Eifel
Encyclopedia
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
.
The Eifel is part of the Rhenish Massif; within its northern portions lies the Eifel National Park
.
The Eifel is bordered by the river Moselle
in the south and the Rhine in the east. In the north it is limited by the hills of the High Fens
(Hohes Venn), in the west by the Ardennes
of Belgium
and Luxembourg
.
There are several distinct chains within the Eifel.
Since 2004 about 110 km² of the Eifel within the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia have been protected as the Eifel National Park
nature reserve
.
and belong to the Rhenish Massif (Rheinisches Schiefergebirge).
The Eifel consists mainly of Devonian
slate
s, sandstone
s and limestone
s, laid down in an ocean south of the Old Red Continent
and folded and overthrust in the Variscan orogeny. The Eifel geological structures like main folds
and overthrusts
can be traced in a SW-NE direction far beyond the Rhine valley.
In the Tertiary
and Quaternary
geological era, the Eifel was a site of extensive volcanic
activity. Some of the hills are volcanic vents. The peculiar circle-shaped lakes (maar
) of the volcanic regions formed in volcanic craters. The last volcanic eruptions in the Laacher See
volcanic site took place around 10,000 years ago and generated a huge volume of volcanic ash, now found in thin ash layers in contemporaneous sediment
s throughout Europe. The volcanism of the Eifel is thought to be partly caused by the Eifel hotspot
, a place where hot material from deep in the mantle
rises to the surface, and partly by melt-ascent at deep fracture
s in the Earth's crust. Research has shown that the volcanism is still active; the Eifel region is rising by 1–2 mm per year.
Historically, the Eifel volcanoes had inactive phases of 10,000 to 20,000 years between active phases, suggesting there is a possibility of future eruptions.
The mountains and hills of the Eifel include the following (in order of height in metres above sea level):
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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...
and eastern Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
. It occupies parts of southwestern North Rhine-Westphalia
North Rhine-Westphalia
North Rhine-Westphalia is the most populous state of Germany, with four of the country's ten largest cities. The state was formed in 1946 as a merger of the northern Rhineland and Westphalia, both formerly part of Prussia. Its capital is Düsseldorf. The state is currently run by a coalition of the...
, northwestern Rhineland-Palatinate
Rhineland-Palatinate
Rhineland-Palatinate is one of the 16 states of the Federal Republic of Germany. It has an area of and about four million inhabitants. The capital is Mainz. English speakers also commonly refer to the state by its German name, Rheinland-Pfalz ....
and the south of the German-speaking Community of Belgium
German-speaking Community of Belgium
The German-speaking Community of Belgium is one of the three federal communities of Belgium. Covering an area of 854 km² within the province of Liège in Wallonia, it includes nine of the eleven municipalities of the so-called East Cantons...
.
The Eifel is part of the Rhenish Massif; within its northern portions lies the Eifel National Park
Eifel National Park
The Eifel National Park is the 14th national park in Germany and the first in North Rhine-Westphalia.- General :The aims of the Eifel National Park accord with those set out by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Ressources, IUCN. These require that at least 75 percent...
.
Geography
Moselle River
The Moselle is a river flowing through France, Luxembourg, and Germany. It is a left tributary of the Rhine, joining the Rhine at Koblenz. A small part of Belgium is also drained by the Mosel through the Our....
in the south and the Rhine in the east. In the north it is limited by the hills of the High Fens
High Fens
The High Fens , which were declared a nature reserve in 1957, are an upland area, a plateau region in the province of Liège, in the east of Belgium and nearby parts of Germany, lying between the Ardennes and the Eifel highlands. It is the largest nature reserve or park in Belgium, with an area of ;...
(Hohes Venn), in the west by the Ardennes
Ardennes
The Ardennes is a region of extensive forests, rolling hills and ridges formed within the Givetian Ardennes mountain range, primarily in Belgium and Luxembourg, but stretching into France , and geologically into the Eifel...
of Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
and Luxembourg
Luxembourg
Luxembourg , officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg , is a landlocked country in western Europe, bordered by Belgium, France, and Germany. It has two principal regions: the Oesling in the North as part of the Ardennes massif, and the Gutland in the south...
.
There are several distinct chains within the Eifel.
- The northernmost parts are called Ahr Hills and rise north of the AhrAhrAhr is a river in Germany, a left tributary of the Rhine. Its source is at an elevation of approximately 470 metres above sea level in Blankenheim in the Eifel, in the cellar of a timber-frame house near the castle of Blankenheim...
river in the district of AhrweilerAhrweilerAhrweiler is a district in the north of Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is bounded by the districts Euskirchen, Rhein-Sieg and the city Bonn in the state North Rhine-Westphalia, and the districts of Neuwied, Mayen-Koblenz and Vulkaneifel.- History :The region was conquered by the Romans under...
. - South of the Ahr is the High Eifel (Hohe Eifel), with the Hohe AchtHohe AchtAt , the Hohe Acht is the highest mountain in the Eifel mountains of Germany. It is located on the boundary between the districts of Ahrweiler and Mayen-Koblenz in Rhineland-Palatinate.- Geography and geology :...
(747 m) being the highest mountain of the Eifel. - In the west, on the BelgianBelgiumBelgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
border, the hills are known as SchneifelSchneifelThe 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....
(originally Schnee-Eifel or "Snowy Eifel"), rising up to 698 m. Also in the west, by the Belgian and LuxembourgLuxembourgLuxembourg , officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg , is a landlocked country in western Europe, bordered by Belgium, France, and Germany. It has two principal regions: the Oesling in the North as part of the Ardennes massif, and the Gutland in the south...
border, the region is known as IslekIslekThe Islek is a part of the German Eifel region , in the Bitburg-Prüm district next to the Luxembourg and Belgian border....
(Aquilania). - The southern half of the Eifel is lower. It is cut by several rivers running north-south towards the Moselle. The largest of these is the KyllKyllThe 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 the hills on either side of this river are called the Kyllwald. - In the south the Eifel is concluded by the VoreifelVoreifelThe Voreifel is the name of a settlement area in the southern part of the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia. It is a term that grew out of the local speech....
above the Moselle.
Since 2004 about 110 km² of the Eifel within the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia have been protected as the Eifel National Park
Eifel National Park
The Eifel National Park is the 14th national park in Germany and the first in North Rhine-Westphalia.- General :The aims of the Eifel National Park accord with those set out by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Ressources, IUCN. These require that at least 75 percent...
nature reserve
Nature reserve
A nature reserve is a protected area of importance for wildlife, flora, fauna or features of geological or other special interest, which is reserved and managed for conservation and to provide special opportunities for study or research...
.
Geology
The Eifel and its western continuation into Belgium, the Ardennes, are a part of the Variscan mountain beltVariscan orogeny
The Variscan orogeny is a geologic mountain-building event caused by Late Paleozoic continental collision between Euramerica and Gondwana to form the supercontinent of Pangaea.-Naming:...
and belong to the Rhenish Massif (Rheinisches Schiefergebirge).
The Eifel consists mainly of 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...
slate
Slate
Slate is a fine-grained, foliated, homogeneous metamorphic rock derived from an original shale-type sedimentary rock composed of clay or volcanic ash through low-grade regional metamorphism. The result is a foliated rock in which the foliation may not correspond to the original sedimentary layering...
s, sandstone
Sandstone
Sandstone is a sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized minerals or rock grains.Most sandstone is composed of quartz and/or feldspar because these are the most common minerals in the Earth's crust. Like sand, sandstone may be any colour, but the most common colours are tan, brown, yellow,...
s and limestone
Limestone
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....
s, laid down in an ocean south of the Old Red Continent
Euramerica
Euramerica was a minor supercontinent created in the Devonian as the result of a collision between the Laurentian, Baltica, and Avalonia cratons .300 million years ago in the Late Carboniferous tropical rainforests lay over the equator of Euramerica...
and folded and overthrust in the Variscan orogeny. The Eifel geological structures like main folds
Fold (geology)
The term fold is used in geology when one or a stack of originally flat and planar surfaces, such as sedimentary strata, are bent or curved as a result of permanent deformation. Synsedimentary folds are those due to slumping of sedimentary material before it is lithified. Folds in rocks vary in...
and overthrusts
Thrust fault
A thrust fault is a type of fault, or break in the Earth's crust across which there has been relative movement, in which rocks of lower stratigraphic position are pushed up and over higher strata. They are often recognized because they place older rocks above younger...
can be traced in a SW-NE direction far beyond the Rhine valley.
In the Tertiary
Tertiary
The Tertiary is a deprecated term for a geologic period 65 million to 2.6 million years ago. The Tertiary covered the time span between the superseded Secondary period and the Quaternary...
and 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...
geological era, the Eifel was a site of extensive volcanic
Volcano
2. Bedrock3. Conduit 4. Base5. Sill6. Dike7. Layers of ash emitted by the volcano8. Flank| 9. Layers of lava emitted by the volcano10. Throat11. Parasitic cone12. Lava flow13. Vent14. Crater15...
activity. Some of the hills are volcanic vents. The peculiar circle-shaped lakes (maar
Maar
A maar is a broad, low-relief volcanic crater that is caused by a phreatomagmatic eruption, an explosion caused by groundwater coming into contact with hot lava or magma. A maar characteristically fills with water to form a relatively shallow crater lake. The name comes from the local Moselle...
) of the volcanic regions formed in volcanic craters. The last volcanic eruptions in the Laacher See
Laacher See
' or Laach Lake is a caldera lake and a potentially active volcano, in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany, situated close to the cities of Koblenz , and Bonn , and closest to the towns Andernach , and Mayen . The caldera lake lies just 8 km from the river Rhine at Andernach...
volcanic site took place around 10,000 years ago and generated a huge volume of volcanic ash, now found in thin ash layers in contemporaneous sediment
Sediment
Sediment is naturally occurring material that is broken down by processes of weathering and erosion, and is subsequently transported by the action of fluids such as wind, water, or ice, and/or by the force of gravity acting on the particle itself....
s throughout Europe. The volcanism of the Eifel is thought to be partly caused by the Eifel hotspot
Eifel hotspot
The Eifel hotspot is a volcanic hotspot which is responsible for the volcanic activity which forms the volcanoes in Western Germany of northwestern Europe. It is thought to have formed the Eifel volcanic field....
, a place where hot material from deep in the mantle
Mantle (geology)
The mantle is a part of a terrestrial planet or other rocky body large enough to have differentiation by density. The interior of the Earth, similar to the other terrestrial planets, is chemically divided into layers. The mantle is a highly viscous layer between the crust and the outer core....
rises to the surface, and partly by melt-ascent at deep fracture
Fracture
A fracture is the separation of an object or material into two, or more, pieces under the action of stress.The word fracture is often applied to bones of living creatures , or to crystals or crystalline materials, such as gemstones or metal...
s in the Earth's crust. Research has shown that the volcanism is still active; the Eifel region is rising by 1–2 mm per year.
Historically, the Eifel volcanoes had inactive phases of 10,000 to 20,000 years between active phases, suggesting there is a possibility of future eruptions.
Castles
Well preserved
- Burg EltzBurg EltzBurg Eltz is a medieval castle nestled in the hills above the Moselle River between Koblenz and Trier, Germany. It is still owned by a branch of the same family that lived there in the 12th century, 33 generations ago. The Rübenach and Rodendorf families' homes in the castle are open to the...
- Castle of Lissingen (Burg Lissingen)
- Burg Satzvey
- Burg Dudeldorf
- Burg Eicks
Ruins
- Burg Gerolstein
- Burg Gödersheim
- Löwen- und Philippsburg
- Manderscheider Burgen
- Burg Monschau
- Burg Nideggen
- Burg Schönecken
- Ulmener Burgen
Mountains and hills
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- Hohe AchtHohe AchtAt , the Hohe Acht is the highest mountain in the Eifel mountains of Germany. It is located on the boundary between the districts of Ahrweiler and Mayen-Koblenz in Rhineland-Palatinate.- Geography and geology :...
(747 m), High Eifel - Ernstberg (or Erresberg) (698.8 m), High Eifel
- Schwarzer MannSchwarzer MannSchwarzer 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....
(697.3 m), Schnee Eifel - Signal de BotrangeSignal de BotrangeThe Signal de Botrange is the highest point in Belgium, located in the High Fens , at . It is the top of a broad plateau, and a road crosses the summit, passing an adjacent café. In 1923, the six-metre-high Baltia tower was built on the summit to allow visitors to reach an altitude of 700 m...
(694 m), Hohes Venn - Weißer Stein (692 m), North Eifel
- SchartebergSchartebergThe Scharteberg is a mountain, high, near Kirchweiler in the district of Vulkaneifel and is one the highest peaks in the Eifel region of Germany. On the summit is the Eifel Transmitter which belongs to SWR and is used for FM radio and television....
(691 m), Vulkan Eifel - Nürburg (678 m), with the castle of the same name (Nürburg), High Eifel
- Prümscheid (675 m), High Eifel
- RaßbergRaßbergAt the Raßberg is one of the highest mountains in the Eifel region on the German and Belgian border. It lies within the municipality of Arft in the collective municipality of Vordereifel within sight of the Eifel's highest peak, the Hohe Acht....
(667 m), High Eifel - Steling (658 m), Hohes Venn
- Nerother Kopf (647 m), Vulkan Eifel
- ArembergArembergAremberg is a municipality in the district of Ahrweiler, in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany....
(623 m), Ahr Hills - Dietzenley (617 m), Gerolstein / Vulkan Eifel
- Hardtkopf (596 m), South Eifel
- Michelsberg (588 m), Ahr Hills
- Hochsimmer (587.9 m), East Eifel
- Eigart (565 m), North Eifel
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- Rockeskyller Kopf (555 m), Vulkan Eifel
- Hoher List (549 m), Vulkan Eifel
- Wildbretshügel (525.3 m), Rur Eifel, Kermeter
- Kirchberg (520 m), North Eifel
- Häuschen (507 m), North Eifel
- Hochthürmen (499.8 m), North Eifel
- Teufelsley (496 m), North Eifel
- Kellerberg (448 m), Meulenwald
- Stockert (435 m), Münstereifel Forest
- Herkelstein (435 m), North Eifel
- Veitskopf (428 m), Vulkan Eifel
- Burgberg (400.5 m), Rur Eifel, North Eifel
- Sonnenberg (393,3 m), Rur Eifel
- CalmontCalmontCalmont may refer to:*Several communes in France:** Calmont, Aveyron, in the Aveyron department** Calmont, Haute-Garonne, in the Haute-Garonne department* Calmont , a 380m high hill on the Moselle in Germany...
(378 m), Pre-Eifel - Bausenberg (340 m), North Eifel
- Landskrone (272 m), Ahr Hills
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Points of interest
- The NürburgringNürburgringThe Nürburgring is a motorsport complex around the village of Nürburg, Germany. It features a modern Grand Prix race track built in 1984, and a much longer old North loop track which was built in the 1920s around the village and medieval castle of Nürburg in the Eifel mountains. It is located about...
, one of the world's most famous motor racing courses, is located in the Eifel. The northern loop (Nordschleife) of the course is also known as the Green Hell (Grüne Hölle), because of its long, difficult and dangerous path through the local forest. - An interesting archeological feature of the region is the Eifel AqueductEifel AqueductThe Eifel Aqueduct was one of the longest aqueducts of the Roman Empire.The aqueduct, constructed in AD 80, carried water some from the hilly Eifel region of what is now Germany to the ancient city of Colonia Claudia Ara Agrippinensium . If the auxiliary spurs to additional springs are included,...
, one of the longest aqueducts of the Roman empireRoman EmpireThe Roman Empire was the post-Republican period of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial holdings in Europe and around the Mediterranean....
, providing the city of CologneCologneCologne is Germany's fourth-largest city , and is the largest city both in the Germany Federal State of North Rhine-Westphalia and within the Rhine-Ruhr Metropolitan Area, one of the major European metropolitan areas with more than ten million inhabitants.Cologne is located on both sides of the...
with water.
See also
- The Eifeler Regel in Luxembourgish orthography
- High Eifel
- 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....
- 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...
- 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...
- Schnee EifelSchnee EifelThe 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...
- 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...