Zittau Hills
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The Zittau Mountains (, ; ), formerly also called the Lusatian Ridge (''Lausitzer Kamm''; ''Łužiski česak''), refer to the German part of the
Lusatian Mountains The Lusatian Mountains (; ; ) are a mountain range of the Western Sudetes on the southeastern border of Germany with the Czech Republic. They are a continuation of the Ore Mountains range west of the Elbe valley. The mountains of the northern, G ...
that straddle the
Saxon The Saxons, sometimes called the Old Saxons or Continental Saxons, were a Germanic people of early medieval "Old" Saxony () which became a Carolingian " stem duchy" in 804, in what is now northern Germany. Many of their neighbours were, like th ...
-
Bohemia Bohemia ( ; ; ) is the westernmost and largest historical region of the Czech Republic. In a narrow, geographic sense, it roughly encompasses the territories of present-day Czechia that fall within the Elbe River's drainage basin, but historic ...
n border in the extreme southeast of the German state of
Saxony Saxony, officially the Free State of Saxony, is a landlocked state of Germany, bordering the states of Brandenburg, Saxony-Anhalt, Thuringia, and Bavaria, as well as the countries of Poland and the Czech Republic. Its capital is Dresden, and ...
.


Geography


Location

The Zittau Mountains lie in the extreme south of the district of
Görlitz Görlitz (; ; ; ; ; Lusatian dialects, East Lusatian: , , ) is a town in the Germany, German state of Saxony. It is on the river Lusatian Neisse and is the largest town in Upper Lusatia, the second-largest town in the region of Lusatia after ...
in Saxony. A few kilometres north of the range lie a number of settlements; from west to east they are Großschönau,
Hainewalde Hainewalde () is a village in Germany on the river Mandau, in the '' Bundesland'' (federal state) of Saxony and the district Görlitz, historically belonging to Upper Lusatia. The village is part of the administrative partnership Großschönau-Wal ...
, Olbersdorf,
Bertsdorf-Hörnitz Bertsdorf-Hörnitz () is a municipality in the Görlitz district, Saxony, Germany. Althörnitz Castle was built between 1651 and 1654 for Christian von Hartig, mayor of Zittau Zittau (; ; ; ; ; Lusatian dialects, Upper Lusatian dialect: ''S ...
and
Zittau Zittau (; ; ; ; ; Lusatian dialects, Upper Lusatian dialect: ''Sitte''; ) is the southeasternmost city in the Germany, German state of Saxony, and belongs to the Görlitz (district), district of Görlitz, Germany's easternmost Districts of Germ ...
. In the mountains themselves are, again from west to east, the settlements of Waltersdorf,
Oybin Oybin (, ) is a municipality in the Görlitz district, in Saxony, in eastern Germany, located very close to the border of the Czech Republic. It is a "''Kurort''", a resort or spa certified by the state, where people go for rest and recuperation ...
,
Jonsdorf The community of Jonsdorf is located in the south of the Kreis Görlitz in the southeast of the German federal state of Saxony. It is embedded into a valley of the Zittau Mountains, part of the Lusatian Mountains. History In 1539 Jonsdorf was fir ...
and Lückendorf . The highlands are drained by streams that flow roughly north into the
Mandau The Mandau () is a river in Bohemia (Czech Republic) and Saxony (Germany). It is a left tributary of the Lusatian Neisse, which it joins near Zittau. It originates from multiple springs north of the 580.6m (1902 feet AMSL) Wolf Mountain (Czec ...
, a western tributary of the
Lusatian Neisse The Lusatian Neisse (; ; ; Upper Sorbian: ''Łužiska Nysa''; Lower Sorbian: ''Łužyska Nysa''), or Western Neisse, is a river in northern Central Europe.
.


Mountains

Among the highest mountains in the range are the following (in order of height in m above NN:Map services
of the
BfN The German Federal Agency for Nature Conservation (, ''BfN'') is the German government's scientific authority with responsibility for national and international nature conservation. BfN is one of the government's departmental research agencies an ...
*
Lausche Lausche () is the highest peak of the Lusatian Mountains and the highest mountain in the Germany, German part of the Upper Lusatia region at . The Conical hill, conical mountain is part of the Zittau Mountains range, situated on the border of th ...
(''Luž''; 792.6 m), German-Czech border mountain, south of Waltersdorf * Hochwald (''Hvozd''; 749.5 m), German-Czech border mountain, south-southwest of Oybin * Jonsberg (652.9 m), east-southeast of Jonsdorf * Buchberg (651.6 m), west of Jonsdorf * Scharfenstein (569.4 m), east of Oybin, north-northwest of Lückendorf *
Breiteberg The Breiteberg is a hill in the Lusatian Highlands in Free State of Saxony, Federal Republic of Germany, with an altitude of above mean sea level. It is the local mountain of Hainewalde, and about half-an-hour's drive from the village. Phonolit ...
(510.1 m), east of Großschönau, south of Hainewalde *
Oybin Oybin (, ) is a municipality in the Görlitz district, in Saxony, in eastern Germany, located very close to the border of the Czech Republic. It is a "''Kurort''", a resort or spa certified by the state, where people go for rest and recuperation ...
(514.5 m), north of Oybin *
Töpfer Töpfer, also spelled as Toepfer, is a German surname meaning potter. People * Alfred Toepfer (1894–1993), German entrepreneur, founder of Alfred Toepfer Stiftung F.V.S. * Antje Töpfer (born 1968), German politician * Ernst Toepfer (1877 ...
(582.0 m), northeast of Oybin, south of Olbersdorf


Places of interest

*
Oybin Oybin (, ) is a municipality in the Görlitz district, in Saxony, in eastern Germany, located very close to the border of the Czech Republic. It is a "''Kurort''", a resort or spa certified by the state, where people go for rest and recuperation ...
mountain with castle and monastery ruins * ''
Mühlsteinbrüche The Mühlsteinbrüche ("Millstone Quarries", ) south of Jonsdorf in the Zittau Mountains in Saxony are a region of bizarre rock formations, which have been formed by the quarrying of sandstone for millstones and also by weathering processes. They ...
'', rock formations in
Jonsdorf The community of Jonsdorf is located in the south of the Kreis Görlitz in the southeast of the German federal state of Saxony. It is embedded into a valley of the Zittau Mountains, part of the Lusatian Mountains. History In 1539 Jonsdorf was fir ...
* ''Große Felsengasse'' ("Great Rock Alley") *
Töpfer Töpfer, also spelled as Toepfer, is a German surname meaning potter. People * Alfred Toepfer (1894–1993), German entrepreneur, founder of Alfred Toepfer Stiftung F.V.S. * Antje Töpfer (born 1968), German politician * Ernst Toepfer (1877 ...
mountain *
Lausche Lausche () is the highest peak of the Lusatian Mountains and the highest mountain in the Germany, German part of the Upper Lusatia region at . The Conical hill, conical mountain is part of the Zittau Mountains range, situated on the border of th ...
(792.6m), the highest summit in the Zittau Mountains *
Breiteberg The Breiteberg is a hill in the Lusatian Highlands in Free State of Saxony, Federal Republic of Germany, with an altitude of above mean sea level. It is the local mountain of Hainewalde, and about half-an-hour's drive from the village. Phonolit ...
* Scharfenstein * ''Orgel'' (organ) - a rock formation in the Jonsdorfer Felsenstadt * '' Kelchstein'' ("Chalice Rock") a
mushroom rock A mushroom rock, also called rock pedestal, or a pedestal rock, is a naturally occurring rock whose shape, as its name implies, resembles a mushroom. The rocks are deformed in a number of different ways: by erosion and weathering, glacial action ...
formation * ''Nonnenfelsen'' ("Nun's Rock") near Jonsdorf * Zittau Narrow Gauge Railway * Lusatian timber-frame farmhouses (''Umgebindehäuser''), especially in Waltersdorf,
Jonsdorf The community of Jonsdorf is located in the south of the Kreis Görlitz in the southeast of the German federal state of Saxony. It is embedded into a valley of the Zittau Mountains, part of the Lusatian Mountains. History In 1539 Jonsdorf was fir ...
and Bertsdorf


See also

*
Zittau Mountains Nature Park The Zittau Mountains Nature Park (; ) is a nature park in Germany, created in 2008. The nature park comprise the German parts of the Lusatian Mountains at the borders with the Czech Republic and Poland and covers an area of of forests, lakes, m ...
*
List of regions of Saxony A classification of the various regions of Saxony cannot be achieved in any uniform or standard way, as the commonly used names usually represent a mixture of historical regions and geographical features. Many well-known names of regions, such as ...


References


General sources

*
BfN The German Federal Agency for Nature Conservation (, ''BfN'') is the German government's scientific authority with responsibility for national and international nature conservation. BfN is one of the government's departmental research agencies an ...
*
Map services
** Landscape fact fil


Literature

* Peter Rölke (ed.): ''Wander- & Naturführer Zittauer Gebirge'', Berg- & Naturverlag Rölke, Dresden 2006,


External links


Zittau MountainsMountain biking in the Zittau MountainsDigital climbing guide to the Zittau Mountains
{{Authority control Central Uplands Forests and woodlands of Saxony Görlitz (district) Zittau Natural regions of Saxony Mountain ranges of Saxony Lusatian Mountains Upper Lusatia