The Königstuhl (), is a high hill in the
Odenwald
The Odenwald () is a low mountain range in the Germany, German states of Hesse, Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg.
Location
The Odenwald is located between the Upper Rhine Plain with the Bergstraße Route, Bergstraße and the ''Hessisches Ried' ...
Mountains and in the city of
Heidelberg
Heidelberg (; ; ) is the List of cities in Baden-Württemberg by population, fifth-largest city in the States of Germany, German state of Baden-Württemberg, and with a population of about 163,000, of which roughly a quarter consists of studen ...
, in the
German state of
Baden-Württemberg
Baden-Württemberg ( ; ), commonly shortened to BW or BaWü, is a states of Germany, German state () in Southwest Germany, east of the Rhine, which forms the southern part of Germany's western border with France. With more than 11.07 million i ...
. The Königstuhl summit allows visitors views of the city of Heidelberg and the
Neckar
The Neckar () is a river in Germany, mainly flowing through the southwestern States of Germany, state of Baden-Württemberg, with a short section through Hesse. The Neckar is a major right tributary of the Rhine. Rising in the Schwarzwald-Baar ...
river. On days with good conditions the view extends to the
Pfaelzerwald (Palatinate Forest), which is roughly 40–50 km away.
The hill is linked to
Altstadt
''Altstadt'' () is the German language word for "old town", and generally refers to the historical town or city centre within the old town or city wall, in contrast to younger suburbs outside. '' Neustadt'' (new town), the logical opposite of ...
, by the
Heidelberger Bergbahn, a two section historic
funicular
A funicular ( ) is a type of cable railway system that connects points along a railway track laid on a steep grade (slope), slope. The system is characterized by two counterbalanced carriages (also called cars or trains) permanently attached to ...
railway that stops at
Heidelberg Castle, located on the lower slopes of the Königstuhl, the Molkenkur restaurant/hotel, and the ultimate stop at the mountain top which host a restaurant, an entertainment park for kids and various walking paths.
The
Max Planck Institute for Astronomy
The Max-Planck-Institut für Astronomie (Max Planck Institute for Astronomy, MPIA) is a research institute of the Max Planck Society (MPG). It is located in Heidelberg, Baden-Württemberg, Germany near the top of the Königstuhl (Odenwald), Kön ...
is located near the summit of the Königstuhl, as is the historic
Landessternwarte Heidelberg-Königstuhl astronomical observatory
An observatory is a location used for observing terrestrial, marine, or celestial events. Astronomy, climatology/meteorology, geophysics, oceanography and volcanology are examples of disciplines for which observatories have been constructed.
Th ...
, established in 1898. Between 1912 and 1957,
Karl Wilhelm Reinmuth discovered almost 400
asteroid
An asteroid is a minor planet—an object larger than a meteoroid that is neither a planet nor an identified comet—that orbits within the Solar System#Inner Solar System, inner Solar System or is co-orbital with Jupiter (Trojan asteroids). As ...
s whilst working from this observatory.
Several telecommunications facilities are located on the Königstuhl, including the
Fernsehturm Heidelberg (Digital TV (DVB-T), Radio and Microwave), the
Telecom Telecommunication Tower Heidelberg (Microwave and FM) and the now inactive Telecommunication Tower of US-Forces Heidelberg (Microwave).
Climate
Königstuhl has a temperate
Oceanic climate
An oceanic climate, also known as a marine climate or maritime climate, is the temperate climate sub-type in Köppen climate classification, Köppen classification represented as ''Cfb'', typical of west coasts in higher middle latitudes of co ...
(Köppen: ''Cfb''), similar to the city of Heidelberg, but with colder temperatures and much higher precipitation throughout the year.
[
File:Königstuhl funicular station.jpg, Approaching the Königstuhl funicular station
File:Heidelberg from the Königstuhl.jpg, Heidelberg from the Königstuhl
]
References
Geography of Heidelberg
Mountains and hills of Baden-Württemberg
Tourist attractions in Heidelberg
{{Heidelberg-geo-stub