The Kahler Asten ( German pronunciation: [ˌkaːlɐ ˈʔastn̩] ) is an 841.9-metre-high mountain in the Rothaar range in the district of Hochsauerland , in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia . It is a popular destination, receiving more than 500,000 visitors annually.
45-567: The Kahler Asten is located in the northwestern part of the Rothaargebirge in the Hochsauerland region, a little southwest of Winterberg between the villages of Altastenberg , Neuastenberg and Lenneplätze . The climate of the Kahler Asten is characterized by high precipitation spread mostly evenly across the year, with a slight peak in winter, resulting in an often massive snowpack. In
90-407: A continuous downward trend in the population of Saxony-Anhalt. This is partly due to outward migration and partly because the death rate exceeds the birth rate. Although the birth rate has been steady since 1994, the net reproduction rate is only approximately 70%. However, the total fertility rate reached 1.50 in 2014, the highest value since 1990. The region has historically been associated with
135-632: A subsidiary of the Westphalia-Lippe Regional Council ( Landschaftsverband Westfalen-Lippe ). A thorough renovation and refurbishment was then carried out by December 2005. After its restoration the hotel-restaurant opened its doors again in December 2005 and the Astenturm itself was re-opened on 20 March 2006. It now has a self-service area, a restaurant area and 17 double rooms with 34 beds. Since October 2008 visitors can learn more about
180-455: Is a state of Germany , bordering the states of Brandenburg , Saxony , Thuringia and Lower Saxony . It covers an area of 20,451.7 square kilometres (7,896.4 sq mi) and has a population of 2.17 million inhabitants, making it the 8th-largest state in Germany by area and the 11th-largest by population . Its capital and most populous city is Magdeburg . The state of Saxony-Anhalt
225-421: Is a federal state with a relatively short history, compared to other German federal states. It was formed in 1945 out of former Prussian territories and mainly consists of three distinct historical regions: the area around Magdeburg , the formerly independent Anhalt and a southern part which once was part of Saxony but had been annexed by Prussia in the 19th century. This historical origin can still be seen in
270-672: Is even higher. The height of the Kahle Asten on the latest topographical maps is given as 841.9 m, but its height is also recorded on a marker stone at the spot as 842 m. The Kahle Asten is therefore only the third highest mountain in the region, but the most well known by far. Part of the Rhine-Weser watershed runs over the Kahler Asten , and the Lenne also has its source near the summit. The enclosed spring, which only wells up from time to time,
315-732: Is located at a height of 820 m and is thus the highest river source in northwest Germany. The Lenne flows west into the Ruhr and on into the Rhine . Another stream, the Odeborn , emerges on the southeast slope of the mountain, whilst the Sonneborn rises on the northeast side and flows southeast. These two streams reach the Weser via the Eder and Fulda rivers. There is a permanent German Weather Service weather station on
360-537: Is named “High Sauerland” because two of the highest mountains of the Sauerland mountainous landscape , Langenberg and Kahler Asten are in its territory. With 2,766 ft / 843 m (Langenberg) and 2,762 ft / 842 m (Kahler Asten) these are also the highest mountains of North Rhine-Westphalia . The district was established in 1975 in the reorganization of the districts in North Rhine-Westphalia by merging
405-724: Is one of the most well-known winter sport regions in the German Central Uplands due to its good snow conditions. The Kahler Asten itself is part of the ski lift complex known as the Skiliftkarussell Winterberg . Hochsauerland Hochsauerlandkreis (meaning “High Sauerland District” in German) is a Kreis (district) in the east of North Rhine-Westphalia , Germany . Neighboring districts are Soest , Paderborn , Höxter , Waldeck-Frankenberg , Siegen-Wittgenstein , Olpe , Märkischer Kreis . The district
450-750: Is the most irreligious state in Germany. Of the Saxon-Anhaltish, 15.2% adhered to the major denominations of Christianity (11.9% were members of the Protestant Church in Germany and 3.3% were Catholics ), 2% were members of other religions (mostly Islam, Judaism, the New Apostolic Church and Mandeism ). Of the citizens of Saxony-Anhalt, 82.8% were religiously unaffiliated. As of July 2019 there were 1,892 Jehovah's Witnesses (publishers) in Sachsen-Anhalt. Originally their branch office for Germany
495-646: The Börde derives its name. The Harz mountains are located in the south-west, comprising the Harz National Park , the Harz Foreland and Mansfeld Land . The highest mountain of the Harz (and of Northern Germany ) is Brocken , with an elevation of 1,141 meters (3,735 ft). In this area, one can find the towns of Halberstadt , Wernigerode , Thale , Eisleben and Quedlinburg . The wine-growing area Saale-Unstrut and
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#1732844035046540-727: The Kahle Asten is often said to be the highest mountain in North Rhine-Westphalia or even sometimes in the whole of northwest Germany, because it is shown on the WDR weather map. In fact the highest peak is the 843.1-metre-high Langenberg on the state border with Hesse ; and the nearby summit of the Hegekopf (842.9 m) in Hesse , where the Rothaar Mountains merge into the Upland near Willingen ,
585-421: The Kahler Asten which is part of the weather bureau at Essen. It has contributed significantly to the public's awareness of the mountain. The summit of the Kahler Asten is part of a mountain heath. Because many rare and threatened species live there, it has been placed under conservation protection as part of the Kahler Asten nature reserve and Special Area of Conservation (48.69 ha). Hardly any trees grow on
630-463: The Köppen-Geiger climate classification system it is classified as Cfb ( warm-summer oceanic ), but bordering Dfb ( warm-summer humid continental/hemiboreal ) and also Cfc ( subpolar oceanic ), as only four months have a mean temperature above 10°C; when using the 0°C rather than the -3°C threshold, it is even Dfb proper, like many locations in the higher reaches of Germany's uplands. Erroneously,
675-595: The Lutheran faith, but under Communist rule, church membership was strongly discouraged and much of the population disassociated itself from any religious body. Saxony-Anhalt contains many sites tied to Martin Luther's life, including Lutherstadt Eisleben and Lutherstadt Wittenberg . In 2018, the majority of citizens in Saxony-Anhalt were irreligious and more were leaving the churches than entering them – in fact, Saxony-Anhalt
720-500: The 8th largest state in Germany and by population, it is the 11th largest. It borders four other states: Brandenburg to the north-east, Saxony to the south-east, Thuringia to the south-west and Lower Saxony to the north-west. In the north, the Saxony-Anhalt landscape is dominated by the flat expanse of the North German Plain . The old Hanseatic towns Salzwedel , Gardelegen , Stendal and Tangermünde are located in
765-615: The German economy, Saxony-Anhalt not only followed the national trend, but clearly outperformed other German states. For example, it outperformed three German states in terms of unemployment (10.8%, as of September 2011): the German capital and city-state of Berlin (12.7%), the city-state Free Hanseatic City of Bremen (11.3%) and Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania (11%). The unemployment began to fall under 10% in 2016, and stood at 7.1% in October 2018. Saxony-Anhalt has seven World Heritage Sites ,
810-604: The Rothaargebirge and other parts of the Sauerland. In very clear weather, even the Brocken mountain in the Harz ( Saxony-Anhalt ), 163 km away, can be seen without the aid of binoculars. Plans for a monument on the Kahler Asten go back to the Vormärz period in the first half of the 19th century. As early as 1843 King Frederick William IV of Prussia visited the Kahler Asten. At the time it
855-500: The Soviet zone, allowing parties truly to compete for seats in provincial and state parliaments, on 20 October 1946, the Province of Saxony was renamed as the Province of Saxony-Anhalt ( German : Provinz Sachsen-Anhalt ), taking the prior merger into account. On 3 December 1946 the members of the new provincial parliament elected Hübener the first minister-president of Saxony-Anhalt, with
900-761: The US Army withdrew from the former Prussian Province of Saxony to make way for the Red Army to take it as part of the Soviet occupation zone , as agreed by the London Protocol in 1944. On 9 July the Soviet SVAG ordered the merger of the Free State of Anhalt , Halle-Merseburg , the governorate of Magdeburg (in its then borders), Allstedt (before Thuringia) and some Brunswickian eastern exclaves and salients ( Calvörde and
945-550: The coat of arms of the federal state. In April 1945 the US Army took control of most of the western and northern area of the future Saxony-Anhalt. The U.S. Group Control Council, Germany (a precursor of the OMGUS ) appointed the first non-Nazi officials in leading positions in the area. Erhard Hübener , put on leave by the Nazis, was reappointed Landeshauptmann (state governor) . By early July
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#1732844035046990-554: The districts were reintegrated as a state. The territory around Torgau did not return to the state and joined Saxony. Torgau is now the centre of the Nordsachsen district (since 2008). In 2015 the skeletal remains of an ancient inhabitant of Karsdorf dated from the Early Neolithic (7200 BP) were analysed; he turned out to belong to the paternal T1a-M70 lineage and maternal lineage H1. Since German reunification, there has been
1035-784: The east, Dessau-Roßlau and Wittenberg are situated on the Elbe (as is the capital Magdeburg) in the Anhalt-Wittenberg region. The capital and largest city of Saxony-Anhalt is Magdeburg . The second-largest city in the state is Halle (Saale) . From 1994 to 2003, the state was divided into three regions ( Regierungsbezirke ), Dessau , Halle and Magdeburg and, below the regional level, 21 districts ( Landkreise ). Since 2004, however, this system has been replaced by 11 rural districts and three urban districts. [REDACTED] The districts are: The independent cities are: The largest towns in Saxony-Anhalt as of 30 June 2022: Saxony-Anhalt
1080-401: The eastern part of the former Blankenburg district ) with the Province of Saxony. The previously Saxon Erfurt governorate had become a part of Thuringia . Anhalt takes its name from Anhalt Castle near Harzgerode ; the origin of the name of the castle remains unknown. Anhalt was once an independent German federal state dating back centuries. The SVAG appointed Hübener as president of
1125-464: The heath include the meadow pipit and tree pipit . The black grouse used to breed here, but the population died out decades ago. There is an observation tower on the summit of the Kahler Asten immediately next to the hotel - restaurant called the Astenturm (Asten tower). From the platform of the tower, which is 862 m above sea level (NN) , there is a superb all-round view over
1170-410: The heath, because the vegetation is kept short by sheep grazing. In places, however, natural reforestation has already taken a strong hold because the grazing is insufficient. Through manual intervention using chain saws and strimmers, attempts are being made to stop this reforestation. The vegetation consists mainly of common heather ( Calluna vulgaris ), mat-grass and subshrubs . Breeding birds on
1215-453: The mountain at its summit through an exhibition called the Kahler Asten - the roof of Westphalia . The central themes of the exhibition are the nature reserve with its mountain heath, the weather station and the history of the Asten tower. In addition clips of amateur film from past decades are shown. The Kahler Asten and the surrounding area, with its sister mountains, out to about 40 kilometres
1260-466: The previous districts Arnsberg, Brilon and Meschede. Geographically the district covers a big part of the Sauerland mountains, including the highest and third highest elevation – the Langenberg near Olsberg with 2,766 ft / 843 m, and the better known Kahler Asten with 2,762 ft / 842 m near Winterberg . These are also the two highest mountains of North Rhine-Westphalia . The coat of arms
1305-592: The province emerged into the State of Saxony-Anhalt on 6 October 1947. It became part of the German Democratic Republic ( East Germany ) in 1949. From 1952 on the East German states were dissolved, and Saxony-Anhalt's territory was divided into the East German districts of Halle and Magdeburg , except that the territory around Torgau was assigned to Leipzig . In 1990, in the course of German reunification ,
1350-466: The provincial Saxon administration, a newly created function. The administration was seated in Halle an der Saale, which became the capital, also of later Saxony-Anhalt until 1952. On 3 September 1945 the new administration enacted by Soviet-inspired ordinance the mass expropriations, mostly hitting holders of large real estates, often of noble descent. On the occasion of the first (and one and only) election in
1395-468: The remaining and newly created businesses are highly competitive. For example, the industry has doubled its share of international revenue from 13 percent in 1995 to 26 percent in 2008. Meanwhile, the unemployment rate has fallen considerably. By 2010 the GDP of Saxony-Anhalt was almost two and a half times higher than it was in 1991. Even though part of this recovery was brought on by the positive performance of
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1440-509: The same time, the restaurant was built. New modification plans were started in 1930 and implemented in 1937. During the Second World War the tower was almost completely destroyed by a direct hit from artillery. The repair of war damage was not completed until 1955. In 1967 the damaged slate sheathing had to be replaced by copper. In 1995 an exhibition room was added. In 2004 ownership of the tower passed to Westphalia-Lippe Property Management,
1485-616: The sparsely populated Altmark . The Colbitz-Letzlingen Heath and the Drömling near Wolfsburg mark the transition between the Altmark region and the Elbe-Börde-Heath region with its fertile, sparsely wooded Magdeburg Börde . Notable towns in the Magdeburg Börde are Haldensleben , Oschersleben (Bode) , Wanzleben , Schönebeck (Elbe) , Aschersleben and the capital Magdeburg , from which
1530-458: The state of Saxony-Anhalt was re-established in 1990 and became one of the new states of the Federal Republic of Germany. Saxony-Anhalt is renowned for its rich cultural heritage and possesses the highest concentration of UNESCO World Heritage sites in Germany . Saxony-Anhalt is one of 16 constituent states of Germany. It is located in the western part of eastern Germany. By size, it is
1575-545: The subsequent legal action. By 1889 the district administrator was able to persuade private donors and the Westphalian provincial association to provide the means to rebuild the tower. It was opened in 1895. Since 1900 the tower has been an official monument of the Province of Westphalia . Since 1918 the tower has also been a weather station. The first renovations were needed in 1923 as a result of weather-induced metal fatigue. At
1620-494: The third lowest among the 16 states of Germany (together with Saxony and Thuringia). The largest foreign resident groups by 31 December 2022 were: Minister-president Reiner Haseloff (CDU) retained his position in a coalition with former partner SPD and newly the FDP. Before the election the coalition had consisted of the CDU, SPD and Greens. The gross domestic product (GDP) of the state
1665-552: The towns of Zeitz , Naumburg (Saale) , Weißenfels and Freyburg (Unstrut) are located on the rivers Saale and Unstrut in the south of the state. The metropolitan area of Halle (Saale) forms an agglomeration with Leipzig in Saxony. This area is known for its highly developed chemical industry (the Chemiedreieck – chemical triangle), with major production plants at Leuna , Schkopau ( Buna-Werke ) and Bitterfeld . Finally, in
1710-575: The votes of the CDU and Liberal Democratic Party of Germany (LDPD) . Thus he became the only governor in the Soviet zone who was not a member of the communist Socialist Unity Party of Germany (SED) , making him an inconvenience for the Soviet forces. After the official Allied decision to dissolve the Free State of Prussia , which had remained in limbo since the Prussian coup of 1932 , its former provinces , in as far as they still existed, achieved statehood; thus
1755-602: Was 62.7 billion euros in 2018, which accounts for 1.9% of Germany's total economic output and ranks 13th among the 16 German states. GDP per capita adjusted for purchasing power was 26,000 euros or 86% of the EU27 average in the same year. The GDP per employee was 88% of the EU average. The GDP per capita was the second lowest of all German states. By 2020, the GDP of the state dropped to 62.654 billion euros, shortly after reaching an all-time high of 64.115 billion euros in 2019. Saxony-Anhalt
1800-554: Was formed in July 1945 after World War II , when the Soviet army administration in Allied-occupied Germany formed it from the former Prussian Province of Saxony and the Free State of Anhalt . Saxony-Anhalt became part of the German Democratic Republic in 1949, but was dissolved in 1952 during administrative reforms and its territory was divided into the districts of Halle and Magdeburg . Following German reunification ,
1845-576: Was in Magdeburg. When World War II ended in 1945, the property in Magdeburg, then part of East Germany, was returned and the branch was reestablished. But on 30 August 1950 Communist police stormed the facilities and arrested the workers, and the Jehovah's Witnesses in the German Democratic Republic (DDR) were banned. The percentage of foreigners in Saxony-Anhalt was 4.9 percent by 31 December 2018,
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1890-727: Was inherited from the former district Arnsberg . It shows the eagle as the symbol of the Earls of Arnsberg. When their county lost independence in 1368 it fell to the bishops of Cologne , thus the sign on the breast of the eagle shows the Cologne cross. Hochsauerland is twinned with the following areas: [REDACTED] Media related to Hochsauerlandkreis at Wikimedia Commons 51°15′N 8°20′E / 51.25°N 8.33°E / 51.25; 8.33 Saxony-Anhalt Saxony-Anhalt ( German : Sachsen-Anhalt [ˌzaksn̩ ˈʔanhalt] ; Low German : Sassen-Anholt )
1935-498: Was part of the communist German Democratic Republic. After the breakdown of communism and the German reunification in 1990, the collapse of non-competitive former GDR industries temporarily caused severe economic problems. In 2000, Saxony-Anhalt had the highest unemployment rate of all German states, at 20.2%. However, the process of economic transformation towards a modern market economy seems to be completed. Massive investments in modern infrastructure have taken place since 1990, and
1980-556: Was planned to commemorate the 1000th anniversary of the Treaty of Verdun by building an observation tower as a monument. This treaty sealed the division of the Carolingian Empire into three kingdoms: West Francia , East Francia and Lotharingia and was seen as the beginning of the separate development of the French and German nations. During the 1848 year of revolutions the Asten tower
2025-517: Was the target of a demonstration for the aims of the March revolution and of German unity. Plans for a monument were not taken any further, however, until 1881. The foundation stone was laid on 22 June 1884 by the district administrator, Federath, in the presence of numerous honoured guests. In the same year the construction of a tower began. The 25-meter-high skeleton fell victim to an autumn storm, however. Rumours of faulty construction could not be proven in
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