King of the Franks to unite all the Frankish tribes under one ruler, changing the leadership from a group of royal chieftains, to rule by kings, ensuring that the kingship was held by his heirs. He was also the first Catholic King to rule over Gaul . He was the son...
they defeated the Swabia
Swabia
Swabia is a cultural, historic and linguistic region in southwestern Germany.-Geography:Like many cultural regions of Europe, Swabia's borders are not clearly defined...
n Alamanni, who lost their northern territories that had formerly reached into the Neuwieder basin, and they were pushed back behind the Oos
OOS
OOS may refer to:* Object-oriented scanning, a measurement method* Occupational overuse syndrome, a human disorder* Oos River, running through Baden-Baden, Germany* Out of specification* Online Operating System...
-Hornisgrinde
Hornisgrinde
The Hornisgrinde, 1164 m , is the highest mountain in the Northern Black Forest of Germany. The Hornisgrinde lies in northern Ortenaukreis district.- Origin of the name :...
-Asperg
Asperg
Asperg is a town in the district of Ludwigsburg, Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is situated 15 km north of Stuttgart, and 4 km west of Ludwigsburg. The Hohenasperg fortress is situated in Asperg....
-Hesselberg line. Today this line closely matches the boundary of the Franconian and the Swabian/Alamannic dialects. Despite the fact that the Franks overrode the Alamanni in a partly violent fashion, mixed settlements, such as Ehingen and Röckingen, almost always with a Franconian mayor, developed in the Hesselberg region. The Franks founded the villages of Lentersheim, Obermögersheim, Geilsheim, Frankenhofen, and Königshofen amongst others. The Franconian peasants established the three field crop rotation
Crop rotation
Crop rotation is the practice of growing a series of dissimilar types of crops in the same area in sequential seasons.Crop rotation confers various benefits to the soil. A traditional element of crop rotation is the replenishment of nitrogen through the use of green manure in sequence with cereals...
with its Flurzwang
Flurzwang
Flurzwang is the German name for a historical system of agriculture used in various places in Europe. It was an agreement or sometimes an order from the community, among all the owners of farmland or farming plots, or by the lord of the manor, for the cultivation of individual pieces of...
(a German system of rules relating to communal farmland in the Middle Ages), which was practiced until the modern consolidation of farming. In the 7th century—under the rule of Merovingian king Dagobert I
Dagobert I
Dagobert I was the king of Austrasia , king of all the Franks , and king of Neustria and Burgundy . He was the last Merovingian dynast to wield any real royal power...
—Christianisation started in Augsburg
Augsburg
Augsburg is a city in the south-west of Bavaria, Germany. It is a university town and home of the Regierungsbezirk Schwaben and the Bezirk Schwaben. Augsburg is an urban district and home to the institutions of the Landkreis Augsburg. It is, as of 2008, the third-largest city in Bavaria with a...
. In the 8th century Anglo-Saxon
Anglo-Saxons
Anglo-Saxon is a term used by historians to designate the Germanic tribes who invaded and settled the south and east of Great Britain beginning in the early 5th century AD, and the period from their creation of the English nation to the Norman conquest. The Anglo-Saxon Era denotes the period of...
missionaries
Missionary
A missionary is a member of a religious group sent into an area to do evangelism or ministries of service, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care and economic development. The word "mission" originates from 1598 when the Jesuits sent members abroad, derived from the Latin...
founded the monastery of Heidenheim
Heidenheim, Bavaria
Heidenheim is a municipality in the Weißenburg-Gunzenhausen district, in Bavaria, Germany.Heidenheim is an old German market town, which resides in the administrative region of Middle Franconia in the middle of Bavaria...
under Franconian Carolingian
Carolingian
The Carolingian dynasty was a Frankish noble family with origins in the Arnulfing and Pippinid clans of the 7th century AD. The name "Carolingian", Medieval Latin karolingi, an altered form of an unattested Old High German *karling, kerling The Carolingian dynasty (known variously as the...
rule.
Middle Ages
Middle Ages
The Middle Ages is a periodization of European history from the 5th century to the 15th century. The Middle Ages follows the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 and precedes the Early Modern Era. It is the middle period of a three-period division of Western history: Classic, Medieval and Modern...
the Hesselberg region was part of the king's forests. Sparse castle ruins are found on Ehinger mountain and on Schlössleinsbuck. The construction on Ehinger mountain has its seeds in the Carolingian
Carolingian
The Carolingian dynasty was a Frankish noble family with origins in the Arnulfing and Pippinid clans of the 7th century AD. The name "Carolingian", Medieval Latin karolingi, an altered form of an unattested Old High German *karling, kerling The Carolingian dynasty (known variously as the...
-Ottonian period (8th–9th centuries). Tombs discovered there point towards a violent end caused by Hungarian soldiers at the end of the 10th century when the Hungarians
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
burnt down the whole castle. The building on Schlössleinsbuck was originally intended for use as a refuge, in the 11th or 12th century it was expanded by the lord
Lord
Lord is a title with various meanings. It can denote a prince or a feudal superior . The title today is mostly used in connection with the peerage of the United Kingdom or its predecessor countries, although some users of the title do not themselves hold peerages, and use it 'by courtesy'...
s of Lentersheim and adapted as a well-fortified knight
Knight
A knight was a member of a class of lower nobility in the High Middle Ages.By the Late Middle Ages, the rank had become associated with the ideals of chivalry, a code of conduct for the perfect courtly Christian warrior....
's castle. The castle's destruction is related in the family tree
Family tree
A family tree, or pedigree chart, is a chart representing family relationships in a conventional tree structure. The more detailed family trees used in medicine, genealogy, and social work are known as genograms.-Family tree representations:...
of the lords of Lentersheim: When Conrad of Lentersheim returned from the northern Italian campaigns of king Frederick II. in 1246, his castle was completely destroyed. Thereupon he began building a new castle in Neuenmuhr. In fact, soldiers from the Hesselberg region accompanied the mentioned Hohenstaufen king Frederick II
Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor
Frederick II , was one of the most powerful Holy Roman Emperors of the Middle Ages and head of the House of Hohenstaufen. His political and cultural ambitions, based in Sicily and stretching through Italy to Germany, and even to Jerusalem, were enormous...
to Italy in 1239 in order to fight against pope Gregory IX
Pope Gregory IX
Pope Gregory IX, born Ugolino di Conti, was pope from March 19, 1227 to August 22, 1241.The successor of Pope Honorius III , he fully inherited the traditions of Pope Gregory VII and of his uncle Pope Innocent III , and zealously continued their policy of Papal supremacy.-Early life:Ugolino was...
. Until they died off at the beginning 19th century, the lords of Lentersheim lived at their castles in Alten- and Neuenmuhr, today's Muhr am See
Muhr am See
Muhr am See is a municipality in the Weißenburg-Gunzenhausen district, in Bavaria, Germany....
. After this direct colonisation of Hesselberg ended.
Aufkirchen, which was fortified during medieval times, had a city wall and four city gate
City gate
A city gate is a gate which is, or was, set within a city wall. Other terms include port.-Uses:City gates were traditionally built to provide a point of controlled access to and departure from a walled city for people, vehicles, goods and animals...
s. At that time Aufkirchen had town privileges
Town privileges
Town privileges or city rights were important features of European towns during most of the second millennium.Judicially, a town was distinguished from the surrounding land by means of a charter from the ruling monarch that defined its privileges and laws. Common privileges were related to trading...
.
Age of burgraves and margraves
The age of burgraveBurgrave
A burgrave is literally the count of a castle or fortified town. The English form is derived through the French from the German Burggraf and Dutch burg- or burch-graeve .* The title is originally equivalent to that of castellan or châtelain, meaning keeper of a castle and/or fortified town...
s in Middle Franconia had its origin in the High Middle Ages
High Middle Ages
The High Middle Ages was the period of European history around the 11th, 12th, and 13th centuries . The High Middle Ages were preceded by the Early Middle Ages and followed by the Late Middle Ages, which by convention end around 1500....
when king Henry VI
Henry VI, Holy Roman Emperor
Henry VI was King of Germany from 1190 to 1197, Holy Roman Emperor from 1191 to 1197 and King of Sicily from 1194 to 1197.-Early years:Born in Nijmegen,...
feoffed Frederick III
Frederick I, Burgrave of Nuremberg
Frederick I of Nuremberg , the first Burgrave of Nuremberg from the House of Hohenzollern. He was elder son of Count Frederick II of Zollern. He was also Count of Zollern as Frederick III.-Life:...
, who originated from Swabia
Swabia
Swabia is a cultural, historic and linguistic region in southwestern Germany.-Geography:Like many cultural regions of Europe, Swabia's borders are not clearly defined...
, with the heritable fiefdom of the Nuremberg
Nuremberg
Nuremberg[p] is a city in the German state of Bavaria, in the administrative region of Middle Franconia. Situated on the Pegnitz river and the Rhine–Main–Danube Canal, it is located about north of Munich and is Franconia's largest city. The population is 505,664...
burgrave office in 1192. Frederick III founded the Frankish line of the House of Hohenzollern
House of Hohenzollern
The House of Hohenzollern is a noble family and royal dynasty of electors, kings and emperors of Prussia, Germany and Romania. It originated in the area around the town of Hechingen in Swabia during the 11th century. They took their name from their ancestral home, the Burg Hohenzollern castle near...
under the name "Burgrave Frederick I of Nuremberg". Due to clever marriages and trade-offs the Frankish Zollern gained increasing wealth and influence.
In 1331 the burgraves moved to Ansbach. In 1363 they were elevated to sovereign
Sovereign
A sovereign is the supreme lawmaking authority within its jurisdiction.Sovereign may also refer to:*Monarch, the sovereign of a monarchy*Sovereign Bank, banking institution in the United States*Sovereign...
s and in 1417 they were feoffed with the margrave
Margrave
A margrave or margravine was a medieval hereditary nobleman with military responsibilities in a border province of a kingdom. Border provinces usually had more exposure to military incursions from the outside, compared to interior provinces, and thus a margrave usually had larger and more active...
of Brandenburg
Brandenburg
Brandenburg is one of the sixteen federal-states of Germany. It lies in the east of the country and is one of the new federal states that were re-created in 1990 upon the reunification of the former West Germany and East Germany. The capital is Potsdam...
. Expensive holding of court and persistent conflicts with the imperial city Nuremberg lead to a high level of debt of the young principality
Principality
A principality is a monarchical feudatory or sovereign state, ruled or reigned over by a monarch with the title of prince or princess, or by a monarch with another title within the generic use of the term prince....
and consequently they imposed an unbearable burden of taxes upon their subjects. As a consequence, on 6 May 1525 the peasant's war also broke out in southern Franconia. On this day rebellious peasants gathered on Hesselberg's peak, thence they went to Wassertrüdingen
Wassertrüdingen
Wassertrüdingen is a town in the district of Ansbach, Middle Franconia, Bavaria, Germany. It is between the Hesselberg, the only Franconian mountain with a view on the Alps, the wooded heights of the Oettinger Forest and the foothills of the Hahnenkamm. The Fränkisches Seenland recreation area is...
and captured the margrave vogt
Vogt
A Vogt ; plural Vögte; Dutch voogd; Danish foged; ; ultimately from Latin [ad]vocatus) in the Holy Roman Empire was the German title of a reeve or advocate, an overlord exerting guardianship or military protection as well as secular justice...
. Afterwards they plundered the monastery of Auhausen
Auhausen
Auhausen is a municipality in the Swabian district Donau-Ries in Bavaria in Germany. The municipality is within the Oettingen central administrative body. Auhausen was the site of the 1608 meeting that formed the Protestant Union, also known as the Union of Auhausen....
. On their way to Heidenheim
Heidenheim, Bavaria
Heidenheim is a municipality in the Weißenburg-Gunzenhausen district, in Bavaria, Germany.Heidenheim is an old German market town, which resides in the administrative region of Middle Franconia in the middle of Bavaria...
the peasants were captured or killed by margrave soldiers from Gunzenhausen
Gunzenhausen
Gunzenhausen is a town in the Weißenburg-Gunzenhausen district, in Bavaria, Germany. It is situated on the river Altmühl, 19 km northwest of Weißenburg in Bayern, and 45 km southwest of Nuremberg. Gunzenhausen is a nationally recognized recreation area. The city was mentioned first in the...
.
During the Thirty Years' War
Thirty Years' War
The Thirty Years' War was fought primarily in what is now Germany, and at various points involved most countries in Europe. It was one of the most destructive conflicts in European history....
(1618–1648) large areas of today's Middle Franconia were devastated and depopulated. It was not until the end of the 17th century that the economic and financial situation of the margraves improved. The margraves allowed Austrian and French religious refugee
Refugee
A refugee is a person who outside her country of origin or habitual residence because she has suffered persecution on account of race, religion, nationality, political opinion, or because she is a member of a persecuted 'social group'. Such a person may be referred to as an 'asylum seeker' until...
s to become nationals and supported Jewish merchants in building up an existence, therefore a large number of Jews settled down in villages around Hesselberg. In addition the margraves ran mercantilistic
Mercantilism
Mercantilism is the economic doctrine in which government control of foreign trade is of paramount importance for ensuring the prosperity and security of the state. In particular, it demands a positive balance of trade. Mercantilism dominated Western European economic policy and discourse from...
politics and expanded agricultural education. The last margrave Alexander
Christian Frederick Charles Alexander, Margrave of Brandenburg-Ansbach
Christian Frederick Charles Alexander was the last Margrave of the two Franconian principalities Brandenburg-Ansbach and Brandenburg-Bayreuth, which he sold to the King of Prussia, a fellow member of the House of Hohenzollern.-Life:His parents were Charles William...
handed over the principality, now free from debt, to the Prussia
Prussia
Prussia was a German kingdom and historic state originating out of the Duchy of Prussia and the Margraviate of Brandenburg. For centuries, the House of Hohenzollern ruled Prussia, successfully expanding its size by way of an unusually well-organized and effective army. Prussia shaped the history...
ns in 1791.
19th and 20th century
Frederick William III of Prussia
Frederick William III was king of Prussia from 1797 to 1840. He was in personal union the sovereign prince of the Principality of Neuchâtel .-Early life:...
climbed Hesselberg during his visit to his Frankish estates. In memory of this event the king endowed the Hesselberg Mass. In 1806 the Hesselberg region was handed over to Bavaria
Bavaria
Bavaria, formally the Free State of Bavaria is a state of Germany, located in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the largest state by area, forming almost 20% of the total land area of Germany...
in the course of an exchange of lands between Bavaria and Prussia: Bavaria received the Prussian principality Ansbach including Hesselberg and in return Prussia obtained the Wittelsbach
Wittelsbach
The Wittelsbach family is a European royal family and a German dynasty from Bavaria.Members of the family served as Dukes, Electors and Kings of Bavaria , Counts Palatine of the Rhine , Margraves of Brandenburg , Counts of Holland, Hainaut and Zeeland , Elector-Archbishops of Cologne , Dukes of...
's earldom of Berg
Berg (state)
Berg was a state – originally a county, later a duchy – in the Rhineland of Germany. Its capital was Düsseldorf. It existed from the early 12th to the 19th centuries.-Ascent:...
(capital city Düsseldorf
Düsseldorf
Düsseldorf is the capital city of the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia and centre of the Rhine-Ruhr metropolitan region.Düsseldorf is an important international business and financial centre and renowned for its fashion and trade fairs. Located centrally within the European Megalopolis, the...
), located at the Niederrhein
Niederrhein
Niederrhein could refer to:* The northernmost German section of the river Rhine, see: Lower Rhine * The Lower Rhine region* Airport Weeze, also known as Airport Niederrhein*Niederrhein , a song by Austrian musician Herwig Mitteregger...
(Bavarian-Prussian Contract of Paris, February 15, 1806). In 1808 the first local code provided the basis for municipal autonomy, which was expanded by the second Bavarian municipal edict
Edict
An edict is an announcement of a law, often associated with monarchism. The Pope and various micronational leaders are currently the only persons who still issue edicts.-Notable edicts:...
in 1818. Following this many small villages became self-administrating and received the status of a municipality—by the means of law as juristic persons.
Prior to World War II Jewish life and culture played an important role in the whole Hesselberg region. Jewish settlers had already been mentioned in writs in the 14th century and many Jews achieved eminence as merchants and scholars. The National Socialists
Nazism
Nazism, the common short form name of National Socialism was the ideology and practice of the Nazi Party and of Nazi Germany...
were active in the villages around Hesselberg, they destroyed synagogue
Synagogue
A synagogue is a Jewish house of prayer. This use of the Greek term synagogue originates in the Septuagint where it sometimes translates the Hebrew word for assembly, kahal...
s and expelled or displaced Jews to internment
Internment
Internment is the imprisonment or confinement of people, commonly in large groups, without trial. The Oxford English Dictionary gives the meaning as: "The action of 'interning'; confinement within the limits of a country or place." Most modern usage is about individuals, and there is a distinction...
camps. The notorious anti-semitic publisher Julius Streicher
Julius Streicher
Julius Streicher was a prominent Nazi prior to World War II. He was the founder and publisher of Der Stürmer newspaper, which became a central element of the Nazi propaganda machine...
, as the head of the Frankish Nazi district, established Hesselberg as a meeting place of the Nazis. After the NSDAP came to power in 1933 the annual Frankish Days (held until 1939) developed from party manifestations. Those were the largest manifestations in Franconia besides the Nuremberg rally
Nuremberg Rally
The Nuremberg Rally was the annual rally of the NSDAP in Germany, held from 1923 to 1938. Especially after Hitler's rise to power in 1933, they were large Nazi propaganda events...
. Hermann Göring
Hermann Göring
Hermann Wilhelm Göring, was a German politician, military leader, and a leading member of the Nazi Party. He was a veteran of World War I as an ace fighter pilot, and a recipient of the coveted Pour le Mérite, also known as "The Blue Max"...
attended the Frankish Days twice as a speaker and Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler was an Austrian-born German politician and the leader of the National Socialist German Workers Party , commonly referred to as the Nazi Party). He was Chancellor of Germany from 1933 to 1945, and head of state from 1934 to 1945...
also once attended. Up to 100,000 visitors on the Osterwiese listened to the virulently anti-Semitic speeches of Julius Streicher. At that time Hesselberg was named Heiliger Berg der Franken (Holy Mountain of the Franks). No remains of this dark time are left on Hesselberg. The lofty Nazi plans were never put into practice—the construction of the Adolf-Hitler-School was not realised, nor the Julius-Streicher-Mausoleum
Mausoleum
A mausoleum is an external free-standing building constructed as a monument enclosing the interment space or burial chamber of a deceased person or persons. A monument without the interment is a cenotaph. A mausoleum may be considered a type of tomb or the tomb may be considered to be within the...
. Prior to World War II the Nazis could only finish an administration building with a garage. Later this garage was used as a chapel by the refugees that were placed on Hesselberg.
Since 1951 Hesselberg has been important to the local Lutherans. In this year the Lutheran adult education center was founded and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Bavaria
Evangelical Lutheran Church in Bavaria
The Evangelical Lutheran Church in Bavaria is a Protestant church in the German state of Bavaria. The seat of the church is in Munich....
Congress took place for the first time. Since then thousands of Christians have gathered on Whit Monday
Whit Monday
Whit Monday or Pentecost Monday is the holiday celebrated the day after Pentecost, a movable feast in the Christian calendar. It is movable because it is determined by the date of Easter....
to celebrate this ceremony of faith. Between 1945 and 1992 the area around the main peak served as a radar
Radar
Radar is an object-detection system which uses radio waves to determine the range, altitude, direction, or speed of objects. It can be used to detect aircraft, ships, spacecraft, guided missiles, motor vehicles, weather formations, and terrain. The radar dish or antenna transmits pulses of radio...
station for the U.S. Army. In 1972 the Landkreis (district) of Dinkelsbühl and the Hesselberg municipalities was closed in the course of the district reform and incorporated into the Landkreis Ansbach
Ansbach (district)
Ansbach is a district in Bavaria, Germany. It is surrounding, but not including the city of Ansbach; nonetheless the administrative seat of the district is Ansbach. It is the district with the biggest area in Bavaria...
. In the course of latter reforms many small autonomous municipalities merged into the municipalities of today.
Facilities and events
Whit Monday
Whit Monday or Pentecost Monday is the holiday celebrated the day after Pentecost, a movable feast in the Christian calendar. It is movable because it is determined by the date of Easter....
it attracts thousands of Protestants. In a tradition dating from 1803 the Hesselberg Mass has been held on the Osterwiese on the first Sunday in July; it was on this day that king Frederick William III of Prussia
Frederick William III of Prussia
Frederick William III was king of Prussia from 1797 to 1840. He was in personal union the sovereign prince of the Principality of Neuchâtel .-Early life:...
and his wife Luise visited the mountain.
The Protestant-Lutheran Adult Education Center Hesselberg was founded on May 14, 1951; it was the first Bavarian adult education center. Its main task is adult education for the rural deaconry (family nursing, village assistant, business assistant). On September 15, 2005 it was renamed to Protestant Education Center Hesselberg (EBZ Hesselberg - Evangelisches Bildungszentrum Hesselberg). According to Reverend Bernd Reuther, chairman of the new education center, its mission is the expansion of the range of education available with emphasis on "Faith, Rural Space, and Development of Personality" furthermore guest groups should be addressed with their own education programme.
The Protestant-Lutheran deaconry Ansbach
Ansbach
Ansbach, originally Onolzbach, is a town in Bavaria, Germany. It is the capital of the administrative region of Middle Franconia. Ansbach is situated southwest of Nuremberg and north of Munich, on the Fränkische Rezat, a tributary of the Main river. As of 2004, its population was 40,723.Ansbach...
has made a popular youth center out of the old Hesselberg house near the peak.
ZDF
Zweites Deutsches Fernsehen , ZDF, is a public-service German television broadcaster based in Mainz . It is run as an independent non-profit institution, which was founded by the German federal states . The ZDF is financed by television licence fees called GEZ and advertising revenues...
and of the Bayerisches Fernsehen (Bavarian television) for the Franconian region. This tower, which is located at 49° 4' 12" N and 10° 31' 37" E, has an unusual construction: It is a so-called "hybrid tower" and consists of a free-standing steel skeleton framing base and a wired transmission tower on top. It also broadcasts the UKW
Very high frequency
Very high frequency is the radio frequency range from 30 MHz to 300 MHz. Frequencies immediately below VHF are denoted High frequency , and the next higher frequencies are known as Ultra high frequency...
radio programme Radio 8.
| Programme | Channel/Frequency | ERP Effective radiated power In radio telecommunications, effective radiated power or equivalent radiated power is a standardized theoretical measurement of radio frequency energy using the SI unit watts, and is determined by subtracting system losses and adding system gains... |
|---|---|---|
| ZDF ZDF Zweites Deutsches Fernsehen , ZDF, is a public-service German television broadcaster based in Mainz . It is run as an independent non-profit institution, which was founded by the German federal states . The ZDF is financed by television licence fees called GEZ and advertising revenues... |
32 (PAL PAL PAL, short for Phase Alternating Line, is an analogue television colour encoding system used in broadcast television systems in many countries. Other common analogue television systems are NTSC and SECAM. This page primarily discusses the PAL colour encoding system... ) |
410 kW |
| Bayerisches Fernsehen | 47 (PAL) | 440 kW |
| Radio 8 | 89.1 MHz | 100 W |
In addition radio amateurs maintain a small relay
Relay
A relay is an electrically operated switch. Many relays use an electromagnet to operate a switching mechanism mechanically, but other operating principles are also used. Relays are used where it is necessary to control a circuit by a low-power signal , or where several circuits must be controlled...
station on the mountain for voice radio, packet radio
Packet radio
Packet radio is a form of packet switching technology used to transmit digital data via radio or wireless communications links. It uses the same concepts of data transmission via Datagram that are fundamental to communications via the Internet, as opposed to the older techniques used by dedicated...
, and amateur television. The energy for this station is supplied by solar cell
Solar cell
A solar cell is a solid state electrical device that converts the energy of light directly into electricity by the photovoltaic effect....
s and wind power
Wind power
Wind power is the conversion of wind energy into a useful form of energy, such as using wind turbines to make electricity, windmills for mechanical power, windpumps for water pumping or drainage, or sails to propel ships....
.
The four municipalities around the mountain
Ehingen
Ehingen is a town in the Alb-Donau district in Baden-Württemberg, Germany, situated on the left bank of the Danube, approx. 25 km southwest of Ulm and 67 km southeast of Stuttgart.-Statistics:...
with about 2,100 inhabitants and an area of 47 square kilometres. A trail leads from here through meadows with fruit trees then the afforested northern slope towards the peak. The signs on this trail contain information about beekeeping
Beekeeping
Beekeeping is the maintenance of honey bee colonies, commonly in hives, by humans. A beekeeper keeps bees in order to collect honey and other products of the hive , to pollinate crops, or to produce bees for sale to other beekeepers...
. In the east is the small municipality Röckingen
Röckingen
Röckingen is a municipality in the district of Ansbach in Bavaria in Germany....
with about 800 inhabitants and an area of . The predominantly sunny trail towards the Osterwiese leads through a picturesque, shady linden
Tilia
Tilia is a genus of about 30 species of trees native throughout most of the temperate Northern Hemisphere. The greatest species diversity is found in Asia, and the genus also occurs in Europe and eastern North America, but not western North America...
avenue in its final part. On the southern slope lies Gerolfingen
Gerolfingen
Gerolfingen is a municipality in the district of Ansbach in Bavaria in Germany....
with about 1,100 inhabitants and an area of 13 km² with a road to the parking lots on Hesselberg. A trail leads from Gerolfingen through meadows with fruit trees and a beautiful chestnut
Chestnut
Chestnut , some species called chinkapin or chinquapin, is a genus of eight or nine species of deciduous trees and shrubs in the beech family Fagaceae, native to temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere. The name also refers to the edible nuts they produce.-Species:The chestnut belongs to the...
avenue, whose older part was complemented with new plantations in autumn 2004. The village of Aukirchen with its historical town-hall and St. John's Church, which is visible from afar, belongs to Gerolfingen. In the west is Wittelshofen
Wittelshofen
Wittelshofen is a municipality in the district of Ansbach in Bavaria in Germany.-Geography:The municipality is located near the delta of the Sulzach into the Wörnitz at the foot of the Hesselberg mountains...
with about 1,300 inhabitants and an area of , at the confluence of Wörnitz
Wörnitz
Wörnitz is a municipality in the district of Ansbach, in Bavaria, Germany. It is situated on the river Wörnitz, west of Ansbach....
and Sulzach
Sulzach
Sulzach is a river of Bavaria, Germany....
rivers. The town is the starting point of the geological nature trail.
Together with the municipality of Unterschwaningen
Unterschwaningen
Unterschwaningen is a municipality in the district of Ansbach in Bavaria in Germany....
these four municipalities form the administrative collective of Hesselberg.
Recreational region
The Hesselberg municipalities of EhingenEhingen
Ehingen is a town in the Alb-Donau district in Baden-Württemberg, Germany, situated on the left bank of the Danube, approx. 25 km southwest of Ulm and 67 km southeast of Stuttgart.-Statistics:...
, Gerolfingen
Gerolfingen
Gerolfingen is a municipality in the district of Ansbach in Bavaria in Germany....
, Röckingen
Röckingen
Röckingen is a municipality in the district of Ansbach in Bavaria in Germany....
, and Wittelshofen
Wittelshofen
Wittelshofen is a municipality in the district of Ansbach in Bavaria in Germany.-Geography:The municipality is located near the delta of the Sulzach into the Wörnitz at the foot of the Hesselberg mountains...
joined with the municipalities of Dürrwangen
Dürrwangen
Dürrwangen is a municipality in the district of Ansbach in Bavaria in Germany....
, Langfurth
Langfurth
Langfurth is a municipality in the district of Ansbach in Bavaria in Germany....
, Mönchsroth
Mönchsroth
Mönchsroth is a municipality in the district of Ansbach in Bavaria in Germany....
, Unterschwaningen
Unterschwaningen
Unterschwaningen is a municipality in the district of Ansbach in Bavaria in Germany....
, Wassertrüdingen
Wassertrüdingen
Wassertrüdingen is a town in the district of Ansbach, Middle Franconia, Bavaria, Germany. It is between the Hesselberg, the only Franconian mountain with a view on the Alps, the wooded heights of the Oettinger Forest and the foothills of the Hahnenkamm. The Fränkisches Seenland recreation area is...
, Weiltingen
Weiltingen
Weiltingen is a municipality in the district of Ansbach in Bavaria in Germany....
, and Wilburgstetten
Wilburgstetten
Wilburgstetten is a municipality in the district of Ansbach in Bavaria in Germany....
on January 31, 1973 to form the Fremdenverkehrsverband Hesselberg e. V. (Tourist Association Hesselberg e. V.). Dürrwangen has since left the association. On the occasion of its 30th anniversary the Fremdenverkehrsverband Hesselberg e. V changed its name to Touristikverband Hesselberg e. V.. Its headquarters is in Wassertrüdingen. The term Hesselberg recreational region refers to the combined area of these member municipalities. The German Limes road leads through this region from the West to the East. The Entwicklungsgesellschaft Region Hesselberg mbH (Development Incorporation of Hesselberg Region) was founded on October 5, 1999. This is a federation of municipalities that extends far beyond the borders of the Hesselberg region. The tasks and spheres of influences of this incorporation are very broad and contain amongst others the economy, culture, and tourism. The main office resides at castle Unterschwaningen.
The huge number of meadows containing fruit trees has led to the formation of the Interessengemeinschaft Moststraße (Community of Interest Must
Must
Must is freshly pressed fruit juice that contains the skins, seeds, and stems of the fruit. The solid portion of the must is called pomace; it typically makes up 7%–23% of the total weight of the must. Making must is the first step in winemaking...
-Road) by several communes. The Must-Road around Hesselberg is planned for the near future, both to better market the fruit products and as a new tourist attraction.
In and around the Hesselberg area there are many trails. The two main trails have many signs containing information for the hiker. The geological nature trail, which is 3 km long, leads from its starting point near Wittelshofen to the mountain's peak. The signs along the route tell of the geological history and structure of the mountain. The Hesselberg-trail forms a round-trip of Hesselberg's heights. Both trails are well combinable. The Osterwiese is meeting point for model plane pilots, the launch areas for hang-gliders and paragliders can be found there too. The regional gliding
Gliding
Gliding is a recreational activity and competitive air sport in which pilots fly unpowered aircraft known as gliders or sailplanes using naturally occurring currents of rising air in the atmosphere to remain airborne. The word soaring is also used for the sport.Gliding as a sport began in the 1920s...
airfield is in nearby Irsingen. Sporting clays
Sporting Clays
Sporting clays is a form of clay pigeon shooting, often described as "golf with a shotgun" because a typical course includes from 10 to 15 different shooting stations laid out over natural terrain...
was prohibited by the Nature Conservation Agency due to lead
Lead
Lead is a main-group element in the carbon group with the symbol Pb and atomic number 82. Lead is a soft, malleable poor metal. It is also counted as one of the heavy metals. Metallic lead has a bluish-white color after being freshly cut, but it soon tarnishes to a dull grayish color when exposed...
exposure. The Hesselberg Tourist Office, the Bund Naturschutz in Bayern (Bavarian Nature Conservation Alliance) (Ansbach district group), and the Landesbund für Vogelschutz in Bayern (Bavarian State Bird Conservation Alliance) (Ansbach district group) organise guided excursions and walking tours. At the mountain's foot anglers can indulge their passion at the Wörnitz and Sulzach rivers. The German Alpine Association (Hesselberg section with an office in Bechhofen
Bechhofen
Bechhofen is a municipality in the district of Ansbach in Bavaria in Germany....
) have built a small hut on the northern slope in order to support winter sports.
Tourist destinations include:
- the old cities of NördlingenNördlingenNördlingen is a town in the Donau-Ries district, in Bavaria, Germany, with a population of 20,000. It is located in the middle of a complex meteorite crater, called the Nördlinger Ries. The town was also the place of two battles during the Thirty Years' War...
, DinkelsbühlDinkelsbühlDinkelsbühl is a historic city in Bavaria, Germany and a former Free imperial city of the Holy Roman Empire. Now it belongs to the district of Ansbach, north of Aalen.-History:...
, FeuchtwangenFeuchtwangenFeuchtwangen is a city in Ansbach district in the administrative region of Middle Franconia in Bavaria, Germany.-Geography:Geographically and geologically the land around Feuchtwangen comprises the eastern part of the Swabian-Franconian Escarpment Land , also sometimes called the gypsum-keuper...
, RothenburgRothenburg ob der TauberRothenburg ob der Tauber is a town in the district of Ansbach of Mittelfranken , the Franconia region of Bavaria, Germany, well known for its well-preserved medieval old town, a destination for tourists from around the world. In the Middle Ages, it was an Imperial Free City...
, AnsbachAnsbachAnsbach, originally Onolzbach, is a town in Bavaria, Germany. It is the capital of the administrative region of Middle Franconia. Ansbach is situated southwest of Nuremberg and north of Munich, on the Fränkische Rezat, a tributary of the Main river. As of 2004, its population was 40,723.Ansbach...
, and GunzenhausenGunzenhausenGunzenhausen is a town in the Weißenburg-Gunzenhausen district, in Bavaria, Germany. It is situated on the river Altmühl, 19 km northwest of Weißenburg in Bayern, and 45 km southwest of Nuremberg. Gunzenhausen is a nationally recognized recreation area. The city was mentioned first in the... - the Franconian lakeland
- the HahnenkammHahnenkammHahnenkamm may refer to*Hahnenkamm , a federation of municipalities in Bavaria, Germany*Hahnenkamm, Kitzbühel, a mountain in Tyrol, Austria*Hahnenkamm, Reutte, another mountain in Tyrol, Austria...
- AltmühltalAltmühltalAltmühltal is a Verwaltungsgemeinschaft in the district of Weißenburg-Gunzenhausen in Bavaria in Germany. It consists of the following municipalities:*Alesheim*Dittenheim*Markt Berolzheim*Meinheim-See also:...
nature park - Ruffenhofen Latin park
Landscape conservation
Sheep grazingGrazing
Grazing generally describes a type of feeding, in which a herbivore feeds on plants , and also on other multicellular autotrophs...
of the herding areas is necessary for the conservation of the semidry and dry meadows. However, encroachment of scrub such as blackthorne
Blackthorne
Blackthorne is a computer and video game, a cinematic platformer, that was developed by Blizzard Entertainment....
, rose
Rose
A rose is a woody perennial of the genus Rosa, within the family Rosaceae. There are over 100 species. They form a group of erect shrubs, and climbing or trailing plants, with stems that are often armed with sharp prickles. Flowers are large and showy, in colours ranging from white through yellows...
, juniper
Juniper
Junipers are coniferous plants in the genus Juniperus of the cypress family Cupressaceae. Depending on taxonomic viewpoint, there are between 50-67 species of juniper, widely distributed throughout the northern hemisphere, from the Arctic, south to tropical Africa in the Old World, and to the...
, and ash
Ash tree
Fraxinus is a genus flowering plants in the olive and lilac family, Oleaceae. It contains 45-65 species of usually medium to large trees, mostly deciduous though a few subtropical species are evergreen. The tree's common English name, ash, goes back to the Old English æsc, while the generic name...
has greatly increased at many places on the mountain despite the presence of herds belonging to two sheep farms (northern side: approx. 600 ewes, southern side: approx. 1000 ewes). Without additional mechanical maintenance the open space on the mountain will not remain open in the long term. Since 1997 the municipality of Ehingen has struck out in new directions to deal with the conservation of these vast herding areas on Hesselberg's northern slopes. Annual civil campaigns of important "descrubbing" and maintenance tasks are performed as a collaboration between the Landschaftspflegeverband Mittelfranken (Middle Franconian Landscape Conservation Association) and the shepherd Hans Goth. Under the banner phrase "One day for the mountain" many teenagers, seniors citizens, farmers, and non-farmers make a pilgrimage to the mountain on a particular day each autumn and work together. The work gets done in just four hours of working time, interrupted by a short snack and finished with lunch. On average there are 40 people voluntarily working in Ehingen. This active support of sheep farming by the citizens ("descrubbing" significantly improves the pasture conditions) has multiple functions:
- Novel working methods in the fields of landscape and nature conservation
- Active support of Goth sheep farm by the community (board cost, use of the municipal tractors, etc.) and by the citizens encourages neighbourliness and reduces prejudices.
- Exemplary activity for the conservation of flora and fauna (active landscape and nature conservation) within the nearby cultural landscape (reinforcement of the identification with the homeland)
- Social-communicative aspects: The participants are farmers and non-farmers. With their participation awareness of the problems of land use is raised also within unrelated to agriculture.
- Shared work, snacks and lunch bring together the participants.
- Participants of different age groups (from 16 to 70) are brought together and prejudices are reduced ("Today's youth isn't interested in anything").
- Due to its volunteers the municipality is independent from state interventions.
- Since 2001 the Hesselberg municipalities of Röckingen and Gerolfingen have followed this positive and successful example. They also hold activity days under the flag of "One day for the mountain".
Flora and fauna
Due to its multilayered rock, soil, climate, and cultivation, Hesselberg has bred a variety of vegetationVegetation
Vegetation is a general term for the plant life of a region; it refers to the ground cover provided by plants. It is a general term, without specific reference to particular taxa, life forms, structure, spatial extent, or any other specific botanical or geographic characteristics. It is broader...
with some plant communities particular to the area.
Vegetation of the neglected grassland
Landscape maintenance
Landscape maintenance is the art and vocation of keeping a landscape healthy, clean, safe and attractive, typically in a garden, yard, park, Institutional setting or estate...
is the conservation of the dry and non-forested neglected meadows and dry meadowy slopes. Botanists have named this type of vegetation Magerrasen (neglected grassland). The ground there is covered with thin dry grass and a typical feature are the irregularly spaced juniper
Juniper
Junipers are coniferous plants in the genus Juniperus of the cypress family Cupressaceae. Depending on taxonomic viewpoint, there are between 50-67 species of juniper, widely distributed throughout the northern hemisphere, from the Arctic, south to tropical Africa in the Old World, and to the...
bushes. Well over 40 different species of flowering plants grow on this nutrient-poor, non-fertilised soil. Often different small species of gentian
Gentian
Gentiana is a genus of flowering plants belonging to the Gentian family , tribe Gentianeae and monophyletic subtribe Gentianinae. With about 400 species, it is considered a large genus.-Habitat:...
can be found. In late summer pasqueflower
Pasque flower
The genus Pulsatilla contains about 33 species of herbaceous perennials native to meadows and prairies of North America, Europe, and Asia. Common names include pasque flower , wind flower, prairie crocus, Easter Flower, and meadow anemone...
and Carline thistle
Carlina acaulis
Carlina acaulis is a perennial dicotyledonous flowering plant in the family Asteraceae, native to alpine regions of central and southern Europe...
bloom. From April until June orange tips fly over the sunny slopes. One of the most important tasks for conservation of the neglected grassland is traditional herding
Herding
Herding is the act of bringing individual animals together into a group , maintaining the group and moving the group from place to place—or any combination of those. While the layperson uses the term "herding", most individuals involved in the process term it mustering, "working stock" or...
. Grazing with sheep is a prerequisite for the long-lasting conservation of this grassland. If the amount of herding was reduced, initially more thorny and needle-bearing shrubs would grow because these are eschewed by sheep - the large number of juniper bushes thrive for the same reason. Under cover of these thornbushes and hedges other groves and the first trees would develop. In the final stage the mountain would become mostly overgrown with forest. The herbs and grasses of the neglected grassland have a positive influence on the quality of the sheep's meat. Due to this fact the restaurants of the Hesselberg region increasingly offer dishes of Hesselberg lamb.
Meadows, hedges, and wells
Wheat
Wheat is a cereal grain, originally from the Levant region of the Near East, but now cultivated worldwide. In 2007 world production of wheat was 607 million tons, making it the third most-produced cereal after maize and rice...
, rye
Rye
Rye is a grass grown extensively as a grain and as a forage crop. It is a member of the wheat tribe and is closely related to barley and wheat. Rye grain is used for flour, rye bread, rye beer, some whiskeys, some vodkas, and animal fodder...
, oat
Oat
The common oat is a species of cereal grain grown for its seed, which is known by the same name . While oats are suitable for human consumption as oatmeal and rolled oats, one of the most common uses is as livestock feed...
, beetroot
Beetroot
The beetroot, also known as the table beet, garden beet, red beet or informally simply as beet, is one of the many cultivated varieties of beets and arguably the most commonly encountered variety in North America, Central America and Britain.-Consumption:The usually deep-red roots of beetroot are...
, and corn
Maize
Maize known in many English-speaking countries as corn or mielie/mealie, is a grain domesticated by indigenous peoples in Mesoamerica in prehistoric times. The leafy stalk produces ears which contain seeds called kernels. Though technically a grain, maize kernels are used in cooking as a vegetable...
are cultivated. On the farms Pigs
Domestic pig
The domestic pig is a domesticated animal that traces its ancestry to the wild boar, and is considered a subspecies of the wild boar or a distinct species in its own right. It is likely the wild boar was domesticated as early as 13,000 BC in the Tigris River basin...
and cattle
Cattle
Cattle are the most common type of large domesticated ungulates. They are a prominent modern member of the subfamily Bovinae, are the most widespread species of the genus Bos, and are most commonly classified collectively as Bos primigenius...
are raised and dairy farming
Dairy farming
Dairy farming is a class of agricultural, or an animal husbandry, enterprise, for long-term production of milk, usually from dairy cows but also from goats and sheep, which may be either processed on-site or transported to a dairy factory for processing and eventual retail sale.Most dairy farms...
is performed.
In the lower and middle parts of the slopes old and non-fertilised meadows with fruit trees offer a blaze of colour of different flowers. With their high trunks the fruit groves provide the optimal habitat for a diversity of small animals, birds, and plants. The wryneck
Eurasian Wryneck
The Eurasian Wryneck, Jynx torquilla, is a species of wryneck in the family of woodpeckers.This species breeds in temperate regions of Europe and Asia. It is migratory, wintering in tropical Africa and southern Asia. It is a bird of open woodland and orchards...
is one of the typical inhabitants of these meadows, because they avoid bleak areas and dense forests. Just as important for the small animals, birds, and plants are the various hedges and shrubs, which can be found everywhere on and around Hesselberg. In our farmed landscape hedges have the largest variety of microhabitats. In addition to the groves there is a herb layer—rich in species—a sunny herb fringe, coarse woody debris
Coarse woody debris
Coarse woody debris is a term used in English-speaking countries for fallen dead trees and the remains of large branches on the ground in forests. Some prefer the term coarse woody habitat . A dead standing tree is known as a snag and provides many of the same functions as coarse woody debris...
, and possibly special biotope
Biotope
Biotope is an area of uniform environmental conditions providing a living place for a specific assemblage of plants and animals. Biotope is almost synonymous with the term habitat, but while the subject of a habitat is a species or a population, the subject of a biotope is a biological community.It...
s, such as the piles of stones. Because of the transition from water-permeable to impermeable rock layers several spring horizons have emerged, explaining the richness of the springs. On Hesselberg there are several deep wells, but most springs appear in the form of flat swamp
Swamp
A swamp is a wetland with some flooding of large areas of land by shallow bodies of water. A swamp generally has a large number of hammocks, or dry-land protrusions, covered by aquatic vegetation, or vegetation that tolerates periodical inundation. The two main types of swamp are "true" or swamp...
s. The special flora and fauna of the wells is not immediately obvious, because most of the organisms are microscopic
Microscopic
The microscopic scale is the scale of size or length used to describe objects smaller than those that can easily be seen by the naked eye and which require a lens or microscope to see them clearly.-History:...
. Sundew
Sundew
Drosera, commonly known as the sundews, comprise one of the largest genera of carnivorous plants, with at least 194 species. These members of the family Droseraceae lure, capture, and digest insects using stalked mucilaginous glands covering their leaf surface. The insects are used to supplement...
is a very rare plant found in these wetlands.
Biodiversity of the forest
High forest (woodland)
High forest is a term for a woodland or forest with a well-developed natural structure. It is used in both ecology and woodland management, particularly in contrast with even-aged woodland types such as coppice and planted woodland....
, coppice-with-standards, coppice) and types (temperate coniferous forest, mixed forest, deciduous forest) of forests can be found. The coppice in the upper regions of the northern slope has the strangest appearance. After coppicing
Coppicing
Coppicing is a traditional method of woodland management which takes advantage of the fact that many trees make new growth from the stump or roots if cut down. In a coppiced wood, young tree stems are repeatedly cut down to near ground level...
more light reaches the ground and thermophile animals such as the Sand Lizard
Sand Lizard
The sand lizard is a lacertid lizard distributed across most of Europe and eastwards to Mongolia. It does not occur in the Iberian peninsula or European Turkey. Its distribution is often patchy....
thrive. Later, when the canopy closes again, many other specialised animals such as the Eurasian woodcock
Eurasian Woodcock
The Eurasian Woodcock, Scolopax rusticola, is a medium-small wading bird found in temperate and subarctic Eurasia. It has cryptic camouflage to suit its woodland habitat, with reddish-brown upperparts and buff-coloured underparts...
find a suitable habitat. All game
Game (food)
Game is any animal hunted for food or not normally domesticated. Game animals are also hunted for sport.The type and range of animals hunted for food varies in different parts of the world. This will be influenced by climate, animal diversity, local taste and locally accepted view about what can or...
that is typical of German forests (for example hare
European Hare
The European hare , also known as the brown hare, Eastern Jackrabbit and Eastern prairie hare, is a species of hare native to northern, central, and western Europe and western Asia. It is a mammal adapted to temperate open country. It is related to the similarly appearing rabbit, which is in the...
, roe
Roe Deer
The European Roe Deer , also known as the Western Roe Deer, chevreuil or just Roe Deer, is a Eurasian species of deer. It is relatively small, reddish and grey-brown, and well-adapted to cold environments. Roe Deer are widespread in Western Europe, from the Mediterranean to Scandinavia, and from...
, red fox
Red Fox
The red fox is the largest of the true foxes, as well as being the most geographically spread member of the Carnivora, being distributed across the entire northern hemisphere from the Arctic Circle to North Africa, Central America, and the steppes of Asia...
, and squirrel
Tree squirrel
Tree squirrels include over a hundred species that are found on all continents except Antarctica, and are the members of the squirrel family most commonly referred to as "squirrels"...
) are present in Hesselberg's woods. The drumming of woodpeckers
Picidae
The woodpeckers, piculets and wrynecks are a family, Picidae, of near-passerine birds. Members of this family are found worldwide, except for Australia and New Zealand, Madagascar, and the extreme polar regions...
and the crying of cuckoos
Common Cuckoo
The Common Cuckoo is a member of the cuckoo order of birds, Cuculiformes, which includes the roadrunners, the anis and the coucals....
contribute to the mood of the wood as well as the singing of countless birds. Various Ranunculaceae
Ranunculaceae
Ranunculaceae are a family of about 1700 species of flowering plants in about 60 genera, distributed worldwide....
—such as liverworts
Hepatica
Hepatica is a genus of herbaceous perennials in the buttercup family, native to central and northern Europe, Asia and eastern North America...
and wood anemones
Anemone nemorosa
Anemone nemorosa is an early-spring flowering plant in the genus Anemone in the family Ranunculaceae, native to Europe. Common names include wood anemone, windflower, thimbleweed and smell fox, an allusion to the musky smell of the leaves...
—are the signs of spring in Hesselberg's forests. In May ramsons
Ramsons
Ramsons — also known as buckrams, wild garlic, broad-leaved garlic, wood garlic, bear leek, and bear's garlic — is a wild relative of chives native to Europe and Asia...
turn the ground of the deciduous forest into a carpet of green and white blooms. After blooming the intense odour of garlic fills the air. The various species of orchids such as the Red Helleborine
Red Helleborine
Red Helleborine is an orchid found in Europe, north Africa and parts of Asia. Although reasonably common in parts of its range, this helleborine has always been one of the rarest orchids in Britain.-Distribution and habitat:...
have become increasingly rare. The Turk's-cap lily
Lilium martagon
Lilium martagon is a species of lily. It has a widespread native region extending from central Europe east through northern Asia to Mongolia and Korea. Several subspecies have been named. Horticulturally it is in Division 9, It is stem-rooting, growing between 1m and 2m tall...
, which belongs to the Lily family
Liliaceae
The Liliaceae, or the lily family, is a family of monocotyledons in the order Liliales. Plants in this family have linear leaves, mostly with parallel veins but with several having net venation , and flower arranged in threes. Several have bulbs, while others have rhizomes...
, can still be found relatively often but flower's diversity is in need of protection. The erica
Erica
Erica ,the heaths or heathers, is a genus of approximately 860 species of flowering plants in the family Ericaceae. The English common names "heath" and "heather" are shared by some closely related genera of similar appearance....
and the Cytisus scoparius
Cytisus scoparius
Cytisus scoparius, the Common Broom and Scotch Broom, syn. Sarothamnus scoparius, is a perennial leguminous shrub native to western and central Europe,....
prefer the iron sandstone layers of the lower parts of the slopes.
Appendix: sagas and legends
It is unsurprising that such a peculiar mountain with its associated history is shrouded in legends and sagas, many of these contain recognisable parallels to the real history of the area. In heavy thunder storms people recognised the remaining walls of the ruins as eerie figures and specters, which they associated with the former inhabitants of the castles. Later the castle remains were carried away and used as construction material elsewhere strengthening the image of castles sunk into the mountain. Three examples from the numerous legends of Hesselberg are provided:The legend of the Devil's Hole
The mountain's specter
Legend has it that a long time ago a big fortress stood upon Hesselberg. In that castle there lived a lord and his only daughter. The girl kept the house and had the keys for all the rooms. At that time the HunsHuns
The Huns were a group of nomadic people who, appearing from east of the Volga River, migrated into Europe c. AD 370 and established the vast Hunnic Empire there. Since de Guignes linked them with the Xiongnu, who had been northern neighbours of China 300 years prior to the emergence of the Huns,...
invaded the Hesselberg region, they burnt down the castle and the girl died within the ruins. Legend has it that she still haunts the mountain carrying her bunch of keys on her belt. She is seen mostly in Saturday night after the four Ember days
Ember days
In the liturgical calendar of the Western Christian churches, Ember days are four separate sets of three days within the same week — specifically, the Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday — roughly equidistant in the circuit of the year, that were formerly set aside for fasting and prayer...
.
The unsaved virgins of Schlößleinsbruck
Locals tell the story of the specters of three cursed virgins that live on the Schlößleinsbuck. Two of them are dressed completely in white, but the third one wears a black skirt. The three virgins appeared to a farm laborer, who tilled a field near the mountain. They begged him to follow them into the mountain to release them and that because he is of pure heart, he need not fear the evil forces of darkness. They told him that on the way into the mountain they would first meet six men who have beards to the floor and sit around a table. In the second room there would be sat a black dog with fervid eyes, holding a key in its mouth. The farm laborer should take this key, even if the dog is spitting fire. With this key would then be able to get into a chamber containing a great treasure, which would then belong to him. But the farm laborer became very scared and left the virgins unsaved. It is further told that the virgins still speak to brave men, who should follow them into the mountain in order to save them.External links
- tourist association Hesselberg e.V.
- Development Society Hesselberg Region mbH
- Protestant Education Center Hesselberg (Information concerning history)
- Landscape Conservation Association Middle Franconia (Project One day for the mountain)
- Find in Franconia: Hesselberg