Köterberg
Encyclopedia
The Köterberg, at 495.8 m (1,626.6 ft) above sea level
, is the highest hill in the Lippe Uplands
and lies on the state border between North Rhine-Westphalia
and Lower Saxony
in North Germany. On its northern slopes is the village of Köterberg.
and south-southeast of Lügde
within whose municipal area its summit lies.
Its peak and much of the crest lie within North Rhine-Westphalia. Only a very narrow tongue of land belongs to Lower Saxony, albeit reaching to the summit with its lower reaches lying mainly within the valley of a stream. At the western end of this strip of land the districts of Lippe, Höxter and Holzminden meet at the summit.
In the German Main Triangulation Network (Deutsches Hauptdreiecksnetz or DHDN) the Köterberg is a major triangulation station with the name Lügde, Köterberg. The area of the summit is only wooded to the north which is why the hill is easy to recognise from afar and offers good views (see below).
a region whose basis is formed by Mesozoic
strata of Muschelkalk
and Keuper
. The hills itself is built on sandstone
s and marl
s of the Upper Keuper.
called it the Götzenberg in their German Legends (Nos. 9, 20), because it was here that folk prayed to the gods of the heath. The Köterberg was also the setting for their fairy tale The Three Little Birds
. Between 1796 and 1801 Karl Ludwig von Lecoq
incorporated the Keutersberg as a triangulation point in his military-topographical surveys.
In 1831/32 the first solid structure appeared on the highest point of the hill: a 15½-foot (4.9 m) high tower as a category 1 triangulation mark. The Köterberg was a station in the Prussian semaphore system
, which acted as a communication link between Berlin and Koblenz from 1832 to 1849. Since 1929 the Köterberghaus has stood on the summit. Two signs on the Köterberghaus give the height of the Köterberg, incorrectly, as 500 m AMSL. This error is often repeated in the advertising. Since 1971, a telecommunication tower has stood on the summit.
Today the Köterberg is sometimes referred to jokingly as Monte Wau-Wau.
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The telecommunication tower (a 'standard' tower
; 100 m or 330 ft high) on the summit of the Köterberg was built in 1971 by the Deutsche Bundespost
and handles wireless telephone
traffic.
The three different antenna towers on the hilltop are microwave radio relay stations, used for police
, fire service and amateur radio
relays as well as Bundeswehr
communications. The 70 cm amateur radio relay station, DB0KB, works on a frequency of 439.425 MHz.
The relay coupling (Relaiskopplung) is out of service.
The U.S. Army Communications Engineering and Installation Agency (USACEIA) installed a transmission and radio facility here from May 1984 to May 1985.
and Kaufungen Forest in Northe Hesse and to the Harz mountains that stretch across Lower Saxony
, Saxony-Anhalt
and Thuringia
.
The landmarks that can be seen include:
As a result of the good views and especially its open isolated location, in both respects similar to the Brocken in the Harz, the Köterberg gives the impression of being the highest point in the Weser Uplands, although the Solling is actually higher in four places (Große Blöße
, Großer Ahrensberg
, Moosberg
and Vogelherd). The hills of the Solling are however all heavily wooded, very nondescript and, from a distance, indistinguishable. The Köterberg is therefore known as the "Brocken of the Weser Uplands".
s often meet on the summit at weekends to chit-chat which results in a considerable number of motorbikes in the car park. Likewise, keen cyclists also ride up the Köterberg. The road between the village of Köterberg and the summit has a maximum gradient
of 14 %. Radio hams use the peak because of it is an excellent site for transmission and reception. In the Köterberghaus is a restaurant.
Sea level
Mean sea level is a measure of the average height of the ocean's surface ; used as a standard in reckoning land elevation...
, is the highest hill in the Lippe Uplands
Lippe Uplands
The Lippe Uplands is a range of hills in Ostwestfalen-Lippe within the administrative district of Detmold in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia.-Geography:...
and lies on the state border between North Rhine-Westphalia
North Rhine-Westphalia
North Rhine-Westphalia is the most populous state of Germany, with four of the country's ten largest cities. The state was formed in 1946 as a merger of the northern Rhineland and Westphalia, both formerly part of Prussia. Its capital is Düsseldorf. The state is currently run by a coalition of the...
and Lower Saxony
Lower Saxony
Lower Saxony is a German state situated in north-western Germany and is second in area and fourth in population among the sixteen states of Germany...
in North Germany. On its northern slopes is the village of Köterberg.
Geography
The Köterberg is located in the centre of the Weser Uplands, towering high above the surrounding land northwest of the town of HöxterHöxter
Höxter is the seat of the Höxter district, and a town in eastern North Rhine-Westphalia on the left bank of the river Weser, 52 km north of Kassel in the centre of the Weser Uplands...
and south-southeast of Lügde
Lügde
Lügde is a town in the Lippe district of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, with c. 11,000 inhabitants.The first written issue of Lügde appears in 784, in the annals of the Frankish Empire, when Charlemagne visited the village during the Saxon Wars....
within whose municipal area its summit lies.
Its peak and much of the crest lie within North Rhine-Westphalia. Only a very narrow tongue of land belongs to Lower Saxony, albeit reaching to the summit with its lower reaches lying mainly within the valley of a stream. At the western end of this strip of land the districts of Lippe, Höxter and Holzminden meet at the summit.
In the German Main Triangulation Network (Deutsches Hauptdreiecksnetz or DHDN) the Köterberg is a major triangulation station with the name Lügde, Köterberg. The area of the summit is only wooded to the north which is why the hill is easy to recognise from afar and offers good views (see below).
Geology
The Köterberg is part of the Lippe UplandsLippe Uplands
The Lippe Uplands is a range of hills in Ostwestfalen-Lippe within the administrative district of Detmold in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia.-Geography:...
a region whose basis is formed by Mesozoic
Mesozoic
The Mesozoic era is an interval of geological time from about 250 million years ago to about 65 million years ago. It is often referred to as the age of reptiles because reptiles, namely dinosaurs, were the dominant terrestrial and marine vertebrates of the time...
strata of Muschelkalk
Muschelkalk
The Muschelkalk is a sequence of sedimentary rock strata in the geology of central and western Europe. It has a Middle Triassic age and forms the middle part of the Germanic Trias, that further consists of the Buntsandstein and Keuper...
and Keuper
Keuper
The Keuper is a lithostratigraphic unit in the subsurface of large parts of west and central Europe. The Keuper consists of dolostone, shales or claystones and evaporites that were deposited during the Middle and Late Triassic epochs...
. The hills itself is built on 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,...
s 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...
s of the Upper Keuper.
History
The Köterberg was already being mentioned in Lippe's boundary deeds in the 16th century. The Brothers GrimmBrothers Grimm
The Brothers Grimm , Jacob Grimm and Wilhelm Grimm , were German academics, linguists, cultural researchers, and authors who collected folklore and published several collections of it as Grimm's Fairy Tales, which became very popular...
called it the Götzenberg in their German Legends (Nos. 9, 20), because it was here that folk prayed to the gods of the heath. The Köterberg was also the setting for their fairy tale The Three Little Birds
The Three Little Birds
The Three Little Birds is a German fairy tale collected by the Brothers Grimm, tale number 96. The story is originally written in Low German.It is Aarne-Thompson type 707, the dancing water, the singing apple, and the speaking bird....
. Between 1796 and 1801 Karl Ludwig von Lecoq
Karl Ludwig von Lecoq
Karl Ludwig von Lecoq or Karl Ludwig von Le Coq, born 23 September 1754 – died 14 February 1829, of French Huguenot ancestry, first joined the army of the Electorate of Saxony. He later tranferred his loyalty to the Kingdom of Prussia and fought during the French Revolutionary Wars, earning a...
incorporated the Keutersberg as a triangulation point in his military-topographical surveys.
In 1831/32 the first solid structure appeared on the highest point of the hill: a 15½-foot (4.9 m) high tower as a category 1 triangulation mark. The Köterberg was a station in the Prussian semaphore system
Prussian semaphore system
The Prussian Semaphore System was a telegraphic communications system used between Berlin and the Rhine Province from 1832 to 1849. It could transmit administrative and military messages by optical signal over a distance of nearly . The telegraph line comprised 62 stations each furnished with a...
, which acted as a communication link between Berlin and Koblenz from 1832 to 1849. Since 1929 the Köterberghaus has stood on the summit. Two signs on the Köterberghaus give the height of the Köterberg, incorrectly, as 500 m AMSL. This error is often repeated in the advertising. Since 1971, a telecommunication tower has stood on the summit.
Today the Köterberg is sometimes referred to jokingly as Monte Wau-Wau.
Telecommunication tower
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The telecommunication tower (a 'standard' tower
Typenturm
A Typenturm is a standardised telecommunications tower built of reinforced concrete the former German federal post office . Different types of tower were developed and built at different locations, like the series FMT 1 to FMT 16...
; 100 m or 330 ft high) on the summit of the Köterberg was built in 1971 by the Deutsche Bundespost
Deutsche Bundespost
The Deutsche Bundespost was created in 1947 as a successor to the Reichspost . Between 1947 and 1950 the enterprise was called Deutsche Post...
and handles wireless telephone
Telephone
The telephone , colloquially referred to as a phone, is a telecommunications device that transmits and receives sounds, usually the human voice. Telephones are a point-to-point communication system whose most basic function is to allow two people separated by large distances to talk to each other...
traffic.
The three different antenna towers on the hilltop are microwave radio relay stations, used for police
Police
The police is a personification of the state designated to put in practice the enforced law, protect property and reduce civil disorder in civilian matters. Their powers include the legitimized use of force...
, fire service and amateur radio
Amateur radio
Amateur radio is the use of designated radio frequency spectrum for purposes of private recreation, non-commercial exchange of messages, wireless experimentation, self-training, and emergency communication...
relays as well as Bundeswehr
Bundeswehr
The Bundeswehr consists of the unified armed forces of Germany and their civil administration and procurement authorities...
communications. The 70 cm amateur radio relay station, DB0KB, works on a frequency of 439.425 MHz.
The relay coupling (Relaiskopplung) is out of service.
The U.S. Army Communications Engineering and Installation Agency (USACEIA) installed a transmission and radio facility here from May 1984 to May 1985.
Field of view
Because the extensive summit plateau on the Köterberg, which can be accessed via a cul-de-sac road from Lügde-Köterberg, is almost unforested, it has easily the best all-round views, not just of the border region of the above-mentioned federal states, but for example even as far as the HabichtswaldHabichtswald
For the town in Germany, see Habichtswald, Hesse.The Habichtswald is a small mountain range, covering some 35 km2 and rising to a height of 615 m, immediately west of the city of Kassel in northern Hesse in Germany....
and Kaufungen Forest in Northe Hesse and to the Harz mountains that stretch across Lower Saxony
Lower Saxony
Lower Saxony is a German state situated in north-western Germany and is second in area and fourth in population among the sixteen states of Germany...
, Saxony-Anhalt
Saxony-Anhalt
Saxony-Anhalt is a landlocked state of Germany. Its capital is Magdeburg and it is surrounded by the German states of Lower Saxony, Brandenburg, Saxony, and Thuringia.Saxony-Anhalt covers an area of...
and Thuringia
Thuringia
The Free State of Thuringia is a state of Germany, located in the central part of the country.It has an area of and 2.29 million inhabitants, making it the sixth smallest by area and the fifth smallest by population of Germany's sixteen states....
.
The landmarks that can be seen include:
- BiesterfeldBiesterfeldBiesterfeld is currently a subdivision of the city of Lügde, GermanyBiesterfeld may also refer to:*Of Lippe-Biesterfeld family*Beatrice Yvonne Biesterfeld, the birth name of Yvonne Cormeau, a World War II heroine...
to the northwest - Desenberg near Warburg
- the Harz mountains including the Brocken
- HolzmindenHolzmindenHolzminden is a town in southern Lower Saxony, Germany. It is the capital of the district of Holzminden. It is located directly on the river Weser, which here is the border to North Rhine-Westphalia.-History:...
- the Kaufungen Forest
- HöxterHöxterHöxter is the seat of the Höxter district, and a town in eastern North Rhine-Westphalia on the left bank of the river Weser, 52 km north of Kassel in the centre of the Weser Uplands...
- the High HabichtswaldHabichtswaldFor the town in Germany, see Habichtswald, Hesse.The Habichtswald is a small mountain range, covering some 35 km2 and rising to a height of 615 m, immediately west of the city of Kassel in northern Hesse in Germany....
including the HerculesHercules monument (Kassel)The Hercules monument is an important landmark in the German city of Kassel. It is located in the "Bergpark Wilhelmshöhe", northern Hesse, Germany....
monument - the EggegebirgeEggegebirgeThe Eggegebirge is a range of low, forested mountains in the very east of the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia.-Geography:The Eggegebirge extends from the southern tip of the Teutoburger Wald range near Horn-Bad Meinberg southwards to the northern parts of the Sauerland near Marsberg...
including the ExternsteineExternsteineThe Externsteine are a distinctive rock formation located in Ostwestfalen-Lippe of northwestern Germany, not far from the city of Detmold at Horn-Bad Meinberg. The formation is a tor consisting of several tall, narrow columns of rock which rise abruptly from the surrounding wooded hills... - the Teutoburg ForestTeutoburg ForestThe Teutoburg Forest is a range of low, forested mountains in the German states of Lower Saxony and North Rhine-Westphalia which used to be believed to be the scene of a decisive battle in AD 9...
including the HermannsdenkmalHermannsdenkmalThe Hermannsdenkmal is a monument located in Ostwestfalen-Lippe in Germany in the Southern part of the Teutoburg Forest, which is southwest of Detmold in the district of Lippe...
As a result of the good views and especially its open isolated location, in both respects similar to the Brocken in the Harz, the Köterberg gives the impression of being the highest point in the Weser Uplands, although the Solling is actually higher in four places (Große Blöße
Große Blöße
At above sea level, the Große Blöße is the highest hill in the Solling-Vogler Nature Park, the Solling and the Weser Uplands .- Geographical location :...
, Großer Ahrensberg
Großer Ahrensberg
At the Großer Ahrensberg is one of the highest hills in the Solling range, which is located in southern Lower Saxony in Germany.This densely wooded hill lies about as the crow flies west-southwest of Dassel between the villages of Hellental and Schießhaus to the north and Silberborn to the south...
, Moosberg
Moosberg
The Moosberg is a 513.0 m high hill in the Solling range, which is located in southwestern Lower Saxony .- Geography :The hill lies in the "Hochsolling", the central and highest part of the Solling, which is surrounded by the Solling-Vogler Nature Park...
and Vogelherd). The hills of the Solling are however all heavily wooded, very nondescript and, from a distance, indistinguishable. The Köterberg is therefore known as the "Brocken of the Weser Uplands".
Tourism
In the summer months many bikerMotorcycling
Motorcycling is the act of riding a motorcycle. A variety of subcultures and lifestyles have been built up around motorcycling.-Benefits:Robert M. Pirsig's book Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance was a paean celebrating motorcycling...
s often meet on the summit at weekends to chit-chat which results in a considerable number of motorbikes in the car park. Likewise, keen cyclists also ride up the Köterberg. The road between the village of Köterberg and the summit has a maximum gradient
Gradient
In vector calculus, the gradient of a scalar field is a vector field that points in the direction of the greatest rate of increase of the scalar field, and whose magnitude is the greatest rate of change....
of 14 %. Radio hams use the peak because of it is an excellent site for transmission and reception. In the Köterberghaus is a restaurant.