Söhre


The Söhre is a forested hill range of the German Central Uplands and a subordinate natural region of the Fulda-Werra Uplands in North Hesse, Germany.
From a natural region perspective the Söhre, according to the Handbook of Natural Region Divisions of Germany is a sub-region of the Kaufungen Forest and Söhre and is home to its highest point, the Hirschberg. Colloquially, however, the Söhrewald is often taken to mean just the west and centre of this region as far as the upper reaches of the Losse, an area which reaches its highest point at Bielstein.
The Großalmerode Graben Zone, which separates the Söhre in the north from the Kaufungen Forest Plateau, is counted as part of the Söhre.

Geography

Location and natural regions

The Söhre is located on the boundary of the two counties of Kassel and Werra-Meißner and runs eastwards from a point roughly southeast of the city of Kassel. The entire west of the Söhre is part of the Frau-Holle-Land Nature Park , to the southwest the Söhre runs out into the county of Schwalm-Eder-Kreis.
In the eastern north the Söhre transitions into the Southern Kaufungen Forest at the narrow Großalmerode Graben Zone, which follows, in the extreme east the uppermost reaches of the Gelster, in a westerly direction, the Wedemann and, after its confluence, the lower reaches of the Losse.
In the northwest and west the upland descends to the Kassel Basin, part of the West Hesse Depression and valley of the Fulda.
In the south the Söhre transitions into the Melsungen Upland beyond the valley of the Mülmisch and the Landesstraße 3228. This western part of the Söhre, which is bounded to the east by the upper Losse, is part of the aforementioned nature park and is what is colloquially called the Söhrewald – not to be confused with the municipality of Söhrewald.
East of the upper reaches of the Losse and outside the nature park, the natural region of the Söhre up to the Hirschberg reaches even greater heights, before descending relatively abruptly to the Hessian-Lichtenau Basin in the southeast and via the Rommerode Hills in the east to the Velmeder Tal, which separates the Kaufungen Forest from the Hoher Meißner, and along which the Laudenbach which flows northwards to the Gelster. The last three natural regions are parts of the Witzenhausen-Altmorschen valley system.

Mountains and hills

Among the mountains and hills of the Söhre are the following – with heights in metres above sea level :
Mountain/hillHeight / m
Hirschberg
northwest top:
soutyheast top:		643.4
643,4
637,8
Hohekopf539.4
Rohrberg535.6
Rösberg528,0
Bielstein527.8
Gülsberg or Gulsberg517.0
Exberg505.5
Großer Belgerkopf
east top:
west top:		499.9
499.9
497.3
Kleiner Belgerkopf490
Franzosentriesch487.75
Michelskopf485
Stellberg483,75
Buchberg482
Trieschkopf480.1
Pfaffenberg477.5
Sankt Ottilienberg462.5
Ölberg457.8
Schorn456.8
Koppe456.4
Badenstein441.5
Mühlberg441.3
Warpel439.4
Steinkopf427
Königsberg410
Vockenberg381.25

Waterbodies

Rivers and streams

Among the larger rivers in and around the Söhre are the following :
rises outside the Söhre near Hessisch Lichtenau, its upper courses flow through the natural region from south to north and form in its lower courses, together with the right-hand tributary
the western and central north boundary
rises in the western Söhre; with the Fahrenbachsteichen
rises in the centre of the Söhre
southern boundary stream rising in the Melsungen Upland
rises north of the Hirschberg and forms the eastern north boundary in its upper reaches
passes the Söhre to the east
rises southeast of the Hirschberg and leaves the Söhre in a southerly direction

Lakes

The following lakes and reservoirs lie in or on the edge of the Söhre:
Among the towns and villages in the Söhre region and its fringes :








Geology

The forested upland landscape of the Söhre consists mainly of bunter sandstone, from which individual basalt kuppen like the Hirschberg and the Bielstein project. The Großalmerode Graben Zone in the north lies on a narrow muschelkalk nappe.

Hiking

The trails in the Söhre include the: Eder-Gelster Way, Kassel-Steig, Märchenlandweg and Wildbahn.

Footnotes and references

General sources