As of: March 5, 2024, 4:09 p.m
By: Felix Herz
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Here it is, the lowest mountain in Bavaria.
Barely visible?
No wonder.
It towers over the surrounding landscape by just 20 meters.
© Westend61 / IMAGO
Everyone knows the Zugspitze, the highest mountain in Bavaria and Germany.
But where is the lowest mountain in the Free State?
Kahl am Main – Always higher, further, faster: When chasing records, you are always looking for the highest possible values.
But how about taking a look at the little ones?
For example, on the lowest mountain in Bavaria: It is located in Lower Franconia and is certainly inspiring.
The Birkenkopf in Lower Franconia: The lowest mountain in Bavaria
The lowest mountain in Bavaria is located in the lake district near Kahl am Main and is called Birkenkopf - not to be confused with the slightly more mountainous mountain Birkenkopf near Stuttgart, which is almost 510 meters high.
The Birkenkopf in Bavaria, on the other hand, measures just 120 meters above sea level.
Even more impressive: According to the Bavarian Office for Digitalization, Broadband and Surveying (LDBV), it towers over the surrounding landscape by an impressive 20 meters.
You can't really see it on photos or Google Earth.
But it fulfills the characteristics of a mountain, writes the LDBV: “After careful research and consideration of when a mountain is actually a mountain, the cartography staff came to the conclusion that the lowest mountain in Bavaria is the Birkenkopf near Kahl am Main is".
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When is a mountain a mountain?
Why is the Birkenkopf near Kahl am Main a mountain?
Now many people are probably wondering what makes Birkenkopf a mountain.
Before you dispute the citizens of Kahl am Main's attraction - here is a first attempt at approach:
This is how the German Alpine Club (DAV) defines a mountain:
The DAV names three important factors that make up a mountain.
Dominance
: “Horizontal superiority over the rocky competitors - i.e. the statement about the radius in which a mountain is the highest.” Prominence
:
“Describes the number of meters in altitude that one would have to descend from a peak in order to go over a possible ridge to the next higher one To get to the mountain.”
Height above sea level
: “In Germany, the abbreviation NN stands for normal altitude zero.
The mean sea level serves as the reference point or zero level.”
In the case of the Birkenkopf, this means that it owes its mountain status in particular to its flat surrounding area.
It's convenient that Kahl am Main also has the lowest point in Bavaria - at 102 meters above sea level.
This is also what it says on the city’s website: “Kahl a.
Main is 102 meters above sea level and has the lowest point in Bavaria at the mouth of the Kahl.
Not a bad environment for a scenic elevation that wants to be a mountain.
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Kahl am Main also comes to the conclusion that the Birkenkopf has the smallest mountain in Bavaria:
Anyone who wants to hike or visit the Birkenkopf will actually have a very difficult time finding it at all.
Because the mountain is exactly 120 m above sea level in the middle of a private forest in Emmerichshofen.
If one assumes the average altitude of the municipality of Kahl is 110 m above sea level, the “ascent height” for the Birkenkopf is actually just 10 m.
City portal Kahl am Main
A summit cross was erected on the Birkenkopf in 2023 around the now retired mayor Jürgen Seitz.
This was preceded by a truly arduous climb - about ten meters in altitude.
© Kahl am Main
After all: in 2023 a summit cross was placed on the Birkenkopf.
And people in the Lower Franconian community are certainly proud of Bavaria's smallest mountain: "We consciously and happily included the mountain in the 'sights' category."
(fhz)
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