Lemberg (Swabian Alb)
Encyclopedia
The Lemberg is a mountain
located in the Tuttlingen
district of Baden-Württemberg
, Germany
.
The mountain is the highest point of the Swabian Alps . It is one of the "10 Thousanders"—ten 1,000-metre
-high summits of the region. On the peak of the mountain is a 30-m-high tower which, reaching above the surrounding trees, offers a beautiful prospect, in clear weather as far as the Alps
.
has generally eroded away, leaving a few more-resistant remnants, such as the Lemberg.
The name is Celtic in origin. Those celtic prefix "lem-" means something like morass or sump
. Probably this name derives from the source of the Bära
river, a tributary
of the Danube
, at the foot of the mountain.
From the 8th to 5th centuries B.C. there was a Hallstatt
settlement on the Lemberg. Even today walls and ditches of a fortification can be detected on the summit. In the east and the west the summit plateau was terraced. Further remains of Celtic activity are also on the neighboring mountains, and the whole Heuberg region.
(1,011 m). The historical significance and the comfortable ascent argued in favor of the Oberhohenberg, however finally—particularly because of status as the highest mountain of the Swabian Alps—the decision was made to build on the Lemberg. In 1894 the first terrain inspection was made by one engineer and two master craftsmen. However construction was delayed, in particular because of scarce funds. In 1897 the original plans were dropped; a discussion over the building of a tower from stone or iron began. Since the cost of a stone tower was estimated at 24,000 marks
, a substantially cheaper building of iron was chosen. A company from Freiburg
was assigned. The funds came predominantly from donations.
The foundations were laid in Easter
week, 1899. On Whit Monday
, twelve workers began with the construction of the tower. Good weather favoured the work, so that on 17 June 1899 the building was already finished. The tower ascent has over 152 stairway steps, on twelve open floors. The tower consists of 23 tons of iron. The cost estimate of 10,000 Marks was not exceeded. The observation platform of Lemberg Tower is 30 metres above ground. With the flag pole on its top the tower is 34 metres tall.
Since then, the tower has undergone refurbishing about every 25 years. Particularly after the First World War, during which the tower had also as in World War II no military importance, one played with the idea to demolish the tower in order to save the money for renovation. The suggestion did not find however sufficient proponents. The tower got in 1973 and 1999 closed for a longer time, in which it was refurbished by volunteered craftsmen from Gosheim.
In the middle of the 1980s the former telecommunication office at of Rottweil installed two directional antennas on Lember Tower for the realization of a passive repeater
microwave link between the communications building in Rottweil and the trunk exchange, situated at station road in Gosheim. This microwave link, which would not have been possible on direct way, served as addition to the existing telephone interwirings. After these were replaced by optical waveguide cables, this microwave link became ever more dispensable and in the year 2005 these antennas were dismantled.
Geographical coordinates of Lemberg tower: 48°9'3" N, 8°44'56" E
, whose northern edge can be seen from the Zugspitze
to the Bernese Alps
. To the west lies the Black Forest
, whose highest points are to be recognized: Feldberg
in the southwest and Hornisgrinde
in the northwest. At closer hand, the northwestern escarpment of the Swabian Alps (the Albtrauf) up to the Hohenzollern castle
is to be seen, in the north the upper Neckar
valley, the Schönbuch
natural park, and in very good conditions even the Stuttgart TV tower
, about 90 km away. Days with good viewing are more frequent in the autumn and winter than in the spring and summer.
trails. The Schwäbische Alb-Nordrand-Weg ("Swabian Alps northern edge way"), Hauptwanderweg 1 of the Swabian Alpine Club (Schwäbischen Albverein), crosses the summit. From the nearest parking lot, the summit can be attained in about three-quarters of an hour, gaining about 180 m in elevation.
From Wilflingen, the summit can be attained in approximately one and a half hours, climbing about 400 m. The trail crosses fields before entering the forest. The final climb of the trail is narrow and steep, gaining about 130 m.
is flown from the tower on days when the hut is open.
The first protection hut was inaugurated on 21 June 1901. It had a surface area of 6 × 3.5 m² and was a blockhouse made from round timbers on a concrete foundation. The construction cost amounted to 800 marks.
Today's protection hut has a small guest room.
Mountain
Image:Himalaya_annotated.jpg|thumb|right|The Himalayan mountain range with Mount Everestrect 58 14 160 49 Chomo Lonzorect 200 28 335 52 Makalurect 378 24 566 45 Mount Everestrect 188 581 920 656 Tibetan Plateaurect 250 406 340 427 Rong River...
located in the Tuttlingen
Tuttlingen (district)
thumb|Coat of armsTuttlingen is a county in the south of Baden-Württemberg, Germany. Neighboring counties are Rottweil, Zollernalbkreis, Sigmaringen, Constance and Schwarzwald-Baar.-History:...
district of Baden-Württemberg
Baden-Württemberg
Baden-Württemberg is one of the 16 states of Germany. Baden-Württemberg is in the southwestern part of the country to the east of the Upper Rhine, and is the third largest in both area and population of Germany's sixteen states, with an area of and 10.7 million inhabitants...
, 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...
.
The mountain is the highest point of the Swabian Alps . It is one of the "10 Thousanders"—ten 1,000-metre
Metre
The metre , symbol m, is the base unit of length in the International System of Units . Originally intended to be one ten-millionth of the distance from the Earth's equator to the North Pole , its definition has been periodically refined to reflect growing knowledge of metrology...
-high summits of the region. On the peak of the mountain is a 30-m-high tower which, reaching above the surrounding trees, offers a beautiful prospect, in clear weather as far as the Alps
Alps
The Alps is one of the great mountain range systems of Europe, stretching from Austria and Slovenia in the east through Italy, Switzerland, Liechtenstein and Germany to France in the west....
.
Prehistory
Like many of the mountains of the Swabian Alps, Lemberg is a "Zeugenberg"—a "witness mountain". A stratum of limestoneLimestone
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....
has generally eroded away, leaving a few more-resistant remnants, such as the Lemberg.
The name is Celtic in origin. Those celtic prefix "lem-" means something like morass or sump
Sump
A sump is a low space that collects any often-undesirable liquids such as water or chemicals. A sump can also be an infiltration basin used to manage surface runoff water and recharge underground aquifers....
. Probably this name derives from the source of the Bära
Bära
The Bära is a river in Baden-Württemberg, Germany.-See also:*List of rivers of Baden-Württemberg...
river, a tributary
Tributary
A tributary or affluent is a stream or river that flows into a main stem river or a lake. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea or ocean...
of the Danube
Danube
The Danube is a river in the Central Europe and the Europe's second longest river after the Volga. It is classified as an international waterway....
, at the foot of the mountain.
From the 8th to 5th centuries B.C. there was a Hallstatt
Hallstatt 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...
settlement on the Lemberg. Even today walls and ditches of a fortification can be detected on the summit. In the east and the west the summit plateau was terraced. Further remains of Celtic activity are also on the neighboring mountains, and the whole Heuberg region.
Lemberg tower
By 1890 there were plans for the building of a wooden tower on the Lemberg or its neighbour, the OberhohenbergOberhohenberg
The Oberhohenberg is the second highest mountain of the Swabian Alb, only four metres lower than the Lemberg.The ruins on its top derive from the year 1449, when the Castle Oberhohenberg together with the town of Hohenberg, located on the mountain's feet, were destroyed in a local feud....
(1,011 m). The historical significance and the comfortable ascent argued in favor of the Oberhohenberg, however finally—particularly because of status as the highest mountain of the Swabian Alps—the decision was made to build on the Lemberg. In 1894 the first terrain inspection was made by one engineer and two master craftsmen. However construction was delayed, in particular because of scarce funds. In 1897 the original plans were dropped; a discussion over the building of a tower from stone or iron began. Since the cost of a stone tower was estimated at 24,000 marks
German gold mark
The Goldmark was the currency used in the German Empire from 1873 to 1914.-History:Before unification, the different German states issued a variety of different currencies, though most were linked to the Vereinsthaler, a silver coin containing 16⅔ grams of pure silver...
, a substantially cheaper building of iron was chosen. A company from Freiburg
Freiburg
Freiburg im Breisgau is a city in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. In the extreme south-west of the country, it straddles the Dreisam river, at the foot of the Schlossberg. Historically, the city has acted as the hub of the Breisgau region on the western edge of the Black Forest in the Upper Rhine Plain...
was assigned. The funds came predominantly from donations.
The foundations were laid in Easter
Easter
Easter is the central feast in the Christian liturgical year. According to the Canonical gospels, Jesus rose from the dead on the third day after his crucifixion. His resurrection is celebrated on Easter Day or Easter Sunday...
week, 1899. On Whit Monday
Whit Monday
Whit Monday or Pentecost Monday is the holiday celebrated the day after Pentecost, a movable feast in the Christian calendar. It is movable because it is determined by the date of Easter....
, twelve workers began with the construction of the tower. Good weather favoured the work, so that on 17 June 1899 the building was already finished. The tower ascent has over 152 stairway steps, on twelve open floors. The tower consists of 23 tons of iron. The cost estimate of 10,000 Marks was not exceeded. The observation platform of Lemberg Tower is 30 metres above ground. With the flag pole on its top the tower is 34 metres tall.
Since then, the tower has undergone refurbishing about every 25 years. Particularly after the First World War, during which the tower had also as in World War II no military importance, one played with the idea to demolish the tower in order to save the money for renovation. The suggestion did not find however sufficient proponents. The tower got in 1973 and 1999 closed for a longer time, in which it was refurbished by volunteered craftsmen from Gosheim.
In the middle of the 1980s the former telecommunication office at of Rottweil installed two directional antennas on Lember Tower for the realization of a passive repeater
Passive repeater
A passive radio link deflection, or passive repeater is a plant for the implementation of a microwave link, in which because of an obstacle in the signal path no direct line of sight microwave link is possible...
microwave link between the communications building in Rottweil and the trunk exchange, situated at station road in Gosheim. This microwave link, which would not have been possible on direct way, served as addition to the existing telephone interwirings. After these were replaced by optical waveguide cables, this microwave link became ever more dispensable and in the year 2005 these antennas were dismantled.
Geographical coordinates of Lemberg tower: 48°9'3" N, 8°44'56" E
Prospect
On clear days the view reaches to the south as far as the AlpsAlps
The Alps is one of the great mountain range systems of Europe, stretching from Austria and Slovenia in the east through Italy, Switzerland, Liechtenstein and Germany to France in the west....
, whose northern edge can be seen from the Zugspitze
Zugspitze
The Zugspitze, at 2,962 metres above sea level, is the highest peak of the Wetterstein Mountains as well as the highest mountain in Germany. It lies south of the town of Garmisch-Partenkirchen, and the border between Germany and Austria runs over its western summit. South of the mountain is...
to the Bernese Alps
Bernese Alps
The Bernese Alps are a group of mountain ranges in the western part of the Alps, in Switzerland. Although the name suggests that they are located in the Bernese Oberland region of the canton of Bern, portions of the Bernese Alps are in the adjacent cantons of Valais, Lucerne, Obwalden, Fribourg and...
. To the west lies the Black Forest
Black Forest
The Black Forest is a wooded mountain range in Baden-Württemberg, southwestern Germany. It is bordered by the Rhine valley to the west and south. The highest peak is the Feldberg with an elevation of 1,493 metres ....
, whose highest points are to be recognized: Feldberg
Feldberg (Black Forest)
It is not to be confused with the two smaller hills in Hochtaunuskreis district some 300 km to the North, Kleiner Feldberg and Großer Feldberg in the Taunus....
in the southwest and Hornisgrinde
Hornisgrinde
The Hornisgrinde, 1164 m , is the highest mountain in the Northern Black Forest of Germany. The Hornisgrinde lies in northern Ortenaukreis district.- Origin of the name :...
in the northwest. At closer hand, the northwestern escarpment of the Swabian Alps (the Albtrauf) up to the Hohenzollern castle
Burg Hohenzollern
Hohenzollern Castle is a castle about south of Stuttgart, Germany. It is considered the ancestral seat of the Hohenzollern family, which emerged in the Middle Ages and eventually became German Emperors....
is to be seen, in the north the upper Neckar
Neckar
The Neckar is a long river, mainly flowing through the southwestern state of Baden-Württemberg, but also a short section through Hesse, in Germany. The Neckar is a major right tributary of the River Rhine...
valley, the Schönbuch
Schönbuch
The Schönbuch is an almost completely wooded area south west of Stuttgart and part of the Southern German Escarpment Landscape . In 1972 the centre zone of the Schönbuch became the first natural park in Baden-Württemberg...
natural park, and in very good conditions even the Stuttgart TV tower
Fernsehturm Stuttgart
The Fernsehturm Stuttgart is the world's first TV tower built from concrete ....
, about 90 km away. Days with good viewing are more frequent in the autumn and winter than in the spring and summer.
Hiking access
The Lemberg can be ascended on designated hikingHiking
Hiking is an outdoor activity which consists of walking in natural environments, often in mountainous or other scenic terrain. People often hike on hiking trails. It is such a popular activity that there are numerous hiking organizations worldwide. The health benefits of different types of hiking...
trails. The Schwäbische Alb-Nordrand-Weg ("Swabian Alps northern edge way"), Hauptwanderweg 1 of the Swabian Alpine Club (Schwäbischen Albverein), crosses the summit. From the nearest parking lot, the summit can be attained in about three-quarters of an hour, gaining about 180 m in elevation.
From Wilflingen, the summit can be attained in approximately one and a half hours, climbing about 400 m. The trail crosses fields before entering the forest. The final climb of the trail is narrow and steep, gaining about 130 m.
Summit shelter
On the summit of the Lemberg, the Albverein maintains a hut; a German flagFlag of Germany
The flag of Germany is a tricolour consisting of three equal horizontal bands displaying the national colours of Germany: black, red, and gold....
is flown from the tower on days when the hut is open.
The first protection hut was inaugurated on 21 June 1901. It had a surface area of 6 × 3.5 m² and was a blockhouse made from round timbers on a concrete foundation. The construction cost amounted to 800 marks.
Today's protection hut has a small guest room.
External links
- Lemberg Tower (in German)