Deutscher Olymp
Encyclopedia
The Deutscher Olymp is a 61 metre high elevation on the Wingst
ridge in the district of Cuxhaven in the German state of Lower Saxony
.
The Deutscher Olymp was formed from an ice age
moraine
. On its summit is a 29 metre high observation tower
, from where there are views of the River Elbe and the North Sea
.
The hill known as the Deutscher Olymp ("German Mount Olympus") was given this name in 1852 by an innkeeper, thus rechristening the 61 metre high Fahlenberg. In 1974 its wooden observation tower was replaced by a 29 metre high concrete viewing tower, which now enabled a view from a height of 90 m of the countryside around Kehdingen
and Land Hadeln
through glass panes. A lift is provided.
In good weather, ships can be seen on the Elbe making their way to Hamburg. On the limit of visibility to the northwest is Cuxhaven with its telecommunication tower, the Friedrich Clemens Gerke Tower and the twin towers of the church in Altenbruch. To the north may be seen the North Sea, the Elbe, the mouth of the Oste and the coast of Schleswig-Holstein
with the Brunsbüttel
nuclear power station and the large wind farm
. From northeast to east the course of the Oste
as far as Hemmoor
can be seen, from southeast to south are the geest hills of the Westerberg
and the Balksee lake. From southwest to west is the expanse of the Hadeln Marsh
; its villages are recognisable from their church towers with the aid of a map.
The tower was closed from autumn 2005 to February 2006, because the associated inn was up for sale, but did not find any buyers for a long time. From summer 2006 the observation tower was opened from time to time in cooperation with the municipality of Am Dobrock.
Wingst (ridge)
The Wingst is a ridge, up to 74 metres high, in northern Lower Saxony, Germany.- Geography :The ridge is located in northeast part of the district of Cuxhaven, just a few kilometres south of the mouth of the River Elbe on the North Sea coast, and west of the lower reaches of the Oste between...
ridge in the district of Cuxhaven in the German state of Lower Saxony
Lower Saxony
Lower Saxony is a German state situated in north-western Germany and is second in area and fourth in population among the sixteen states of Germany...
.
The Deutscher Olymp was formed from an ice age
Ice age
An ice age or, more precisely, glacial age, is a generic geological period of long-term reduction in the temperature of the Earth's surface and atmosphere, resulting in the presence or expansion of continental ice sheets, polar ice sheets and alpine glaciers...
moraine
Moraine
A moraine is any glacially formed accumulation of unconsolidated glacial debris which can occur in currently glaciated and formerly glaciated regions, such as those areas acted upon by a past glacial maximum. This debris may have been plucked off a valley floor as a glacier advanced or it may have...
. On its summit is a 29 metre high observation tower
Observation tower
An observation tower is a structure used to view events from a long distance and to create a full 360 degree range of vision. They are usually at least tall and made from stone, iron, and wood. Many modern towers are also used as TV towers, restaurants, or churches...
, from where there are views of the River Elbe and the North Sea
North Sea
In the southwest, beyond the Straits of Dover, the North Sea becomes the English Channel connecting to the Atlantic Ocean. In the east, it connects to the Baltic Sea via the Skagerrak and Kattegat, narrow straits that separate Denmark from Norway and Sweden respectively...
.
The hill known as the Deutscher Olymp ("German Mount Olympus") was given this name in 1852 by an innkeeper, thus rechristening the 61 metre high Fahlenberg. In 1974 its wooden observation tower was replaced by a 29 metre high concrete viewing tower, which now enabled a view from a height of 90 m of the countryside around Kehdingen
Kehdingen
Kehdingen is the name of a landscape in the north German district of Stade on the lower reaches of the River Elbe. It extends roughly from the mouth of the Oste in the north to the town of Stade in the south...
and Land Hadeln
Land Hadeln
Land Hadeln is a historic landscape and former administrative district in North Germany with its seat in Otterndorf on the lower reaches of the River Elbe, in the Elbe-Weser Triangle between the estuaries of the Elbe and Weser...
through glass panes. A lift is provided.
In good weather, ships can be seen on the Elbe making their way to Hamburg. On the limit of visibility to the northwest is Cuxhaven with its telecommunication tower, the Friedrich Clemens Gerke Tower and the twin towers of the church in Altenbruch. To the north may be seen the North Sea, the Elbe, the mouth of the Oste and the coast of Schleswig-Holstein
Schleswig-Holstein
Schleswig-Holstein is the northernmost of the sixteen states of Germany, comprising most of the historical duchy of Holstein and the southern part of the former Duchy of Schleswig...
with the Brunsbüttel
Brunsbüttel
Brunsbüttel is a town in the district of Dithmarschen, in Schleswig-Holstein, northern Germany that lies on the mouth of the Elbe river, near the North Sea. It is the location of the western entrance to the Kiel Canal, the eastern entrance being located at Kiel-Holtenau...
nuclear power station and the large wind farm
Wind farm
A wind farm is a group of wind turbines in the same location used to produce electric power. A large wind farm may consist of several hundred individual wind turbines, and cover an extended area of hundreds of square miles, but the land between the turbines may be used for agricultural or other...
. From northeast to east the course of the Oste
Oste
The Oste is a river in northern Lower Saxony, Germany with a length of 153 km, left tributary of the Elbe. It flows through the districts of Harburg, Rotenburg, Stade and Cuxhaven and empties into the Elbe river near Otterndorf. Its drainage area is 1.711 km² and the decline between the...
as far as Hemmoor
Hemmoor
Hemmoor is a municipality in the district of Cuxhaven, in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is situated near the river Oste, approx. 40 km northeast of Bremerhaven, and 25 km south of Brunsbüttel.-History:...
can be seen, from southeast to south are the geest hills of the Westerberg
Westerberg (Lamstedt)
The Westerberg is a low ridge in North Germany in the north of the collective municipality of Börde Lamstedt in the state of Lower Saxony. It is covered with mixed forest and, like the nearby Wingst ridge, it is an end moraine from the Saale glaciation period...
and the Balksee lake. From southwest to west is the expanse of the Hadeln Marsh
Marsh
In geography, a marsh, or morass, is a type of wetland that is subject to frequent or continuous flood. Typically the water is shallow and features grasses, rushes, reeds, typhas, sedges, other herbaceous plants, and moss....
; its villages are recognisable from their church towers with the aid of a map.
The tower was closed from autumn 2005 to February 2006, because the associated inn was up for sale, but did not find any buyers for a long time. From summer 2006 the observation tower was opened from time to time in cooperation with the municipality of Am Dobrock.