Manhartsberg
Encyclopedia
Manhartsberg is a low, flat-lying mountain
ridge
in Lower Austria
. It rises to a maximum height of 537 m. It is the southeastern flank of the granite
Bohemian massif
.
The ridge runs from the Thaya river
up to the Wagram mountain range and is partly overlaid with Neogene
sediment
s, primarily clays, sands and gravels of the Vienna Basin formations. This ridge continues to the northeast into Moravia
in the area near Znojmo
. The Manhartsberg forms the southeastern edge of the Bohemian massif and constitutes the boundary between two parts of Lower Austria
, the upper quarter above the Manhartsberg (Waldviertel
) and the lower quarter under the Manhartsberg (Weinviertel
). On its west side runs the Kamp river. The western slopes of the Manhartsberg are part of the Kamptal-Schönberg nature park, which has been recognized by UNESCO
as an international geopark
, the Kamptal Geopark.
Above the town of Maissau, rich vein
s of amethyst
have been found in the Manhartsberg.
Next to one of the highest points on the ridge are the remains of a World War II
secret radar
installation, whose code name is unknown.
Mountain
Image:Himalaya_annotated.jpg|thumb|right|The Himalayan mountain range with Mount Everestrect 58 14 160 49 Chomo Lonzorect 200 28 335 52 Makalurect 378 24 566 45 Mount Everestrect 188 581 920 656 Tibetan Plateaurect 250 406 340 427 Rong River...
ridge
Ridge
A ridge is a geological feature consisting of a chain of mountains or hills that form a continuous elevated crest for some distance. Ridges are usually termed hills or mountains as well, depending on size. There are several main types of ridges:...
in Lower Austria
Lower Austria
Lower Austria is the northeasternmost state of the nine states in Austria. The capital of Lower Austria since 1986 is Sankt Pölten, the most recently designated capital town in Austria. The capital of Lower Austria had formerly been Vienna, even though Vienna is not officially part of Lower Austria...
. It rises to a maximum height of 537 m. It is the southeastern flank of the granite
Granite
Granite is a common and widely occurring type of intrusive, felsic, igneous rock. Granite usually has a medium- to coarse-grained texture. Occasionally some individual crystals are larger than the groundmass, in which case the texture is known as porphyritic. A granitic rock with a porphyritic...
Bohemian massif
Bohemian Massif
The Bohemian Massif; or Český masiv; is in the geology of Central Europe a large massif stretching over central Czech republic, eastern Germany, southern Poland and northern Austria...
.
The ridge runs from the Thaya river
Thaya
The Thaya is a river in Central Europe, tributary to the Morava River. It is about 235 km long and meanders from west to east in the border area between Lower Austria and South Moravia , but does not exactly follow the border in most parts...
up to the Wagram mountain range and is partly overlaid with Neogene
Neogene
The Neogene is a geologic period and system in the International Commission on Stratigraphy Geologic Timescale starting 23.03 ± 0.05 million years ago and ending 2.588 million years ago...
sediment
Sediment
Sediment is naturally occurring material that is broken down by processes of weathering and erosion, and is subsequently transported by the action of fluids such as wind, water, or ice, and/or by the force of gravity acting on the particle itself....
s, primarily clays, sands and gravels of the Vienna Basin formations. This ridge continues to the northeast into Moravia
Moravia
Moravia is a historical region in Central Europe in the east of the Czech Republic, and one of the former Czech lands, together with Bohemia and Silesia. It takes its name from the Morava River which rises in the northwest of the region...
in the area near Znojmo
Znojmo
Znojmo is a city in the South Moravian Region of the Czech Republic, near the border with Lower Austria, connected to Vienna by railway and road . The royal city of Znojmo was founded shortly before 1226 by King Ottokar I on the plains in front of Znojmo Castle...
. The Manhartsberg forms the southeastern edge of the Bohemian massif and constitutes the boundary between two parts of Lower Austria
Lower Austria
Lower Austria is the northeasternmost state of the nine states in Austria. The capital of Lower Austria since 1986 is Sankt Pölten, the most recently designated capital town in Austria. The capital of Lower Austria had formerly been Vienna, even though Vienna is not officially part of Lower Austria...
, the upper quarter above the Manhartsberg (Waldviertel
Waldviertel
The Waldviertel is the northwestern region of the Austrian state Lower Austria. It is bounded to the south by the Danube, to the southwest by Upper Austria, to the northwest and the north by the Czech Republic and to the east by the Manhartsberg , which is the survey point dividing Waldviertel...
) and the lower quarter under the Manhartsberg (Weinviertel
Weinviertel
The Weinviertel or Viertel unter dem Manhartsberg is located in the northeast of Lower Austria....
). On its west side runs the Kamp river. The western slopes of the Manhartsberg are part of the Kamptal-Schönberg nature park, which has been recognized by UNESCO
UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations...
as an international geopark
Geopark
A Geopark is defined by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization in its UNESCO Geoparks International Network of Geoparks programme as follows:...
, the Kamptal Geopark.
Above the town of Maissau, rich vein
Vein (geology)
In geology, a vein is a distinct sheetlike body of crystallized minerals within a rock. Veins form when mineral constituents carried by an aqueous solution within the rock mass are deposited through precipitation...
s of amethyst
Amethyst
Amethyst is a violet variety of quartz often used in jewelry. The name comes from the Ancient Greek ἀ a- and μέθυστος methustos , a reference to the belief that the stone protected its owner from drunkenness; the ancient Greeks and Romans wore amethyst and made drinking vessels of it in the belief...
have been found in the Manhartsberg.
Next to one of the highest points on the ridge are the remains of a World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
secret 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...
installation, whose code name is unknown.
