Structure of the Palatinate Forest

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Palatinate Forest
surface 1 589.4  km² (only D)
Systematics according to Handbook of the natural spatial structure of Germany
Greater region 1st order 07–23 → Layer level land on both
sides of the Upper Rhine Rift
Greater region 2nd order 17–19, 26 →
Palatinate-Saarland layer level country
Greater region 3rd order 17 →
Palatinate Forest
Natural area characteristics
Landscape type Low mountain range ( red sandstone ) of a layered landscape
Highest peak Kalmit ( 672.6  m )
Geographical location
Coordinates 49 ° 19 '8 "  N , 8 ° 4' 58"  E Coordinates: 49 ° 19 '8 "  N , 8 ° 4' 58"  E
Palatinate Forest (western layer level land)
Palatinate Forest
Location of the Kalmit as (relatively marginal) highest elevation in the Palatinate Forest (17)
state Rhineland-Palatinate
Country Germany , France

The Palatinate Forest is within the Palatinate-Saarland layer level country ( Greater Region 2nd order) a large natural spatial region of 3rd order, which extends south to the Zaberner Steige , i.e. far into French territory, where the mountain range continues through the Vosges . Regardless of this, because of the national border, the French southern part of the natural area is often included in the northern Vosges.

The main divisions of the Red Sandstone Mountains were made in the 1950s and 1960s by the Federal Institute for Regional Studies. However, there are also other classification approaches. In particular, z. T. other naming enforced.

Natural spatial structure according to Uhlig, Pemöller and Fischer

According to the handbook of the natural spatial structure of Germany and the subsequent publications Sheet 150 Mainz, Sheet 160 Landau and Sheet 169 Rastatt (Harald Uhlig, Adalbert Pemöller, Heinz Fischer), the main natural unit group (two-digit number) is divided into main units as follows ( three digits) and sub-units (decimal places)
(area data only refer to the parts located in Germany)

Classification of natural areas according to Pemöller et al. (Palatinate Forest red), alternative structure according to Geiger (pink)

Pemöller assigns some wooded and montane parts of the Palatinate Forest Nature Park to neighboring units:

Conversely, the Otterberg Forest is outside the nature park - its forest is separated from the core forest by the Sembach slabs (also located outside).

Classification according to Beeger, Geiger and Reh

In the center of the Palatinate Forest: View from the Luitpold Tower on the Weißenberg to the east

The structure according to Michael Geiger (1987, 1989), compared to Pemöller, is less based on the catchment areas of the rivers (see above e.g. 170.2, 170.4. 170.6) and geology than on orographic dividing lines running from west to east .

Geiger names the following three main parts of the landscape (the dividing lines indented in between):

Geiger, like Pemöller, also counts the Otterberg Forest in the Palatinate Forest, and even the entire core city area of ​​Kaiserslautern. In particular, he justifies the separation of the Wasgau through the geomorphological change of the elevations from the ridges of the Middle Palatinate Forest to hilly individual mountains.

Integrating structure

Uhlig / Pemöller and Beeger / Geiger agree on the separation of a more flat, undulating northern part. Meanwhile, in the Lower Palatinate Forest after Pemöller, the Leininger Sporn, up to 516 m high, is a bit out of line, in the Northern Palatinate Forest Geiger also the up to 450 m high, practically completely draining south to the Hochspeyerbach, and the extreme north of the Haardt. The latter only reaches heights of 320 m, but the Lambrecht Fault , which limits the Haardt to the west, represents a very significant geological dividing line that can even be seen well on satellite images. The route of the A 6 , which flanks both spurs , is also an indication of the significant elevation that the northwest section experiences at the transition to Diemersteiner Wald and Leiniger Sporn .

The name Haardtgebirge for the Palatinate Forest has not been established, and some of Pemöller's sub-natural areas are still unknown by name. Ultimately, the transitions from the deeply divided east of the central part, which drains to the Speyerbach, to the more plateau-like woodland are quite fluid, so that a delimitation is always only possible here.

In order not to confuse the reader with terms used in parallel and contradicting one another, the representations in the articles on the Palatinate Forest, especially those in maps, refer to the following subdivision (see map on the right):

Integrating structure of the Palatinate Forest;
Physical-natural landscape names and boundaries in red, main landscapes in pink

Individual evidence

  1. ^ A b Emil Meynen , Josef Schmithüsen : Handbook of the natural spatial structure of Germany . Federal Institute for Regional Studies, Remagen / Bad Godesberg 1953–1962 (9 deliveries in 8 books, updated map 1: 1,000,000 with main units 1960).
  2. ↑ Helmut Beeger et al.: The landscapes of Rheinhessen-Pfalz - naming and spatial delimitation. In: Reports on German regional studies , Volume 63, Issue 2, Trier 1989, pp. 327–359
  3. ↑ Various authors: Geographische Landesaufnahme: The natural spatial units in single sheets 1: 200,000 . Federal Institute for Regional Studies, Bad Godesberg 1952–1994. → online maps ;
    Pages marked with an asterisk (*) have not yet been included in the list.
    • Sheet 150: Mainz (Harald Uhlig 1964; 39 pages)
    • Sheet 160: Landau id Pfalz (Adalbert Pemöller 1969; 47 pages)
    • Sheet 169 *: Rastatt (Heinz Fischer 1967; 31 pages)
  4. ↑ Map service of the landscape information system of the Rhineland-Palatinate nature conservation administration (LANIS map) ( notes )
  5. ↑ Natural area table with area information from the State Office for the Environment, Water Management and Trade Inspectorate Rhineland-Palatinate (PDF; 250 kB)
  6. ↑ Landscape profile of the large landscape 17 of the landscape information system of the nature conservation administration Rhineland-Palatinate ( notes )
  7. ↑ Michael Geiger: The Palatinate Forest in a geographical overview. In: Michael Geiger / Günter Preuß / Karl-Heinz Rothenberger (ed.): The Palatinate Forest, portrait of a landscape . Publishing house Palatinate cultural studies, Landau / Pf. 1987, p. 16
  8. ↑ Michael Geiger / Günter Preuß / Karl-Heinz Rothenberger (eds.): The Palatinate Forest, portrait of a landscape . Publishing house Palatinate cultural studies, Landau / Pf. 1987, pp. 10-17
  9. ↑ Following a suggestion by Beeger and Geiger, the Annweiler Felsenland is separated from the Dahner Felsenland along the southern continuation of the Elmsteiner Fault
  10. ↑ Queich - and Eisbach -Talungen, trifels castle
  11. ↑ together with the north-eastern spur to the maggot castle