Schnee Eifel
Encyclopedia
The Schnee Eifel is a heavily wooded landscape in Germany's Central Uplands
that forms part of the western Eifel
in the area of the German-Belgian border. The name may have been derived in the 19th century from the Schneifel chain of hills which had nothing to do with snow (Schnee), but with the name for a forest swathe (Schneise).
, the border with the North Eifel
, that begins near Hallschlag
and Kronenburg
with the Zitter Forest
; To the east the Kyll forms the boundary river with the High Eifel. To the south the Schnee Eifel merges into the South Eifel
to Pronsfeld
in the Prümer Land. Its highest elevation is found on the Schneifel
ridge: the 697.3 metres (2,287.7 ft) high Schwarzer Mann
("Black Man").
The term Schneifel is frequently employed in publications to mean the whole Schnee Eifel region, but they are not synonymous. The Schneifel
is actually the uninhabited central chain of hills in the Schnee-Eifel; whose coverage goes beyond the narrow definition of the Schneifel and includes the southern source region of the Kyll
and its upper reaches as well as the adjoining Prüm Forest southeast of the main crest.
The largest town in the Schnee Eifel is Prüm
which lies on the river of the same name. Its well-known ski areas are the Schwarze Mann and the Wolfsschlucht. They lie about 15 kilometres (9.3 mi) northwest and 5 kilometres (3.1 mi) north of Prüm respectively.
, its highest region, are the stumps of once great mountains that were formed by Hercynian folding during the Devonian
period of geological history. After a long period of severe erosion
they were uplifted again in the Quaternary
period. Scattered areas of old rock with smooth relief still exist, although at times they are hard to discern. Rougher highlands stand out from this base, especially in the north (Prümer Land) ], owing to the hardness of their rocks, like the quartzite
ridge of the Schneifel. This long, sinewy ridge juts out above the less jagged, old plateau by around 100 metres and is clear evidence of the resistance of the local quartz rock to the forces of weathering.
It is remarkable for its length of 15 kilometres (9.3 mi) against an average width of just 2 kilometres (1.2 mi). With little variation in height, it runs from Brandscheid
as far as Ormont
near Stadtkyll
, where it ends at the Steinberg (654 m).
and, for several years now, the lynx
.
is the setting for the novel of the same name by Alfred Andersch
, which takes place in the final months of the Second World War.
Central Uplands
The Central Uplands is one of the three major natural regions of Germany and covers most of the land area of the country. To the north lies the North German Plain or Northern Lowland; to the south, the Alps and the Alpine Foreland.- Formation :...
that forms part of the western Eifel
Eifel
The Eifel is a low mountain range in western Germany and eastern Belgium. It occupies parts of southwestern North Rhine-Westphalia, northwestern Rhineland-Palatinate and the south of the German-speaking Community of Belgium....
in the area of the German-Belgian border. The name may have been derived in the 19th century from the Schneifel chain of hills which had nothing to do with snow (Schnee), but with the name for a forest swathe (Schneise).
Geography
The Schnee Eifel natural region is formed by the southern part of the Hohes Venn-Eifel Nature Park. To the north it is bounded by the river KyllKyll
The Kyll , noted by the Roman poet Ausonius as Celbis, is a 142km long river in western Germany , left tributary of the Moselle. It rises in the Eifel mountains, near the border with Belgium and flows generally south through the towns Stadtkyll, Gerolstein, Kyllburg and east of Bitburg...
, the border with the North Eifel
North Eifel
The North Eifel , the northern part of the Eifel, a low mountain range in Germany and East Belgium, comprises the following six sub-regions:*Venn Foreland,*Hohes Venn,*Rur Eifel,*Limestone Eifel,*Our Valley and*High Eifel....
, that begins near Hallschlag
Hallschlag
Hallschlag is an Ortsgemeinde – a municipality belonging to a Verbandsgemeinde, a kind of collective municipality – in the Vulkaneifel district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany...
and Kronenburg
Kronenburg
Kronenburg or Kronenbourg may refer to:In places:* Kronenburg, Germany, town subsumed into Dahlem, North Rhine-Westphalia* Kronenburg , village in Suriname* Loenen-Kronenburg, former Dutch municipalityIn others:...
with the Zitter Forest
Zitter Forest
The Zitter Forest is located in the Eifel region in the German district of Euskirchen and in the Belgian province of Liège . Its highest point is ....
; To the east the Kyll forms the boundary river with the High Eifel. To the south the Schnee Eifel merges into the South Eifel
South Eifel
The South Eifel refers to that part of the Eifel mountain region around the Bitburg-Prüm district in the German state of Rhineland-Palatinate....
to Pronsfeld
Pronsfeld
Pronsfeld is a municipality in the district of Bitburg-Prüm, in Rhineland-Palatinate, western Germany....
in the Prümer Land. Its highest elevation is found on the Schneifel
Schneifel
The Schneifel is a range of low mountains in the western part of the Eifel in Germany, near the Belgian border. It runs from Brandscheid near Prüm in a northeasterly direction to Ormont....
ridge: the 697.3 metres (2,287.7 ft) high Schwarzer Mann
Schwarzer Mann
Schwarzer Mann is a mountain in the western part of the Eifel which is known as Schnee Eifel. With a height of 697.3 m it is the highest peak in the Schnee Eifel and third highest in the Eifel....
("Black Man").
The term Schneifel is frequently employed in publications to mean the whole Schnee Eifel region, but they are not synonymous. The Schneifel
Schneifel
The Schneifel is a range of low mountains in the western part of the Eifel in Germany, near the Belgian border. It runs from Brandscheid near Prüm in a northeasterly direction to Ormont....
is actually the uninhabited central chain of hills in the Schnee-Eifel; whose coverage goes beyond the narrow definition of the Schneifel and includes the southern source region of the Kyll
Kyll
The Kyll , noted by the Roman poet Ausonius as Celbis, is a 142km long river in western Germany , left tributary of the Moselle. It rises in the Eifel mountains, near the border with Belgium and flows generally south through the towns Stadtkyll, Gerolstein, Kyllburg and east of Bitburg...
and its upper reaches as well as the adjoining Prüm Forest southeast of the main crest.
The largest town in the Schnee Eifel is Prüm
Prüm
Prüm is a town in the Westeifel , Germany. Formerly a district capital, today it is the administrative seat of the Verbandsgemeinde Prüm.-Geography:...
which lies on the river of the same name. Its well-known ski areas are the Schwarze Mann and the Wolfsschlucht. They lie about 15 kilometres (9.3 mi) northwest and 5 kilometres (3.1 mi) north of Prüm respectively.
Geology
Much of the Eifel belongs to the Rhine Massif. The Schnee Eifel, and in particular, the SchneifelSchneifel
The Schneifel is a range of low mountains in the western part of the Eifel in Germany, near the Belgian border. It runs from Brandscheid near Prüm in a northeasterly direction to Ormont....
, its highest region, are the stumps of once great mountains that were formed by Hercynian folding during 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...
period of geological history. After a long period of severe erosion
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...
they were uplifted again in the Quaternary
Quaternary
The Quaternary Period is the most recent of the three periods of the Cenozoic Era in the geologic time scale of the ICS. It follows the Neogene Period, spanning 2.588 ± 0.005 million years ago to the present...
period. Scattered areas of old rock with smooth relief still exist, although at times they are hard to discern. Rougher highlands stand out from this base, especially in the north (Prümer Land) ], owing to the hardness of their rocks, like the quartzite
Quartzite
Quartzite 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...
ridge of the Schneifel. This long, sinewy ridge juts out above the less jagged, old plateau by around 100 metres and is clear evidence of the resistance of the local quartz rock to the forces of weathering.
It is remarkable for its length of 15 kilometres (9.3 mi) against an average width of just 2 kilometres (1.2 mi). With little variation in height, it runs from Brandscheid
Brandscheid
Brandscheid is a municipality in the district of Bitburg-Prüm, in Rhineland-Palatinate, western Germany....
as far as Ormont
Ormont
Ormont is an Ortsgemeinde – a municipality belonging to a Verbandsgemeinde, a kind of collective municipality – in the Vulkaneifel district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany...
near Stadtkyll
Stadtkyll
Stadtkyll is an Ortsgemeinde – a municipality belonging to a Verbandsgemeinde, a kind of collective municipality – in the Vulkaneifel district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It belongs to the Verbandsgemeinde of Obere Kyll, whose seat is in the municipality of Jünkerath...
, where it ends at the Steinberg (654 m).
Fauna
Due to its remote location the Schnee-Eifel is undeveloped, where rare plants and animals may be found, including the wildcatWildcat
Wildcat is a small felid native to Europe, the western part of Asia, and Africa.-Animals:Wildcat may also refer to members of the genus Lynx:...
and, for several years now, the lynx
Lynx
A lynx is any of the four Lynx genus species of medium-sized wildcats. The name "lynx" originated in Middle English via Latin from Greek word "λύγξ", derived from the Indo-European root "*leuk-", meaning "light, brightness", in reference to the luminescence of its reflective eyes...
.
Fiction
The hamlet of WinterspeltWinterspelt
Winterspelt is a municipality in the district of Bitburg-Prüm, in Rhineland-Palatinate, western Germany....
is the setting for the novel of the same name by Alfred Andersch
Alfred Andersch
Alfred Hellmuth Andersch was a German writer, publisher, and radio editor. The son of a conservative East Prussian army officer, he was born in Munich, Germany and died in Berzona, Ticino, Switzerland...
, which takes place in the final months of the Second World War.
See also
- West EifelWest EifelThe West Eifel refers to that part of the Eifel mountains in Germany that is centred on the town of Prüm and reaches as far as the border with Belgium and Luxembourg...
, Belgian EifelBelgian EifelThe Belgian Eifel is that part of the North and West Eifel that lies on the Belgian side of the Germany-Belgium border. The term is not universally used, because the boundary between the Eifel and the Ardennes in the area of the High Fens is not clearly defined.The following areas may be...
, North EifelNorth EifelThe North Eifel , the northern part of the Eifel, a low mountain range in Germany and East Belgium, comprises the following six sub-regions:*Venn Foreland,*Hohes Venn,*Rur Eifel,*Limestone Eifel,*Our Valley and*High Eifel....
, South EifelSouth EifelThe South Eifel refers to that part of the Eifel mountain region around the Bitburg-Prüm district in the German state of Rhineland-Palatinate....
, Vulkan EifelVulkan EifelThe Vulkan Eifel is a region in the Eifel Mountains in Germany, that is defined to a large extent by its volcanic geological history. Characteristic of the Vulkan Eifel are its typical explosion crater lakes or maars, and numerous other signs of volcanic activity such as volcanic tuffs, lava...
, Rur EifelRur EifelThe Rur Eifel lies in the district of Düren in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia, and is a local recreation area from the regions of Cologne, Aachen, Düsseldorf, Krefeld, Mönchengladbach and Bonn...
, Hohes Venn - BasaltBasaltBasalt 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...
, 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...