Feldberg (Black Forest)
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| Feldberg | |
|---|---|
 The Feldberg (summit at rear of treeless area, with towers) and the Seebuck (front, with tower and ski lifts) |
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| Elevation | 1,493 metres (4,898 ft) |
| Location | Germany |
| Range | Black Forest |
| Coordinates | Coordinates: |
| Pronunciation | [ˈfɛltbɛɐ̯k] |
The Feldberg is the highest mountain in the Black Forest and also of Germany outside the Alps; with an elevation of 1,493 metres. Freiburg im Breisgau is the closest city.
It is not to be confused with the two smaller hills in Hochtaunuskreis district some 300 km to the North, Kleiner Feldberg (826 m) and Großer Feldberg (878 m).
Feldberg is also the name of the local community, comprising the villages of Bärental, Feldberg, Falkau, Altglashütten and Neuglashütten.
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[edit] Geography
The Feldberg is situated south-east of Freiburg im Breisgau, surrounded by the communities of Hinterzarten, Titisee, Menzenschwand, Bernau and Todtnau. From the main peak 1,493 m there is a plateau leading 2 km in a south-east direction to the Seebuck peak (1,448 m). From this point, there is a deep valley in north-eastern direction which contains the Feldsee, a lake of glacial origin at about 1,000 m altitude. There are additional deep valleys around the Feldberg, such as the north-western Zastlertal and the south-western Wiesental.
[edit] Traffic
The mountain is easy to reach by car via the B 317, and by train via Feldberg-Bärental station, which is also the highest train station (at 967 m) in all Germany. From the station there is a public bus service to the ski lifts at Seebuck.
[edit] Sport & facilities
Feldberg is the biggest winter skiing resort in Germany outside of the Alps. The first ski lift ever was originally built in 1907 in the Feldberg area. Today, there are approximately 28 ski lifts and over 50 km of alpine pistes with up to a black level of difficulty. Consequently, tourism is the main business of inhabitants from the surrounding communities.
[edit] History
During the Cold War there were many antennas on a military tower at the peak, but these were removed some years ago. Today there is a big TV- and radio antenna, used by the local public station of SWR (Southwest Broadcasting). As well, one can recognize the mountain by the Bismarck-Denkmal, an old monument in honour of the famous 19th century chancellor of the German Empire.
[edit] Climate
Because of its unique nature with a subalpine vegetation the region is also a natural resort. From the top of the Feldberg one has a great view, especially in the winter time, when the air is clear and the valleys suffer from fog because of inversion weather. The view reaches up to about 200 km in all directions, so one can see the French Vosges as well the northern black forest with Hornisgrinde, the Swabian Alb, Bavarian Alps with the Zugspitze, Austrian Alps, Swiss Alps (Säntis) and also French Alps with Mont Blanc. This means that with luck you can see France, Germany, Switzerland and Austria from its top. The annual mean temperature is around 3°C. The mean annual rainfall is 2,114 mm, but most of it falls as snow. The only month to never have had snow recorded on the summit is August. The German meteorological service has had a weather station for many years on the top of the mountain. Because of the exposed situation, there are wind speeds up to 130 km/h possible throughout the year.
