Alter Stolberg

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Alter Stolberg

Stempeda.jpg

Stempeda at the foot of the Alter Stolberg
Highest point
Peak Königskopf
Elevation 357.7 m above NN
Geography
Country Germany
Range coordinates 51°31′36″N10°54′31″E / 51.52667°N 10.90861°E / 51.52667; 10.90861 Coordinates: 51°31′36″N10°54′31″E / 51.52667°N 10.90861°E / 51.52667; 10.90861
Parent range South Harz Zechstein Belt, Thuringian Basin

The Alter Stolberg is a wooded karst plateau, up to 357.7 m above  sea level (NN) , in the South Harz in Central Germany. It lies in the districts of Nordhausen in the state of Thuringia and Mansfeld-Südharz in the state of Saxony-Anhalt.

Karst Topography formed from the dissolution of soluble rocks

Karst is a topography formed from the dissolution of soluble rocks such as limestone, dolomite, and gypsum. It is characterized by underground drainage systems with sinkholes and caves. It has also been documented for more weathering-resistant rocks, such as quartzite, given the right conditions. Subterranean drainage may limit surface water, with few to no rivers or lakes. However, in regions where the dissolved bedrock is covered or confined by one or more superimposed non-soluble rock strata, distinctive karst features may occur only at subsurface levels and be totally missing above ground.

Normalnull

Normalnull or Normal-Null is an outdated official vertical datum used in Germany. Elevations using this reference system were to be marked "Meter über Normal-Null". Normalnull has been replaced by Normalhöhennull.

Thuringia State in Germany

Thuringia, officially the Free State of Thuringia, is a state of Germany.

Contents

Geographical location

The ridge of the Alter Stolberg is part of the South Harz Zechstein belt and lies mainly in Thuringia; with its eastern foothills dropping into the valley of the Krebsbach stream and Thyra river. To the north is the Harz; to the south the Goldene Aue through which the River Helme flows.

The Zechstein is a unit of sedimentary rock layers of Middle to Late Permian age located in the European Permian Basin which stretches from the east coast of England to northern Poland. The name Zechstein was formerly also used as a unit of time in the geologic timescale, but nowadays it is only used for the corresponding sedimentary deposits in Europe.

Thyra (river) river in Germany

The Thyra is a 20-kilometre (12 mi) long river in the district of Mansfeld-Südharz in the Harz Mountains of central Germany.

The Goldene Aue is a valley in eastern Germany, in the states Thuringia and Saxony-Anhalt. It is situated between the towns Nordhausen in the west, and Sangerhausen in the east. It is bordered by the mountain ranges Harz in the north, and Windleite and Kyffhäuser in the south. The river Helme flows through the Goldene Aue.

The Alter Stolberg lies between the following parishes in clockwise order: Görsbach and Urbach to the south, Leimbach and Steigerthal to the west, Buchholz and Herrmannsacker to northwest, Stempeda and − on the other sides of that − Rodishain to the north (all in Thuringia) and the Saxony-Anhalt villages of Rottleberode and Uftrungen to the east.

Görsbach Place in Thuringia, Germany

Görsbach is a municipality in the district of Nordhausen, in Thuringia, Germany.

Herrmannsacker Ortsteil of Harztor in Thuringia, Germany

Herrmannsacker is a village and a former municipality in the district of Nordhausen, in Thuringia, Germany. Since July 2018, it is part of the municipality Harztor.

Stempeda Village of Nordhausen in Thuringia, Germany

Stempeda is a former municipality in the district of Nordhausen, in Thuringia, Germany. Since 1 December 2007, it is part of the town Nordhausen.

The highest hill in the Alter Stolberg is the Königskopf (357.7 m above  sea level (NN) ) which rises in the northern part of the ridge. Another prominent hill is the Reesberg (325.2 m above NN) in the southeastern part.

Points of interest

The northern part of the heavily forested ridge is designated as the Alter Stolberg Nature Reserve and large parts of it as the Alter Stolberg Protected Landscape.

Near the Reesberg is the plaster cave, known as Heimkehle. In addition, the ridge is home to the ruins of the Grasburg, a medieval refuge castle, which legend has it was the family castle of the Counts of Stolberg. [1]

Grasburg (Rottleberode) castle

The Grasburg is a prehistoric refuge castle, in the form of a hillfort with a rampart and ditch system, near Rottleberode in the district of Mansfeld-Südharz in the German state of Saxony-Anhalt.

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Old Falkenstein Castle castle

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References

  1. Die Burgruine Grasburg at www.harzlife.de. Accessed on 5 Dec 2010.