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The Thuringian Highland,^[1] Thuringian Highlands or Thuringian-Vogtlandian Slate Mountains^[2] (German: Thüringer Schiefergebirge or Thüringisches Schiefergebirge, literally "Thuringian Slate Hills") is a low range of mountains in the German state of Thuringia.

Geography

The Thuringian Highland borders on the Thuringian Forest to the southwest. It is a plateau about 20 km wide that slopes southeast towards the Saale valley in the area of the Saale Dam and includes parts of the Thuringian Forest and Thuringian Highland and Upper Saale Nature Park.

The largest towns in the Thuringian Highland are Saalfeld and Bad Blankenburg which lie on its northern perimeter, Neuhaus am Rennweg in the highest region and Bad Lobenstein on the eastern edge (where it transitions into Franconian Forest).

The area includes a total of 4 smaller regions:

upper Saale valley
Plothen Lake District
High slate mountains
Sormitz-Schwarza region

The slate mountains of the Vogtland and Thuringian Highland stretch from the Thuringian Forest to the Ore Mountains. They are between about 300 m to 500 m above NN high, and comprise gently rolling hills which are part of the backbone of the Central Uplands. They extend for about 75 km from east to west and 50 km from north to south. Typical features of the landscape are the dolerite peaks or Kuppen (like the Pöhlde or the Hübel) with their wooded crests. These are made from a volcanic rock, dolerite, which is harder than the surrounding rocks and so weathers more slowly, giving rise to the characteristic Kuppen.

Geology

As its German name suggests, the Thuringian Highland is mainly made of slate rock. Although this region was formed in a similar way to the Harz, it lacks the sharp divisions caused by fault lines. Almost all the way round the region transitions gradually into the surrounding land. The rocks found here are from the Palaeozoic era, i.e. the Ordovician, Silurian, Devonian and Lower Carboniferous periods. The most important ones are:

Shale,
Alaunschiefer,
Radiolarite,
Limestone,
Sandstone,
Greywacke,
Dolerite,
Spilite
and volcanic conglomerates.

Karst-forming, and hence cave-forming, limestone only occurs in a few, small, isolated areas. As a result the number of caves is very low.

Rivers and hydro-electric power

In the Saale Valley there are two of the largest dams in Germany, which form the Hohenwarte and Bleiloch Reservoirs. In the Schwarza Valley there is the Goldisthal Pumped Storage Station, opened in 2003, which is one of the largest pumped-storage hydro-electric power stations in Europe.

Mountains and hills

Around the steep-sided valleys of the Schwarza and Saale the height difference between hilltops and valley bottoms is often as much as 300 m or more, which is large for hills of this size.

Großer Farmdenkopf (869 m), Sonneberg district
Kieferle (867 m), Sonneberg district
Bleßberg (865 m), Hildburghausen district
Dürre Fichte (861 m), Sonneberg district
Breitenberg (Thuringian Forest) (844 m), Sonneberg district
Fellberg (842 m), Steinach, Sonneberg district
Eselsberg (842 m), Hildburghausen district, Thuringian Forest/Thuringian Highland border
Pechleite (839 m), Hildburghausen district
Fehrenberg (835 m), Hildburghausen district, Thuringian Forest/Thuringian Highland border
Hoher Schuß (827 m), Saalfeld-Rudolstadt district
Wurzelberg (820 m), Sonneberg district
Jagdschirm (813 m), Saalfeld-Rudolstadt district
Hintere Haube (811 m), Ilm district
Langer Berg (809 m), Ilm district
Hettstädt (808 m), Saalfeld-Rudolstadt district
Rauhhügel (802 m), Saalfeld-Rudolstadt district
Roter Berg (799 m), Sonneberg district
Wetzstein (791 m), Saalfeld-Rudolstadt district
Meuselbacher Kuppe (786 m), Saalfeld-Rudolstadt district
Fröbelturm (784 m), Saalfeld-Rudolstadt district
Grendel (784 m), Hildburghausen district
Spitzer Berg (781 m), Saalfeld-Rudolstadt district
Simmersberg (781 m), Landkr. Hildburghausen, Thuringian Forest/Thuringian Highland border
Himmelsleiter (Berg) (774 m), Saalfeld-Rudolstadt district
Töpfersbühl (762 m), Saalfeld-Rudolstadt district
Sieglitzberg (733 m), Saale-Orla district
Kirchberg (Thuringia) (725,3 m), Saalfeld-Rudolstadt district
Rosenberg (Thuringian Highland) (716 m), Saalfeld-Rudolstadt district
Großer Mühlberg (714 m), Sonneberg district
Quittelsberg (709 m), Saalfeld-Rudolstadt district
Bocksberg (696 m), Sonneberg district
Auf der Heide (668 m), Saalfeld-Rudolstadt district
Beerberg (667 m), Saalfeld-Rudolstadt district
Barigauer Höhe (665 m), Saalfeld-Rudolstadt district
Zipptanskuppe (657 m), Saalfeld-Rudolstadt district
Rosenbühl (653 m), Saale-Orla district
Keilsburg (648 m), Saalfeld-Rudolstadt district
Eisenberg (636 m), Saalfeld-Rudolstadt district
Talberg (602 m), Saalfeld-Rudolstadt district
Batzenberg (588 m), Saalfeld-Rudolstadt district
Schwarzer Berg (Thuringia) (582 m), Saalfeld-Rudolstadt district
Elmischer Berg (529 m), Saalfeld-Rudolstadt district
Geiersberg (520 m), Saalfeld-Rudolstadt district
Rabenhügel (506 m), Saalfeld-Rudolstadt district
Roderberg (502 m), Saalfeld-Rudolstadt district
Sommerberg (493 m), Saalfeld-Rudolstadt district
Ziegenberg (460 m), Saalfeld-Rudolstadt district

References

^ Dickinson, Robert E. (1964). Germany: A regional and economic geography (2nd ed.). London: Methuen. p. 629.
^ Kohl, Horst; Marcinek, Joachim and Nitz, Bernhard (1986). Geography of the German Democratic Republic, VEB Hermann Haack, Gotha, p. 7 ff. ISBN 978-3-7301-0522-1.

Literature

Ernst Kaiser: Thüringerwald und Schiefergebirge, 2nd improved and expanded edn., Gotha, 1955.
Adolf Hanle (ed.): Thüringerwald und Schiefergebirge, Mannheim etc. 1992. ISBN 3-411-07191-5

External links

Thuringian Highland Nature Park

50°30′N 11°10′E / 50.500°N 11.167°E / 50.500; 11.167

[1] Dickinson, Robert E. (1964). Germany: A regional and economic geography (2nd ed.). London: Methuen. p. 629.

[2] Kohl, Horst; Marcinek, Joachim and Nitz, Bernhard (1986). Geography of the German Democratic Republic, VEB Hermann Haack, Gotha, p. 7 ff. ISBN 978-3-7301-0522-1.

[1]

[2]

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
-[[File:Schieferhaus_Gehren.JPG|thumb|Slate houses like these in [[Gehren]] characterise many of the villages in the Thuringian Highland]]
+[[File:Schieferhaus Gehren.JPG|thumb|Slate houses like these in [[Gehren]] characterise many of the villages in the Thuringian Highland]]
-The '''Thuringian Highland'''<ref>{{Dickinson's Germany|page=629}}</ref> or '''Thuringian Highlands''' ({{lang-de|Thüringer Schiefergebirge}} or ''Thüringisches Schiefergebirge'', literally "Thuringian Slate Hills") is a low range of mountains in the German state of [[Thuringia]].
+The '''Thuringian Highland''',<ref>{{Dickinson's Germany|page=629}}</ref> '''Thuringian Highlands''' or '''Thuringian-Vogtlandian Slate Mountains'''<ref>Kohl, Horst; Marcinek, Joachim and Nitz, Bernhard (1986). ''Geography of the German Democratic Republic'', VEB Hermann Haack, Gotha, p. 7 ff. {{ISBN|978-3-7301-0522-1}}.</ref> ({{langx|de|Thüringer Schiefergebirge}} or ''Thüringisches Schiefergebirge'', literally "Thuringian Slate Hills") is a low range of mountains in the German state of [[Thuringia]].
 == Geography ==
-The Thuringian Highland borders on the [[Thuringian Forest]] to the southwest. It is plateau about 20&nbsp;km wide that slopes southeast towards the [[Saale]] valley in the area of the [[Saale Valley Dam]] and includes parts of the [[Thuringian Forest Nature Park|Thuringian Forest]] and [[Thuringian Highland and Upper Saale Nature Park|Thuringian Highland and Upper Saale Nature Parks]].
+The Thuringian Highland borders on the [[Thuringian Forest]] to the southwest. It is a plateau about 20&nbsp;km wide that slopes southeast towards the [[Saale]] valley in the area of the [[Saale Dam]] and includes parts of the [[Thuringian Forest Nature Park|Thuringian Forest]] and [[Thuringian Highland and Upper Saale Nature Park]].
 The largest towns in the Thuringian Highland are [[Saalfeld]] and [[Bad Blankenburg]] which lie on its northern perimeter, [[Neuhaus am Rennweg]] in the highest region and [[Bad Lobenstein]] on the eastern edge (where it transitions into [[Franconian Forest]]).
@@ Line 13: / Line 13: @@
 * Sormitz-[[Schwarza River (Saale)|Schwarza]] region
-The slate mountains of the Vogtland and Thuringian Highland stretch from the Thuringian Forest to the Ore Mountains (''[[Erzgebirge]]''). They are between about 300&nbsp;m to {{Höhe|500|DE-NN}} high, and comprise gently rolling hills which are part of the backbone of the [[Central Uplands]]. They extend for about 75&nbsp;km from east to west and 50&nbsp;km from north to south. Typical features of the landscape are the [[dolerite]] peaks or ''Kuppen'' (like the [[Pöhlde]] or the [[Hübel]]) with their wooded crests. These are made from a volcanic rock, dolerite, which is harder than the surrounding rocks and so weathers more slowly, giving rise to the characteristic ''Kuppen''.
+The slate mountains of the Vogtland and Thuringian Highland stretch from the Thuringian Forest to the [[Ore Mountains]]. They are between about 300&nbsp;m to {{Höhe|500|DE-NN}} high, and comprise gently rolling hills which are part of the backbone of the [[Central Uplands]]. They extend for about 75&nbsp;km from east to west and 50&nbsp;km from north to south. Typical features of the landscape are the [[dolerite]] peaks or ''Kuppen'' (like the [[Pöhlde]] or the [[Hübel]]) with their wooded crests. These are made from a volcanic rock, dolerite, which is harder than the surrounding rocks and so weathers more slowly, giving rise to the characteristic ''Kuppen''.
 == Geology ==
+[[File:Steinerne Rose.jpg|thumb|250px|The [[Steinerne Rose]], a [[diabase]] rock formation near [[Saalburg-Ebersdorf]]]]
 As its German name suggests, the Thuringian Highland is mainly made of [[slate]] rock. Although this region was formed in a similar way to the [[Harz]], it lacks the sharp divisions caused by fault lines. Almost all the way round the region transitions gradually into the surrounding land. The rocks found here are from the [[Palaeozoic]] era, i.e. the  [[Ordovician]], [[Silurian]], [[Devonian]] and [[Lower Carboniferous]] periods. The most important ones are:
 * [[Shale]],
@@ Line 26: / Line 27: @@
 * [[Dolerite]],
 * Spilite
 * and volcanic conglomerates.
 [[Karst]]-forming, and hence cave-forming, limestone only occurs in a few, small, isolated areas. As a result the number of caves is very low.
 == Rivers and hydro-electric power ==
-In the Saale Valley there are two of the largest [[dams]] in Germany, which form the [[Hohenwarte Reservoir|Hohenwarte]] and [[Bleiloch Reservoirs]]. In the Schwarza Valley there is the [[Goldisthal Pumped Storage Station]], opened in 2003, which is one of the larges [[Pumped-storage hydroelectricity|pumped-storage hydro-electric power stations]] in Europe.
+In the Saale Valley there are two of the largest [[dams]] in Germany, which form the [[Hohenwarte Reservoir|Hohenwarte]] and [[Bleiloch Reservoirs]]. In the Schwarza Valley there is the [[Goldisthal Pumped Storage Station]], opened in 2003, which is one of the largest [[Pumped-storage hydroelectricity|pumped-storage hydro-electric power stations]] in Europe.
 == Mountains and hills ==
@@ Line 44: / Line 45: @@
 # [[Pechleite]] (839&nbsp;m), Hildburghausen district
 # [[Fehrenberg]] (835&nbsp;m), Hildburghausen district, Thuringian Forest/Thuringian Highland border
-# [[Hoher Schuß]] (827&nbsp;m), [[Saalfeld-Rudolstadt district]], Thuringian Highland
+# [[Hoher Schuß]] (827&nbsp;m), [[Saalfeld-Rudolstadt district]]
 # [[Wurzelberg]] (820&nbsp;m), Sonneberg district
 # [[Jagdschirm]] (813&nbsp;m), Saalfeld-Rudolstadt district
 # [[Hintere Haube]] (811&nbsp;m), [[Ilm district]]
-# [[Langer Berg]] (809&nbsp;m), Ilm district
+# [[Langer Berg (Thuringian Highland)|Langer Berg]] (809&nbsp;m), Ilm district
 # [[Hettstädt]] (808&nbsp;m), Saalfeld-Rudolstadt district
 # [[Rauhhügel]] (802&nbsp;m), Saalfeld-Rudolstadt district
@@ Line 54: / Line 55: @@
 # [[Wetzstein (Berg)|Wetzstein]] (791&nbsp;m), [[Saalfeld-Rudolstadt district]]
 # [[Meuselbacher Kuppe]] (786&nbsp;m), Saalfeld-Rudolstadt district
-# [[Fröbelturm]] (784&nbsp;m), Saalfeld-Rudolstadt district, Thuringian Highland
+# [[Fröbelturm]] (784&nbsp;m), Saalfeld-Rudolstadt district
-# [[Grendel (Berg)|Grendel]] (784&nbsp;m), Hildburghausen district, Thuringian Highland
+# [[Grendel (Berg)|Grendel]] (784&nbsp;m), Hildburghausen district
 # [[Spitzer Berg]] (781&nbsp;m), Saalfeld-Rudolstadt district
 # [[Simmersberg]] (781&nbsp;m), Landkr. Hildburghausen, Thuringian Forest/Thuringian Highland border
-# [[Himmelsleiter (Berg)]] (774&nbsp;m), Saalfeld-Rudolstadt district, Thuringian Highland
+# [[Himmelsleiter (Berg)]] (774&nbsp;m), Saalfeld-Rudolstadt district
-# [[Töpfersbühl]] (762&nbsp;m), Saalfeld-Rudolstadt district, Thuringian Highland
+# [[Töpfersbühl]] (762&nbsp;m), Saalfeld-Rudolstadt district
 # [[Sieglitzberg]] (733&nbsp;m), Saale-Orla district
 # [[Kirchberg (Thuringia)]] (725,3&nbsp;m), Saalfeld-Rudolstadt district
 # [[Rosenberg (Thuringian Highland)]] (716&nbsp;m), Saalfeld-Rudolstadt district
 # [[Großer Mühlberg]] (714&nbsp;m), Sonneberg district
-# [[Quittelsberg]] (709&nbsp;m), Saalfeld-Rudolstadt district, Thuringian Highland
+# [[Quittelsberg]] (709&nbsp;m), Saalfeld-Rudolstadt district
 # [[Bocksberg (Thuringia)|Bocksberg]] (696&nbsp;m), Sonneberg district
 # [[Auf der Heide]] (668&nbsp;m), Saalfeld-Rudolstadt district
-# [[Beerberg]] (667&nbsp;m), Saalfeld-Rudolstadt district
+# [[Beerberg (Thuringian Highland)|Beerberg]] (667&nbsp;m), Saalfeld-Rudolstadt district
 # [[Barigauer Höhe]] (665&nbsp;m), Saalfeld-Rudolstadt district
-# [[Zipptanskuppe]] (657&nbsp;m), Saalfeld-Rudolstadt district, Thuringian Highland
+# [[Zipptanskuppe]] (657&nbsp;m), Saalfeld-Rudolstadt district
 # [[Rosenbühl]] (653&nbsp;m), Saale-Orla district
-# [[Keilsburg]] (648&nbsp;m), Saalfeld-Rudolstadt district, Thuringian Highland
+# [[Keilsburg]] (648&nbsp;m), Saalfeld-Rudolstadt district
-# [[Eisenberg, Thuringia|Eisenberg]] (636&nbsp;m), Saalfeld-Rudolstadt district, Thuringian Highland
+# [[Eisenberg, Thuringia|Eisenberg]] (636&nbsp;m), Saalfeld-Rudolstadt district
-# [[Talberg]] (602&nbsp;m), Saalfeld-Rudolstadt district, Thuringian Highland
+# [[Talberg]] (602&nbsp;m), Saalfeld-Rudolstadt district
-# [[Batzenberg]] (588&nbsp;m), Saalfeld-Rudolstadt district, Thuringian Highland
+# [[Batzenberg]] (588&nbsp;m), Saalfeld-Rudolstadt district
-# [[Schwarzer Berg (Thuringia)]] (582&nbsp;m), Saalfeld-Rudolstadt district, Thuringian Highland
+# [[Schwarzer Berg (Thuringia)]] (582&nbsp;m), Saalfeld-Rudolstadt district
-# [[Elmischer Berg]] (529&nbsp;m), Saalfeld-Rudolstadt district, Thuringian Highland
+# [[Elmischer Berg]] (529&nbsp;m), Saalfeld-Rudolstadt district
-# [[Geiersberg (Thuringian Highland)|Geiersberg]] (520&nbsp;m), Saalfeld-Rudolstadt district, Thuringian Highland
+# [[Geiersberg (Thuringian Highland)|Geiersberg]] (520&nbsp;m), Saalfeld-Rudolstadt district
-# [[Rabenhügel]] (506&nbsp;m), Saalfeld-Rudolstadt district, Thuringian Highland
+# [[Rabenhügel]] (506&nbsp;m), Saalfeld-Rudolstadt district
-# [[Roderberg]] (502&nbsp;m), Saalfeld-Rudolstadt district, Thuringian Highland
+# [[Roderberg]] (502&nbsp;m), Saalfeld-Rudolstadt district
-# [[Sommerberg]] (493&nbsp;m), Saalfeld-Rudolstadt district, Thuringian Highland
+# [[Sommerberg]] (493&nbsp;m), Saalfeld-Rudolstadt district
-# [[Ziegenberg (Thuringia)|Ziegenberg]] (460&nbsp;m), Saalfeld-Rudolstadt district, Thuringian Highland
+# [[Ziegenberg (Thuringia)|Ziegenberg]] (460&nbsp;m), Saalfeld-Rudolstadt district
 == See also ==
@@ Line 90: / Line 91: @@
 == Literature ==
-* Ernst Kaiser: ''Thüringerwald und Schiefergebirge'', 2. verb. und erg. Aufl., Gotha 1955.
+* Ernst Kaiser: ''Thüringerwald und Schiefergebirge'', 2nd improved and expanded edn., Gotha, 1955.
-* Adolf Hanle (Hrsg.): ''Thüringerwald und Schiefergebirge'', Mannheim u.a. 1992. ISBN 3-411-07191-5
+* Adolf Hanle (ed.): ''Thüringerwald und Schiefergebirge'', Mannheim etc. 1992. {{ISBN|3-411-07191-5}}
 == External links ==
@@ Line 99: / Line 100: @@
 {{coord|50|30|N|11|10|E|region:DE-TH_type:mountain_source:kolossus-dewiki|display=title}}
+{{Authority control}}
 [[Category:Central Uplands]]
-[[Category:Mountains of Europe]]
-[[Category:Mountain ranges of Germany]]
 [[Category:Thuringian Forest]]
+[[Category:Forests and woodlands of Thuringia]]
+[[Category:Mountain ranges of Thuringia]]
-[[de:Thüringer Schiefergebirge]]
+[[Category:Highlands]]
-[[eo:Turingia Ardeza Montaro]]
-[[fr:Monts de Thuringe]]
-[[ro:Munții Șistoși Turingieni]]

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