The Eifel (; , ) is a low

mountain range A mountain range or hill range is a series of mountains or hills arranged in a line and connected by high ground. A mountain system or mountain belt is a group of mountain ranges with similarity in form, structure, and alignment that have aris ...

in western

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

, eastern

Belgium Belgium, officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. Situated in a coastal lowland region known as the Low Countries, it is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeas ...

and northern

Luxembourg Luxembourg, officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, is a landlocked country in Western Europe. It is bordered by Belgium to the west and north, Germany to the east, and France on the south. Its capital and most populous city, Luxembour ...

. It occupies parts of southwestern

North Rhine-Westphalia North Rhine-Westphalia or North-Rhine/Westphalia, commonly shortened to NRW, is a States of Germany, state () in Old states of Germany, Western Germany. With more than 18 million inhabitants, it is the List of German states by population, most ...

, northwestern

Rhineland-Palatinate Rhineland-Palatinate ( , ; ; ; ) is a western state of Germany. It covers and has about 4.05 million residents. It is the ninth largest and sixth most populous of the sixteen states. Mainz is the capital and largest city. Other cities are ...

and the southern area of the

German-speaking Community of Belgium The German-speaking Community (, , DG), also known as East Belgium ( ), is one of the three Communities, regions and language areas of Belgium, federal communities of Belgium. The community is composed of nine municipalities in Liège Province, ...

. The Eifel is part of the

Rhenish Massif The Rhenish Massif, Rhine Massif or Rhenish Uplands (, : 'Rhenish Slate Uplands') is a geologic massif in western Germany, eastern Belgium, Luxembourg and northeastern France. It is drained centrally, south to north by the river Rhine and a few ...

; within its northern portions lies the Eifel National Park. The Eifelian stage in geological history is named after the region because rocks of that period reach the surface in the Eifel at the Wetteldorf Richtschnitt outcrop. The inhabitants of the Eifel are known as Eiflers or Eifelers.

Geography

Location

The Eifel lies between the cities of

Aachen Aachen is the List of cities in North Rhine-Westphalia by population, 13th-largest city in North Rhine-Westphalia and the List of cities in Germany by population, 27th-largest city of Germany, with around 261,000 inhabitants. Aachen is locat ...

to the north,

Trier Trier ( , ; ), formerly and traditionally known in English as Trèves ( , ) and Triers (see also Names of Trier in different languages, names in other languages), is a city on the banks of the Moselle (river), Moselle in Germany. It lies in a v ...

to the south and

Koblenz Koblenz ( , , ; Moselle Franconian language, Moselle Franconian: ''Kowelenz'') is a German city on the banks of the Rhine (Middle Rhine) and the Moselle, a multinational tributary. Koblenz was established as a Roman Empire, Roman military p ...

to the east. It descends in the northeast along a line from Aachen via

Düren Düren (; Ripuarian language, Ripuarian: Düre) is a town in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, between Aachen and Cologne, on the river Rur (river), Rur. History Roman era The area of Düren was part of Gallia Belgica, more specifically the ter ...

Bonn Bonn () is a federal city in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia, located on the banks of the Rhine. With a population exceeding 300,000, it lies about south-southeast of Cologne, in the southernmost part of the Rhine-Ruhr region. This ...

into the Lower Rhine Bay. In the east and south it is bounded by the valleys of the

Rhine The Rhine ( ) is one of the List of rivers of Europe, major rivers in Europe. The river begins in the Swiss canton of Graubünden in the southeastern Swiss Alps. It forms part of the Swiss-Liechtenstein border, then part of the Austria–Swit ...

and the

Moselle The Moselle ( , ; ; ) is a river that rises in the Vosges mountains and flows through north-eastern France and Luxembourg to western Germany. It is a bank (geography), left bank tributary of the Rhine, which it joins at Koblenz. A sm ...

. To the west it transitions in Belgium and Luxembourg into the geologically related Ardennes and the Luxembourg Ösling. In the north it is limited by the Jülich-Zülpicher Börde. Within Germany it lies within the states of Rhineland-Palatinate and North Rhine-Westphalia; in the

Benelux The Benelux Union (; ; ; ) or Benelux is a politico-economic union, alliance and formal international intergovernmental cooperation of three neighbouring states in Western Europe: Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg. The name is a portma ...

the area of Eupen, St. Vith and Luxembourg. Its highest point is the volcanic cone of the Hohe Acht (746.9 m). Originally the Carolingian Eifelgau only covered the smaller region roughly around the sources of the rivers Ahr, Kyll, Urft and Erft. Its name was more recently transferred to the entire region.

Topography

The Eifel belongs to that part of the Rhenish Massif whose rolling plateau is categorised as peneplain highland (''Rumpfhochland''), which was formed by the

erosion Erosion is the action of surface processes (such as Surface runoff, water flow or wind) that removes soil, Rock (geology), rock, or dissolved material from one location on the Earth's crust#Crust, Earth's crust and then sediment transport, tran ...

of the ancient mountains of the Variscan mountain building phase and subsequent further uplifting. Individual mountain chains, up to 700 m, such as the Schneifel and High Fens, run through the western part of the plateau. In the eastern part, in the High Eifel and Volcanic Eifel, individual

cinder cone A cinder cone or scoria cone is a steep, volcanic cone, conical landform of loose pyroclastic rock, pyroclastic fragments, such as volcanic ash, clinkers, or scoria that has been built around a volcanic vent. The pyroclastic fragments are forme ...

s and basalt ''

kuppe A ''Kuppe'' is the term used in German-speaking central Europe for a mountain or hill with a rounded summit that has no rock formation, such as a tor, on it. A range of such hills is called a ''Kuppengebirge''. In geology the term also refers t ...

n'', like the Hohe Acht and the Ernstberg, emerged as a result of volcanicity in the Tertiary and

Quaternary The Quaternary ( ) is the current and most recent of the three periods of the Cenozoic Era in the geologic time scale of the International Commission on Stratigraphy (ICS), as well as the current and most recent of the twelve periods of the ...

periods and rise above the undulating countryside. The rivers draining into the

and

Meuse The Meuse or Maas is a major European river, rising in France and flowing through Belgium and the Netherlands before draining into the North Sea from the Rhine–Meuse–Scheldt delta. It has a total length of . History From 1301, the upper ...

, such as the Our, Kyll, Ahr, Brohlbach and Rur, have cut deep into the edge of the Eifel and formed larger valleys. The Eifel covers an area of 5,300 km² and is geographically divided into the North and South Eifel. It is further divided into several natural regional landscapes, some with further subdivisions.

National and nature parks

Since 2004, part of the North Eifel has been designated as the Eifel National Park. There are also four nature parks in the Eifel (from north to south):

Rhineland The Rhineland ( ; ; ; ) is a loosely defined area of Western Germany along the Rhine, chiefly Middle Rhine, its middle section. It is the main industrial heartland of Germany because of its many factories, and it has historic ties to the Holy ...

, High Fens-Eifel, Volcanic Eifel, and South Eifel, although the first extends only partly into the northern foothills of the Eifel.

Divisions

Overview

There are several distinct chains within the Eifel. * The northernmost parts are called North Eifel ("Nordeifel") including Rur Eifel the origin of the river Rur, High Fens ("Hohes Venn") and the Limestone Eifel (''Kalkeifel''). * The northeastern part is called Ahr HillsElkins, T.H. (1972). ''Germany'' (3rd ed.). London: Chatto & Windus, 1972. . () and rise north of the Ahr river in the district of Ahrweiler. * South of the Ahr is the High Eifel (''Hohe Eifel''), with the Hohe Acht (747 m) being the highest mountain of the Eifel. * In the west, on the Belgian border, the hills are known as Schneifel (part of the ''Schnee-Eifel'' or "Snowy Eifel"), rising up to 698 m. Also in the west, by the Belgian and

border, the region is known as Islek (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 Kyll, and the hills on either side of this river are called the Kyllwald. * In the south the Eifel is concluded by the Voreifel 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

nature reserve A nature reserve (also known as a wildlife refuge, wildlife sanctuary, biosphere reserve or bioreserve, natural or nature preserve, or nature conservation area) is a protected area of importance for flora, fauna, funga, or features of geologic ...

Natural regional divisions

Up to 1960, the German part of the Eifel, which belonged to the natural region of the

, was, according to the Handbook of the Natural Region Divisions of Germany, divided into three major unit (i.e. two-digit) groups and these were subdivided into (three-digit) major natural units.E. Meynen, J. Schmithüsen et al.: '' Handbook of the Natural Region Divisions of Germany'' Bundesanstalt für Landeskunde, Remagen/Bad Godesberg, 1953–1962 (9 issued in 8 books, 1:1,000,000 scale map with major units, 1960). These divisions were subsequently refined in the ''individual map sheets'' ''Trier/Mettendorf'', ''Cochem'' (both 1974) and ''Cologne/Aachen'' (1978) as follows;Ewald Glässer: ''Geographische Landesaufnahme: the natural regional units on map sheet 122/123 Cologne/Aachen.'' Bundesanstalt für Landeskunde, Bad Godesberg, 1978. →&nbs
online map
(pdf; 8.7 MB)Heinz Fischer, Richard Graafen: ''Geographische Landesaufnahme: the natural regional units on map sheet 136/137 Cochem.'' Bundesanstalt für Landeskunde, Bad Godesberg, 1974. →&nbs
online map
(pdf; 5.6 MB)Otmar Werle: ''Geographische Landesaufnahme: the natural regional units on map sheet 148/149 Trier/Mettendorf.'' Bundesanstalt für Landeskunde, Bad Godesberg, 1974. →&nbs
online map
(pdf; 4.5 MB) for the most detailed natural region divisions in Rhineland-Palatinate, fact files were produced by the state information system of the conservation administration (LANDIS): * 56 '' Venn Foreland'' ** 560 Venn Foothills *** 560.0 Kornelimünster Venn Foreland ** 561 Aachen Hills *** 561.0 Stolberg Valley *** 561.1 Aachen Bowl *** 561.2 Aachen Forest *** 561.3 Vaals Hills * 28 '' West Eifel'' ** 280 Islek and Ösling (Designation in the map sheets of Cochem and Trier; Handbook: ''Islek'') *** 280.0 Eastern Islek **** 280.00 Lascheid Plateau **** 280.01 Middle Prüm Valley *** 280.1 Central Islek **** 280.10 Arzfeld Plateau **** 280.11 Neuerburg Enz Valley **** 280.12 Karlshausen Plateau *** 280.2 Western Islek **** 280.20 Leidenborn Plateau **** 280.21 Winterscheid Plateau *** 280.3 Middle Our Valley **** 280.30 Urb-Vianden Our Valley (Cochem map sheet; Trier map sheet: ''Vianden Our Valley'') **** 280.31 Genting Our Valley *** 280.4 Southern Schneifel Foreland *** 280.5 Islek Foothills ** 281 Western High Eifel *** 281.0 Schneifel Ridge *** 281.1 Northern Schneifel Foreland **** 281.10 Brandscheid Schneifel Foreland **** 281.11 Manderfeld Schneifel Foreland *** 281.2 Grenzwald Ridge **** 281.20 Ommerscheid **** 281.21 Losheim Forest *** 281.3 Oberes Kyll Valley *** 281.4 Duppach Ridge ** 282 Rur Eifel *** 282.0 Düren Eifel Foothills *** 282.1 Hürtgen Plateau *** 282.2 Monschau Hedge Land *** 282.3 Rur- Urft- Olef Valleys **** 282.30 Monschau-Rurberg Rur Valley **** 282.31 Gemünd Urft and Olef Valleys **** 282.32 Urftsee Region **** 282.33 Rursee Region **** 282.34 Heimbach-Maubach Rur Valley *** 282.4 Monschau-Hellenthal Forest Plateau *** 282.5 Dreiborn Plateau *** 282.6 Hollerath-Broich Plateau **** 282.60 Hollerath Plateau **** 282.61 Broich Plateau *** 282.7 Wildenburg Plateau *** 282.8 Kermeter Forest ** 283 High Fens *** 283.0 Venn Plateau **** 283.00 Lammersdorf Fen Plateau *** 283.1 Northern Venn Foothills **** 283.10 Roetgen Venn Foothills *** Roer Spring Plateau (entirely in Belgium) *** Upland of the Upper Warche (''Southern Venn Foreland''; entirely in Belgium) ** Eastern High Ardennes (entirely in Belgium) *** St. Vith Plateau * 27 ''East Eifel'' ** 270 Moselle Eifel (Lower Eifel) *** 270.0 Eastern Moselle Eifel **** 270.00 Elz Valley **** 270.01 Kaisersesch Eifel Perimeter **** 270.02 Gevenich Plateau *** 270.1 Lower Üßbach Valley *** 270.2 Kondelwald *** 270.3 Offling Plateau *** 270.4 Middle Lieser Valley *** 270.5 Southern Volcanic Eifel **** 270.50 Daun-Manderscheid Volcanic Hills **** 270.51 Dauner Maar Region *** 270.6 Wittlich Hedge Land (Cochem map sheet; Trier map sheet: ''Heckenland'') **** 270.60 Naurather Horst **** 270.61 Arenrath Plateau **** 270.62 Littgen Plateau *** 270.7 Meulenwald ** 271 Eastern High Eifel *** 271.0 Olbrück Eifel Perimeter *** 271.1 Kempenich Tuff Plateau *** 271.2/3 Central Eastern High Eifel **** 271.2 Hohe Acht/Nitz-Nette Upland ***** 271.20 Hohe Acht Upland ***** 271.21 Nitz-Nette Forest **** 271.3 Elzbach Heights *** 271.4 Southwest foothills of the Eastern High Eifel **** 271.40 Trierbach-Lieser Source Upland **** 271.41 Üßbach Upland **** 271.42 Müllenbach Riedelland **** 271.43 Middle Üßbach Valley ** 272 Ahr Eifel *** 272.0 Reifferscheid Upland *** 272.1 Northern Ahr Upland *** 272.2 Middle Ahr Valley **** 272.20 Dümpelfeld Ahr Valley **** 272.21 Recher Ahreng Valley *** 272.3 Southern Ahr Upland ** 274 Münster Eifel Forest and Northeastern Foot of the Eifel (Cologne map sheet; Cochem map sheet: ''Northeastern Eifel Perimeter''; Handbook: ''Münster Eifel Forest'') *** 274.0 Münstereifel Valley *** 274.1 Münstereifel Forest (Flamersheim Forest) *** 274.2

Swist The Swist is a stream, long, in the German Rhineland. It rises on the northern edge of the Eifel at 330 metres above sea level and empties from the right and southeast into the Rhine tributary, the Erft, between Weilerswist and (a district of ...

Eifel Foothills (Rheinbach Forest) *** 274.3 Königsfeld Eifel Foothills (Cochem map sheet; Cologne map sheet and LANIS: ''Königsfeld Rhine-Eifel Foot'') ** 275 Mechernich Pre-Eifel *** 275.0 Wollersheim ScarplandBetween natural regions 272.0 and 272.2 on the Cologne/Aachen map sheet no boundary is shown. It probably runs from Eicks via Kommern to Firmenich. *** 275.1 Vlatten Hills *** 275.2 Mechernich Uplands *** 275.3 Antweil Basin *** 275.4 Billig Ridge ** 276 Limestone Eifel *** 276.0 Sötenich Limestone Basin *** 276.1 Blankenheim and Zingsheim Forest **** 276.10 Zingsheim Forest **** 276.11 Blankenheim Forest *** 276.2 Blankenheim Limestone Ridge *** 276.3 Eichholz Ridge *** 276.4 Rohr Limestone Basin *** 276.5 Dollendorf Limestone Basin *** 276.6 Senkenbusch *** 276.7 Ahrdorf-Hillesheim Limestone Basin **** 276.70 Ahrdorf Limestone Basin **** 276.71 Hillesheim Limestone Basin *** 276.8 Northern Volcanic Eifel **** 276.80 Kyll Volcanic Eifel **** 276.81 Dockweiler Volcanic Eifel *** 276.9 Southern Limestone Basin **** 276.90 Gerolstein Limestone Basin **** 276.91 Prüm Limestone Basin ** 277 Kyllburg Waldeifel *** 277.0 Neidenbach Sandstone Plateau *** 277.1 Middle Kyll Valley *** 277.2 Kyllburg Forest Ridge **** 277.20 Prümscheid **** 277.21 Wittlich Forest *** 277.3 Salm Hills The BfN groups the 3 (two-digit) major unit groups under the combined group designated ''D45''.

Mountains and hills

Apart from its valleys, the Eifel is a gently rolling plateau from which elongated mountain ridges and individual mountains rise. The majority of these summits do not attain a great height above the surrounding terrain. Several, however, like the Schwarzer Mann in the Schnee-Eifel, stand out from a long way off as long, forested ridges or clearly isolated mountaintops. The highest mountain in the whole Eifel is the Hohe Acht at 746.9 m. It is the only Eifel summit above 700 m. However, many peaks, mountain ridges and large regions, such as the ''Zitterwald'' reach heights of over 600 m. These include two dozen peaks with good all-round views, of which many have an

observation tower An observation tower is a tower used to view events from a long distance and to create a full 360 degree range of vision to conduct long distance observations. Observation towers are usually at least tall and are made from stone, iron, and woo ...

. From north to south they are: the Michelsberg, Häuschen and Teufelsley in the north; the Adert, Hohe Acht and Raßberg in the northeast; the Hochkel, Nerotherkopf, Dietzenley and ruins of the Kasselburg in the central area; the Prümer Kalvarienberg, Hartkopf and Prümer Kopf in the east, the Steineberg and Mäuseberg near Daun, the Hochsimmer and Scheidkopf near Mayen; the Eickelslay and Absberg in the southeast; and the Krautscheid and Hohe Kuppe in the southwest. The mountains and hills of the Eifel include the following (in order of height in metres above

sea level Mean sea level (MSL, often shortened to sea level) is an mean, average surface level of one or more among Earth's coastal Body of water, bodies of water from which heights such as elevation may be measured. The global MSL is a type of vertical ...

): For a list of these and other Eifel mountains and hills see the List of mountains and hills of the Eifel. Many of these prominent points are linked by the Eifel-Ardennes Green Route, which crosses the east and south of the region, the German Volcano Route, the German Wildlife Route and the South Eifel Holiday Route.

Water bodies

Due to its moist and mild Atlantic climate, the Eifel is bisected by numerous streams and small rivers. Impoundment of these streams, especially in the North Eifel has led to the creation of very large

reservoir A reservoir (; ) is an enlarged lake behind a dam, usually built to water storage, store fresh water, often doubling for hydroelectric power generation. Reservoirs are created by controlling a watercourse that drains an existing body of wa ...

, such as the Rursee, which is the second largest in Germany by volume, and the Urftsee. A feature of the Eifel are its natural lakes of volcanic origin. The largest, the Laacher See, is a collapsed, water-filled

caldera A caldera ( ) is a large cauldron-like hollow that forms shortly after the emptying of a magma chamber in a volcanic eruption. An eruption that ejects large volumes of magma over a short period of time can cause significant detriment to the str ...

, whilst the many maars are water-filled volcanic eruption bowls. The largest maar lake is the Pulvermaar. The Meerfelder Maar has an even bigger basin, but three-quarters of it has silted up.

Rivers and streams

The many rivers and streams of the Eifel drain into the

North Sea The North Sea lies between Great Britain, Denmark, Norway, Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, and France. A sea on the European continental shelf, it connects to the Atlantic Ocean through the English Channel in the south and the Norwegian Se ...

via the great rivers outside of the Eifel: the

(and its tributary, the

) and the

(with its tributaries, the Rur and Ourthe). The rivers and streams within the mountain range, together with their larger tributaries, are as follows:

tributaries: *

(outside of the Eifel) ** Sauer *** Prüm **** Nims **** Enz **** Alfbach **** Mehlenbach ***

Our (river) The Our (; , ) is a river in Belgium, Luxembourg and Germany. It is a left-hand tributary of the river Sauer, Sauer/Sûre. Its total length is . The source of the Our is in the High Fens in southeastern Belgium, near Büllingen, Manderfeld. It ...

**** Irsen **** Ihrenbach ** Kyll ** Salm ** Lieser *** Kleine Kyll ** Alf *** Üßbach *** Sammetbach ** Elzbach * Nette ** Nitzbach * Brohlbach * Vinxtbach * Ahr ** Schaafbach ** Ahbach ** Trierbach ** Dreisbach ** Armuthsbach ** Adenauerbach ** Liersbach ** Sahrbach ** Vischelbach ** Leimersdorfer Bach * Erft **

*** Eulenbach ** Veybach ''(Feybach)'' *** Krebsbach *** Kühlbach

tributaries: * Rur ** Perlenbach ** Urft *** Olef **** Platißbach ***** Prether Bach **** Reifferscheider Bach **** Diefenbach **** Rosselbach *** Genfbach *** Gillesbach *** Kuttenbach *** Laufbach *** Wisselsbach ** Inde *** Vichtbach * Ourthe (outside Eifel) ** Amel *** Warche **** Warchenne **** Bayehon ** Vesdre ''(Weser)'' ***

Hill A hill is a landform that extends above the surrounding terrain. It often has a distinct summit, and is usually applied to peaks which are above elevation compared to the relative landmass, though not as prominent as Mountain, mountains. Hills ...

Lakes and reservoirs

Reservoirs * Bitburg Reservoir * Weilerbach Reservoir ( Freilinger See) * Kronenburg Reservoir ( Kronenburger See) * Olef Reservoir * Gileppe Reservoir * Rur Reservoir * Urft Reservoir * Wehebach Reservoir * Weser Reservoir (

Weser The Weser () is a river of Lower Saxony in north-west Germany. It begins at Hannoversch Münden through the confluence of the Werra and Fulda. It passes through the Hanseatic city of Bremen. Its mouth is further north against the ports o ...

, near Eupen) * Dreilägerbach Reservoir * Perlenbach Reservoir * Kall Reservoir * Lake Bütgenbach * Lake Robertville * Madbach Reservoir * Steinbach Reservoir Volcanic lakes * Laacher See * Pulvermaar * Schalkenmehrener Maar * Gemündener Maar * Holzmaar * Meerfelder Maar * Weinfelder Maar or Totenmaar * Ulmener Maar * Eichholzmaar * Windsborn Crater Lake

Geology

Despite the interesting geology of the Eifel region, only three comprehensive geological accounts have been produced. In 1822, Johann Steiniger published the first geological map of the area and, in 1853, the ''Geognostische Beschreibung der Eifel''. In 1915 Otto Follmann published a new account, adding to the extent of scientific understanding at that time, the ''Abriss der Geologie der Eifel'' ("Abstract of the geology of the Eifel region". In 1986, Wilhelm Meyer finally published the volume, ''Geologie der Eifel'' ("Geology of the Eifel"), whose fourth, revised, edition is now regarded as the standard work on the geology of the Eifel. The Eifel and its western continuation into Belgium, the Ardennes, are the remains of a Variscan truncated upland, much of it 400 million years old, that is part of the

(''Rheinisches Schiefergebirge''). In the area of the Stavelot-Venn Saddle ( Hohes Venn) are the oldest layers of rock, which originate from the

Cambrian The Cambrian ( ) is the first geological period of the Paleozoic Era, and the Phanerozoic Eon. The Cambrian lasted 51.95 million years from the end of the preceding Ediacaran period 538.8 Ma (million years ago) to the beginning of the Ordov ...

and are around 550 million years old. The Eifel is one of the few volcanically active areas of Germany, as is evinced by numerous discharges of

carbonic acid Carbonic acid is a chemical compound with the chemical formula . The molecule rapidly converts to water and carbon dioxide in the presence of water. However, in the absence of water, it is quite stable at room temperature. The interconversion ...

, for example into the Laacher See. The last eruptions, which gave rise to the most recent maars, occurred about 11,000 years ago. Schiefer anstehend

Basement

The

basement A basement is any Storey, floor of a building that is not above the grade plane. Especially in residential buildings, it often is used as a utility space for a building, where such items as the Furnace (house heating), furnace, water heating, ...

in the Eifel, as in the other regions of the

, consists mainly of

Devonian The Devonian ( ) is a period (geology), geologic period and system (stratigraphy), system of the Paleozoic era (geology), era during the Phanerozoic eon (geology), eon, spanning 60.3 million years from the end of the preceding Silurian per ...

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. It is the finest-grained foliated metamorphic ro ...

sandstone Sandstone is a Clastic rock#Sedimentary clastic rocks, clastic sedimentary rock composed mainly of grain size, sand-sized (0.0625 to 2 mm) silicate mineral, silicate grains, Cementation (geology), cemented together by another mineral. Sand ...

s and

limestone Limestone is a type of carbonate rock, carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material Lime (material), lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different Polymorphism (materials science) ...

s, laid down in an ocean south of the Old Red Continent and folded and overthrust in the Variscan orogeny. Only on the northern edge of the Eifel, in the High Fens and its environs, do older rocks from the

and

Ordovician The Ordovician ( ) is a geologic period and System (geology), system, the second of six periods of the Paleozoic Era (geology), Era, and the second of twelve periods of the Phanerozoic Eon (geology), Eon. The Ordovician spans 41.6 million years f ...

outcrop. Rocks of the

Carboniferous The Carboniferous ( ) is a Geologic time scale, geologic period and System (stratigraphy), system of the Paleozoic era (geology), era that spans 60 million years, from the end of the Devonian Period Ma (million years ago) to the beginning of the ...

do not occur in the Eifel itself, but lie along its northern boundary in the region of

. The Devonian rocks were deposited in an

oceanic basin In hydrology, an oceanic basin (or ocean basin) is anywhere on Earth that is covered by seawater. Geologically, most of the ocean basins are large Structural basin, geologic basins that are below sea level. Most commonly the ocea ...

, in which erosion debris was washed in from the north from the great north continent of

Euramerica Laurasia () was the more northern of two large landmasses that formed part of the Pangaea supercontinent from around ( Mya), the other being Gondwana. It separated from Gondwana (beginning in the late Triassic period) during the breakup of Pa ...

(''Laurussia'' or the ''Old Red Continent'') which was formed by Caledonian mountain building during the

Silurian The Silurian ( ) is a geologic period and system spanning 23.5 million years from the end of the Ordovician Period, at million years ago ( Mya), to the beginning of the Devonian Period, Mya. The Silurian is the third and shortest period of t ...

. From the end of the Lower Carboniferous the sea basin was caught up in the Variscan mountain building process, pushed together and uplifted, and thus formed part of the Variscan mountain system that, in the Upper Carboniferous and

early Permian 01 or 01 may refer to: * The year 2001, or any year ending with 01 * The month of January * 1 (number) Music * '01 (Richard Müller album), ''01'' (Richard Müller album), 2001 * 01 (Urban Zakapa album), ''01'' (Urban Zakapa album), 2011 * ''01011 ...

, covered large areas of Europe. The Eifel geological structures like main folds and overthrusts can be traced in a southwest–northeast direction far beyond the Rhine valley.

Platform

Since that folding, the Eifel has largely remained part of the mainland. During the

Permian The Permian ( ) is a geologic period and System (stratigraphy), stratigraphic system which spans 47 million years, from the end of the Carboniferous Period million years ago (Mya), to the beginning of the Triassic Period 251.902 Mya. It is the s ...

, after the end of the uplifting, the Variscan mountains were heavily eroded, leaving only a relatively flat, truncated upland. For a short time, and only partially, this was later flooded by the sea. Depositions from the

Triassic The Triassic ( ; sometimes symbolized 🝈) is a geologic period and system which spans 50.5 million years from the end of the Permian Period 251.902 million years ago ( Mya), to the beginning of the Jurassic Period 201.4 Mya. The Triassic is t ...

and

Jurassic The Jurassic ( ) is a Geological period, geologic period and System (stratigraphy), stratigraphic system that spanned from the end of the Triassic Period million years ago (Mya) to the beginning of the Cretaceous Period, approximately 143.1 Mya. ...

periods have survived in the so-called Eifel North-South Zone. This is a region of

subsidence Subsidence is a general term for downward vertical movement of the Earth's surface, which can be caused by both natural processes and human activities. Subsidence involves little or no horizontal movement, which distinguishes it from slope mov ...

, which runs from the

Bay in the south to the Lower Rhine Bay in the north. Through this zone existed at one time a sea link between north and south Central Europe. The remains of the sediments laid down at this time have survived to a greater extent in the ''Maubach- Mechernich Triassic Triangle'' in the north and in the ''Oberbettingen Triassic Graben'' in the area around Hillesheim and Oberbettingen. In the Upper

Cretaceous The Cretaceous ( ) is a geological period that lasted from about 143.1 to 66 mya (unit), million years ago (Mya). It is the third and final period of the Mesozoic Era (geology), Era, as well as the longest. At around 77.1 million years, it is the ...

and during the Tertiary, the Eifel was inundated mainly from the north. Remains of Cretaceous rocks were discovered on the High Fens. Scattered patches of

Oligocene The Oligocene ( ) is a geologic epoch (geology), epoch of the Paleogene Geologic time scale, Period that extends from about 33.9 million to 23 million years before the present ( to ). As with other older geologic periods, the rock beds that defin ...

deposits can be found there and in the Western Eifel. From the

Pliocene The Pliocene ( ; also Pleiocene) is the epoch (geology), epoch in the geologic time scale that extends from 5.33 to 2.58last ice age can be traced in detail in the Eifel region.

Volcanism

Volcanic activity in the Eifel began 50 millions of years ago and continues into the geological present. It created numerous volcanic structures, lava flows and extensive layers of volcanic

ejecta Ejecta (; ) are particles ejected from an area. In volcanology, in particular, the term refers to particles including pyroclastic rock, pyroclastic materials (tephra) that came out of a explosive eruption, volcanic explosion and magma eruption v ...

made of tuff and

pumice Pumice (), called pumicite in its powdered or dust form, is a volcanic rock that consists of extremely vesicular rough-textured volcanic glass, which may or may not contain crystals. It is typically light-colored. Scoria is another vesicula ...

, which have formed the basis of a significant mining activity for the extraction of building materials since Roman times. Some of the hills are volcanic vents. The peculiar circle-shaped lakes ( maars) of the volcanic regions formed in volcanic craters. The first volcanic eruptions took place in the early Tertiary centred in the High Eifel and even before the volcanic activity of the

Siebengebirge The (), occasionally Sieben Mountains or Seven Mountains, are a hill range of the German Central Uplands on the east bank of the Middle Rhine, southeast of Bonn. Description The area, located in the municipalities of Bad Honnef and Königswin ...

and Westerwald. Volcanism in the High Eifel came to an end about 15 to 20 million years ago, at the same time as that of the Siebengebirge. Volcanism in the western and eastern Eifel is, in contrast to that of the High Eifel, much more recent than that of the Siebengebirge and Westerwald. It began in the West Eifel region of Daun, Hillesheim and Gerolstein about 700,000 years ago and created a chain of ash volcanoes,

s, maars and craters running in a chain from northwest to southeast. The youngest maars are only slightly older than 11,000 years. In the eastern Eifel, volcanism began about 500,000 years ago in the area of today's Laacher See; it extended to the Neuwied Basin to the south, and crossed the Rhine to the east. The quantity of

basalt Basalt (; ) is an aphanite, aphanitic (fine-grained) extrusive igneous rock formed from the rapid cooling of low-viscosity lava rich in magnesium and iron (mafic lava) exposed at or very near the planetary surface, surface of a terrestrial ...

lavas, pumice tuffs and ash tuffs produced by the volcanoes was far greater here than in the western Eifel. East Eifel volcanism came to an end with a huge eruption, as a result of which the

magma chamber A magma chamber is a large pool of liquid rock beneath the surface of the Earth. The molten rock, or magma, in such a chamber is less dense than the surrounding country rock, which produces buoyant forces on the magma that tend to drive it u ...

emptied and collapsed, creating a

. Today's Laacher See formed in the caldera. The ashes from the eruption can be detected today in deposits all over Central Europe and as far as

Bornholm Bornholm () is a List of islands of Denmark, Danish island in the Baltic Sea, to the east of the rest of Denmark, south of Sweden, northeast of Germany and north of Poland. Strategically located, Bornholm has been fought over for centuries. I ...

as a thin layer. Volcanism is caused by

magma Magma () is the molten or semi-molten natural material from which all igneous rocks are formed. Magma (sometimes colloquially but incorrectly referred to as ''lava'') is found beneath the surface of the Earth, and evidence of magmatism has also ...

, which either rises directly to the Earth's surface from the upper regions of the Earth's mantle or, in the majority of cases, gathers in a magma chamber, several tens of kilometres deep, at the base of the

Earth's crust Earth's crust is its thick outer shell of rock, referring to less than one percent of the planet's radius and volume. It is the top component of the lithosphere, a solidified division of Earth's layers that includes the crust and the upper ...

, from which magma rises at irregular intervals and causes volcanic eruptions. Volcanism in 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 Fracture is the appearance of a crack or complete separation of an object or material into two or more pieces under the action of stress (mechanics), stress. The fracture of a solid usually occurs due to the development of certain displacemen ...

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 and there are escaping gases, for example,

carbon dioxide Carbon dioxide is a chemical compound with the chemical formula . It is made up of molecules that each have one carbon atom covalent bond, covalently double bonded to two oxygen atoms. It is found in a gas state at room temperature and at norma ...

() in the Laacher See.

Climate

The Eifel is in the Atlantic climate zone with its relatively high precipitation; winters that are moderately cold and long with periods of snow; and summers that are often humid and cool. The prevailing

wind Wind is the natural movement of atmosphere of Earth, air or other gases relative to a planetary surface, planet's surface. Winds occur on a range of scales, from thunderstorm flows lasting tens of minutes, to local breezes generated by heatin ...

is west/southwest. A relatively dry and milder climate prevails in the wind and rain shadow of the High Eifel. Cold air from Siberia in the higher elevations of the Eifel has less of an impact on weather conditions, as the proximity of the Atlantic Ocean to the Eifel brings milder sea air to the Eifel even in winter. Looking at the long-term averages, even the Snow Eifel only has snow cover for nine consecutive days in winter, as there are no longer lasting cold spells. However, there is an average of 70 days of full snow cover because the frequency of snow at higher elevations is relatively high (for comparison: Bitburg 35 days, Maifeld 30 days), but the level of snowfall varies from year to year. Snow heights vary on average between 15 cm and 60 cm. The humid Atlantic climate can cause extreme variations though: on 2 March 1987 there was 227 centimetres of snow in the Eifel on the Weißer Stein (Eifel), Weißer Stein. The mean temperature in the coldest month (January) is at high elevations, in the mountain foreland. There is an average of 110 days of frost, with temperatures below freezing () in the highlands and an average of 30 to 40 'ice days' when temperatures do not rise above freezing. The warmest month (July) only has an average temperature of in the higher areas. The level of precipitation decreases significantly from west to east as a result of the rain shadow of the highlands. So the Schneifel receives an average of of precipitation ( High Fens: ), while in Maifeld the average rainfall is only . The bioclimatic conditions in the Eifel are favourable. Heat stress and air humidity are rarely present in summer. The Eifel has a distinctly stimulating climate; the high elevations being considered as highly stimulating. The Eifel is a clean air area with very low air-chemical pollution. On hot sunny days, there is sometimes an increased concentration of ground-level ozone. Below are two weather station examples for settlements in the Eifel.

History

Etymology

Usage in the course of history

At the time of the Roman Empire the whole mountain range between the rivers Rhine, Meuse and Moselle was called ''Arduenna silva'' ("high forest"). The oldest record of the name "Eifel" does not occur until the Early Middle Ages. Following the collapse of the West Roman Empire, the Frankish Empire emerged in the territories of present-day France and western Germany. This was divided into Gau (territory)#Middle Ages, ''gaue'' (Lat.: ''Pagus, pagi''). One of them, the Eifelgau, covered the source regions of the rivers Erft, Urft, Kyll and Ahr, i.e. predominantly the northern and northwestern foothills of the present Eifel in the eastern half of the ''Arduenna silva'' of the Romans. West of the Eifelgau lay the Ardennengau, whose name was derived from ''Arduenna silva''. Following the end of the Frankish Empire the name of the old ''gaue'' continued to be used in popular language. Over the centuries an ever-larger region was referred to as the Eifel. Today the whole German-speaking part of the range between the Rhine, Meuse and Moselle is called the Eifel (including several areas outside of Germany, see the → Belgian Eifel), while the French-speaking part in Belgium and France is called the Ardennes.

Earliest surviving records

762 ''Eifflensis pagus'', 772 ''Eiffelnsis pagus'', 804 , 838 ''Eifla'', 845 ''Eiflensis pagus'', 855 ''Eiflinsis pagus'', 860–886 ''Agflinse'', 975 ''Aiflensis pagus'', 1051 ''Eiffila'', 1105 ''Eifla'', 1121 ''Eifla''

Meaning

Müller/Schnetz (1937) believe that an ''-n-'' has dropped out between the diphthong and the syllable, ''-fel''. The resulting root form ''Anfil'' or ''Anfali'' would then mean an "area that is not so level". ''An''- would then be a prefix and ''-fali'', which is related to the Slavic ''polje'' ("field"), means "plain" or "heath". W. Kaspers (1938) deduces from the surviving form the root form ''aku-ella, akwella'' and points to its development into the name "Eifel" in the following sequence: ''aquila'' > > ''aifla'' > ''eifla'' > ''Eifel''. ''Akuella'' derives from the pre-German and means "land with summits" or "land with peaks". Both propositions, like several others, are highly contentious. The most convincing proposal is that of Heinrich Dittmaier (1961). Dittmaier initially derives it from the Germanic ''Ai-fil''. The second component corresponds to ''Ville'', which is the name of a ridge between the Erft, Swist and Rhine today. The variants ''Vele'', ''Vile'' and ''Viele'' may often be found in place names such as ''Veler Weg'' or ''Veler Pfad''. Unlike the modern word ''Ville'' the fricative consonant is hard in "Eifel". Responsible for that was probably a sound between ''ai-'' and ''-fil'', which was assimilated by the ''f'', possibly ''f'', ''k'', ''ch'', ''d'', ''t''. Dittmaier believes the missing sound was a ''k'' or ''ch'', whereby "Eifel" originally went back to ''Aik-fil''. ''Aik/Aich'' is also a name for oak (''Eiche'') and qualifies the root word ''ville''. On the basis that it was covered by oak trees, the Eifel (= ''Eich''-''Ville'') could thus be distinguished from the other Ville (Rhineland), Ville, a name still used today, on the Erft. However, the original, historical and even current vegetation of the present day ''Ville'' is dominated by oak mixed forest. The meaning of "Ville" is also disputed. Dittmaier gives three possible explanations: "marshy region", "plain, heath" and "heathland", which would all bring geology and vegetation into harmony. Another proposal sees the name as even older and possibly of Celtic origin. Near Cologne, an altar was found, which was dedicated to ''Matronae Aufaniae'' Celtic goddesses which were honoured by flowing water. The thesis that the name "Eifel" was derived from this source is not conclusive, but it is persuasive; Eifel would then mean "land of water" or "watery mountains".

Settlement history

By the Old Stone Age, the Eifel was inhabited by people: Neanderthal Man, Neanderthals and Anatomically modern humans, modern humans. This is evinced by the Buchenloch and Magdalena Caves near Gerolstein. The artifacts from the Magdalena Cave also show that the Eifel was visited by humans even during the height of the last ice age. Excavations show that iron was already being worked by the Iron Age "Hunsrück-Eifel culture" to which the Eifel gives its name. The first smelting hut north of the Alps was built during the La Tène period in the 5th century BC in Hillesheim. Near Bitburg there is an iron smelting site in which metal was smelted and worked in an almost industrial manner during the Roman period. In Roman times, the Eifel was an important economic region. Its mineral resources (lead, Smithsonite, zinc spar, iron, limestone and stones for construction) were mined, and trade benefited from long-distance Roman road, Roman communication routes such as the Roman road from Trier to Cologne, which crossed the Eifel. In the late Middle Ages, the Eifel was a border area between the Archbishoprics of Electoral Cologne and Electoral Trier, the County of Luxembourg and the Duchy of Jülich. This explains the large number of castles, now lying in ruins, which had been built mainly for the purpose of guarding the border. Through skillful politics, several smaller principalities and abbey estates were able to acquire their independence, for example the House of Manderscheid-Blankenheim, the County of House of Salm, Salm-Reifferscheid and Prüm Abbey. The mining and smelting works, with their demand for pit props and charcoal for smelting, the great demand for construction timber and firewood and the shipbuilding industry which was widespread until the 19th century, led to an almost complete deforestation of the woods. In fact, around 1800, the Eifel must be imagined as a landscape of meadows and heathland, where animals, especially flocks of sheep, grazed. At the same time, the population was becoming increasingly impoverished because the poor arable land did not yield rich harvests. Even after the decline of mining and smelting operations after the mid-19th century, the situation of the population did not improve. In addition, the Eifel was a marching route for French troops to all kinds of theatres of war. They demanded "forage money" from the local population, which just caused further impoverishment, as the records of Kottenheim show. Prussian rule began in 1815, but little changed in terms of social conditions: The Eifel, as a poor peripheral region of the empire ("Prussian Siberia"), was only of interest for military reasons. For Prussian officials and officers, mainly Protestants, a posting to the purely Catholic Eifel region was like a punishment sentence. However, the landscape changed as Prussia carried out systematic reforestation, albeit with coniferous trees that were not typical of the region. In the 19th century, the Eifel region suffered severe famines, especially in the years 1816/17, 1847 and 1879/80, and an 1853 memorandum records that ''"Many Eifel inhabitants know no food other than potatoes and bread that consists of a mixture of oatmeal and potato. It can be said without exaggeration that two thirds of the entire population only enjoy meat once a year."'' The consequences of the terrible food situation were only too obvious: ''"In 1852, only 10% of all those liable to enlistment were fit for military service."''.“Hans-Dieter Arntz
''Naturkatastrophen und Notstände in der Eifel''
Due to its barren soils and the harsh climate, which led time and again to poor harvests, many farmers were in debt. According to reports of the winter of starvation in 1879/80, however, there was a wave of solidarity in the German Reich, Reich, and in 1883 the "Eifel Fund" was established, through which, within 18 years, 5.5 millions Reichsmarks were raised for land improvement, for the afforestation of barren land and for land consolidation.''. Westwall01

For a long time, economic development was hampered by the poor condition of roads and tracks. However, due to its border location between the German Empire, Belgium and Luxembourg (as march routes to France), many railway lines were built since the foundation of the German Empire, which served Strategic railways, military-strategic purposes. This improvement of the transport routes also boosted tourism. The construction of the Nürburgring also served the purpose of economic development in the 1920s. The border region of the Eifel was also not spared by the Second World War. The construction of the Siegfried Line was followed, from September 1944 to January 1945, by violent Battle of the Hürtgen Forest#First Phase, battles and the Ardennes Offensive, especially in the northern Eifel, which still bears witness to the legacy of the war: ruins of old bunkers and parts of tank barriers. Especially in the Battle of the Hürtgen Forest, where the battle with the highest losses was fought in the west, military cemeteries - such as in Vossenack - bear witness to the brutal events of the war. The Eifel region was severely hit in the 2021 European floods.

Economy

Much of the Eifel has limited infrastructure and there are almost no large industrial areas. Only in the Pellenz in the Neuwied Basin is there a stronger industrial presence. Agriculture is restricted to certain valleys and the lower levels (particularly in parts of the southern Eifel, the Pre-Eifel and the Maifeld). A large number of farms have been converted into stabling facilities, some of which offer overnight accommodation and horse care for Trail riding, trail riders. Wine-growing is a major activity along the Rhine, Moselle and Ahr valleys and in the Wittlich Basin. In the Wittlich Basin, tobacco is also grown. At Holsthum in the Prüm valley, in the lee of the Ferschweiler Plateau, hops are grown for the Bitburger Brewery. However, at high altitudes in the Eifel, only forestry and dairy farming are generally possible. Mining is still carried out in the Eifel region. In Mayen the firm of Rathscheck Schiefer mines roofing slates in the Moselle slate mines of Katzenberg and Margareta, and gypsum in Ralingen on the River Sauer near the border with Luxembourg. In the South Eifel, especially in the Wehrer Bowl, volcanic

is extracted. In many places in the Eifel region, the mining of

and other rocks and minerals has a long tradition. For example, between Daun, Gerolstein and Hillesheim - i.e. in the heart of the Volcanic Eifel - there are 17 active pits over an area of 11 by12 kilometres. Residents and local authorities affected by the planned expansion (as of July 2012) have practically no influence over it because it is based on the old mining law. There is evidence that iron was being processed in the Eifel by the Iron Age. The first smelting works north of the Alps was built during the La Tène period in the 5th century BC in Hillesheim.Die Montangeschichte Kalls
/ref> Near Bitburg there is an iron smeltery where, during the Roman period, the metal was being smelted and worked almost in an industrial way. So by then the Eifel was already an important economic area. Its mineral resources (lead, zinc spar, iron, Lime (material), lime and rocks for construction) were mined and trade benefited from Roman roads such as the Roman road from Trier to Cologne, which crossed the Eifel. The abundance of timber, which was needed for smelting, and of watercourses, which were indispensable for the preparation and operation of hammer mills and bellows, made it possible for the Eifel to be an important supra-regional economic area even in the late Middle Ages. About 10% of the iron produced in Europe originated from the Eifel. It was traded at the markets in

and Cologne. Well known are the many mineral springs, which occur frequently here because of the region's volcanic past. The largest bottlers are Gerolsteiner Brunnen and Apollinaris (water), Apollinaris. One of the largest German breweries, Bitburger Brauerei, Bitburger, has its headquarters and production facilities in Bitburg in the Eifel. The economic importance of tourism has increased since the Second World War; and it was further encouraged, for example, by the Eifel's designation as a national park (the Eifel National Park) on 1 January 2004, as well as the natural history infrastructure in the Volcanic Eifel. Furthermore, the Eifel Park and several maars and lakes are popular tourist destinations. In winter, in some of the highlands, there are opportunities for winter sports, e.g. at the Schwarzer Mann near Prüm, the Weißer Stein (Eifel), Weißer Stein near Hellenthal or in Rohren near Monschau. A well known destination for motorsport fans is the Nürburgring with its famous Nordschleife. Another tourism, touristic and Geology, geological destination is the German Volcano Road, which links the attractions of the Vulkanland Eifel Geopark. There are also numerous mountains and hills with good viewing points as well as several holiday routes. Hiking tourism is also of considerable economic importance, as is reflected in the increasing number of overnight stays for hiking guests and the progressive expansion of the network of trails. In addition to the Eifelsteig trail, which was opened in 2009 and runs from

across the Eifel, there is a wide network of themed and circular walks.

Culture

Literature

As a traditionally isolated land, in which the population kept a quiet and simple way of life, the Eifel offered fertile soil for lively folk poetry. The sagas, legends and fairy tales, which were told on long winter evenings in the farmhouse parlours, often reflect a longing for a better world, which stood in contrast to the found reality of life. The Eifel also repeatedly offered material for numerous literary and regional studies works - from the Eifel and about the Eifel.

Folk literature

Eifel mentality and humour were reflected in numerous anecdotes and jokes. Figures of fun and Eifel characters are brought to life in these stories. The ''Dahnener Sprünge'' have become famous beyond the region. A love of jokes and ridicule of one's neighbours may have formed motives for these popular stories of Eifel fools. In addition, there are countless horror stories of witches, undead, headless horsemen, headless riders, revenants and werewolves, which - like those in the neighbouring Ardennes region - survived into the 20th century. Folk poetry of the Eifel was collected early on. Inspired by Romanticism, in which folklore was seen as a rich source of unadulterated motifs and forms, collections of stories and adaptations of Eifel folk tales emerged. Among the most illuminating collections is the poetic guide through the Eifel region by chaplain, Johann Heydinger. Prominent authors such as Adelbert von Chamisso, Guido Görres, Karl Simrock, Ernst Moritz Arndt and Karl Wilhelm Friedrich Schlegel, Friedrich Schlegel rank amongst the early Eifel authors. During the 1920s scientific interest in folk culture also gave impetus to the collection of folk poetry. The most prominent collector was Bonn professor of folklore, Matthias Zender, who was born in Zendscheid and who, as a student between 1929 and 1936, collected about 10,000 stories, folk tales and jokes from the Eifel/ Ardennes region, of which 2,000 were published. Scary stories from the Eifel region were collected and partly published by headmaster, Heinrich Hoffmann, from

in 1900 and also by Zender in the 1930s. Peter Kremer published a collection of such stories with a commentary in 2003 in a Düren publication.Peter Kremer: ''Wo das Grauen lauert: Blutsauger und kopflose Reiter, Werwölfe und Wiedergänger an Inde, Erft und Rur.'' PeKaDe-Verlag, Düren, 2003, .

Authors and works

Well-known historical works of the Eifel are the ''Eiflia illustrata oder geographische und historische Beschreibung der Eifel'' by Johann Friedrich Schannat, published in the 17th century, translated, supplemented and re-edited in 1824 by Georg Bärsch; and the ''Eiflia sacra'', also edited by Schannat and re-edited in 1888 by Carl Schorn. The first recognised Eifel poet was Peter Zirbes, a wandering stoneware trader from Niederkail. He was the author of simple poems in the Eifel dialect, which he published in 1852. In 2010, Ute Bales wrote a novel about his life, which was awarded the special prize by the jury in the Rhineland-Palatinate Book of the Year competition (''Buch des Jahres Rheinland-Pfalz''). Many contemporary poets who live in the Eifel or come from the Eifel have captured the Eifel poetically and made it known beyond its borders to readers of poetry in the German-speaking world. These include Jochen Arlt (who has also contributed to regional literature as the editor of several Eifel anthologies), Theo Breuer (writer), Theo Breuer, Ursula Krechel and Norbert Scheuer. Jochen Arlt's poem ''Einkaufn gehen in Münstereifel'' may be read in the most important German poetry collection, ''The Great Conrady. The book of German poems. From its Beginnings to the Present''. One great narrator and native of

, who chose the Eifel as the setting for her novels and stories, was Clara Viebig. The best-selling author of the subsequent Naturalism (literature), naturalism movement, wrote two great literary monuments about the Eifel with her novels, ''Kreuz im Venn'' and ''Weiberdorf''. The reception of Clara Viebig's work was interrupted during the Nazi era because of her marriage to a Jewish publisher. Since the end of the 1980s, the author's works have experience a deserved renaissance - even in the Eifel region. Perhaps the most important literary work about the Eifel region and its people is the novel ''Winterspelt'' by Alfred Andersch, which is set in the final phase of the Second World War and depicts the positional war during the Ardennes offensive and the tragic combination of people and their fates in epic breadth. The author, Heinz Küpper, who died in 2005 and whose novels included ''Wohin mit dem Kopf'' and ''Zweikampf mit Rotwild'', Norbert Scheuer from Kall, North Rhine-Westphalia, Kall and Ute Bales from Gerolstein are today the most important representatives of the Eifel in the field of contemporary, German-language prose. In their works, they present the Eifel, both physically and symbolically, as a rugged landscape, which becomes a reflection of spiritual landscapes. Particularly interesting here (in comparison to the perspective of the more down-to-earth narrator) is the Eifel's literary composition from the point of view of the outsider. This literature challenges us to confront the region and its people, especially where there is no attempt to romanticize the Eifel, but where hopelessness and despair in the face of poverty and misery, intellectual narrowness or rigid systems of values become apparent. Although Norbert Scheuer was born in the Eifel, the narrators of his novels and stories take the perspective of the distanced or the outsider. Norbert Scheuer has succeeded in presenting life in the Eifel in a multifaceted way and making it interesting for readers in the entire German-speaking area, especially in his latest book ''Kall, Eifel'' (2005). In Ute Bales' novels, landscape and people are inseparably connected. The characteristic of the Eifel landscape and its inhabitants is the starting point of a narrative style that shows people as ''"lonely, lost, in a misunderstood place"'' in and with their suffering, as in the novel ''Kamillenblumen'' (2010) about the peddler, Traud, from Kolverath.

Eifel crime novels

One literary genre that has been flourishing in many regions and cities in Germany over the last few decades is the crime novel with a local or regional setting. Jacques Berndorf has become the best-selling German crime novelist with detective novels such as ''Eifel-Blues'' (1989), ''Eifel-Sturm'' (1999) or ''Eifel-Träume'' (2004). In 1996, he was awarded the top prize at the Eifel Literature Festival. In addition, Ralf Kramp was awarded the sponsorship prize. Kramp was the first author to write Eifel crime stories for children with his series about the "black cloverleaf" (''schwarzes Kleeblatt''). Harald Schneider (born 1962) is the author of the children's detective series ''Die Meisterschnüffler'', an interactive read that leads readers from 8 years old to different locations in the Eifel. Carola Clasen, Carsten Sebastian Henn, Andreas Izquierdo, Rudolf Jagusch, Martina Kempff, Elke Pistor, Edgar Noske and Hans Jürgen Sittig are other authors who contribute to the genre of Eifel crime novels. Historical crime novels have been penned by Günter Krieger and Petra Schier. Josef Zierden has published an Eifel thriller travel guide that covers countless crime novel scenes in the Eifel. In the town of Hillesheim there is an Eifel crime novel hiking trail that links the scenes of novels by Jacques Berndorf and Ralf Kramp. The crime novel house in Hillesheim houses the largest collection of detective novels in the German-speaking world with a stock of 30,000 books, and there is also a "crime café" in the house.

Fine arts

The Eifel was a destination for German Impressionism, impressionists, among them Eugen Bracht, who painted there with colleagues, and August von Brandis, who often spent several days there with architecture students from Aachen in order to give them an understanding of landscape painting. Two of Bracht's paintings are preserved at the castles of Manderscheid.

Towns and cities

* Towns in the Eifel: Adenau, Bad Münstereifel, Bad Neuenahr-Ahrweiler, Bitburg, Daun, Eupen (Belgium), Gerolstein, Heimbach (Eifel), Heimbach, Hillesheim, Kaisersesch, Kyllburg, Malmedy (Belgium), Manderscheid, Bernkastel-Wittlich, Manderscheid, Mayen, Mechernich, Mendig, Monschau, Münstermaifeld, Neuerburg, Nideggen, Polch, Prüm, Schleiden, Sankt Vith, St. Vith (Belgium), Speicher (Eifel), Speicher, Stolberg (Rhineland), Stolberg, Ulmen (Eifel), Ulmen, Wittlich. * Towns and cities near the Eifel:

, Düsseldorf, Euskirchen,

, Cologne, Liège (Belgium), Luxembourg City, Luxembourg (Luxembourg), Maastricht (Netherlands),

Castles

Well preserved

* Eltz Castle * Lissingen Castle * Satzvey Castle * Dudeldorf Castle * Schloss Eicks

19th- and 20th-century rebuilds

* Bollendorf Castle * Genovevaburg * Vlatten Castle * Cochem Castle

Ruins

* Gerolstein Castle * Gödersheim Castle * Löwenburg and Philippsburg * Manderscheid, Bernkastel-Wittlich#Culture and sightseeing, Manderscheid castles * Monschau Castle * Nideggen Castle * Schönecken Castle * Ulmen castles * Nürburg Castle

Transport

Through the Eifel run the following transport routes: * the Ahr Valley Railway from Remagen to Ahrbrück * the Hürth-Kalscheuren–Ehrang railway, Eifel Line from Cologne via Euskirchen, Kall and Gerolstein to Trier and several branch lines. Most of the branch lines have however since been closed and some have been lifted. * the Erft Valley Railway from Euskirchen to Bad Münstereifel with its connexion to the Voreifel Railway from Euskirchen to Bonn * the Trans-Eifel Railway from Andernach via Mayen, Kaisersesch and Daun to Gerolstein. The section of line from Kaisersesch to Gerolstein is only operated in spring and summer. The branching lines from Mayen via Polch to Koblenz, Polch to Münstermaifeld and Daun to Wittlich were closed and partly converted for tourist purposes (cycleways). * the Düren–Heimbach railway, Rur Valley Railway from Düren to Heimbach. It is additionally worked on summer weekends by the Euregio Railway on the section from Heerlen (Netherlands) via Aachen and Düren to Heimbach and is especially popular with day tourists, for whom the town of Heimbach and its associated villages are a charming destination. * the Brohl Valley Railway from Brohl to Engeln; privately operated narrow gauge railway. * the Bundesautobahn 1, A 1 (also Eifel Motorway), Bundesautobahn 48, A 48, Bundesautobahn 60, A 60, Bundesautobahn 61, A 61, Bundesautobahn 64, A 64, Bundesautobahn 565, A 565, Bundesautobahn 571, A 571 and Bundesautobahn 573, A 573 motorways. * numerous Bundesstraße, federal roads, e. g. the Bundesstraße 49, B 49, Bundesstraße 50, B 50, Bundesstraße 51, B 51, Bundesstraße 52, B 52, Bundesstraße 53, B 53, Bundesstraße 56, B 56, Bundesstraße 257, B 257, Bundesstraße 258, B 258, Bundesstraße 265, B 265, Bundesstraße 399, B 399, Bundesstraße 409, B 409, Bundesstraße 410, B 410, Bundesstraße 418, B 418, Bundesstraße 421, B 421 and Bundesstraße 477, B 477

Points of interest

* The Nürburgring, one of the world's most famous motor-racing courses. The northern loop (''Nordschleife'') of the course is known as the Green Hell (''Grüne Hölle''), because of its long, difficult and dangerous course through the local forest. The 2020 Formula One World Championship held a race at the Nürburgring under the title of Eifel Grand Prix. * The Eifel Aqueduct, an interesting archeological feature. One of the longest aqueduct (Roman), aqueducts of the Roman Empire, it provided water to the Roman settlement of Colonia Claudia Ara Agrippinensium (modern-day Cologne).

References

Otto Follmann (1915) ''Abriss der Geologie der Eifel''; Westermann. Stephan Marks, ''Schriftenschau, "Geologie der Eifel"'' i
Mitteilungen des Verbandes der deutschen Höhlen- und Karstforscher e. V. 2015/01
; page 24. Wilhelm Meyer (2013) ''Geologie der Eifel''; 4th fully revised edition; Schweizerbart, Stuttgart; . Johann Steiniger (1853) ''Geognostische Beschreibung der Eifel''; Lintz, Trier.

External links

*
Historical Background: The Eifel District

High Fens-Eifel Nature Park

Eifel National Park

Hans-Dieter Arntz: regional-historical home page – ''Geschichte des Judentums, Nationalsozialismus und 2. Weltkrieg sowie Geschichte der Eifel und Voreifel.''
{{Authority control Eifel, Rhenish Massif Rhineland Natural regions of Germany Landscapes of Rhineland-Palatinate Regions of North Rhine-Westphalia Regions of Rhineland-Palatinate Mountain ranges of North Rhine-Westphalia Mountain ranges of Rhineland-Palatinate Mountain ranges of Luxembourg Mountain ranges of Belgium Landforms of Wallonia Landforms of Liège Province Areas of Belgium Cultural landscapes of North Rhine-Westphalia Eifelian,