Baumberge
Encyclopedia
The Baumberge are the highest hills in the natural regions of Münsterland and Kernmünsterland
with a maximum height of . They are located between Münster and Coesfeld
, which is itself close to the southwest edge of the Baumberge.
The hilly terrain has several geological, hydrographic and architectural features.
in the west, the Rosendahl
villages of Darfeld in the northwest, Havixbeck
in the east, Nottuln-Schapdetten in the southeast and Nottuln
in the south, Schapdetten being situated on the southeastern slopes of the hills themselves.
On the other side of the Nottuln–Billerbeck state road (Landesstraße
) the hills are separated by a 131 metre high saddle from the Coesfeld-Darup Heights which are up to 166 m high, the southwest foothills of the southern slopes. To the north the Baumberge transition into the Schöppingen Ridge, which after depression of only a little over 100 m reach a height of 158 m at the Schöppinger Berg.
The A 43
motorway runs past the Baumberge just 2 km to the south (south of Schapdetten) and the A 1 passes 8 km to the east. The northern part of the range is separated by the Baumberge Railway.
; whose summit is crowned by the Longinus Tower
. Typical of this landscape a a relatively level and treeless plateau with steep wooded edges of uniform height. The plateau is sparsely populated due to its aridity.
The highest elevations around the Baumberge are the Schöppinger Berg near Schöppingen
at , Bentheim Ridge (Bentheimer Hohenrücken) near Bad Bentheim
at the Gildehaus Ridge (Gildehäuser Höhenrücken) west of it near Gildehaus at around , the Altenberge Ridge (Altenberger Höhenrücken) at and the Buchenberg near Burgsteinfurt at .
s again; sometimes even entire streams can appear at the surface after just a few metres.
Several other features of a karst
hill range like ponor
s and sinkhole
s are also found in the Baumberge.
The Baumberge are the highest hills in the natural regions of Münsterland and Kernmünsterland
with a maximum height of . They are located between Münster and Coesfeld
, which is itself close to the southwest edge of the Baumberge.
The hilly terrain has several geological, hydrographic and architectural features.
in the west, the Rosendahl
villages of Darfeld in the northwest, Havixbeck
in the east, Nottuln-Schapdetten in the southeast and Nottuln
in the south, Schapdetten being situated on the southeastern slopes of the hills themselves.
On the other side of the Nottuln–Billerbeck state road (Landesstraße
) the hills are separated by a 131 metre high saddle from the Coesfeld-Darup Heights which are up to 166 m high, the southwest foothills of the southern slopes. To the north the Baumberge transition into the Schöppingen Ridge, which after depression of only a little over 100 m reach a height of 158 m at the Schöppinger Berg.
The A 43
motorway runs past the Baumberge just 2 km to the south (south of Schapdetten) and the A 1 passes 8 km to the east. The northern part of the range is separated by the Baumberge Railway.
; whose summit is crowned by the Longinus Tower
. Typical of this landscape a a relatively level and treeless plateau with steep wooded edges of uniform height. The plateau is sparsely populated due to its aridity.
The highest elevations around the Baumberge are the Schöppinger Berg near Schöppingen
at , Bentheim Ridge (Bentheimer Hohenrücken) near Bad Bentheim
at the Gildehaus Ridge (Gildehäuser Höhenrücken) west of it near Gildehaus at around , the Altenberge Ridge (Altenberger Höhenrücken) at and the Buchenberg near Burgsteinfurt at .
s again; sometimes even entire streams can appear at the surface after just a few metres.
Several other features of a karst
hill range like ponor
s and sinkhole
s are also found in the Baumberge.
The Baumberge are the highest hills in the natural regions of Münsterland and Kernmünsterland
with a maximum height of . They are located between Münster and Coesfeld
, which is itself close to the southwest edge of the Baumberge.
The hilly terrain has several geological, hydrographic and architectural features.
in the west, the Rosendahl
villages of Darfeld in the northwest, Havixbeck
in the east, Nottuln-Schapdetten in the southeast and Nottuln
in the south, Schapdetten being situated on the southeastern slopes of the hills themselves.
On the other side of the Nottuln–Billerbeck state road (Landesstraße
) the hills are separated by a 131 metre high saddle from the Coesfeld-Darup Heights which are up to 166 m high, the southwest foothills of the southern slopes. To the north the Baumberge transition into the Schöppingen Ridge, which after depression of only a little over 100 m reach a height of 158 m at the Schöppinger Berg.
The A 43
motorway runs past the Baumberge just 2 km to the south (south of Schapdetten) and the A 1 passes 8 km to the east. The northern part of the range is separated by the Baumberge Railway.
; whose summit is crowned by the Longinus Tower
. Typical of this landscape a a relatively level and treeless plateau with steep wooded edges of uniform height. The plateau is sparsely populated due to its aridity.
The highest elevations around the Baumberge are the Schöppinger Berg near Schöppingen
at , Bentheim Ridge (Bentheimer Hohenrücken) near Bad Bentheim
at the Gildehaus Ridge (Gildehäuser Höhenrücken) west of it near Gildehaus at around , the Altenberge Ridge (Altenberger Höhenrücken) at and the Buchenberg near Burgsteinfurt at .
s again; sometimes even entire streams can appear at the surface after just a few metres.
Several other features of a karst
hill range like ponor
s and sinkhole
s are also found in the Baumberge.
Kernmünsterland
The Kernmünsterland is a major landscape unit in western Germany. It covers an area of about 2700 km² and lies at the heart of the Westphalian Basin and the historic region of Münsterland in the north of Westphalia...
with a maximum height of . They are located between Münster and Coesfeld
Coesfeld
Coesfeld is the capital of the district of Coesfeld in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia.-History:Coesfeld received its city rights in 1197, but was first recorded earlier than that in the biography of St. Ludger, patron and first bishop of the diocese of Munster who was born north of...
, which is itself close to the southwest edge of the Baumberge.
The hilly terrain has several geological, hydrographic and architectural features.
Natural regions
The Baumberge and their immediate foothills are subdivided into natural regions as follows:- (to 54 Westphalian Basin)
- (to 541 KernmünsterlandKernmünsterlandThe Kernmünsterland is a major landscape unit in western Germany. It covers an area of about 2700 km² and lies at the heart of the Westphalian Basin and the historic region of Münsterland in the north of Westphalia...
)- (to 541.0 Burgsteinfurt Land)
- 541.00 Osterwick Hills (Osterwicker Hügelland) - ; gently rolling, NW foothills, separated from the Schröppingen Ridge by the VechteVechteThe Vechte or Vecht , often called Overijsselse Vecht in the Netherlands to avoid confusion with its Utrecht counterpart, is a river in Germany and the Netherlands...
river - 541.02 Schöppingen Ridge (Schöppinger Rücken) - ; N foothills of the Baumberge
- 541.03 Baumberge -
- 541.05 Altenberge Ridge (Altenberger Rücken) - ; NE gently rolling ridge, parallel to the Baumberge and Schöppingen Ridge, separated by the stream of the Steinfurter AaSteinfurter AaSteinfurter Aa is a river of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany.-See also:*List of rivers of North Rhine-Westphalia...
- 541.07 Coesfeld-Darup Heights (Coesfeld-Daruper Höhen) - ; SW foothills of the Baumberge
- 541.00 Osterwick Hills (Osterwicker Hügelland) - ; gently rolling, NW foothills, separated from the Schröppingen Ridge by the Vechte
- (to 541.0 Burgsteinfurt Land)
- (to 541 Kernmünsterland
Location
The Baumberge lie within the Münsterland district of Coesfeld running in a northwest to southeast direction between BillerbeckBillerbeck
Billerbeck is a municipality in the district of Coesfeld in North Rhine-Westphalia in Germany.-Neighbor towns/cities:Billerbeck has boundaries to Rosendahl, Laer, Altenberge, Havixbeck, Nottuln and Coesfeld.-City Districts:* Stadt Billerbeck,...
in the west, the Rosendahl
Rosendahl
Rosendahl is a municipality in the district of Coesfeld in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located approx. north-west of Coesfeld....
villages of Darfeld in the northwest, Havixbeck
Havixbeck
Havixbeck is a municipality at the north-east edge of the Baumberge in the district of Coesfeld, in northern North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located approx. 15 km west of Münster.- Geographical Location :...
in the east, Nottuln-Schapdetten in the southeast and Nottuln
Nottuln
Nottuln is a municipality in the district of Coesfeld in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany.-Neighbouring municipalities:* Billerbeck* Havixbeck* Senden, North Rhine-Westphalia* Dülmen* Coesfeld-Division of the municipality:...
in the south, Schapdetten being situated on the southeastern slopes of the hills themselves.
On the other side of the Nottuln–Billerbeck state road (Landesstraße
Landesstraße
Landesstraßen are roads in Germany and Austria that are, as a rule, the responsibility of the respective German or Austrian federal state. The term may therefore be translated as "state road". They are roads that cross the boundary of a rural or urban district...
) the hills are separated by a 131 metre high saddle from the Coesfeld-Darup Heights which are up to 166 m high, the southwest foothills of the southern slopes. To the north the Baumberge transition into the Schöppingen Ridge, which after depression of only a little over 100 m reach a height of 158 m at the Schöppinger Berg.
The A 43
Bundesautobahn 43
is an autobahn in western Germany, connecting Münster via Recklinghausen to Wuppertal. It is an important bypass for traffic coming from the A 1 wanting to go to the western Ruhr valley and wanting to avoid tailbacks at the Kamener Kreuz near Dortmund....
motorway runs past the Baumberge just 2 km to the south (south of Schapdetten) and the A 1 passes 8 km to the east. The northern part of the range is separated by the Baumberge Railway.
Landscape
The Baumberge rise over the otherwise flat landscape to around 100 m reaching their highest point in the WesterbergWesterberg (Baumberge)
The Westerberg, also called the Westerather Berg, is, at , the highest elevation in the Baumberge hills and the German region of Münsterland...
; whose summit is crowned by the Longinus Tower
Longinus Tower
The Longinus Tower is a 32-metre high observation tower located in Nottuln, Germany. It was erected by the Baumberge Club between 1897 and 1901 on the summit of the 182.61 metre high Westerberg hill...
. Typical of this landscape a a relatively level and treeless plateau with steep wooded edges of uniform height. The plateau is sparsely populated due to its aridity.
The highest elevations around the Baumberge are the Schöppinger Berg near Schöppingen
Schöppingen
Schöppingen is a municipality in the district of Borken in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located approx. 10 km south-west of Steinfurt....
at , Bentheim Ridge (Bentheimer Hohenrücken) near Bad Bentheim
Bad Bentheim
Bad Bentheim is a town in Lower Saxony, Germany lying in the district of Grafschaft Bentheim on the borders with North Rhine-Westphalia and the Netherlands roughly 15 km south of Nordhorn and 20 km northeast of Enschede. It is also a state-recognized thermal brine and sulphur spa town,...
at the Gildehaus Ridge (Gildehäuser Höhenrücken) west of it near Gildehaus at around , the Altenberge Ridge (Altenberger Höhenrücken) at and the Buchenberg near Burgsteinfurt at .
Karst hills
The substratum of the Baumberge consists of a calcareous sandstone that is very porous. As a result rainwater on the plateau soaks away to a great depth. The farms here have, for centuries, had to bore wells 40 m to 50 m deep to collect drinking water - frequently however they had to use rainwater cisterns until, in the early 1970s, a drinking water main was laid to them. The rainwater that drains away reappears at the edges of the Baumberge in spring horizonSpring horizon
A spring horizon is an impervious layer of rock reaching the surface, along which springs emerge. Since aquifers and impervious strata often lie on top of one another in horizontal layers, adjacent contact springs often emerge at the same height along a line called the spring horizon....
s again; sometimes even entire streams can appear at the surface after just a few metres.
Several other features of a karst
KARST
Kilometer-square Area Radio Synthesis Telescope is a Chinese telescope project to which FAST is a forerunner. KARST is a set of large spherical reflectors on karst landforms, which are bowlshaped limestone sinkholes named after the Kras region in Slovenia and Northern Italy. It will consist of...
hill range like ponor
Ponor
A ponor is a natural surface opening that may be found in landscapes where the geology and the geomorphology is characterized by some kind of karst....
s and sinkhole
Sinkhole
A sinkhole, also known as a sink, shake hole, swallow hole, swallet, doline or cenote, is a natural depression or hole in the Earth's surface caused by karst processes — the chemical dissolution of carbonate rocks or suffosion processes for example in sandstone...
s are also found in the Baumberge.
The Baumberge are the highest hills in the natural regions of Münsterland and Kernmünsterland
Kernmünsterland
The Kernmünsterland is a major landscape unit in western Germany. It covers an area of about 2700 km² and lies at the heart of the Westphalian Basin and the historic region of Münsterland in the north of Westphalia...
with a maximum height of . They are located between Münster and Coesfeld
Coesfeld
Coesfeld is the capital of the district of Coesfeld in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia.-History:Coesfeld received its city rights in 1197, but was first recorded earlier than that in the biography of St. Ludger, patron and first bishop of the diocese of Munster who was born north of...
, which is itself close to the southwest edge of the Baumberge.
The hilly terrain has several geological, hydrographic and architectural features.
Natural regions
The Baumberge and their immediate foothills are subdivided into natural regions as follows:- (to 54 Westphalian Basin)
- (to 541 KernmünsterlandKernmünsterlandThe Kernmünsterland is a major landscape unit in western Germany. It covers an area of about 2700 km² and lies at the heart of the Westphalian Basin and the historic region of Münsterland in the north of Westphalia...
)- (to 541.0 Burgsteinfurt Land)
- 541.00 Osterwick Hills (Osterwicker Hügelland) - ; gently rolling, NW foothills, separated from the Schröppingen Ridge by the VechteVechteThe Vechte or Vecht , often called Overijsselse Vecht in the Netherlands to avoid confusion with its Utrecht counterpart, is a river in Germany and the Netherlands...
river - 541.02 Schöppingen Ridge (Schöppinger Rücken) - ; N foothills of the Baumberge
- 541.03 Baumberge -
- 541.05 Altenberge Ridge (Altenberger Rücken) - ; NE gently rolling ridge, parallel to the Baumberge and Schöppingen Ridge, separated by the stream of the Steinfurter AaSteinfurter AaSteinfurter Aa is a river of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany.-See also:*List of rivers of North Rhine-Westphalia...
- 541.07 Coesfeld-Darup Heights (Coesfeld-Daruper Höhen) - ; SW foothills of the Baumberge
- 541.00 Osterwick Hills (Osterwicker Hügelland) - ; gently rolling, NW foothills, separated from the Schröppingen Ridge by the Vechte
- (to 541.0 Burgsteinfurt Land)
- (to 541 Kernmünsterland
Location
The Baumberge lie within the Münsterland district of Coesfeld running in a northwest to southeast direction between BillerbeckBillerbeck
Billerbeck is a municipality in the district of Coesfeld in North Rhine-Westphalia in Germany.-Neighbor towns/cities:Billerbeck has boundaries to Rosendahl, Laer, Altenberge, Havixbeck, Nottuln and Coesfeld.-City Districts:* Stadt Billerbeck,...
in the west, the Rosendahl
Rosendahl
Rosendahl is a municipality in the district of Coesfeld in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located approx. north-west of Coesfeld....
villages of Darfeld in the northwest, Havixbeck
Havixbeck
Havixbeck is a municipality at the north-east edge of the Baumberge in the district of Coesfeld, in northern North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located approx. 15 km west of Münster.- Geographical Location :...
in the east, Nottuln-Schapdetten in the southeast and Nottuln
Nottuln
Nottuln is a municipality in the district of Coesfeld in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany.-Neighbouring municipalities:* Billerbeck* Havixbeck* Senden, North Rhine-Westphalia* Dülmen* Coesfeld-Division of the municipality:...
in the south, Schapdetten being situated on the southeastern slopes of the hills themselves.
On the other side of the Nottuln–Billerbeck state road (Landesstraße
Landesstraße
Landesstraßen are roads in Germany and Austria that are, as a rule, the responsibility of the respective German or Austrian federal state. The term may therefore be translated as "state road". They are roads that cross the boundary of a rural or urban district...
) the hills are separated by a 131 metre high saddle from the Coesfeld-Darup Heights which are up to 166 m high, the southwest foothills of the southern slopes. To the north the Baumberge transition into the Schöppingen Ridge, which after depression of only a little over 100 m reach a height of 158 m at the Schöppinger Berg.
The A 43
Bundesautobahn 43
is an autobahn in western Germany, connecting Münster via Recklinghausen to Wuppertal. It is an important bypass for traffic coming from the A 1 wanting to go to the western Ruhr valley and wanting to avoid tailbacks at the Kamener Kreuz near Dortmund....
motorway runs past the Baumberge just 2 km to the south (south of Schapdetten) and the A 1 passes 8 km to the east. The northern part of the range is separated by the Baumberge Railway.
Landscape
The Baumberge rise over the otherwise flat landscape to around 100 m reaching their highest point in the WesterbergWesterberg (Baumberge)
The Westerberg, also called the Westerather Berg, is, at , the highest elevation in the Baumberge hills and the German region of Münsterland...
; whose summit is crowned by the Longinus Tower
Longinus Tower
The Longinus Tower is a 32-metre high observation tower located in Nottuln, Germany. It was erected by the Baumberge Club between 1897 and 1901 on the summit of the 182.61 metre high Westerberg hill...
. Typical of this landscape a a relatively level and treeless plateau with steep wooded edges of uniform height. The plateau is sparsely populated due to its aridity.
The highest elevations around the Baumberge are the Schöppinger Berg near Schöppingen
Schöppingen
Schöppingen is a municipality in the district of Borken in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located approx. 10 km south-west of Steinfurt....
at , Bentheim Ridge (Bentheimer Hohenrücken) near Bad Bentheim
Bad Bentheim
Bad Bentheim is a town in Lower Saxony, Germany lying in the district of Grafschaft Bentheim on the borders with North Rhine-Westphalia and the Netherlands roughly 15 km south of Nordhorn and 20 km northeast of Enschede. It is also a state-recognized thermal brine and sulphur spa town,...
at the Gildehaus Ridge (Gildehäuser Höhenrücken) west of it near Gildehaus at around , the Altenberge Ridge (Altenberger Höhenrücken) at and the Buchenberg near Burgsteinfurt at .
Karst hills
The substratum of the Baumberge consists of a calcareous sandstone that is very porous. As a result rainwater on the plateau soaks away to a great depth. The farms here have, for centuries, had to bore wells 40 m to 50 m deep to collect drinking water - frequently however they had to use rainwater cisterns until, in the early 1970s, a drinking water main was laid to them. The rainwater that drains away reappears at the edges of the Baumberge in spring horizonSpring horizon
A spring horizon is an impervious layer of rock reaching the surface, along which springs emerge. Since aquifers and impervious strata often lie on top of one another in horizontal layers, adjacent contact springs often emerge at the same height along a line called the spring horizon....
s again; sometimes even entire streams can appear at the surface after just a few metres.
Several other features of a karst
KARST
Kilometer-square Area Radio Synthesis Telescope is a Chinese telescope project to which FAST is a forerunner. KARST is a set of large spherical reflectors on karst landforms, which are bowlshaped limestone sinkholes named after the Kras region in Slovenia and Northern Italy. It will consist of...
hill range like ponor
Ponor
A ponor is a natural surface opening that may be found in landscapes where the geology and the geomorphology is characterized by some kind of karst....
s and sinkhole
Sinkhole
A sinkhole, also known as a sink, shake hole, swallow hole, swallet, doline or cenote, is a natural depression or hole in the Earth's surface caused by karst processes — the chemical dissolution of carbonate rocks or suffosion processes for example in sandstone...
s are also found in the Baumberge.
The Baumberge are the highest hills in the natural regions of Münsterland and Kernmünsterland
Kernmünsterland
The Kernmünsterland is a major landscape unit in western Germany. It covers an area of about 2700 km² and lies at the heart of the Westphalian Basin and the historic region of Münsterland in the north of Westphalia...
with a maximum height of . They are located between Münster and Coesfeld
Coesfeld
Coesfeld is the capital of the district of Coesfeld in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia.-History:Coesfeld received its city rights in 1197, but was first recorded earlier than that in the biography of St. Ludger, patron and first bishop of the diocese of Munster who was born north of...
, which is itself close to the southwest edge of the Baumberge.
The hilly terrain has several geological, hydrographic and architectural features.
Natural regions
The Baumberge and their immediate foothills are subdivided into natural regions as follows:- (to 54 Westphalian Basin)
- (to 541 KernmünsterlandKernmünsterlandThe Kernmünsterland is a major landscape unit in western Germany. It covers an area of about 2700 km² and lies at the heart of the Westphalian Basin and the historic region of Münsterland in the north of Westphalia...
)- (to 541.0 Burgsteinfurt Land)
- 541.00 Osterwick Hills (Osterwicker Hügelland) - ; gently rolling, NW foothills, separated from the Schröppingen Ridge by the VechteVechteThe Vechte or Vecht , often called Overijsselse Vecht in the Netherlands to avoid confusion with its Utrecht counterpart, is a river in Germany and the Netherlands...
river - 541.02 Schöppingen Ridge (Schöppinger Rücken) - ; N foothills of the Baumberge
- 541.03 Baumberge -
- 541.05 Altenberge Ridge (Altenberger Rücken) - ; NE gently rolling ridge, parallel to the Baumberge and Schöppingen Ridge, separated by the stream of the Steinfurter AaSteinfurter AaSteinfurter Aa is a river of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany.-See also:*List of rivers of North Rhine-Westphalia...
- 541.07 Coesfeld-Darup Heights (Coesfeld-Daruper Höhen) - ; SW foothills of the Baumberge
- 541.00 Osterwick Hills (Osterwicker Hügelland) - ; gently rolling, NW foothills, separated from the Schröppingen Ridge by the Vechte
- (to 541.0 Burgsteinfurt Land)
- (to 541 Kernmünsterland
Location
The Baumberge lie within the Münsterland district of Coesfeld running in a northwest to southeast direction between BillerbeckBillerbeck
Billerbeck is a municipality in the district of Coesfeld in North Rhine-Westphalia in Germany.-Neighbor towns/cities:Billerbeck has boundaries to Rosendahl, Laer, Altenberge, Havixbeck, Nottuln and Coesfeld.-City Districts:* Stadt Billerbeck,...
in the west, the Rosendahl
Rosendahl
Rosendahl is a municipality in the district of Coesfeld in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located approx. north-west of Coesfeld....
villages of Darfeld in the northwest, Havixbeck
Havixbeck
Havixbeck is a municipality at the north-east edge of the Baumberge in the district of Coesfeld, in northern North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located approx. 15 km west of Münster.- Geographical Location :...
in the east, Nottuln-Schapdetten in the southeast and Nottuln
Nottuln
Nottuln is a municipality in the district of Coesfeld in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany.-Neighbouring municipalities:* Billerbeck* Havixbeck* Senden, North Rhine-Westphalia* Dülmen* Coesfeld-Division of the municipality:...
in the south, Schapdetten being situated on the southeastern slopes of the hills themselves.
On the other side of the Nottuln–Billerbeck state road (Landesstraße
Landesstraße
Landesstraßen are roads in Germany and Austria that are, as a rule, the responsibility of the respective German or Austrian federal state. The term may therefore be translated as "state road". They are roads that cross the boundary of a rural or urban district...
) the hills are separated by a 131 metre high saddle from the Coesfeld-Darup Heights which are up to 166 m high, the southwest foothills of the southern slopes. To the north the Baumberge transition into the Schöppingen Ridge, which after depression of only a little over 100 m reach a height of 158 m at the Schöppinger Berg.
The A 43
Bundesautobahn 43
is an autobahn in western Germany, connecting Münster via Recklinghausen to Wuppertal. It is an important bypass for traffic coming from the A 1 wanting to go to the western Ruhr valley and wanting to avoid tailbacks at the Kamener Kreuz near Dortmund....
motorway runs past the Baumberge just 2 km to the south (south of Schapdetten) and the A 1 passes 8 km to the east. The northern part of the range is separated by the Baumberge Railway.
Landscape
The Baumberge rise over the otherwise flat landscape to around 100 m reaching their highest point in the WesterbergWesterberg (Baumberge)
The Westerberg, also called the Westerather Berg, is, at , the highest elevation in the Baumberge hills and the German region of Münsterland...
; whose summit is crowned by the Longinus Tower
Longinus Tower
The Longinus Tower is a 32-metre high observation tower located in Nottuln, Germany. It was erected by the Baumberge Club between 1897 and 1901 on the summit of the 182.61 metre high Westerberg hill...
. Typical of this landscape a a relatively level and treeless plateau with steep wooded edges of uniform height. The plateau is sparsely populated due to its aridity.
The highest elevations around the Baumberge are the Schöppinger Berg near Schöppingen
Schöppingen
Schöppingen is a municipality in the district of Borken in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located approx. 10 km south-west of Steinfurt....
at , Bentheim Ridge (Bentheimer Hohenrücken) near Bad Bentheim
Bad Bentheim
Bad Bentheim is a town in Lower Saxony, Germany lying in the district of Grafschaft Bentheim on the borders with North Rhine-Westphalia and the Netherlands roughly 15 km south of Nordhorn and 20 km northeast of Enschede. It is also a state-recognized thermal brine and sulphur spa town,...
at the Gildehaus Ridge (Gildehäuser Höhenrücken) west of it near Gildehaus at around , the Altenberge Ridge (Altenberger Höhenrücken) at and the Buchenberg near Burgsteinfurt at .
Karst hills
The substratum of the Baumberge consists of a calcareous sandstone that is very porous. As a result rainwater on the plateau soaks away to a great depth. The farms here have, for centuries, had to bore wells 40 m to 50 m deep to collect drinking water - frequently however they had to use rainwater cisterns until, in the early 1970s, a drinking water main was laid to them. The rainwater that drains away reappears at the edges of the Baumberge in spring horizonSpring horizon
A spring horizon is an impervious layer of rock reaching the surface, along which springs emerge. Since aquifers and impervious strata often lie on top of one another in horizontal layers, adjacent contact springs often emerge at the same height along a line called the spring horizon....
s again; sometimes even entire streams can appear at the surface after just a few metres.
Several other features of a karst
KARST
Kilometer-square Area Radio Synthesis Telescope is a Chinese telescope project to which FAST is a forerunner. KARST is a set of large spherical reflectors on karst landforms, which are bowlshaped limestone sinkholes named after the Kras region in Slovenia and Northern Italy. It will consist of...
hill range like ponor
Ponor
A ponor is a natural surface opening that may be found in landscapes where the geology and the geomorphology is characterized by some kind of karst....
s and sinkhole
Sinkhole
A sinkhole, also known as a sink, shake hole, swallow hole, swallet, doline or cenote, is a natural depression or hole in the Earth's surface caused by karst processes — the chemical dissolution of carbonate rocks or suffosion processes for example in sandstone...
s are also found in the Baumberge.