The Hochstein (also called the Kalberg or ''Kahler Berg'' and, formerly, the ''Forstberg'') is a

volcanic A volcano is commonly defined as a vent or fissure in the crust of a planetary-mass object, such as Earth, that allows hot lava, volcanic ash, and gases to escape from a magma chamber below the surface. On Earth, volcanoes are most often fo ...

cone, , in the

Eifel The Eifel (; , ) is a low mountain range in western Germany, eastern Belgium and northern Luxembourg. It occupies parts of southwestern North Rhine-Westphalia, northwestern Rhineland-Palatinate and the southern area of the German-speaking Com ...

near Ober mendig in the German state of

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 county of

Mayen-Koblenz Mayen-Koblenz is a district (''Kreis'') in the north of Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. Neighboring districts are (from north clockwise) Ahrweiler (district), Ahrweiler, Neuwied (district), Neuwied, Westerwaldkreis, district-free Koblenz, Rhein-Lahn ...

Geography

Location

The Hochstein rises in the High Eifel between the villages of

Bell A bell /ˈbɛl/ () is a directly struck idiophone percussion instrument. Most bells have the shape of a hollow cup that when struck vibrates in a single strong strike tone, with its sides forming an efficient resonator. The strike may be m ...

to the north-northeast and Ettringen to the south. Its summit and most of the hill lie in the western part of the borough of Mendig, the village of Obermendig extending as far as the eastern foot of the hill. The west and south flanks are located in the municipality of Ettringen. Northwest of the hill, along its municipal boundary with Ettringen, are the ''Roderhöfe'' which belong to Mendig. Somewhat to the north of the hill rises the ''Kellbach'' stream and, to the south, the ''Segbach'', which both feed the Nette tributary of the Krufter Bach.

Natural regions

The Hochstein is part of the

natural region A natural region (landscape unit) is a basic geographic unit. Usually, it is a region which is distinguished by its common natural features of geography, geology, and climate. From the ecological point of view, the naturally occurring flora and ...

major unit group, the Middle Rhine Region (No. 29), the major unit of Lower Middle Rhine Region (292), the minor unit of Laach Volcanoes (292.0) and the natural region of ''Ettringen Volcano Kuppen'' (292.01). To the west the terrain descends to the natural region of ''Nitz-Nette Forest'' (271.21), which is part of the major unit group, East Eifel (27), the major unit,

Eastern High Eifel The High Eifel ( or ''Hohe Eifel'') forms part of the Eifel Mountains in the German state of Rhineland-Palatinate. The landscape here between Adenau, Mendig and Daun rises to a height of 747 m. The region is not to be confused with the wes ...

(271), and minor unit, Hohe Acht/Nitz-Nette Upland (271.2).

Reserves

The majority of the Hochstein ''Hochstein'' Nature Reserve ( CDDA-No. 163713; established 1983; 3,5113 km²), lie on the hill, small elements of the

protected area Protected areas or conservation areas are locations which receive protection because of their recognized natural or cultural values. Protected areas are those areas in which human presence or the exploitation of natural resources (e.g. firewood ...

of ''Rhine-Ahr-Eifel'' (CDDA-No. 323834; 1980; 925,8651 km²) and parts of a bird reserve, the ''Lower Middle Rhine Region'' (VSG No. 5609-401; 20.66 km²).

Hill name and Genoveva Cava

In Ettringen itself the name of the extinct volcano is the ''Kalberg'', as depicted in a map dating to about 1809.Articl
''Hochstein und Genovevahöhle bei Mendig''
{{Webarchive, url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160305100946/http://www.lvermgeo.rlp.de/index.php?id=5971 , date=2016-03-05 by the Rhineland-Palatinate State Office of Survey and Geobasisinformation According to a legend, Countess Palatine Genoveva of Brabant found refuge in the cave northwest of the summit during the

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire and ...

, hence the name ''Genoveva Cave'' (also called the ''Hochstein Cave'').

Transport and leisure

The ''

Landesstraße ''Landesstraßen'' (singular: ''Landesstraße'' ) are roads in Germany and Austria that are, as a rule, the responsibility of the respective German or Austrian federal state. The term may therefore be translated as "state road". They are road ...

'' 82 from Bell to Ettringen via the ''Roderhöfen'' runs past the Hochstein to the west. On its southwest fland on this road is the

motocross Motocross is a form of off-road motorcycle racing held on enclosed off-road circuits. The sport evolved from motorcycle trials competitions held in the United Kingdom. History Motocross first evolved in Britain from motorcycle trials competi ...

racetrack of ''Mcc Ettringen''.

References

Literature

W. Bömerich und F. Mangartz (Hrsg.): Der Hochstein – Führer zu einem Vulkan der Osteifel (Mendig, 1993) Nature reserves in Rhineland-Palatinate Mountains and hills of the Eifel Mayen-Koblenz