The Rauher Kulm is a small basalt mountain located in the

Upper Palatinate The Upper Palatinate (; , , ) is an administrative district in the east of Bavaria, Germany. It consists of seven districts and 226 municipalities, including three cities. Geography The Upper Palatinate is a landscape with low mountains and nume ...

(Oberpfalz) region of the state of

Bavaria Bavaria, officially the Free State of Bavaria, is a States of Germany, state in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the list of German states by area, largest German state by land area, comprising approximately 1/5 of the total l ...

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 ...

. It is located 23 kilometers southeast of

Bayreuth Bayreuth ( or ; High Franconian German, Upper Franconian: Bareid, ) is a Town#Germany, town in northern Bavaria, Germany, on the Red Main river in a valley between the Franconian Jura and the Fichtel Mountains. The town's roots date back to 11 ...

and 5 kilometers south of

Kemnath Kemnath () is a small town in the district of Tirschenreuth, in Bavaria, Germany. It is situated near the Fichtel Mountains, 24 km southeast of Bayreuth. History Kemnath was first referenced in historical documents on 6 July 1008 by the Hol ...

. The town of Neustadt am Kulm is situated at the base of the western side of the mountain. The mountain is 682 meters (2,238 ft) tall and has a 25-meter (82 ft) tall observation tower at its peak. The observation tower offers views of the northern

Franconian Switzerland Franconian Switzerland (, ) is an upland in Upper Franconia, Bavaria, Germany and a popular tourist retreat. Located between the River Pegnitz in the east and the south, the River Regnitz in the west and the River Main in the north, its relief ...

, the southern wall of the

Fichtel Mountains The Fichtel Mountains (, ; ) is a mountain range in Germany and the Czech Republic. They extend from the valley of the Red Main River in northeastern Bavaria to the Karlovy Vary Region in western Czech Republic. The Fichtel Mountains contain an ...

, and the

Upper Palatinate Forest The Upper Palatine Forest ( or ''Böhmischer Wald''; , ) is a mountain range in Central Europe that is divided between the Czech Republic and Germany. It is a part of the larger Bohemian Massif and the German Central Uplands. Geography Th ...

. Since 1949, the mountain has been protected as a federal monument in the Northern Upper Palatinate Forest Nature Park. There are several well marked hiking paths up the mountain and around the surrounding forests. The mountain is one of the most imposing basalt mountains of Bavaria. According to the Bavarian State Geology Office, during the

Tertiary Tertiary (from Latin, meaning 'third' or 'of the third degree/order..') may refer to: * Tertiary period, an obsolete geologic period spanning from 66 to 2.6 million years ago * Tertiary (chemistry), a term describing bonding patterns in organic ch ...

, now also called Paleocene-Pliocene period, a number of active volcanoes produced liquid magma in Northern Bavaria, mostly due to the continental collision of Europe and Africa. As a result, not only the

Alps The Alps () are some of the highest and most extensive mountain ranges in Europe, stretching approximately across eight Alpine countries (from west to east): Monaco, France, Switzerland, Italy, Liechtenstein, Germany, Austria and Slovenia. ...

but a number of

fissure vent A fissure vent, also known as a volcanic fissure, eruption fissure or simply a fissure, is a linear volcanic vent through which lava erupts, usually without any explosive activity. The vent is often a few metres wide and may be many kilo ...

s and cracks began to form throughout central Europe where

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 ...

could rise. Most of the Rauher Kulm's magma cooled below the surface. 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 ...

a castle was built on top of the Rauher Kulm. During the

Second Margrave War The Second Margrave War () was a conflict in the Holy Roman Empire between 1552 and 1555. Instigated by Albert Alcibiades, Margrave of Brandenburg-Kulmbach and Brandenburg-Bayreuth, who was attempting to form a Duchy of Franconia under his ru ...

the castle was destroyed after a prolonged siege.2004 Archaeology Findings

References

External links

(German)
''Vulkanlandschaft Rauher Kulm'' auf Naturpark nördlicher Oberpfälzer Wald
(German)

(Landschaftsmuseum Obermain)(German)

(German) {{Authority control Upper Palatinate Mountains of Bavaria