High Fichtel Mountains


The High Fichtel Mountains, or High Fichtel, form a mountainous and heavily forested range consisting of several mountain chains in the shape of a horseshoe, the Fichtel Mountain Horseshoe, that rings the Selb-Wunsiedel Plateau.
As a natural region the High Fichtel Mountains are major unit 394 within the major unit group of the Thuringian-Franconian Highlands, that run from the Thuringian Forest to the Fichtel Mountains. Since September 2010 there is a new system for classifying the natural regions of northeast Bavaria, whereby the natural region of the High Fichtel only covers the central mountain region of the Scheeberg, Ochsenkopf and Kösseine, whilst the Waldstein ridge, the Steinwald and lower parts of the horseshoe represent special subordinate natural regions of the Fichtel Mountains.

Geography

The High Fichtel Mountains begin in the northeast at the Kornberg, continue via the Waldstein, Schneeberg, Ochsenkopf and Königsheide in the southwest to the Kösseine, then over the Steinwald and Reichsforst to the Kohlwald in the southeast.
In the geomorphological division of the neighbouring Czech Republic, the Asch Hills, the Haslau Hills and the Eger Hills are counted as part of the Fichtel range.

Geology

the mountain range consists mainly of granite. The history of its orogeny begins in the Pre-Cambrian about 750–800 million years ago – covering almost 20% of the earth's history, something which only applies to a few of the surviving ranges of the truncated Central Uplands of Germany today.

Mountains

The mountains of the High Fichtel include the following, sorted by their elevation in metres above sea level :
MountainHeight Remarks
Schneeberg1.051Highest mountain in the Fichtel range, Haberstein on its southwestern slopes
Ochsenkopf1.024Winter sport, chair and drag lifts, Weißmainfelsen on the eastern slopes
Nußhardt972
Seehügel953Ahornfels on southwestern slope
Platte 946
Kösseine939Subpeak of Kleine Kösseine
Platte 885
Burgstein 879Burgsteinfelsen at 869.2 m, Luisenburg Kreuzfelsen at northern foot
Großer Waldstein877Winter sport, cross-country skiing trails
Rudolfstein 866Rock formation at the summit and Drei Brüder formation 500 m to the southwest
Hohberg 863Winter sport, drag lifts
Weißenstein 863
Bergkopf 85725 m high graniterock formation of Hoher Stein at northeastern foot
Haberstein 848
Großer Kornberg827Winter sport, drag lift and cross-country skiing trails
Hohe Matze813Prinzenfelsen rock formation
Epprechtstein 798Winter sport, cross-country skiing trails
Lehstenberg768
Schauerberg 767
Schauerberg 732
Armesberg731
Rabenberg 713
Pfaffenberg 710
Steinberg 705
Ruheberg 692Summit region is a nature reserve
Wenderner Stein686
Teichelberg685
Fürstenstein 675
Výhledy 656Brunnenhaus
Sieben-Linden-Berg643Winter sport, drag lift
Zelená hora 637transmission tower, viewing tower
Kohlberg 632observation tower
Glasberg628Dreifaltigkeitskirche Kappl
Dietzenberg626
Lehenbühl620near Konnersreuth
Elmberg 618
Gossenbühl616
Konnsbühl613near Konnersreuth

Settlements