Westerwald
Encyclopedia
The Westerwald (ˈvɛstɐvalt; literally 'Western Forest') is a low mountain range
on the right bank of the River Rhine in the German federal states
of Rhineland-Palatinate
, Hesse
and North Rhine-Westphalia
. It is a part of the Rhine Massif (Rheinisches Schiefergebirge or Rhenish Slate
Mountains). Its highest elevation, at 657 m above sea level
, is the Fuchskaute in the High Westerwald.
Tourist attractions include the Dornburg (394 metres), site of some Celtic ruins from La Tène times
(5th to 1st century BC), found in the community of the same name
, and Limburg an der Lahn
, a town with a mediaeval
centre.
The geologically
old, heavily eroded
range of the Westerwald is in its northern parts overlaid by a volcanic
upland made of Tertiary
basalt
layers. It covers an area of some 50 × 70 km, and thereby roughly 3 000 km², making the Westerwald one of Germany
’s biggest mountain ranges by area. In areas of subsidence
, it has in its flatter western part (Lower Westerwald) the characteristics of rolling hills. Typical for the economy of the Upper Westerwald, some 40% of which is actually wooded, are traditional slate mining
, clay
quarry
ing, diabase
and basalt mining, pottery
and the iron ore industry, and among other things mining in the Siegerländer Erzrevier
(roughly “Siegerland Ore Grounds”). Despite its relatively slight elevation, the Westerwald has for a low mountain range a typical agreeable climate. Economically and culturally, it belongs among Germany’s best known mountain ranges.
The name “Westerwald” was first mentioned in 1048 in a document from the Electorate of Trier and described at that time the woodlands (Wald is German
for “forest” or “woods”) around the three churches in Bad Marienberg
, Rennerod
and Emmerichenhain, west of the royal court at Herborn
. Only since the mid 19th century has the name come into common usage for the whole range.
The High Westerwald has since the Middle Ages
formed the heart of the Herrschaft zum (also vom or auf dem) Westerwald (“Lordship over the Westerwald”). This comprised the three court districts of Marienberg, Emmerichenhain and Neukirch
. The Lordship later fell under the governance of the Lordship or County of Beilstein.
, Lahn-Dill
, Limburg-Weilburg
, Neuwied
, Rhein-Lahn
, Rhein-Sieg
, Westerwaldkreis
and partly in Siegen-Wittgenstein
. It is found south of the Rothaargebirge
, southwest of the Lahn-Dill-Bergland (another low mountain range), north of the Taunus
and east of the Middle Rhine
and stretches more or less southwards from Siegen
and Burbach, southwestwards from Haiger
, northwestwards from Weilburg
, northwards from Limburg an der Lahn
, northeastwards from Koblenz
, eastwards from Linz am Rhein
, southeastwards from Wissen
and southwards from Betzdorf
. In its centre lie Bad Marienberg and Hachenburg
.
Clockwise, the Westerwald is bordered by the following rivers’ valleys: the Rhine between Koblenz
and Linz
, the Sieg as far as Betzdorf, the Heller
, the Dill and from its mouth near Wetzlar
, the Lahn
up to Lahnstein
.
Geomorphologically
, the Westerwald belongs to the Rheinisches Schiefergebirge
(Rhenish Slate
Mountains), forming the greater part of that range’s eastern half on the Rhine’s right bank. Likewise, the Gladenbach Uplands
, lying east of the Dill, also belong to the Westerwald, whereas the mountains reaching up to 680 m near the Haiger Saddle (Haiger Sattel) and east of Siegen
are counted as part of the Rothaargebirge
.
(Westerwaldkreis) and Neuwied
(Neuwied district). Furthermore, the Lahn-Dill-Kreis, the Mayen-Koblenz
district, the Rhein-Lahn-Kreis and the Limburg-Weilburg district each have shares of the Westerwald. If Sieg is taken as the Westerwald’s northernmost limit, then the Rhein-Sieg district likewise belongs here, at least in parts (for example the Siebengebirge and the communities of Eitorf
and Windeck
).
n 8, 42, 49, 54, 62, 255, 256, 277, 413 and 414, over which there are connections to the Autobahnen A 3 (Cologne
–Frankfurt), A 45
(Dortmund
–Aschaffenburg
) and A 48.
Several railway lines also lead through the Westerwald, among them the Cologne-Frankfurt high-speed rail line with stops in Montabaur and Limburg an der Lahn. Moreover, the Westerwald can also be reached by air
through the Siegerland Airport
, which lies in the High Westerwald, south of Burbach.
, the Westerwald is part of the Rheinisches Schiefergebirge
, and likewise represents a heavily eroded remnant of a great Variscan
mountain system which in the Mesozoic
characterized a great deal of Europe
.
The Devonian
bedrock
is covered by volcanic masses from the Tertiary
, particularly basalt
and tuff
s. Economically important, besides slate, limestone
and clay quarry
ing, were, and still are, iron
and its processing industry between Rheintal
(Unkel, Linz) and the lower Wied, pumice
gravel in the Neuwied
Basin, various mineral springs and, once, brown coal
mining
.
The whole Westerwald region lay under a tropically warm arm of the sea in the Palaeozoic (600 to 270 million years ago). This sea deposited layers of sediments many kilometres thick into the Variscan geosyncline
, which were heavily folded in the orogeny
that followed. The towns of Siegen
and Koblenz
on the Westerwald’s north and southwest edges even gave two Lower Devonian layers, with their colourful slates, their names. The upper mountain layers are formed of volcanic strata made of basalt containing tuffs.
In a few areas, slate and clay have long been quarried, the latter notably in the so-called Kannenbäckerland, but also in a few other places where the clay is worked into the salt
-glazed
grey Westerwald Pottery
with cobalt blue
decoration. The pottery industry is centred around Höhr-Grenzhausen
. Exports, particularly to Italy
, are also important (more than one million metric tons each year). In the mid 16th century, potters from Raeren
in Belgium
migrated into the Westerwald, bringing with them some of their moulds
. This type of pottery was taken to the New World
and was found in the early Chesapeake settlements. Today one finds not only highly crafted moulded vases and mugs but also a range of handcrafted utility ware, with hand-painted swirling floral motifs.
In the eastern Westerwald (the part lying in Hesse) are found interesting limestone deposits from the most varied of geological times. Erdbach limestone from the Lower Carboniferous
gave one small time period the name “Erdbachian”.
Near Breitscheid are found the remnants of an atoll
from the subtropical Devonian sea that was here 380,000,000 years ago. Parts of this limestone formation are worked in open-pit mining
; near Enspel
, a “fossil
conservation area” has been instituted, in which institutes from several colleges
conduct research and excursions. A few karst
cave
s are of interest to spelaeology and bring about the temporary disappearance and reappearance of the Erdbach.
, these are some of the Westerwald’s highest elevations:
Weiher is a German word meaning “pond”.
(Iron Age
, roughly 750 to 500 BC). In all likelihood they came into the area from the Hunsrück
. From La Tène times
come the Celtic ringwall-girded defensive and sheltering castles which may be found on, among other peaks, the Malberg. Already by La Tène times, Germanic peoples
were thrusting in from the east and from the Sieg valley. They came about 380 BC into the Upper Westerwald, bypassing the High Westerwald, seeing it as nothing more than a trackless wooded wilderness, after which they eventually came up against the Rhine in the 2nd century.
were also pushing in from the Rhine's left bank to the southwest. However, the Romans only managed to seize a strip of land on the Rhine's right bank and the so-called Rhine-Westerwald; the Westerwald itself lay outside the Roman-occupied area, for the Romans preferred to maintain a little-settled, most likely pathless wilderness as their border.
(Hessians) pushing their way into the area after the Romans were driven out in the 3rd century. Placename endings such as –ar, –mar and –aha ("Haigraha" = Haiger
) stemming from the Migration Period
("Völkerwanderung") can still be found now. These lie around the forest's outer edges in basins and dales whose soils and climate were favourable to early settlers, and include, for instance, Hadamar
, Lahr
and Wetzlar
. From the 4th to the 6th century, the settlements from the time of the taking of the land arose in formerly pathless areas, taking endings such as –ingen and –heim, like Bellingen
and Bladernheim; these lie on the broad, raised plains in the Upper Westerwald.
built their old settlements on the edge of the Westerwald in the central areas of their districts, to build up slowly and permanently strongholds in the interior. There arose places with names ending in –rode, –scheid, –hahn, –berg, –tal and –seifen. Once clearing settlements had been established and logging
for iron ore smelting
was under way, the widespread destruction of the forest began. Between the 6th and 9th centuries came settlement expansion from the old settlements towards the edges, a process still witnessed in placename endings such as –hausen, –hofen, –kirch, –burg or –tal.
, in its oldest parts.
After many changes in ownership between the Ottonian and Salian
noble families, it was in the end the Counts of Sayn, Diez and Wied who managed to take hold of extensive landholdings. Particular importance was achieved by the Counts of Laurenburg, who later called themselves the Counts of Nassau
. In the east, the Landgraves of Hesse put it about that they could beat the Archbishopric of Mainz on the battlefield. Moreover, the Counts of Wied, the Counts of Sayn-Wittgenstein and the Electorate of Trier were all prominent landlords.
and Nassau
. After the Napoleonic upheavals, Nassau had to share broad swathes of the Westerwald with the newly minted power Prussia
. A sovereign Duchy of Nassau existed until it was annexed by Prussia in 1866.
Nowadays, the Westerwald is shared among three German federal states: Hesse, North Rhine-Westphalia and Rhineland-Palatinate.
, and particularly the Westerwaldlied (“Westerwald Song”), as well as Westerwald-Marsch (“Westerwald March”), Westerwald, du bist so schön (“Westerwald, you are so lovely”), the neues Westerwaldlied (“New Westerwald Song”) by songwriter Ulrik Remy, Ich bin aus 'm Westerwald (“I am from the Westerwald”) and Das schönste Mädchen vom Westerwald (“The Loveliest Girl from the Westerwald”) by Karl-Eberhard Hain and Jürgen Hardeck, made well known by "De Höhner
", "Die Schröders" and other groups.
term for a Westerwald dweller is Westerwälder (ˈvɛstɐvɛldɐ; plural: same), but they are also popularly known as Basaltköpp (“Basalt Heads”), as they are said to be thickheaded, and they live in a basalt-rich region. Wäller is another vernacular name for them.
One of the 12 best-rated hiking trails in Germany is the Westerwaldsteig. The Westerwaldsteig crosses the Westerwald from east (Herborn
) to west (Rhine).
Mountain range
A mountain range is a single, large mass consisting of a succession of mountains or narrowly spaced mountain ridges, with or without peaks, closely related in position, direction, formation, and age; a component part of a mountain system or of a mountain chain...
on the right bank of the River Rhine in the German federal states
States of Germany
Germany is made up of sixteen which are partly sovereign constituent states of the Federal Republic of Germany. Land literally translates as "country", and constitutionally speaking, they are constituent countries...
of Rhineland-Palatinate
Rhineland-Palatinate
Rhineland-Palatinate is one of the 16 states of the Federal Republic of Germany. It has an area of and about four million inhabitants. The capital is Mainz. English speakers also commonly refer to the state by its German name, Rheinland-Pfalz ....
, Hesse
Hesse
Hesse or Hessia is both a cultural region of Germany and the name of an individual German state.* The cultural region of Hesse includes both the State of Hesse and the area known as Rhenish Hesse in the neighbouring Rhineland-Palatinate state...
and 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...
. It is a part of the Rhine Massif (Rheinisches Schiefergebirge or Rhenish Slate
Slate
Slate is a fine-grained, foliated, homogeneous metamorphic rock derived from an original shale-type sedimentary rock composed of clay or volcanic ash through low-grade regional metamorphism. The result is a foliated rock in which the foliation may not correspond to the original sedimentary layering...
Mountains). Its highest elevation, at 657 m above sea level
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 Fuchskaute in the High Westerwald.
Tourist attractions include the Dornburg (394 metres), site of some Celtic ruins from La Tène times
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....
(5th to 1st century BC), found in the community of the same name
Dornburg, Hesse
Dornburg is a community in the Westerwald in Limburg-Weilburg district in Hesse, Germany.- Neighbouring communities :Dornburg borders in the north and west on communities in the Westerwaldkreis in Rhineland-Palatinate, with the other neighbours all lying in Limburg-Weilburg...
, and Limburg an der Lahn
Limburg an der Lahn
Limburg an der Lahn is the district seat of Limburg-Weilburg in Hesse, Germany.-Location:Limburg lies in western Hesse between the Taunus and the Westerwald on the river Lahn....
, a town with a mediaeval
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...
centre.
The geologically
Geology
Geology is the science comprising the study of solid Earth, the rocks of which it is composed, and the processes by which it evolves. Geology gives insight into the history of the Earth, as it provides the primary evidence for plate tectonics, the evolutionary history of life, and past climates...
old, heavily eroded
Erosion
Erosion is when materials are removed from the surface and changed into something else. It only works by hydraulic actions and transport of solids in the natural environment, and leads to the deposition of these materials elsewhere...
range of the Westerwald is in its northern parts overlaid by a volcanic
Volcano
2. Bedrock3. Conduit 4. Base5. Sill6. Dike7. Layers of ash emitted by the volcano8. Flank| 9. Layers of lava emitted by the volcano10. Throat11. Parasitic cone12. Lava flow13. Vent14. Crater15...
upland made of Tertiary
Tertiary
The Tertiary is a deprecated term for a geologic period 65 million to 2.6 million years ago. The Tertiary covered the time span between the superseded Secondary period and the Quaternary...
basalt
Basalt
Basalt is a common extrusive volcanic rock. It is usually grey to black and fine-grained due to rapid cooling of lava at the surface of a planet. It may be porphyritic containing larger crystals in a fine matrix, or vesicular, or frothy scoria. Unweathered basalt is black or grey...
layers. It covers an area of some 50 × 70 km, and thereby roughly 3 000 km², making the Westerwald one of Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
’s biggest mountain ranges by area. In areas of subsidence
Subsidence
Subsidence is the motion of a surface as it shifts downward relative to a datum such as sea-level. The opposite of subsidence is uplift, which results in an increase in elevation...
, it has in its flatter western part (Lower Westerwald) the characteristics of rolling hills. Typical for the economy of the Upper Westerwald, some 40% of which is actually wooded, are traditional slate mining
Mining
Mining 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...
, clay
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...
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...
ing, diabase
Diabase
Diabase or dolerite is a mafic, holocrystalline, subvolcanic rock equivalent to volcanic basalt or plutonic gabbro. In North American usage, the term diabase refers to the fresh rock, whilst elsewhere the term dolerite is used for the fresh rock and diabase refers to altered material...
and basalt mining, pottery
Pottery
Pottery is the material from which the potteryware is made, of which major types include earthenware, stoneware and porcelain. The place where such wares are made is also called a pottery . Pottery also refers to the art or craft of the potter or the manufacture of pottery...
and the iron ore industry, and among other things mining in the Siegerländer Erzrevier
Siegerland
The Siegerland is a region of Germany covering the old district of Siegen and the upper part of the district of Altenkirchen, belonging to the Rhineland-Palatinate adjoining it to the west.Geologically, the Siegerland belongs to the Rheinisches Schiefergebirge...
(roughly “Siegerland Ore Grounds”). Despite its relatively slight elevation, the Westerwald has for a low mountain range a typical agreeable climate. Economically and culturally, it belongs among Germany’s best known mountain ranges.
The name “Westerwald” was first mentioned in 1048 in a document from the Electorate of Trier and described at that time the woodlands (Wald is German
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
for “forest” or “woods”) around the three churches in Bad Marienberg
Bad Marienberg
Bad Marienberg is a town in the Westerwaldkreis in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany, and also the seat of the like-named Verbandsgemeinde, a kind of collective municipality.- Geography :...
, Rennerod
Rennerod
Rennerod is a town in the Westerwaldkreis in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is the administrative seat of the Verbandsgemeinde of Rennerod, a kind of collective municipality...
and Emmerichenhain, west of the royal court at Herborn
Herborn
Herborn is a historic town on the Dill in the Lahn-Dill district of Hesse in Germany. Before World War I, it was granted its own title as Nassauisches Rothenburg. The symbol or mascot of this town is a bear. Scenic attractions include its half-timbered houses; Herborn is located on the German...
. Only since the mid 19th century has the name come into common usage for the whole range.
The High Westerwald has since 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...
formed the heart of the Herrschaft zum (also vom or auf dem) Westerwald (“Lordship over the Westerwald”). This comprised the three court districts of Marienberg, Emmerichenhain and Neukirch
Stein-Neukirch
Stein-Neukirch is an Ortsgemeinde – a community belonging to a Verbandsgemeinde – in the Westerwaldkreis in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany.-Location:...
. The Lordship later fell under the governance of the Lordship or County of Beilstein.
Location
The Westerwald lies mostly southwest of the three-state common point shared by Rhineland-Palatinate, Hesse and North Rhine-Westphalia in the districts of AltenkirchenAltenkirchen (district)
Altenkirchen is a district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is bounded by the North Rhine-Westphalian districts Rhein-Sieg, Oberbergischer Kreis, Olpe and Siegen-Wittgenstein, and the districts of Westerwaldkreis and Neuwied....
, Lahn-Dill
Lahn-Dill-Kreis
Lahn-Dill is a Kreis in the west of Hesse, Germany. Neighboring districts are Siegen-Wittgenstein, Marburg-Biedenkopf, Gießen, Wetteraukreis, Hochtaunuskreis, Limburg-Weilburg, Westerwaldkreis.-History:...
, Limburg-Weilburg
Limburg-Weilburg
Limburg-Weilburg is a Kreis in the west of Hesse, Germany. Neighboring districts are Lahn-Dill, Hochtaunuskreis, Rheingau-Taunus, Rhein-Lahn, Westerwaldkreis.-History:...
, Neuwied
Neuwied (district)
Neuwied is a district in the north of Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. Neighboring districts are Rhein-Sieg, Altenkirchen, Westerwaldkreis, Mayen-Koblenz, Ahrweiler.-History:...
, Rhein-Lahn
Rhein-Lahn-Kreis
Rhein-Lahn is a district in the east of Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. Neighboring districts are Westerwaldkreis, Limburg-Weilburg, Rheingau-Taunus, Mainz-Bingen, Rhein-Hunsrück, Mayen-Koblenz, and the district-free city Koblenz.-History:With the Congress of Vienna the area was added to the duchy...
, Rhein-Sieg
Rhein-Sieg
The Rhein-Sieg-Kreis is a Kreis in the south of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Neighboring districts are Rheinisch-Bergischer Kreis, Oberbergischer Kreis, Altenkirchen, Neuwied, Ahrweiler, Euskirchen, Rhein-Erft-Kreis, the urban district of Cologne...
, Westerwaldkreis
Westerwaldkreis
The Westerwaldkreis is a district in the east of Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany...
and partly in Siegen-Wittgenstein
Siegen-Wittgenstein
Siegen-Wittgenstein is a Kreis in the southeast of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Neighboring districts are Olpe, Hochsauerlandkreis, Waldeck-Frankenberg, Marburg-Biedenkopf, Lahn-Dill, Westerwaldkreis, Altenkirchen.-History:...
. It is found south of the Rothaargebirge
Rothaargebirge
The Rothaargebirge is a low mountain range reaching heights of up to 843.1 m in North Rhine-Westphalia and Hesse, Germany....
, southwest of the Lahn-Dill-Bergland (another low mountain range), north of the Taunus
Taunus
The Taunus is a low mountain range in Hesse, Germany that composes part of the Rhenish Slate Mountains. It is bounded by the river valleys of Rhine, Main and Lahn. On the opposite side of the Rhine, the mountains are continued by the Hunsrück...
and east of the Middle Rhine
Middle Rhine
Between Bingen and Bonn, Germany, the Rhine River flows as the Middle Rhine through the Rhine Gorge, a formation created by erosion, which happened at about the same rate as an uplift in the region, leaving the river at about its original level, and the surrounding lands raised...
and stretches more or less southwards from Siegen
Siegen
Siegen is a city in Germany, in the south Westphalian part of North Rhine-Westphalia.It is located in the district of Siegen-Wittgenstein in the Arnsberg region...
and Burbach, southwestwards from Haiger
Haiger
Haiger is a country town in the Lahn-Dill-Kreis in Hesse, Germany. The nearest city is Siegen, about 25 km north of Haiger.-Location:Haiger lies about 5 km west of Dillenburg, and 20 km southeast of Siegen on the eastern edge of the Westerwald range, near where the three states of...
, northwestwards from Weilburg
Weilburg
Weilburg is, with just under 14,000 inhabitants, the third biggest town in Limburg-Weilburg district in Hesse, Germany, after Limburg an der Lahn and Bad Camberg.- Location :...
, northwards from Limburg an der Lahn
Limburg an der Lahn
Limburg an der Lahn is the district seat of Limburg-Weilburg in Hesse, Germany.-Location:Limburg lies in western Hesse between the Taunus and the Westerwald on the river Lahn....
, northeastwards from Koblenz
Koblenz
Koblenz is a German city situated on both banks of the Rhine at its confluence with the Moselle, where the Deutsches Eck and its monument are situated.As Koblenz was one of the military posts established by Drusus about 8 BC, the...
, eastwards from Linz am Rhein
Linz am Rhein
Linz am Rhein is a municipality in the district of Neuwied, in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is situated on the right bank of the river Rhine near Remagen, approx. 25 km southeast of Bonn and has about 6,000 inhabitants...
, southeastwards from Wissen
Wissen
Wissen is a town in the district of Altenkirchen, in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is situated on the river Sieg, approximately 12 km northeast of Altenkirchen.Wissen is the seat of the Verbandsgemeinde Wissen....
and southwards from Betzdorf
Betzdorf, Germany
Betzdorf is a town and municipality in northern Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is part of the district of Altenkirchen. Betzdorf is located on the river Sieg, approx. 15 km south-west of Siegen. Betzdorf is the seat of the Verbandsgemeinde Betzdorf...
. In its centre lie Bad Marienberg and Hachenburg
Hachenburg
-Geography:The town lies in the Westerwald between Koblenz and Siegen, roughly 10 km west of Bad Marienberg on the river Nister. Hachenburg is the administrative seat of the Verbandsgemeinde of Hachenburg, a kind of collective municipality .-The castle and the town:The castle , former seat of...
.
Clockwise, the Westerwald is bordered by the following rivers’ valleys: the Rhine between Koblenz
Koblenz
Koblenz is a German city situated on both banks of the Rhine at its confluence with the Moselle, where the Deutsches Eck and its monument are situated.As Koblenz was one of the military posts established by Drusus about 8 BC, the...
and Linz
Linz am Rhein
Linz am Rhein is a municipality in the district of Neuwied, in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is situated on the right bank of the river Rhine near Remagen, approx. 25 km southeast of Bonn and has about 6,000 inhabitants...
, the Sieg as far as Betzdorf, the Heller
Heller River
The Heller is a 29 km long river in western Germany. left tributary of the Sieg. The source is located near Burbach / Würgendorf. It flows into the river Sieg in Betzdorf. Its basin area is 204 km²....
, the Dill and from its mouth near Wetzlar
Wetzlar
Wetzlar is a city in the state of Hesse, Germany. Located at 8° 30′ E, 50° 34′ N, Wetzlar straddles the river Lahn and is on the German Timber-Framework Road which passes mile upon mile of half-timbered houses. Historically, the city has acted as the hub of the Lahn-Dill-Kreis on the north edge of...
, the Lahn
Lahn
The Lahn River is a -long, right tributary of the Rhine River in Germany. Its course passes through the federal states of North Rhine-Westphalia , Hesse , and Rhineland-Palatinate ....
up to Lahnstein
Lahnstein
Lahnstein is a verband-free town of Rhein-Lahn-Kreis in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is situated at the confluence of the Lahn River with the Rhine, approximately south of Koblenz...
.
Geomorphologically
Geomorphology
Geomorphology is the scientific study of landforms and the processes that shape them...
, the Westerwald belongs to the Rheinisches Schiefergebirge
Rheinisches Schiefergebirge
The Rhenish Massif is a geologic massif in western Germany, eastern Belgium, Luxembourg and northeastern France.The Rhenish Massif consists of the Belgian and French Ardennes, the German Eifel and east of the river Rhine the Sauerland and Siegerland. The Mosel and Hunsrück hills form its...
(Rhenish Slate
Slate
Slate is a fine-grained, foliated, homogeneous metamorphic rock derived from an original shale-type sedimentary rock composed of clay or volcanic ash through low-grade regional metamorphism. The result is a foliated rock in which the foliation may not correspond to the original sedimentary layering...
Mountains), forming the greater part of that range’s eastern half on the Rhine’s right bank. Likewise, the Gladenbach Uplands
Gladenbach Uplands
The Gladenbach Uplands , named after their central town of Gladenbach, is a range of hills up to 609 m high in the Rhine Massif in Germany, on the junction of the Rothaargebirge , Westerwald , Hintertaunus and West Hesse Highlands in the east.It lies in Central Hesse within the districts of...
, lying east of the Dill, also belong to the Westerwald, whereas the mountains reaching up to 680 m near the Haiger Saddle (Haiger Sattel) and east of Siegen
Siegen
Siegen is a city in Germany, in the south Westphalian part of North Rhine-Westphalia.It is located in the district of Siegen-Wittgenstein in the Arnsberg region...
are counted as part of the Rothaargebirge
Rothaargebirge
The Rothaargebirge is a low mountain range reaching heights of up to 843.1 m in North Rhine-Westphalia and Hesse, Germany....
.
The Westerwald’s regions
The Westerwald is divided by elevation into these three regions:- Unterer or Vorderer Westerwald, or Vorderwesterwald:
- Translated here as Lower Westerwald, this region borders on the Rhine and Lahn river valley landscapes and manifests itself as the western and southwestern part of the Westerwald, a heavily eroded mountain range with elevations ranging from 200 to 400 m. The subsidence areas found within (Dierdorfer Senke, Montabaurer Senke) are known for their clay deposits. Indeed, the name for this small region is the Kannenbäckerland, or “Jug Bakers’ Land”, a reference to the traditional ceramics industry here. In the southwest, in the richly wooded Montabaur Heights (Montabaurer Höhe) is found a monadnockMonadnockA monadnock or inselberg is an isolated rock hill, knob, ridge, or small mountain that rises abruptly from a gently sloping or virtually level surrounding plain...
made of quartziteQuartziteQuartzite is a hard metamorphic rock which was originally sandstone. Sandstone is converted into quartzite through heating and pressure usually related to tectonic compression within orogenic belts. Pure quartzite is usually white to gray, though quartzites often occur in various shades of pink...
, as well as the Malberg Conservation Area (Naturschutzgebiet Malberg). The SiebengebirgeSiebengebirgeThe Siebengebirge is a German range of hills to the East of the Rhine, southeast of Bonn, consisting of more than 40 mountains and hills. It is located in the municipalities of Bad Honnef and Königswinter. It is of volcanic origin and came into being between 28 and 15 million years ago...
joining the range in the northwest near BonnBonnBonn is the 19th largest city in Germany. Located in the Cologne/Bonn Region, about 25 kilometres south of Cologne on the river Rhine in the State of North Rhine-Westphalia, it was the capital of West Germany from 1949 to 1990 and the official seat of government of united Germany from 1990 to 1999....
(reaching 464 m) is, however, regionally grouped with the Middle RhineMiddle RhineBetween Bingen and Bonn, Germany, the Rhine River flows as the Middle Rhine through the Rhine Gorge, a formation created by erosion, which happened at about the same rate as an uplift in the region, leaving the river at about its original level, and the surrounding lands raised...
area.- Oberer Westerwald:
- Translated here as Upper Westerwald, this is a partly wooded land of volcanic crests with major basalt layers, above all in the area of the Westerwald Lake Plateau (Westerwälder Seenplatte), with elevations ranging from some 350 to 500 m. To the south, as part of the Lahn valley, the hilly Limburg Basin (Limburger Becken) abuts the Upper Westerwald.
- Hoher Westerwald:
- The High Westerwald is an undulating and basalt-rich tableland decked with woodlands that has a distinctly agreeable climate, and elevations ranging from roughly 450 to 657 m. Here is found the Fuchskaute, the Westerwald’s highest peak.
Places
District seats in the Westerwald are: Altenkirchen (Altenkirchen district), MontabaurMontabaur
Montabaur is a town and the district seat of the Westerwaldkreis in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. At the same time, it is also the administrative centre of the Verbandsgemeinde of Montabaur – a kind of collective municipality – to which 24 other communities belong...
(Westerwaldkreis) and Neuwied
Neuwied
Neuwied is a town in the north of the German state of Rhineland-Palatinate, capital of the District of Neuwied. Neuwied lies on the right bank of the Rhine, 12 km northwest of Koblenz, on the railway from Frankfurt am Main to Cologne...
(Neuwied district). Furthermore, the Lahn-Dill-Kreis, the Mayen-Koblenz
Mayen-Koblenz
Mayen-Koblenz is a district in the north of Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. Neighboring districts are Ahrweiler, Neuwied, Westerwaldkreis, district-free Koblenz, Rhein-Lahn, Rhein-Hunsrück, Cochem-Zell, and Vulkaneifel....
district, the Rhein-Lahn-Kreis and the Limburg-Weilburg district each have shares of the Westerwald. If Sieg is taken as the Westerwald’s northernmost limit, then the Rhein-Sieg district likewise belongs here, at least in parts (for example the Siebengebirge and the communities of Eitorf
Eitorf
Eitorf is a municipality in the Rhein-Sieg district, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is situated on the river Sieg, approx. 25 km east of Bonn....
and Windeck
Windeck
Windeck is a municipality in the Rhein-Sieg district, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is situated on the river Sieg, approx. 35 km east of Bonn and 35 km west of Siegen. Many think the municipality is named after the ruined castle of Windeck. But in fact the first place to be...
).
Transport connections
The Westerwald and its outer edges are crossed by stretches of BundesstraßeBundesstraße
Bundesstraße , abbreviated B, is the denotation for German and Austrian national highways.-Germany:...
n 8, 42, 49, 54, 62, 255, 256, 277, 413 and 414, over which there are connections to the Autobahnen A 3 (Cologne
Cologne
Cologne is Germany's fourth-largest city , and is the largest city both in the Germany Federal State of North Rhine-Westphalia and within the Rhine-Ruhr Metropolitan Area, one of the major European metropolitan areas with more than ten million inhabitants.Cologne is located on both sides of the...
–Frankfurt), A 45
Bundesautobahn 45
is an autobahn in Germany, connecting Dortmund in the west with Aschaffenburg in the southwest. It is colloquially known by its byname Sauerlandlinie, which derives from the Sauerland, the landscape which said autobahn is running through between the cities of Hagen and Siegen. Many people think of...
(Dortmund
Dortmund
Dortmund is a city in Germany. It is located in the Bundesland of North Rhine-Westphalia, in the Ruhr area. Its population of 585,045 makes it the 7th largest city in Germany and the 34th largest in the European Union....
–Aschaffenburg
Aschaffenburg
Aschaffenburg is a city in northwest Bavaria, Germany. The town of Aschaffenburg is not considered part of the district of Aschaffenburg, but is the administrative seat.Aschaffenburg is known as the Tor zum Spessart or "gate to the Spessart"...
) and A 48.
Several railway lines also lead through the Westerwald, among them the Cologne-Frankfurt high-speed rail line with stops in Montabaur and Limburg an der Lahn. Moreover, the Westerwald can also be reached by air
Civil aviation
Civil aviation is one of two major categories of flying, representing all non-military aviation, both private and commercial. Most of the countries in the world are members of the International Civil Aviation Organization and work together to establish common standards and recommended practices...
through the Siegerland Airport
Siegerland Airport
Siegerland Airport is an airport in Burbach near Siegen, Germany, in the Siegerland region. The airport is largely used for general aviation and parachuting, though there is also a small number of chartered passenger flights.-External links:*...
, which lies in the High Westerwald, south of Burbach.
Geology
GeologicallyGeology
Geology is the science comprising the study of solid Earth, the rocks of which it is composed, and the processes by which it evolves. Geology gives insight into the history of the Earth, as it provides the primary evidence for plate tectonics, the evolutionary history of life, and past climates...
, the Westerwald is part of the Rheinisches Schiefergebirge
Rheinisches Schiefergebirge
The Rhenish Massif is a geologic massif in western Germany, eastern Belgium, Luxembourg and northeastern France.The Rhenish Massif consists of the Belgian and French Ardennes, the German Eifel and east of the river Rhine the Sauerland and Siegerland. The Mosel and Hunsrück hills form its...
, and likewise represents a heavily eroded remnant of a great Variscan
Variscan orogeny
The Variscan orogeny is a geologic mountain-building event caused by Late Paleozoic continental collision between Euramerica and Gondwana to form the supercontinent of Pangaea.-Naming:...
mountain system which in the 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...
characterized a great deal of Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
.
The Devonian
Devonian
The Devonian is a geologic period and system of the Paleozoic Era spanning from the end of the Silurian Period, about 416.0 ± 2.8 Mya , to the beginning of the Carboniferous Period, about 359.2 ± 2.5 Mya...
bedrock
Bedrock
In stratigraphy, bedrock is the native consolidated rock underlying the surface of a terrestrial planet, usually the Earth. Above the bedrock is usually an area of broken and weathered unconsolidated rock in the basal subsoil...
is covered by volcanic masses from the Tertiary
Tertiary
The Tertiary is a deprecated term for a geologic period 65 million to 2.6 million years ago. The Tertiary covered the time span between the superseded Secondary period and the Quaternary...
, particularly basalt
Basalt
Basalt is a common extrusive volcanic rock. It is usually grey to black and fine-grained due to rapid cooling of lava at the surface of a planet. It may be porphyritic containing larger crystals in a fine matrix, or vesicular, or frothy scoria. Unweathered basalt is black or grey...
and tuff
Tuff
Tuff is a type of rock consisting of consolidated volcanic ash ejected from vents during a volcanic eruption. Tuff is sometimes called tufa, particularly when used as construction material, although tufa also refers to a quite different rock. Rock that contains greater than 50% tuff is considered...
s. Economically important, besides slate, limestone
Limestone
Limestone is a sedimentary rock composed largely of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of calcium carbonate . Many limestones are composed from skeletal fragments of marine organisms such as coral or foraminifera....
and clay 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...
ing, were, and still are, 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...
and its processing industry between Rheintal
Rheintal
Rheintal is a Wahlkreis of the Canton of St. Gallen, Switzerland, formed under the new constitution of the canton on 10 June 2001...
(Unkel, Linz) and the lower Wied, pumice
Pumice
Pumice is a textural term for a volcanic rock that is a solidified frothy lava typically created when super-heated, highly pressurized rock is violently ejected from a volcano. It can be formed when lava and water are mixed. This unusual formation is due to the simultaneous actions of rapid...
gravel in the Neuwied
Neuwied
Neuwied is a town in the north of the German state of Rhineland-Palatinate, capital of the District of Neuwied. Neuwied lies on the right bank of the Rhine, 12 km northwest of Koblenz, on the railway from Frankfurt am Main to Cologne...
Basin, various mineral springs and, once, brown coal
Lignite
Lignite, often referred to as brown coal, or Rosebud coal by Northern Pacific Railroad,is a soft brown fuel with characteristics that put it somewhere between coal and peat...
mining
Mining
Mining 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...
.
The whole Westerwald region lay under a tropically warm arm of the sea in the Palaeozoic (600 to 270 million years ago). This sea deposited layers of sediments many kilometres thick into the Variscan geosyncline
Geosyncline
In geology, geosyncline is a term still occasionally used for a subsiding linear trough that was caused by the accumulation of sedimentary rock strata deposited in a basin and subsequently compressed, deformed, and uplifted into a mountain range, with attendant volcanism and plutonism...
, which were heavily folded in the orogeny
Orogeny
Orogeny refers to forces and events leading to a severe structural deformation of the Earth's crust due to the engagement of tectonic plates. Response to such engagement results in the formation of long tracts of highly deformed rock called orogens or orogenic belts...
that followed. The towns of Siegen
Siegen
Siegen is a city in Germany, in the south Westphalian part of North Rhine-Westphalia.It is located in the district of Siegen-Wittgenstein in the Arnsberg region...
and Koblenz
Koblenz
Koblenz is a German city situated on both banks of the Rhine at its confluence with the Moselle, where the Deutsches Eck and its monument are situated.As Koblenz was one of the military posts established by Drusus about 8 BC, the...
on the Westerwald’s north and southwest edges even gave two Lower Devonian layers, with their colourful slates, their names. The upper mountain layers are formed of volcanic strata made of basalt containing tuffs.
Salt
In chemistry, salts are ionic compounds that result from the neutralization reaction of an acid and a base. They are composed of cations and anions so that the product is electrically neutral...
-glazed
Ceramic glaze
Glaze is a layer or coating of a vitreous substance which has been fired to fuse to a ceramic object to color, decorate, strengthen or waterproof it.-Use:...
grey Westerwald Pottery
Westerwald Pottery
Westerwald Pottery or Stoneware is a distinctive type of salt glazed grey pottery from the Höhr-Grenzhausen and Ransbach-Baumbach area of Westerwaldkreis in Rheinland-Pfalz, Germany.It is known as Kannenbäckerland Stoneware...
with cobalt blue
Cobalt blue
Cobalt blue is a cool, slightly desaturated blue color, historically made using cobalt salts of alumina. It is used in certain ceramics and painting; the different cobalt pigment smalt, based on silica, is more often used directly in tinted transparent glasses...
decoration. The pottery industry is centred around Höhr-Grenzhausen
Höhr-Grenzhausen
Höhr-Grenzhausen is a town in the Westerwaldkreis in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is a centre for the ceramic industry in the Kannenbäckerland with a professional college for ceramics, another for ceramic form, and many others, hence the nickname Kannenbäckerstadt .Together with the...
. Exports, particularly to Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, are also important (more than one million metric tons each year). In the mid 16th century, potters from Raeren
Raeren
Raeren is a municipality located in the Belgian province of Liège. It was part of Germany until the First World War, after which it became part of Belgium. It is one of several towns in Eastern Belgium which still predominantly speak German....
in Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
migrated into the Westerwald, bringing with them some of their moulds
Molding (process)
Molding or moulding is the process of manufacturing by shaping pliable raw material using a rigid frame or model called a pattern....
. This type of pottery was taken to the New World
New World
The New World is one of the names used for the Western Hemisphere, specifically America and sometimes Oceania . The term originated in the late 15th century, when America had been recently discovered by European explorers, expanding the geographical horizon of the people of the European middle...
and was found in the early Chesapeake settlements. Today one finds not only highly crafted moulded vases and mugs but also a range of handcrafted utility ware, with hand-painted swirling floral motifs.
In the eastern Westerwald (the part lying in Hesse) are found interesting limestone deposits from the most varied of geological times. Erdbach limestone from the Lower Carboniferous
Carboniferous
The Carboniferous is a geologic period and system that extends from the end of the Devonian Period, about 359.2 ± 2.5 Mya , to the beginning of the Permian Period, about 299.0 ± 0.8 Mya . The name is derived from the Latin word for coal, carbo. Carboniferous means "coal-bearing"...
gave one small time period the name “Erdbachian”.
Near Breitscheid are found the remnants of an atoll
Atoll
An atoll is a coral island that encircles a lagoon partially or completely.- Usage :The word atoll comes from the Dhivehi word atholhu OED...
from the subtropical Devonian sea that was here 380,000,000 years ago. Parts of this limestone formation are worked in open-pit mining
Open-pit mining
Open-pit mining or opencast mining refers to a method of extracting rock or minerals from the earth by their removal from an open pit or borrow....
; near Enspel
Enspel
Enspel is an Ortsgemeinde – a community belonging to a Verbandsgemeinde – in the Westerwaldkreis in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany.-Location:...
, a “fossil
Fossil
Fossils are the preserved remains or traces of animals , plants, and other organisms from the remote past...
conservation area” has been instituted, in which institutes from several colleges
Hochschule
Hochschule is a German term with two meanings.The literal meaning of the word Hochschule is “high school” which is not appropriate as a translation.- Generic term :...
conduct research and excursions. A few karst
Karst topography
Karst topography is a geologic formation shaped by the dissolution of a layer or layers of soluble bedrock, usually carbonate rock such as limestone or dolomite, but has also been documented for weathering resistant rocks like quartzite given the right conditions.Due to subterranean drainage, there...
cave
Cave
A cave or cavern is a natural underground space large enough for a human to enter. The term applies to natural cavities some part of which is in total darkness. The word cave also includes smaller spaces like rock shelters, sea caves, and grottos.Speleology is the science of exploration and study...
s are of interest to spelaeology and bring about the temporary disappearance and reappearance of the Erdbach.
Mountains
The Westerwald’s highest mountain is the Fuchskaute in the High Westerwald, whose somewhat surprising name means, “Fox Hollow”. This apparently refers to a spot on the mountain that the fox used for his lair (the "hollow"). Many peaks and crests exceed the 600-m level. Sorted by elevation above sea levelSea level
Mean sea level is a measure of the average height of the ocean's surface ; used as a standard in reckoning land elevation...
, these are some of the Westerwald’s highest elevations:
- Fuchskaute (657 m), near Willingen, Westerwaldkreis, Rhineland-Palatinate
- Stegskopf (654 m), near Emmerzhausen, Altenkirchen district, Rhineland-Palatinate
- Salzburger Kopf (653 m), near Salzburg, Westerwaldkreis, Rhineland-Palatinate
- Höllberg (643 m), near Driedorf, Lahn-Dill-Kreis, Hesse
- Auf der Baar (618 m), near Driedorf/Breitscheid, Lahn-Dill-Kreis, Hesse
- Barstein (614 m), near Breitscheid, Lahn-Dill-Kreis, Hesse
- Knoten (605 m), near Driedorf, Lahn-Dill-Kreis, Hesse
- Die Höh (598 m), near Burbach, Siegen-Wittgenstein, North Rhine-Westphalia
- Köppel (540 m), near Montabaur, Westerwaldkreis, Rhineland-Palatinate
- Hohenseelbachskopf (530 m), near Daaden, Siegen-Wittgenstein and Altenkirchen district, North Rhine-Westphalia and Rhineland-Palatinate
- Mahlscheid (509 m), near Herdorf, Siegen-Wittgenstein and Altenkirchen district, North Rhine-Westphalia and Rhineland-Palatinate
- Malberg (422 m), near Ötzingen, Westerwaldkreis, Rhineland-Palatinate
- Hummelsberg (389 m), near Linz am Rhein, Neuwied district, Rhineland-Palatinate
- Beulskopf (388 m), near Altenkirchen, Altenkirchen district, Rhineland-Palatinate
Flowing waters
The following are the Westerwald’s rivers and streams:- RiverRiverA 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 whose valley systems border the range (clockwise): - Smaller rivers within the range:
- Sayn – in the southern (Lower) Westerwald, flows west to the Rhine
- Wied (between Sieg und Sayn) – flows west to the Rhine
- Nister (in the northeast, boundary of Upper Westerwald) – flows northwest to the Sieg
- Elbbach (Sieg) – near Wissen to the Sieg
- HellerHeller RiverThe Heller is a 29 km long river in western Germany. left tributary of the Sieg. The source is located near Burbach / Würgendorf. It flows into the river Sieg in Betzdorf. Its basin area is 204 km²....
– rises in northern Westerwald and flows through the SiegerlandSiegerlandThe Siegerland is a region of Germany covering the old district of Siegen and the upper part of the district of Altenkirchen, belonging to the Rhineland-Palatinate adjoining it to the west.Geologically, the Siegerland belongs to the Rheinisches Schiefergebirge...
to Betzdorf and into the Sieg. - Elbbach (Lahn) – near AilertchenAilertchenAilertchen is an Ortsgemeinde – a community belonging to a Verbandsgemeinde – in the Westerwaldkreis in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. Since 1972 it has belonged to what was then the newly founded Verbandsgemeinde of Westerburg, a kind of collective municipality.- Geography :Ailertchen lies...
to the Lahn - Daade – empties between Alsdorf and Grünebach into the Heller.
- Greater streams and brooks:
- Aubach, Brexbach, Dietzhölze, Erdbach, Fockenbach, Gelbach, Hellerbach, Holzbach, Kerkerbach, Masselbach, Saynbach, Ulmbach.
Standing waters
- Breitenbachtalsperre (Rennerod) (reservoirReservoirA reservoir , artificial lake or dam is used to store water.Reservoirs may be created in river valleys by the construction of a dam or may be built by excavation in the ground or by conventional construction techniques such as brickwork or cast concrete.The term reservoir may also be used to...
) - Stausee Driedorf (reservoir)
- Großer Weiher
- Fischweiher
- Heisterberger Weiher
- Krombachtalsperre (reservoir)
- Seeweiher near MengerskirchenMengerskirchen-Neighbouring communities:Mengerskirchen borders in the north on the community of Greifenstein , in the east on the community of Löhnberg, in the south on the communities of Merenberg and Waldbrunn , and in the west on the communities of Neunkirchen, Elsoff and Oberrod .-Constituent...
- Waagweiher
- Waldsee Maroth
- Westerwälder Seenplatte (Westerwald Lake Plateau)
- Brinkenweiher
- Dreifelder Weiher (or Seeweiher)
- Haidenweiher
- Hausweiher
- Hofmannsweiher
- Postweiher
- Wölferlinger Weiher
- WiesenseeWiesenseeThe Wiesensee is an artificial lake, dammed up in 1971, in the Westerwald low mountain range. The lake covers about 80 hectares and lies in the area of Stahlhofen am Wiesensee's various centres on the lake's west shore, and Pottum on the north shore in the Westerwaldkreis. The community of Winnen...
(reservoir)
Weiher is a German word meaning “pond”.
Early times
Through prehistoric finds it can be determined that the Celts settled in the Westerwald and were using the iron ore deposits in the so-called Hallstatt timesHallstatt culture
The Hallstatt culture was the predominant Central European culture from the 8th to 6th centuries BC , developing out of the Urnfield culture of the 12th century BC and followed in much of Central Europe by the La Tène culture.By the 6th century BC, the Hallstatt culture extended for some...
(Iron Age
Iron Age
The Iron Age is the archaeological period generally occurring after the Bronze Age, marked by the prevalent use of iron. The early period of the age is characterized by the widespread use of iron or steel. The adoption of such material coincided with other changes in society, including differing...
, roughly 750 to 500 BC). In all likelihood they came into the area from the Hunsrück
Hunsrück
The Hunsrück is a low mountain range in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is bounded by the river valleys of the Moselle , the Nahe , and the Rhine . The Hunsrück is continued by the Taunus mountains on the eastern side of the Rhine. In the north behind the Moselle it is continued by the Eifel...
. From La Tène times
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....
come the Celtic ringwall-girded defensive and sheltering castles which may be found on, among other peaks, the Malberg. Already by La Tène times, 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...
were thrusting in from the east and from the Sieg valley. They came about 380 BC into the Upper Westerwald, bypassing the High Westerwald, seeing it as nothing more than a trackless wooded wilderness, after which they eventually came up against the Rhine in the 2nd century.
Roman times
Even in the time when the Celts found themselves having to avoid the Germanic invaders by moving to the west, the RomansAncient Rome
Ancient Rome was a thriving civilization that grew on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 8th century BC. Located along the Mediterranean Sea and centered on the city of Rome, it expanded to one of the largest empires in the ancient world....
were also pushing in from the Rhine's left bank to the southwest. However, the Romans only managed to seize a strip of land on the Rhine's right bank and the so-called Rhine-Westerwald; the Westerwald itself lay outside the Roman-occupied area, for the Romans preferred to maintain a little-settled, most likely pathless wilderness as their border.
Chatti times
The Westerwald's permanent settlement and thereby its territorial history began with the ChattiChatti
The Chatti were an ancient Germanic tribe whose homeland was near the upper Weser. They settled in central and northern Hesse and southern Lower Saxony, along the upper reaches of the Weser River and in the valleys and mountains of the Eder, Fulda and Weser River regions, a district approximately...
(Hessians) pushing their way into the area after the Romans were driven out in the 3rd century. Placename endings such as –ar, –mar and –aha ("Haigraha" = Haiger
Haiger
Haiger is a country town in the Lahn-Dill-Kreis in Hesse, Germany. The nearest city is Siegen, about 25 km north of Haiger.-Location:Haiger lies about 5 km west of Dillenburg, and 20 km southeast of Siegen on the eastern edge of the Westerwald range, near where the three states of...
) stemming from the 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...
("Völkerwanderung") can still be found now. These lie around the forest's outer edges in basins and dales whose soils and climate were favourable to early settlers, and include, for instance, Hadamar
Hadamar
Hadamar is a small town in Limburg-Weilburg district in Hesse, Germany.Hadamar is known for its Clinic for Forensic Psychiatry/Centre for Social Psychiatry, lying at the edge of town, in whose outlying buildings is also found the Hadamar Memorial...
, Lahr
Waldbrunn, Hesse
Waldbrunn is a community in Limburg-Weilburg district in Hesse, Germany.-Location:The community lies in the southern Westerwald. Within the municipal area rises the Kerkerbach, which flows through the centres of Fussingen and Lahr...
and Wetzlar
Wetzlar
Wetzlar is a city in the state of Hesse, Germany. Located at 8° 30′ E, 50° 34′ N, Wetzlar straddles the river Lahn and is on the German Timber-Framework Road which passes mile upon mile of half-timbered houses. Historically, the city has acted as the hub of the Lahn-Dill-Kreis on the north edge of...
. From the 4th to the 6th century, the settlements from the time of the taking of the land arose in formerly pathless areas, taking endings such as –ingen and –heim, like Bellingen
Bellingen
Bellingen may refer to:*Bellingen, Rhineland-Palatinate, a municipality in the district Westerwaldkreis, in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany*Bellingen, Saxony-Anhalt, a municipality in the district of Stendal, in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany...
and Bladernheim; these lie on the broad, raised plains in the Upper Westerwald.
Frankish times
The FranksFranks
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...
built their old settlements on the edge of the Westerwald in the central areas of their districts, to build up slowly and permanently strongholds in the interior. There arose places with names ending in –rode, –scheid, –hahn, –berg, –tal and –seifen. Once clearing settlements had been established and logging
Logging
Logging is the cutting, skidding, on-site processing, and loading of trees or logs onto trucks.In forestry, the term logging is sometimes used in a narrow sense concerning the logistics of moving wood from the stump to somewhere outside the forest, usually a sawmill or a lumber yard...
for iron ore smelting
Smelting
Smelting is a form of extractive metallurgy; its main use is to produce a metal from its ore. This includes iron extraction from iron ore, and copper extraction and other base metals from their ores...
was under way, the widespread destruction of the forest began. Between the 6th and 9th centuries came settlement expansion from the old settlements towards the edges, a process still witnessed in placename endings such as –hausen, –hofen, –kirch, –burg or –tal.
Middle Ages
The last settlement period in the Westerwald began in the 10th century and ended about 1300. Through Carolingian policy and therefore the Trier and Cologne mission, this area underwent Christianization. Trier advanced up the Lahn, Cologne to the Rhine and Sieg. Trier-Lothringian and Lower Rhine influences were nevertheless brought into the Westerwald. Among the witnesses to the art of building at that time is the monastery church at Limburg-DietkirchenDietkirchen
Dietkirchen an der Lahn is a borough of Limburg an der Lahn, seat of the district of Limburg-Weilburg in the state of Hesse, Germany. The formerly independent village was incorporated into Limburg in 1971. The town is dominated by the St...
, in its oldest parts.
After many changes in ownership between the Ottonian and Salian
Salian dynasty
The Salian dynasty was a dynasty in the High Middle Ages of four German Kings , also known as the Frankish dynasty after the family's origin and role as dukes of Franconia...
noble families, it was in the end the Counts of Sayn, Diez and Wied who managed to take hold of extensive landholdings. Particular importance was achieved by the Counts of Laurenburg, who later called themselves the Counts of Nassau
Nassau, Germany
Nassau is a town located in the German Land of Rhineland-Palatinate. It lies in the Lahn River valley between the cities of Bad Ems and Limburg an der Lahn. Nassau is the seat of the Verbandsgemeinde of Nassau. The town is on the German-Dutch holiday road, the Orange Route...
. In the east, the Landgraves of Hesse put it about that they could beat the Archbishopric of Mainz on the battlefield. Moreover, the Counts of Wied, the Counts of Sayn-Wittgenstein and the Electorate of Trier were all prominent landlords.
Modern times
Political relations were simplified until the 16th century. Among the four greater powers' spheres of influence (Mainz, Cologne, Trier, Hesse), the House of Nassau managed to expand and strengthen its hold its territory on the Dill between SiegenSiegen
Siegen is a city in Germany, in the south Westphalian part of North Rhine-Westphalia.It is located in the district of Siegen-Wittgenstein in the Arnsberg region...
and Nassau
Nassau, Germany
Nassau is a town located in the German Land of Rhineland-Palatinate. It lies in the Lahn River valley between the cities of Bad Ems and Limburg an der Lahn. Nassau is the seat of the Verbandsgemeinde of Nassau. The town is on the German-Dutch holiday road, the Orange Route...
. After the Napoleonic upheavals, Nassau had to share broad swathes of the Westerwald with the newly minted power 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...
. A sovereign Duchy of Nassau existed until it was annexed by Prussia in 1866.
Nowadays, the Westerwald is shared among three German federal states: Hesse, North Rhine-Westphalia and Rhineland-Palatinate.
Famous people
- John Peter AltgeldJohn Peter AltgeldJohn Peter Altgeld was the 20th Governor of the U.S. state of Illinois from 1893 until 1897. He was the first Democratic governor of that state since the 1850s...
(Governor of IllinoisGovernor of IllinoisThe Governor of Illinois is the chief executive of the State of Illinois and the various agencies and departments over which the officer has jurisdiction, as prescribed in the state constitution. It is a directly elected position, votes being cast by popular suffrage of residents of the state....
) - Sabine BätzingSabine BätzingSabine Bätzing-Lichtenthäler is a German politician and member of the SPD.She has been a member of the Bundestag since 2002 and, from 2005 until 2009, the German government's commissioner on drug-related issues.- External links :*...
(German politicianPoliticianA politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...
, SPDSocial Democratic Party of GermanyThe Social Democratic Party of Germany is a social-democratic political party in Germany...
) - Hans-Arthur Bauckhage (German politician, FDPFree Democratic Party (Germany)The Free Democratic Party , abbreviated to FDP, is a centre-right classical liberal political party in Germany. It is led by Philipp Rösler and currently serves as the junior coalition partner to the Union in the German federal government...
) - Johann Wilhelm Bausch (BishopBishopA bishop is an ordained or consecrated member of the Christian clergy who is generally entrusted with a position of authority and oversight. Within the Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox Churches, in the Assyrian Church of the East, in the Independent Catholic Churches, and in the...
of Limburg 1834–1840) - Joseph Blank (German politician, CDUChristian Democratic Union (Germany)The Christian Democratic Union of Germany is a Christian democratic and conservative political party in Germany. It is regarded as on the centre-right of the German political spectrum...
) - Theodor BlankTheodor BlankTheodor Anton Blank was a German politician of the CDU. He was one of the founders of the CDU in 1945....
(former Federal minister, CDU) - Wilhelm Boden (German politician, CDU; Premier of Rhineland-Palatinate 1946–1947)
- Katja Burkard (German televisionTelevisionTelevision is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
moderator) - Ralph Dommermuth (entrepreneurEntrepreneurAn entrepreneur is an owner or manager of a business enterprise who makes money through risk and initiative.The term was originally a loanword from French and was first defined by the Irish-French economist Richard Cantillon. Entrepreneur in English is a term applied to a person who is willing to...
) - Paul DeussenPaul DeussenPaul Jakob Deussen was a German Orientalist and Sanskrit scholar. He was influenced by Arthur Schopenhauer. He was also a friend of Friedrich Nietzsche and Swami Vivekananda.In 1911, he founded the Schopenhauer Society...
(German philosophic historian and IndologistIndologyIndology is the academic study of the history and cultures, languages, and literature of the Indian subcontinent , and as such is a subset of Asian studies....
) - Paul DickopfPaul DickopfPaulinus Dickopf was member of the German Federal Criminal Police Office between 1965 and 1971 raising to the position of president. Under the Nazi government of Adolf Hitler he was a member of the Sturmabteilung and the Schutzstaffel. He was also the President of Interpol from 1968 -1972...
(co-founder of the BKAFederal Criminal Police Office (Germany)The Federal Criminal Police Office of Germany is a national investigative police agency in Germany and falls directly under the Federal Ministry of the Interior...
) - Thomas Enders (manager)
- Dieter Fritsch (German surveyorSurveyingSee Also: Public Land Survey SystemSurveying or land surveying is the technique, profession, and science of accurately determining the terrestrial or three-dimensional position of points and the distances and angles between them...
) - Erhard Geyer (former Federal Chairman of the German Officials’ Federation)
- Frank Göbler (German Slavist)
- Paul A. Grimm (German artistArtistAn artist is a person engaged in one or more of any of a broad spectrum of activities related to creating art, practicing the arts and/or demonstrating an art. The common usage in both everyday speech and academic discourse is a practitioner in the visual arts only...
) - Dieter Hackler (Federal Commissioner for the Civil Service 1991–2006)
- Annegret Held (German writer)
- Hendrik Hering (German politician, SPD)
- Joseph Höffner (Bishop of MünsterMünsterMünster is an independent city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located in the northern part of the state and is considered to be the cultural centre of the Westphalia region. It is also capital of the local government region Münsterland...
1962–1969 and ArchbishopArchbishopAn archbishop is a bishop of higher rank, but not of higher sacramental order above that of the three orders of deacon, priest , and bishop...
of Cologne 1969–1987) - Joachim Hörster (German politician CDU, Member of the BundestagBundestagThe Bundestag is a federal legislative body in Germany. In practice Germany is governed by a bicameral legislature, of which the Bundestag serves as the lower house and the Bundesrat the upper house. The Bundestag is established by the German Basic Law of 1949, as the successor to the earlier...
)
- Bodo IllgnerBodo IllgnerBodo Illgner is a retired German footballer, who played as a goalkeeper.During his career, he played for 1. FC Köln and Real Madrid, and helped West Germany to the 1990 World Cup, where he became the first goalkeeper to keep a clean sheet in a World Cup final.-Club career:Born in Koblenz, Illgner...
(German national football player) - Johannes Kalpers (German singer)
- Kaspar Kögler (German painterPaintingPainting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a surface . The application of the medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush but other objects can be used. In art, the term painting describes both the act and the result of the action. However, painting is...
and homeland poet) - Georg LeberGeorg LeberGeorg Leber is a German politician in the Social Democratic Party of Germany .After serving in the Luftwaffe in World War 2, he joined the SPD in 1947...
(former Federal minister, SPD) - Franz Leuninger (ResistanceGerman ResistanceThe German resistance was the opposition by individuals and groups in Germany to Adolf Hitler or the National Socialist regime between 1933 and 1945. Some of these engaged in active plans to remove Adolf Hitler from power and overthrow his regime...
fighter against the National Socialist régimeNazi GermanyNazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...
, died 1945) - Ernst LindemannErnst LindemannOtto Ernst Lindemann was a German naval captain. He was the only commander of the battleship during its eight months of service in World War II....
, (German naval officer, Captain of the BismarckGerman battleship BismarckBismarck was the first of two s built for the German Kriegsmarine during World War II. Named after Chancellor Otto von Bismarck, the primary force behind the German unification in 1871, the ship was laid down at the Blohm & Voss shipyard in Hamburg in July 1936 and launched nearly three years later...
) - Johann Ludwig von Nassau-Hadamar (German prince)
- Heinrich August Luyken (German writer in EsperantoEsperantois the most widely spoken constructed international auxiliary language. Its name derives from Doktoro Esperanto , the pseudonym under which L. L. Zamenhof published the first book detailing Esperanto, the Unua Libro, in 1887...
) - Hanns-Josef Ortheil (German writer)
- Friedrich Wilhelm RaiffeisenFriedrich Wilhelm RaiffeisenFriedrich Wilhelm Raiffeisen was a German mayor and cooperative pioneer. Several credit union systems and cooperative banks have been named after Raiffeisen, who pioneered rural credit unions.- Life :...
(German social reformer) - Mike RockenfellerMike RockenfellerMike Rockenfeller , nicknamed "Rocky", is a German race car driver, currently an Audi factory driver competing in the Le Mans Series and DTM.-Career:...
(German racecar driverAuto racingAuto racing is a motorsport involving the racing of cars for competition. It is one of the world's most watched televised sports.-The beginning of racing:...
) - Gerhard RothGerhard RothGerhard Roth is an Austrian writer.-Life:The son of a medical practitioner, Roth originally also wanted to study medicine himself, but soon focussed on literature. Initially, he earned his living as a computer programmer; he has been a freelance writer since 1976...
(German politician, SPD) - Barbara RudnikBarbara RudnikBarbara Rudnik was a German actress.-Selected filmography:-External links:...
(German actress) - Rudolf ScharpingRudolf ScharpingRudolf Scharping is a German politician .Scharping studied politics, sociology and law at the University of Bonn. He joined the Social Democratic Party in 1966. He was Member of the Rhineland-Palatine Parliament from 1975 to 1994. From 21 May 1991 to 15 October 1994 he was prime minister of the...
(German politician, SPD) - Dirk Schiefen (German musician)
- Gerd Silberbauer (German actorActorAn actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
) - Martin StadtfeldMartin StadtfeldMartin Stadtfeld is a German pianist.Stadtfeld gave his first concert at age 9, and at age 14 enrolled at the Frankfurt University of Music and Performing Arts in Frankfurt under the tutelage of Russian-American professor Lev Natochenny...
(German pianistPianistA pianist is a musician who plays the piano. A professional pianist can perform solo pieces, play with an ensemble or orchestra, or accompany one or more singers, solo instrumentalists, or other performers.-Choice of genres:...
)
- Heinrich Friedrich Karl vom Stein (PrussiaPrussiaPrussia 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...
n politician) - Clemens WilmenrodClemens WilmenrodClemens Wilmenrod was the first German television cook. His pseudonym was derived from the municipality Willmenrod in the Westerwald region, where he was born as Karl Clemens Hahn. Wilmenrod is considered the inventor of Toast Hawaii, "Arabian riders' meat" and "stuffed strawberry"...
(German television cookCelebrity chefA celebrity chef is a kitchen chef who has become famous and well known. Today celebrity chefs often become celebrities by presenting cookery advice and demonstrations via mass media, especially television. Historically, celebrity chefs have included Antoine Carême and Martino da Como.-External...
) - Jan SchlaudraffJan SchlaudraffJan Schlaudraff is a German footballer who currently plays for Hannover 96, primarily as a striker.-Club career:Schlaudraff started playing professionally for Borussia Mönchengladbach, mainly as a midfielder...
(German national football player) - Dominik Schwaderlapp (Vicar-General of the Archbishopric of Cologne)
- Johann Philipp von Walderdorff (as Johann IX ElectorPrince-electorThe Prince-electors of the Holy Roman Empire were the members of the electoral college of the Holy Roman Empire, having the function of electing the Roman king or, from the middle of the 16th century onwards, directly the Holy Roman Emperor.The heir-apparent to a prince-elector was known as an...
and Archbishop of Trier 1756-1768, Prince-BishopPrince-BishopA Prince-Bishop is a bishop who is a territorial Prince of the Church on account of one or more secular principalities, usually pre-existent titles of nobility held concurrently with their inherent clerical office...
of WormsWorms, GermanyWorms is a city in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany, on the Rhine River. At the end of 2004, it had 85,829 inhabitants.Established by the Celts, who called it Borbetomagus, Worms today remains embattled with the cities Trier and Cologne over the title of "Oldest City in Germany." Worms is the only...
1763-1768) - Hermann Heinrich Traut (German librarian)
- Erich Wenderoth (German jurist and co-founder of the Rheinische PostRheinische PostThe Rheinische Post is a major German regional daily newspaper, published since 1946 by the Rheinische Post Verlagsgesellschaft mbH company....
) - Siegfried von WesterburgSiegfried II of WesterburgSiegfried II of Westerburg was Archbishop of Cologne from 1275 to 1297.Siegfried was the second son of Siegfried IV, Count of Runkel in Westerburg...
(Archbishop of Cologne 1275–1297) - Peter, Manfred, Uwe and Günter Ludolf, the main producers of the television series Die Ludolfs
Westerwaldlied
The Westerwald is also internationally known in songs, above all in folksongsFolk music
Folk music is an English term encompassing both traditional folk music and contemporary folk music. The term originated in the 19th century. Traditional folk music has been defined in several ways: as music transmitted by mouth, as music of the lower classes, and as music with unknown composers....
, and particularly the Westerwaldlied (“Westerwald Song”), as well as Westerwald-Marsch (“Westerwald March”), Westerwald, du bist so schön (“Westerwald, you are so lovely”), the neues Westerwaldlied (“New Westerwald Song”) by songwriter Ulrik Remy, Ich bin aus 'm Westerwald (“I am from the Westerwald”) and Das schönste Mädchen vom Westerwald (“The Loveliest Girl from the Westerwald”) by Karl-Eberhard Hain and Jürgen Hardeck, made well known by "De Höhner
Höhner
De Höhner is a band from Cologne, Germany. They sing in the local dialect of Cologne, Kölsch.The group was founded in 1972 by Peter Werner and Janus Fröhlich...
", "Die Schröders" and other groups.
Westerwaldlied lyrics
| German | English translation |
|---|---|
| First verse | |
Heute wollen wir marschier'n Einen neuen Marsch probier'n In dem schönen Westerwald Ja da pfeift der Wind so kalt |
Today we want to march To try out a new march In the lovely Westerwald Yes, there the wind whistles so cold |
| Chorus | |
Oh, Du schöner Westerwald Über Deine Höhen pfeift der Wind so kalt Jedoch der kleinste Sonnenschein Dringt tief ins Herz hinein |
Oh, you lovely Westerwald Over your heights the wind whistles so cold However, the smallest sunshine Thrusts deep into the heart |
| Second verse | |
Und die Gretel und der Hans Gehn des Sonntags gern zum Tanz Weil das Tanzen Freude macht Und das Herz im Leibe lacht Wiederhole Refrain |
And Gretel and Hans Gladly go dancing on Sunday Because dancing makes joy And the heart in the body laughs Repeat chorus |
| Third verse | |
Ist das Tanzen dann vorbei Gibt es meistens Keilerei Und dem Bursch, den das nicht freut, sagt man nach, er hat kein' Schneid Wiederhole Refrain |
When the dancing is over There is mostly fighting And the lad whom that does not please Is accused of having no grit Repeat chorus |
| Fourth verse | |
Oh, Du schöner Westerwald Bist ja weit und breit bekannt Echte Menschen der Natur Von Falschheit keine Spur Wiederhole Refrain |
Oh, you lovely Westerwald Are known far and wide True people of nature Of falsehood no trace Repeat chorus |
Other
The standard GermanGerman language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
term for a Westerwald dweller is Westerwälder (ˈvɛstɐvɛldɐ; plural: same), but they are also popularly known as Basaltköpp (“Basalt Heads”), as they are said to be thickheaded, and they live in a basalt-rich region. Wäller is another vernacular name for them.
One of the 12 best-rated hiking trails in Germany is the Westerwaldsteig. The Westerwaldsteig crosses the Westerwald from east (Herborn
Herborn
Herborn is a historic town on the Dill in the Lahn-Dill district of Hesse in Germany. Before World War I, it was granted its own title as Nassauisches Rothenburg. The symbol or mascot of this town is a bear. Scenic attractions include its half-timbered houses; Herborn is located on the German...
) to west (Rhine).
Further reading
- Hellmuth Gensicke: Landesgeschichte des Westerwaldes. 2., ergänzter Nachdruck der Ausgabe von 1958. Veröffentlichungen der Historischen Kommission für Nassau, Nr. 13. Gemeinsam mit der Landesarchivverwaltung Rheinland-Pfalz herausgegeben von der Historischen Kommission für Nassau. Historische Kommission für Nassau, Wiesbaden 1987, XVIII/659 S., ISBN 3-922244-80-7
- Hermann Josef Roth: Der Westerwald. Vom Siebengebirge zum Hessischen hinterland. Kultur und Landschaft zwischen Rhein, Lahn und Sieg. 4. Aufl. Köln 1989, ISBN 3-7701-1198-2
- Hermann Josef Roth: Siegerland, Westerwald, Lahn und Taunus. Geologie, Mineralogie und Paläonztologie. 2. Aufl. Bindlach 1993, ISBN 3-8112-1055-6
- Hermann J. Roth, Herbert A. Ebert & Bruno P. Kremer: Kulturlandschaft Westerwald. Perspektiven einer ökologischen Regionalentwicklung (= Pollichia-Buch 35). Bad Dürkheim 1997, ISBN 3-925754-34-2
- Markus Müller: Gemeinden und Staat in der Reichsgrafschaft Sayn-Hachenburg 1652-1799. Wiesbaden 2005, Verlag der Historischen Kommission für Nassau. Beiträge zur Geschichte Nassaus und des Landes Hessen, Bd. 3/561 S., ISBN 3-930221-14-4
- Heiner Feldhoff: Westerwald. In: Literarischer Reiseführer Rheinland-Pfalz. Herausgegeben von Josef Zierden. Frankfurt 2001, ISBN 3-86099-483-2
- Oliver Greifendorf: Kriegsschauplatz Westerwald - Einmarsch der Amerikaner im Frühjahr 1945. Helios-Verlag, Aachen 2003, ISBN 3-938208-05-8
- Ulrich Fliess: Volkskundliche Abteilung. Ausstellungskatalog des Historischen Museum am Hohen Ufer Hannover II. Hannover 1972. Seite 99-102: "Westerwälder Steinzeug" und "Wandvitrine 142" nebst Tafel 15.
- Hermann-Josef Hucke (Redaktion) (Hrsg.): Großer Westerwaldführer. 3. Auflage. Verlag Westerwald-Verein e.V., Montabaur 1991, ISBN 3-921548-04-7.
External links
- History and local lore in the Westerwald
- Heiner Feldhoff: „Hui Wäller? – Allemol! Ein literarhistorischer Gruß aus dem Westerwald“ (PDF), in: Kritische Ausgabe, Heft 2/2001
- Information about the Westerwald, initiatives and many pictures
- Historic Westerwald maps