Schönfeld Upland
Encyclopedia
The Schönfeld Upland is a plateau
in Dresden
. It is named after Schönfeld
, the district of Dresden in the middle of the plateau. Up to 1950, when Pillnitz
was incorporated into Dresden, the upland was known as the Pillnitzer Elbe Plateau.
capital
of Dresden. It extends over an area of approximately 45 square kilometres to the edges of neighbouring Dürröhsdorf-Dittersbach in the rural district
of Sächsische Schweiz-Osterzgebirge
.
Places in the Schönfeld Upland include Borsberg, Cunnersdorf, Eichbusch, Eschdorf
, Gönnsdorf, Helfenberg
, Krieschendorf, Malschendorf, Pappritz, Reitzendorf, Rockau, Rosinendörfchen, Rossendorf, Schönfeld
, Schullwitz, Weißig and Zaschendorf. The Dresden districts of Rochwitz, Oberwachwitz (where the Dresden TV Tower is located) and Bühlau are also part of the landscape of the Schönfelder Upland.
The Schönfeld Upland is part of the West Lusatian hills and mountains, making it part of the foothills
of the Sudetes. It is over 250 metres above sea level on the Lusatian Plateau. The highest points in the Schönfeld Upland are the Triebenberg, the highest mountain in Dresden, and the Borsberg in the south of the upland, at 383 and 361 metres above sea level, respectively, followed by the 344 metre high Napoleonstein ("Napoleon Rock") between Weißig and Rossendorf.
In the south and southwest the upland is bordered by the Dresden Elbe valley, running along the Lusatian fault
, where the elevation steeply falls 200 metres to the Dresden Elbe valley
. In the Northwest near Weißig, the Schönfeld Upland transitions into the Dresden Heath
. The northeast border is marked by the flat, grassy hollow
on the upper reaches of the Prießnitz
. The upland's northeastern neighbour is the Harthe, the forested area including the Dresden-Rossendorf Research Centre
. The transitions to the east and southeast are fluid—here the ground level leisurely drops towards the Wesenitz.
and the Tiefe Grund between Oberpoyritz and Graupa. The most important water course draining the upland to the east is the Schullwitzbach.
The broad fields and meadows are punctuated by villages but forested areas are absent. Despite belonging to the city of Dresden, the Schönfeld Upland is still an dominated by agriculture
. There are approximately 2600 hectares of arable land in the upland. In the GDR, various LPGs
farmed the area. Today, it is mostly farmed by the Agrarproduktionsgesellschaft ('Agricultural Production Company') Schönfelder Hochland. Continuing the farming tradition is, among others, the smallholding museum Reizendorf.
since 4 July 1974.
Plateau
In geology and earth science, a plateau , also called a high plain or tableland, is an area of highland, usually consisting of relatively flat terrain. A highly eroded plateau is called a dissected plateau...
in Dresden
Dresden
Dresden is the capital city of the Free State of Saxony in Germany. It is situated in a valley on the River Elbe, near the Czech border. The Dresden conurbation is part of the Saxon Triangle metropolitan area....
. It is named after Schönfeld
Schönfeld
-Places in Germany:*Schönfeld, Brandenburg, in the district Uckermark, Brandenburg*Schönfeld, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, in the district of Demmin, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern*Schönfeld, Saxony, in the district Riesa-Großenhain, Saxony...
, the district of Dresden in the middle of the plateau. Up to 1950, when Pillnitz
Pillnitz
Pillnitz is a city quarter in the east of Dresden, Germany. The quarter is situated in the east of Dresden. It can be reached by bus, ship, walking along the river or by bicycle...
was incorporated into Dresden, the upland was known as the Pillnitzer Elbe Plateau.
Location
The Schönfeld Upland is in the east of the SaxonSaxony
The Free State of Saxony is a landlocked state of Germany, contingent with Brandenburg, Saxony Anhalt, Thuringia, Bavaria, the Czech Republic and Poland. It is the tenth-largest German state in area, with of Germany's sixteen states....
capital
Capital City
Capital City was a television show produced by Euston Films which focused on the lives of investment bankers in London living and working on the corporate trading floor for the fictional international bank Shane-Longman....
of Dresden. It extends over an area of approximately 45 square kilometres to the edges of neighbouring Dürröhsdorf-Dittersbach in the rural district
Rural district
Rural districts were a type of local government area – now superseded – established at the end of the 19th century in England, Wales, and Ireland for the administration of predominantly rural areas at a level lower than that of the administrative counties.-England and Wales:In England...
of Sächsische Schweiz-Osterzgebirge
Sächsische Schweiz-Osterzgebirge
Sächsische Schweiz-Osterzgebirge is a district in the Free State of Saxony, Germany. It is named after the mountain ranges Saxon Switzerland and Erzgebirge.- History :...
.
Places in the Schönfeld Upland include Borsberg, Cunnersdorf, Eichbusch, Eschdorf
Eschdorf
Eschdorf is a small town in the commune of Heiderscheid, in north-western Luxembourg. , the town had a population of 411. It is the commune of Heiderscheid's administrative centre....
, Gönnsdorf, Helfenberg
Helfenberg
Helfenberg is a municipality in the district of Rohrbach in Upper Austria, Austria....
, Krieschendorf, Malschendorf, Pappritz, Reitzendorf, Rockau, Rosinendörfchen, Rossendorf, Schönfeld
Schönfeld
-Places in Germany:*Schönfeld, Brandenburg, in the district Uckermark, Brandenburg*Schönfeld, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, in the district of Demmin, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern*Schönfeld, Saxony, in the district Riesa-Großenhain, Saxony...
, Schullwitz, Weißig and Zaschendorf. The Dresden districts of Rochwitz, Oberwachwitz (where the Dresden TV Tower is located) and Bühlau are also part of the landscape of the Schönfelder Upland.
The Schönfeld Upland is part of the West Lusatian hills and mountains, making it part of the foothills
Foothills
Foothills are geographically defined as gradual increases in elevation at the base of a mountain range. They are a transition zone between plains and low relief hills to the adjacent topographically high mountains.-Examples:...
of the Sudetes. It is over 250 metres above sea level on the Lusatian Plateau. The highest points in the Schönfeld Upland are the Triebenberg, the highest mountain in Dresden, and the Borsberg in the south of the upland, at 383 and 361 metres above sea level, respectively, followed by the 344 metre high Napoleonstein ("Napoleon Rock") between Weißig and Rossendorf.
In the south and southwest the upland is bordered by the Dresden Elbe valley, running along the Lusatian fault
Lusatian Fault
The Lusatian Fault , formerly Lusatian Overthrust , is the most important geological disturbance zone between the Elbe valley and the Giant Mountains. It is a fault that separates the granite of Lusatia from the Cretaceous sandstones of North Bohemia to the south...
, where the elevation steeply falls 200 metres to the Dresden Elbe valley
Dresden Elbe Valley
The Dresden Elbe Valley is a former World Heritage Site in Dresden, Germany. The valley, extending for some 20 kilometres and passingthrough the Dresden Basin and the city of Dresden, is one of two cultural landscapes along the Central European river Elbe...
. In the Northwest near Weißig, the Schönfeld Upland transitions into the Dresden Heath
Dresdner Heide
The Dresdener Heide is a large forest in the city of Dresden. The Heide is the most important recreational area in the city and is also actively forested. Approximately 6.133 Hectare of the Dresdener Heide are designated as a nature preserve, making the Heide one of the largest city forests in...
. The northeast border is marked by the flat, grassy hollow
Hollow
-A noun:*A non-closed body which is not solid or filled. i.e. contains empty space or air.**Hollow Earth theory, the idea that the planet Earth has a hollow interior and possibly an inhabitable inner surface....
on the upper reaches of the Prießnitz
Prießnitz
Prießnitz is a village and a former municipality in the Burgenlandkreis district, in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. Since 1 January 2010, it is part of the town Naumburg....
. The upland's northeastern neighbour is the Harthe, the forested area including the Dresden-Rossendorf Research Centre
Forschungszentrum Dresden-Rossendorf
The Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf is a German research laboratory in Dresden and member of the Helmholtz Association of German Research Centres...
. The transitions to the east and southeast are fluid—here the ground level leisurely drops towards the Wesenitz.
Landscape
Typical of the upland are gently rolling to hilly areas, featuring a fragmented and variable structure with long ridges, low crests and shallow valleys. In the southwestern periphery, deep, narrow valleys cut into the plateau, where steep streams flow to the Elbe. These valleys are, from northwest to southeast the Wachwitzgrund near Wachwitz, the Helfenberger Grund and Preßgrund near Niederpoyritz, the Keppgrund near Hosterwitz, the Vogelgrund and the Friedrichsgrund near PillnitzPillnitz
Pillnitz is a city quarter in the east of Dresden, Germany. The quarter is situated in the east of Dresden. It can be reached by bus, ship, walking along the river or by bicycle...
and the Tiefe Grund between Oberpoyritz and Graupa. The most important water course draining the upland to the east is the Schullwitzbach.
The broad fields and meadows are punctuated by villages but forested areas are absent. Despite belonging to the city of Dresden, the Schönfeld Upland is still an dominated by agriculture
Agriculture
Agriculture is the cultivation of animals, plants, fungi and other life forms for food, fiber, and other products used to sustain life. Agriculture was the key implement in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that nurtured the...
. There are approximately 2600 hectares of arable land in the upland. In the GDR, various LPGs
Landwirtschaftliche Produktionsgenossenschaft
The German expression Landwirtschaftliche Produktionsgenossenschaft , or — more commonly — its acronym LPG was the official designation for large, collectivised farms in the former East Germany, corresponding to Soviet Kolkhoz.The collectivisation of private and state owned agricultural...
farmed the area. Today, it is mostly farmed by the Agrarproduktionsgesellschaft ('Agricultural Production Company') Schönfelder Hochland. Continuing the farming tradition is, among others, the smallholding museum Reizendorf.
Protection
Together with the Dresden Elbe valley, parts of the Schönfeld Upland have formed a contiguous protected areaProtected area
Protected areas are locations which receive protection because of their recognised natural, ecological and/or cultural values. There are several kinds of protected areas, which vary by level of protection depending on the enabling laws of each country or the regulations of the international...
since 4 July 1974.