Wilseder Berg
Encyclopedia
At the Wilseder Berg is the highest point on the Lüneburg Heath
in North Germany.
within the Lüneburg Heath and lies near the villages of Wilsede and Bispingen
in the Heidekreis. The hill was formed during the penultimate ice age
, the Saale glaciation, and was part of a terminal moraine
. It has a broad plateau and a flat summit. Around it lies a varied landscape of hollows, valleys and small ravines. The surrounding area has leached, gravelly-sandy soils with layers of hardpan
, covered by open sand, large areas of heathland and extensive coniferous forest. The heathland is grazed by a variety of moorland sheep, known as the Heidschnucke
.
The Wilseder Berg lies on a watershed, from which several headstreams emerge, such as those of the Este
, Luhe, Wümme and Böhme. Some of these streams feed the river system of the Weser, others flow eventually into the Elbe
.
There is a stone on the summit plateau on which there is a metal cone engraved with the directions and distance of neighbouring hills and towns, near and far.
kettle hole with sides up to 40 metres high, covered in heather and juniper bushes. The name means "dead ground" and was probably so called because of its very infertile, ie. dead, soil, because the valley is very dry. The Totengrund was the kernel of the present-day nature reserve
when the Egestorf
priest, Wilhelm Bode, purchased the Totengrund in 1906 with donations. Another valley is the Steingrund, which is covered thickly with stones deposited during the ice age and is a typical heathland dry valley.
tasked the Professor of Astronomy and Director of the Observatory at Göttingen University, Carl Friedrich Gauß, to survey the Kingdom of Hanover
. The mathematician Gauß used the summit of the Wilseder Berg, amongst others, as a triangulation station
for his land surveys. Other central triangulation points were the Falkenberg (150 m above NN) to the south and the Haußelberg
(118 m above NN) to the east.
Part of the triangulation network used for Gauß's survey, depicting the Wilseder Berg, was represented on the reverse side of the 4th series of 10 Deutschmark banknotes.
, Döhle or Sudermühlen and it can also be reached on foot from Volkwardingen.
On a clear day the TV tower at Hamburg
can be seen on the horizon
. There are also scenic views over the heath towards the west and north.
Lüneburg Heath
The Lüneburg Heath is a large area of heath, geest and woodland in northeastern part of the state of Lower Saxony in northern Germany. It forms part of the hinterland for the cities of Hamburg, Hanover, and Bremen and is named after the town of Lüneburg. Most of the area is a nature reserve...
in North Germany.
Description
The Wilseder Berg is part of a nature reserveNature 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...
within the Lüneburg Heath and lies near the villages of Wilsede and Bispingen
Bispingen
Bispingen is a municipality in the Heidekreis district in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is situated on the River Luhe and is approximately northeast of Soltau, or south of Hamburg.-Subdivisions:*Bispingen*Hützel*Steinbeck an der Luhe...
in the Heidekreis. The hill was formed during the penultimate ice age
Ice age
An ice age or, more precisely, glacial age, is a generic geological period of long-term reduction in the temperature of the Earth's surface and atmosphere, resulting in the presence or expansion of continental ice sheets, polar ice sheets and alpine glaciers...
, the Saale glaciation, and was part of a terminal moraine
Terminal moraine
A terminal moraine, also called end moraine, is a moraine that forms at the end of the glacier called the snout.Terminal moraines mark the maximum advance of the glacier. An end moraine is at the present boundary of the glacier....
. It has a broad plateau and a flat summit. Around it lies a varied landscape of hollows, valleys and small ravines. The surrounding area has leached, gravelly-sandy soils with layers of hardpan
Hardpan
In soil science, agriculture and gardening, hardpan or ouklip is a general term for a dense layer of soil, usually found below the uppermost topsoil layer. There are different types of hardpan, all sharing the general characteristic of being a distinct soil layer that is largely impervious to water...
, covered by open sand, large areas of heathland and extensive coniferous forest. The heathland is grazed by a variety of moorland sheep, known as the Heidschnucke
Heidschnucke
The Heidschnucke is a group of three types of moorland sheep from northern Germany. Like a number of other types from Scandinavia and Great Britain, they are Northern European short-tailed sheep...
.
The Wilseder Berg lies on a watershed, from which several headstreams emerge, such as those of the Este
Este (river)
Este is a river of Hamburg, Germany.-See also:*List of rivers of Hamburg...
, Luhe, Wümme and Böhme. Some of these streams feed the river system of the Weser, others flow eventually into the Elbe
Elbe
The Elbe is one of the major rivers of Central Europe. It rises in the Krkonoše Mountains of the northwestern Czech Republic before traversing much of Bohemia , then Germany and flowing into the North Sea at Cuxhaven, 110 km northwest of Hamburg...
.
There is a stone on the summit plateau on which there is a metal cone engraved with the directions and distance of neighbouring hills and towns, near and far.
Totengrund and Steingrund
The best-known hollow on the hill is the Totengrund, several hectares in area, south of the museum village of Wilsede. It is an old dead-iceDead-ice
Dead-ice occurs when a glacier or ice sheet ceases to move and melts in situ. After the ice has melted it leaves behind a hummocky terrain produced by the deposition of glacio-fluvial sediments and ablation till as the ice melted. Such features include kettle holes...
kettle hole with sides up to 40 metres high, covered in heather and juniper bushes. The name means "dead ground" and was probably so called because of its very infertile, ie. dead, soil, because the valley is very dry. The Totengrund was the kernel of the present-day 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...
when the Egestorf
Egestorf
Egestorf is a municipality in the district of Harburg, in Lower Saxony, Germany....
priest, Wilhelm Bode, purchased the Totengrund in 1906 with donations. Another valley is the Steingrund, which is covered thickly with stones deposited during the ice age and is a typical heathland dry valley.
Triangulation station
In 1820 King George IV of EnglandGeorge IV of the United Kingdom
George IV was the King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and also of Hanover from the death of his father, George III, on 29 January 1820 until his own death ten years later...
tasked the Professor of Astronomy and Director of the Observatory at Göttingen University, Carl Friedrich Gauß, to survey the Kingdom of Hanover
Kingdom of Hanover
The Kingdom of Hanover was established in October 1814 by the Congress of Vienna, with the restoration of George III to his Hanoverian territories after the Napoleonic era. It succeeded the former Electorate of Brunswick-Lüneburg , and joined with 38 other sovereign states in the German...
. The mathematician Gauß used the summit of the Wilseder Berg, amongst others, as a triangulation station
Triangulation station
A triangulation station, also known as a triangulation pillar, trigonometrical station, trigonometrical point, trig station, trig beacon or trig point, and sometimes informally as a trig, is a fixed surveying station, used in geodetic surveying and other surveying projects in its vicinity...
for his land surveys. Other central triangulation points were the Falkenberg (150 m above NN) to the south and the Haußelberg
Haußelberg
The Haußelberg is a above NN high hill in the Lüneburg Heath in the north German district of Celle. It is a popular viewing point in the otherwise very flat terrain of the Südheide Nature Park....
(118 m above NN) to the east.
Part of the triangulation network used for Gauß's survey, depicting the Wilseder Berg, was represented on the reverse side of the 4th series of 10 Deutschmark banknotes.
Tourism
The picturesque landscape is popular with tourists. There are horse-drawn carriages for hire to the Wilseder Berg from the villages of Oberhaverbeck, Niederhaverbeck, UndelohUndeloh
Undeloh is a village in the district of Harburg, in Lower Saxony, Germany.- Location :Undeloh lies on the Lüneburg Heath near its highest hill, the Wilseder Berg.- Neighbouring communities :...
, Döhle or Sudermühlen and it can also be reached on foot from Volkwardingen.
On a clear day the TV tower at Hamburg
Hamburg
-History:The first historic name for the city was, according to Claudius Ptolemy's reports, Treva.But the city takes its modern name, Hamburg, from the first permanent building on the site, a castle whose construction was ordered by the Emperor Charlemagne in AD 808...
can be seen on the horizon
Horizon
The horizon is the apparent line that separates earth from sky, the line that divides all visible directions into two categories: those that intersect the Earth's surface, and those that do not. At many locations, the true horizon is obscured by trees, buildings, mountains, etc., and the resulting...
. There are also scenic views over the heath towards the west and north.