Bückeberg
Encyclopedia
The Bückeberg is a ridge in the Calenberg Uplands
Calenberg Uplands
The Calenberg Uplands are a landscape unit in the Weser-Leine Uplands in Lower Saxony, Germany. They border on the Calenberg Land to the north and merge into the Weser Uplands in the west and the Leine Uplands in the east...

 between the Harrl and the Deister
Deister
The Deister is a chain of hills in the German state of Lower Saxony, about 15 mi southwest of the city of Hanover. It runs in a north-westerly direction from Springe in the south to Rodenberg in the north. The next the chain of hills that attaches in the south is called Small Deister...

 in central Germany, and is often considered part of the Weser Uplands. It lies in the district of Schaumburg, and stretches for some 20 km (12.4 mi) from west to east from Bückeburg
Bückeburg
Bückeburg is a town in Lower Saxony, Germany, on the border with North Rhine Westphalia. It was once the capital of the tiny principality of Schaumburg-Lippe and is today located in the district of Schaumburg close to the northern slopes of the Weserbergland ridge...

 and the village of Bad Eilsen
Bad Eilsen
Bad Eilsen is a municipality in the district of Schaumburg, in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is situated approx. 11 km southwest of Stadthagen, and 13 km southeast of Minden.Bad Eilsen is also the seat of the Samtgemeinde Eilsen....

 towards Bad Nenndorf
Bad Nenndorf
Bad Nenndorf is a small town in the district of Schaumburg, Lower Saxony, Germany. Its population is 10,210 . It is situated approx. 12 km east of Stadthagen, and 25 km west of Hanover, at the southern edge of the North German Plain and the northern edge of the Deister ridge...

.

Topography

The highest elevation on the crest of the Bückeberg is located 200 metres east of the Eulenburg track, above Rehren, and is 367 metres above sea level. The crest of the ridge is above 300 metres for the central 8 km. There are a few named heights, such as the Großer Karl (301 m) near Reinsdorf. Here the ridge swings north-eastwards and ends at the foothills of the Münchhausener Berg and Heisterberg near Beckedorf
Beckedorf
Beckedorf is a municipality in the district of Schaumburg, in Lower Saxony, Germany....

. The gentle northern dip slope
Dip slope
A dip slope is a geological formation often created by erosion of tilted strata. Dip slopes are found on homoclinal ridges with one side that is steep and irregular and another side, the dip slope, that is generally planar with a dip parallel to the bedding...

 descends into the North German Plain
North German plain
The North German Plain or Northern Lowland is one of the major geographical regions of Germany. It is the German part of the North European Plain...

, whilst the steeper southern scarp
Escarpment
An escarpment is a steep slope or long cliff that occurs from erosion or faulting and separates two relatively level areas of differing elevations.-Description and variants:...

 slope drops into the Aue valley, through which the A 2 autobahn runs. The Heeßer Berge in the west is a nature reserve
Nature reserve
A nature reserve is a protected area of importance for wildlife, flora, fauna or features of geological or other special interest, which is reserved and managed for conservation and to provide special opportunities for study or research...

.

The ridge is cut through in two places: at Bad Eilsen near the western end, where the river Aue has cut a gap in the ridge, and at the Reinser Paß (pass) near the eastern end.

Geology

The crest of the Bückeberg consists of a hard, light sandstone
Sandstone
Sandstone is a sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized minerals or rock grains.Most sandstone is composed of quartz and/or feldspar because these are the most common minerals in the Earth's crust. Like sand, sandstone may be any colour, but the most common colours are tan, brown, yellow,...

, known as Obernkirchen sandstone, which is one of the best in Europe and, because of its transshipment through Bremen
Bremen
The City Municipality of Bremen is a Hanseatic city in northwestern Germany. A commercial and industrial city with a major port on the river Weser, Bremen is part of the Bremen-Oldenburg metropolitan area . Bremen is the second most populous city in North Germany and tenth in Germany.Bremen is...

, is known internationally as Bremen Sandstone. The western Bückeberg contains clay and anthracite that used to be mined here. In the eastern section there are Jurassic 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....

s with halite
Halite
Halite , commonly known as rock salt, is the mineral form of sodium chloride . Halite forms isometric crystals. The mineral is typically colorless or white, but may also be light blue, dark blue, purple, pink, red, orange, yellow or gray depending on the amount and type of impurities...

 (rock salt) deposits. It is here near Soldorf that the brine
Brine
Brine is water, saturated or nearly saturated with salt .Brine is used to preserve vegetables, fruit, fish, and meat, in a process known as brining . Brine is also commonly used to age Halloumi and Feta cheeses, or for pickling foodstuffs, as a means of preserving them...

 springs emerge which extend to the spa town of Bad Nenndorf
Bad Nenndorf
Bad Nenndorf is a small town in the district of Schaumburg, Lower Saxony, Germany. Its population is 10,210 . It is situated approx. 12 km east of Stadthagen, and 25 km west of Hanover, at the southern edge of the North German Plain and the northern edge of the Deister ridge...

, where they are used for bathing.

Hills in the Bückeberg

  • Bückeberg (367 m (1,204 ft))
  • Großer Karl (301 m (988 ft))
  • Heeßer Berg (243 m (797 ft))
  • Steinberg (239 m (784 ft))
  • Münchhausener Berg (160 m (525 ft))
  • Heisterberg (153 m (502 ft))

Streams

Numerous streams drain the Bückeberg and feed the Aue
Aue (Weser)
Aue is a river of Lower Saxony, Germany....

 (Bückeburger Aue) and the Rodenberger Aue
Rodenberger Aue
Rodenberger Aue is a river of Lower Saxony, Germany....

. Several of them are only winterbournes
Winterbourne (stream)
A winterbourne is a stream or river that is dry through the summer months. A winterbourne is sometimes simply called a bourne, from the Anglo-Saxon for a stream flowing from a spring, although this term can also be used for all-year water courses....

.
  • Hühnerbach
  • Kalterbach
  • Krebshäger Bach
  • Flothbach
  • Bornau
  • Vornhäger Bach
  • Hessbach
  • Flahbach
  • Salzbach
  • Riesbach
  • Tiefersicksbeeke

Flora and fauna

The Bückeberg is covered in mixed woods of beech and spruce, but there are also many other types of tree like the Coast Douglas-fir
Coast Douglas-fir
Pseudotsuga menziesii, known as Douglas-fir, Oregon Pine, or Douglas spruce, is an evergreen conifer species native to western North America. Its variety Pseudotsuga menziesii var. menziesii, also known as coast Douglas-fir grows in the coastal regions, from west-central British Columbia, Canada...

, birch
Birch
Birch is a tree or shrub of the genus Betula , in the family Betulaceae, closely related to the beech/oak family, Fagaceae. The Betula genus contains 30–60 known taxa...

, maple
Maple
Acer is a genus of trees or shrubs commonly known as maple.Maples are variously classified in a family of their own, the Aceraceae, or together with the Hippocastanaceae included in the family Sapindaceae. Modern classifications, including the Angiosperm Phylogeny Group system, favour inclusion in...

 and hornbeam
Hornbeam
Hornbeams are relatively small hardwood trees in the genus Carpinus . Though some botanists grouped them with the hazels and hop-hornbeams in a segregate family, Corylaceae, modern botanists place the hornbeams in the birch subfamily Coryloideae...

.
In addition there are many species of wild flower including the Spring Snowflake, Mezereon, Common Broom and various fern
Fern
A fern is any one of a group of about 12,000 species of plants belonging to the botanical group known as Pteridophyta. Unlike mosses, they have xylem and phloem . They have stems, leaves, and roots like other vascular plants...

s and fungi.

The Bückeberg is home to the Roe Deer
Roe Deer
The European Roe Deer , also known as the Western Roe Deer, chevreuil or just Roe Deer, is a Eurasian species of deer. It is relatively small, reddish and grey-brown, and well-adapted to cold environments. Roe Deer are widespread in Western Europe, from the Mediterranean to Scandinavia, and from...

, Mouflon
Mouflon
The mouflon is a subspecies group of the wild sheep Ovis aries. Populations of Ovis aries can be partitioned into the mouflons and urials or arkars...

 and Wild Boar. More rarely seen are the Barn Owl
Barn Owl
The Barn Owl is the most widely distributed species of owl, and one of the most widespread of all birds. It is also referred to as Common Barn Owl, to distinguish it from other species in the barn-owl family Tytonidae. These form one of two main lineages of living owls, the other being the typical...

, Common Kestrel
Common Kestrel
The Common Kestrel is a bird of prey species belonging to the kestrel group of the falcon family Falconidae. It is also known as the European Kestrel, Eurasian Kestrel, or Old World Kestrel. In Britain, where no other brown falcon occurs, it is generally just called "the kestrel".This species...

, Red Kite
Red Kite
The Red Kite is a medium-large bird of prey in the family Accipitridae, which also includes many other diurnal raptors such as eagles, buzzards, and harriers. The species is currently endemic to the Western Palearctic region in Europe and northwest Africa, though formerly also occurred just...

, Pine Marten
Pine Marten
The European Pine Marten , known most commonly as the pine marten in Anglophone Europe, and less commonly also known as Pineten, baum marten, or sweet marten, is an animal native to Northern Europe belonging to the mustelid family, which also includes mink, otter, badger, wolverine and weasel. It...

 and Stone Marten.

Economic utilisation

In addition to forestry
Forestry
Forestry is the interdisciplinary profession embracing the science, art, and craft of creating, managing, using, and conserving forests and associated resources in a sustainable manner to meet desired goals, needs, and values for human benefit. Forestry is practiced in plantations and natural stands...

, 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 plays an important role.
The Obernkirchen sandstone of the Bückeberg has been used in many well-known buildings, such as Cologne Cathedral
Cologne Cathedral
Cologne Cathedral is a Roman Catholic church in Cologne, Germany. It is the seat of the Archbishop of Cologne and the administration of the Archdiocese of Cologne. It is renowned monument of German Catholicism and Gothic architecture and is a World Heritage Site...

, the town halls in Bremen
Bremen
The City Municipality of Bremen is a Hanseatic city in northwestern Germany. A commercial and industrial city with a major port on the river Weser, Bremen is part of the Bremen-Oldenburg metropolitan area . Bremen is the second most populous city in North Germany and tenth in Germany.Bremen is...

 and Antwerp and the stock exchange in Bergen
Bergen
Bergen is the second largest city in Norway with a population of as of , . Bergen is the administrative centre of Hordaland county. Greater Bergen or Bergen Metropolitan Area as defined by Statistics Norway, has a population of as of , ....

, Norway. Coal
Coal
Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock usually occurring in rock strata in layers or veins called coal beds or coal seams. The harder forms, such as anthracite coal, can be regarded as metamorphic rock because of later exposure to elevated temperature and pressure...

 has also been mined in Bückeberg for centuries.

Military use

On the Bückeberg near Obernkirchen at the northeastern end of the ridgeway is a former NATO anti-aircraft missile station. The terrain, which has grown wild since the withdrawal of Dutch soldiers, is surrounded by fencing and, today, is almost solely used for landing exercises by helicopters from the nearby School of Army Aviation in Bückeburg
Bückeburg
Bückeburg is a town in Lower Saxony, Germany, on the border with North Rhine Westphalia. It was once the capital of the tiny principality of Schaumburg-Lippe and is today located in the district of Schaumburg close to the northern slopes of the Weserbergland ridge...

. Occasionally, tented exercises lasting several days by Training Group (Lehrgruppe) B take place on the site.

Leisure activities

There are a number of scenic walking trails on the Bückeberg with views over the valleys, but also many gloomy forestry tracks without any signing. When walking it is advisable to take maps and the relevant information.
On the Bückeberg near Obernkirchen there is the Youth Training Leisure Centre (Jugend-Bildung-Freizeit-Zentrum or JBF-Zentrum).

Forest restaurants in and around the Bückeberg

  • Süße Mutter - forest restaurant in Auetal-Rolfshagen- open again since June 2006.

  • Gasthaus Walter (from 1870 to 1996 in the ownership of the Walter family) was reopened in June 2008 as Rainer Ballin's Event-Gasthof Walter zum Bückeberg.

Towns and villages of the Bückeberg

  • Ahnsen
    Ahnsen
    Ahnsen is a municipality in the district of Schaumburg, in Lower Saxony, Germany....

  • Apelern
    Apelern
    Apelern is a municipality in the Samtgemeinde of Rodenberg in the district of Schaumburg, in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is situated close to the A2 Autobahn at Lauenau and south of Rodenberg, between the Deister, Süntel and Bückeberg ridges...

  • Auetal
    Auetal
    Auetal is a municipality in the district of Schaumburg, in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is situated approx. 10 km south of Stadthagen, and 22 km east of Minden. Its seat is in the village Rehren.- External links :**...

  • Bad Eilsen
    Bad Eilsen
    Bad Eilsen is a municipality in the district of Schaumburg, in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is situated approx. 11 km southwest of Stadthagen, and 13 km southeast of Minden.Bad Eilsen is also the seat of the Samtgemeinde Eilsen....

  • Bad Nenndorf
    Bad Nenndorf
    Bad Nenndorf is a small town in the district of Schaumburg, Lower Saxony, Germany. Its population is 10,210 . It is situated approx. 12 km east of Stadthagen, and 25 km west of Hanover, at the southern edge of the North German Plain and the northern edge of the Deister ridge...

  • Beckedorf
    Beckedorf
    Beckedorf is a municipality in the district of Schaumburg, in Lower Saxony, Germany....

  • Heeßen
    Heeßen
    Heeßen is a municipality in the district of Schaumburg, in Lower Saxony, Germany....

  • Heuerßen
    Heuerßen
    Heuerßen is a municipality in the district of Schaumburg, in Lower Saxony, Germany....

  • Nienstädt
    Nienstädt
    Nienstädt is a municipality in the district of Schaumburg, in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is situated approx. 4 km southwest of Stadthagen, and 17 km east of Minden.Nienstädt is part of the Samtgemeinde Nienstädt....

  • Obernkirchen
    Obernkirchen
    Obernkirchen is a town in the district of Schaumburg, in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is situated approximately 8 km southwest of Stadthagen, and 15 km east of Minden....

  • Rodenberg
    Rodenberg
    Rodenberg is a town in the district of Schaumburg, in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is situated on the northwestern edge of the Deister hills, approx. 10 km east of Stadthagen, and 27 km west of Hanover....

  • Stadthagen
    Stadthagen
    Stadthagen is the capital of the district of Schaumburg, in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is situated approx. 20 km east of Minden and 40 km west of Hanover. The city consists of the districts Brandenburg, Enzen-Hobbensen, Hörkamp-Langenbruch, Krebshagen, Obernwöhren, Probsthagen, Reinsen...


History

  • In the quarries there are many traces of dinosaur
    Dinosaur
    Dinosaurs are a diverse group of animals of the clade and superorder Dinosauria. They were the dominant terrestrial vertebrates for over 160 million years, from the late Triassic period until the end of the Cretaceous , when the Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction event led to the extinction of...

    s. Paleontological discoveries in September 2008 caused a worldwide sensation. In the quarry on the Bückeberg, dinosaur tracks were found including those of raptors
    Velociraptor
    Velociraptor is a genus of dromaeosaurid theropod dinosaur that existed approximately 75 to 71 million years ago during the later part of the Cretaceous Period. Two species are currently recognized, although others have been assigned in the past. The type species is V. mongoliensis; fossils...

    , which were of great scientific importance. Five footprint casts of an iguanodon
    Iguanodon
    Iguanodon is a genus of ornithopod dinosaur that lived roughly halfway between the first of the swift bipedal hypsilophodontids and the ornithopods' culmination in the duck-billed dinosaurs...

     may be seen today in Bad Nenndorf
    Bad Nenndorf
    Bad Nenndorf is a small town in the district of Schaumburg, Lower Saxony, Germany. Its population is 10,210 . It is situated approx. 12 km east of Stadthagen, and 25 km west of Hanover, at the southern edge of the North German Plain and the northern edge of the Deister ridge...

     near the castle. Similar casts from the Bückeberg may also be viewed in Bückeburg, Obernkirchen and other locations.
  • At Hühnerbach near Obernkirchen
    Obernkirchen
    Obernkirchen is a town in the district of Schaumburg, in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is situated approximately 8 km southwest of Stadthagen, and 15 km east of Minden....

     are the ruins of an old Saxon fortress, the Bückeburg with its circular rampart
    Circular rampart
    A circular rampart is an embankment built in the shape of a circle that was used as part of the defences for a military fortification, hill fort or refuge, or was built for religious purposes or as a place of gathering....

    s.
  • On the Heisterberg near Beckedorf
    Beckedorf
    Beckedorf is a municipality in the district of Schaumburg, in Lower Saxony, Germany....

     is the Heisterschlösschen, a circular rampart with a 65 m diameter dating to the 10th century.

Etymology

On several maps the hills are called the Bückeberge ("Bücke hills"). In the Lower Saxon dialect it is not unusual to treat such a name as singular (Wir gehen zum Bückeberge = "we are going to the Bückeberge"). In the Nazi era attempts were made to rename the Bückeberg in Schaumburg as the "Bückeburg Forest" or "Bückeberge", in order to distinguish it from the hills of the same name near Hagenohsen, where the Reich's harvest festival was celebrated. Occasionally the plural is found even before 1933 in old maps. On official maps the plural form was first used in 1961. The Lower Saxony State Survey Department (Landesvermessungsamt Niedersachsen or LGN) laid down in 2005 that the name Bückeberg would be used for the ridge in its fullest extent, so that now the traditional name, used for centuries, has now been adopted on the maps. The Bückeberg lies in the old Germanic district (Gau) of Bukkigau (Bukki = Beech
Beech
Beech is a genus of ten species of deciduous trees in the family Fagaceae, native to temperate Europe, Asia and North America.-Habit:...

), and therefore means the "hill in the beeches" (Berg im Bukki) or the "Beech Mountain" (Buchen-Berg).

Myths

Old folk tales tell of the so-called Böxenwolf, a type of werewolf
Werewolf
A werewolf, also known as a lycanthrope , is a mythological or folkloric human with the ability to shapeshift into a wolf or an anthropomorphic wolf-like creature, either purposely or after being placed under a curse...

, which would ambush lone travellers walking through the Bückeberg, or even between the surrounding villages, at night. It would jump on their back and then after some time jump off again.

Popculture

With "On The Beech Mountain", Bückeburg based songwriter Sascha Conrad created the first musical tribute ever to the Bückeberg in 2010.
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