Weper
Encyclopedia
The Weper is a long, high ridge of hills up to located in the district of Northeim in the German state of Lower Saxony
.
Part of the Weper is a nature reserve
with the same name which, with an area of 200 hectares (494.2 acre), is the large protected region of dry grassland
in Lower Saxony.
and reaches a height of at the summit of the Balos, belongs to the southern part of the Leine Uplands
. The ridge is located between the southeastern foothills of the Solling
to the west and the rather distant valley of the Leine to the east. It runs in a north-south direction west of the town of Moringen
, between Fredelsloh
in the north and Hardegsen
in the south. North of the Weper is the Ahlsburg
ridge (up to ), south is the small Gladeberg ridge (up to ). To the west and south the Weper is bypassed by the upper reaches of a left-hand, western tributary of the Leine, the Espolde
.
airfield on south-southeast of the Tönniesbergs and not far west of Nienhagen. On the Balos is the Sohnrey Hut (Sohnreyhütte), named after Heinrich Sohnrey who once lived in Nienhagen, from where the entire surrounding countryside can be viewed.
s and elevation
s of the Weper ridge include the:
s in and on the Weper ridge include (all in the catchment area
of the Leine
):
(clockwise from the north)
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...
.
Part of the Weper is a nature reserve
Nature reserve
A nature reserve is a protected area of importance for wildlife, flora, fauna or features of geological or other special interest, which is reserved and managed for conservation and to provide special opportunities for study or research...
with the same name which, with an area of 200 hectares (494.2 acre), is the large protected region of dry grassland
Grassland
Grasslands are areas where the vegetation is dominated by grasses and other herbaceous plants . However, sedge and rush families can also be found. Grasslands occur naturally on all continents except Antarctica...
in Lower Saxony.
Geography
The Weper, which lies in South Lower SaxonyLower 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...
and reaches a height of at the summit of the Balos, belongs to the southern part of the Leine Uplands
Leine Uplands
The Leine Uplands is a region in Germany's Central Uplands which forms a part of the Lower Saxon Hills and lies along the River Leine between Göttingen and Hanover...
. The ridge is located between the southeastern foothills of the Solling
Solling
The Solling is a range of hills up to high in the Weser Uplands in the German state of Lower Saxony, whose extreme southerly foothills extend into Hesse and North Rhine-Westphalia....
to the west and the rather distant valley of the Leine to the east. It runs in a north-south direction west of the town of Moringen
Moringen
Moringen is a town in the district Northeim, in the southern part of Lower Saxony, Germany. The town consists of the center Moringen and eight surrounding villages.-History:The town and its villages were founded over a thousand years ago....
, between Fredelsloh
Fredelsloh
Fredelsloh is a village in Lower Saxony in Germany close to the town of Northeim. The town is historically agricultural, but today derives much income from its traditional pottery shops. The village is centred on a very large church, which was formerly a mediaeval nunnery...
in the north and Hardegsen
Hardegsen
Hardegsen is a town in the district of Northeim, in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is situated approx. 15 km southwest of Northeim, and 15 km northwest of Göttingen....
in the south. North of the Weper is the Ahlsburg
Ahlsburg
The Ahlsburg is a range of hills, relatively small in area and up to , in the southern part of Lower Saxony .- Geography :The Ahlsburg hills run in a northwest to southeast direction and are around 10 km long and up to about 3 km wide. They are heavily wooded and belong to the Leine Uplands...
ridge (up to ), south is the small Gladeberg ridge (up to ). To the west and south the Weper is bypassed by the upper reaches of a left-hand, western tributary of the Leine, the Espolde
Espolde
Espolde is a river of Lower Saxony, Germany.-See also:*List of rivers of Lower Saxony...
.
Description
The Weper, much of which is covered by the eastern part of the Hardegsen State Forest, is heavily wooded in its narrow south, but largely open in the more extensive north. On the western slopes in the Weper Nature Reserve large areas are kept artificially open in order to preserve the dry chalk grasslands with their rare plant and animal species. Prior to the 19th century virtually the whole of the Weper was open before it was reforested. In the north there is a gliderGlider (sailplane)
A glider or sailplane is a type of glider aircraft used in the sport of gliding. Some gliders, known as motor gliders are used for gliding and soaring as well, but have engines which can, in some cases, be used for take-off or for extending a flight...
airfield on south-southeast of the Tönniesbergs and not far west of Nienhagen. On the Balos is the Sohnrey Hut (Sohnreyhütte), named after Heinrich Sohnrey who once lived in Nienhagen, from where the entire surrounding countryside can be viewed.
Hills
The hillHill
A hill is a landform that extends above the surrounding terrain. Hills often have a distinct summit, although in areas with scarp/dip topography a hill may refer to a particular section of flat terrain without a massive summit A hill is a landform that extends above the surrounding terrain. Hills...
s and elevation
Elevation
The elevation of a geographic location is its height above a fixed reference point, most commonly a reference geoid, a mathematical model of the Earth's sea level as an equipotential gravitational surface ....
s of the Weper ridge include the:
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Rivers
The riverRiver
A river is a natural watercourse, usually freshwater, flowing towards an ocean, a lake, a sea, or another river. In a few cases, a river simply flows into the ground or dries up completely before reaching another body of water. Small rivers may also be called by several other names, including...
s in and on the Weper ridge include (all in the catchment area
Drainage basin
A drainage basin is an extent or an area of land where surface water from rain and melting snow or ice converges to a single point, usually the exit of the basin, where the waters join another waterbody, such as a river, lake, reservoir, estuary, wetland, sea, or ocean...
of the Leine
Leine
The Leine is a river in Thuringia and Lower Saxony, Germany. It is a left tributary of the Aller river and 281 km in length.The river's source is located close to the town of Leinefelde in Thuringia...
):
- Bölle (rises on the southern edge of the Ahlsburg, passes the northeastern foothills of the Weper and is a western tributary of the Leine)
- DießeDießeDieße is a river of Lower Saxony, Germany.-See also:*List of rivers of Lower Saxony...
(rises on the eastern edge of the Solling, passes the northwestern foothills of the Weper and is a south-southwestern tributary of the IlmeIlmeThe Ilme is a left-bank, western tributary of the River Leine in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is 32.6 km long.- Geography :The river begins at the Neuer Teich pond in the centre of the Solling hills at a height of and flows initially northwards to Dassel, then in an easterly direction through...
) - EspoldeEspoldeEspolde is a river of Lower Saxony, Germany.-See also:*List of rivers of Lower Saxony...
(rises on the eastern edge of the Solling, passes the Weper to the west and south and is a western tributary of the Leine) - Moore (rises on the eastern slopes of the Weper and flows eastwards. It is a western tributary of the Leine)
- Ummelbach (rises on the southeastern slopes of the Weper and flows eastwards. It is a northwestern tributary of the Espolde)
Towns and villages
The towns, villages and hamlets around the Weper ridge are:(clockwise from the north)
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Hardegsen Hardegsen is a town in the district of Northeim, in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is situated approx. 15 km southwest of Northeim, and 15 km northwest of Göttingen.... (to the south)
|
External links
- Regulations of the Brunswick regional government concerning the Weper Nature Reserve (pdf file; 983 kB)