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53-526: Wyhl , officially Wyhl am Kaiserstuhl ( German pronunciation: [ˈviːl ʔam ˈkaɪzɐʃtuːl] ; lit.   ' Wyhl on the Kaiserstuhl ' ), is a municipality in the district of Emmendingen in Baden-Württemberg in southwestern Germany . It is known in the 1970s for its role in the anti-nuclear movement . Wyhl was first mentioned in 1971 as a possible site for a nuclear power station. In

106-615: A downfaulted trough through which the river Rhine flows. The Upper Rhine Plain was formed during the Early Cenozoic era, during the Late Eocene epoch. At this time, the Alpine Orogeny , the major mountain building event that was to produce the Alps , was in its early stages. The Alps were formed because the continents of Europe and Africa collided. It is thought that because the collision

159-530: A long time the Kaiserstuhl has been known for rare minerals . Examples include the quarries at the Limberg ( zeolites ), Badberg ( carbonatites ), Orberg and Fohberg. Well-crystallized minerals can be found predominantly in clefts or cavities in the volcanic rock. The Kaiserstuhl is today largely covered by a Quaternary loess layer, a loosely cemented sediment. It is derived from other rocks through erosion and

212-564: A major national issue. The rough treatment was widely condemned and made the wine-growers, clergy, and others all the more determined. Some local police refused to take part in the action. Subsequent support came from the nearby university town of Freiburg. On 23 February about 30,000 people re-occupied the Wyhl site and plans to remove them were abandoned by the state government in view of the large number involved and potential for more adverse publicity. On 21 March 1975, an administrative court withdrew

265-470: A particular type of soil horizon, which contains concretions of calcium carbonate. The Kaiserstuhl loess soils are used for intensive farming , as they offer good aeration, high water storage capacities and good mechanical qualities. Besides, as a result of farming deep narrow ravine-like paths developed. As the loess developed over time it is, furthermore, significant for flood control. Sponge-like, it absorbs and then gently releases rainfall. This quality

318-506: Is 71.3 hectares in size. Furthermore, in Kaiserstuhl there is a large number of small Designated Conservation Areas. The bigger part, in particular in its centre belongs to the Fauna Flora Habitat area of the Kaiserstuhl (FFH no. 7911–341). The Kaiserstuhl and its surrounding area is a region of intense wine growing. Wines from the Kaiserstuhl have achieved an excellent reputation which has by now become international. The bigger part of

371-713: Is a cluster of volcanic hills to the northwest of Freiburg, within the Rhine Graben. The highest point of this small, isolated volcanic centre is the Totenkopf (557 metres). Volcanic activity was most prevalent in the Miocene epoch, some 15 million years ago. Today, the Kaiserstuhl volcano is extinct. In 1356, the Basel earthquake occurred in the Rhine Plain. It was perhaps the most destructive earthquake ever in northwest Europe , destroying

424-404: Is a quite rare volcanic rock, which crystallized from a carbonate magmatic melt rather than a silicate one. Given its unusual composition for an igneous rock, the magmatic nature of the carbonatite was not proposed for a long time and remained doubtful subsequently. An alternative interpretation was that it was a metamorphically altered sedimentary rock, examples of which can be found nearby. Only in

477-516: Is a relict of a postglacial warm period where there had been a much warmer climate around the Kaiserstuhl. After the end of the warm period only the named species were able to survive. Besides there is a larger population of the May beetle ( Melolontha melolontha ). In spite of protests from conservationists the May Beetle is controlled by the use of insecticides . In the centre of the Kaiserstuhl between

530-609: Is also known for its wild growing cactus on old lava stones in the slopes of the Kaiserstuhl. The climate of the Kaiserstuhl also explains the vast richness of thermophile flora and fauna . The Kaiserstuhl is for example one of the places with the largest variety of orchids in Europe – more than 30 species have been recorded. Among the vines wild grape hyacinths sprawl and along acclivities iris plants blossom. Furthermore, sand lizards (lacerta bilineata) and praying mantis ( Mantis religiosa ) live here – species which mainly occur in

583-563: Is believed to refer to King Otto III , who held court near Sasbach on 22 December 994. From then on, the whole hill range was called the Königsstuhl – the King's Chair. In May 996, Otto III was crowned Emperor and the King's Chair eventually became the Emperor's Chair – "Kaiserstuhl". Reliable sources mention the name Kaiserstuhl only as early as 1304 and historians thus suppose that the term Kaiserstuhl

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636-458: Is comparable to the nearby Tuniberg, Nimberg and also to the Schönberg, which is situated south of the city of Freiburg. Petrologically the volcanic Kaiserstuhl is an alkali-carbonate rock formation. The volcanic rocks making up a large part of the central and western Kaiserstuhl were the result of numerous volcanic eruptions during the Miocene , about 19 to 16 million years ago. They cover parts of

689-593: Is found mainly near the village of Riegel and the Pechelbronner Schichten (local Tertiary layers in the South German Scarplands ) near Bötzingen. During the formation of the Upper Rhine Plain this part of the Kaiserstuhl sloped less in respect to its surrounding area – and thus appears as a so-called horst . In terms of its geological structure and the sequence of its escarpments, the Kaiserstuhl

742-531: Is however lost when bulldozers, employed to construct large terraces for viticulture , compress the loess. The Kaiserstuhl is one of the warmest regions in Germany. Its location in the southwestern corner of Germany and the protection of the mountains give it a warm microclimate, which is influenced mostly by air from the western Mediterranean Sea blowing through the Burgundian Gate . Atlantic air masses can raise

795-585: Is then transported by the wind. The loess at the Kaiserstuhl – as in all the peripheral areas of the Upper Rhine Valley – was formed during the last Ice Age . Large parts were bare of vegetation and so loess was winnowed out from the Rhine sediments. It was then deposited in the periglacial area (i.e. ice-free, but surrounded by glaciers) at the Kaiserstuhl. The major process active here was frost weathering resulting in crushed rocks. The wind blew strongly, as there

848-715: The Black Forest , the Upper Rhine Valley and the Vosges . In 2007, eight trails were opened, each with a special theme. They have a total length of 140 km and were integrated into the existing trail network (check mark: yellow rhomb on white background) of the Black Forest Club. In doing so, the network was provided with 430 new signposts. Large information boards with an overview map and site information are placed at central points, for example in railway stations , which

901-545: The Odenwald on the eastern side. The extension induced by the formation of the Alps was sufficient to thin the crust and provide suitable dilational conduits for magmatic and volcanic activity to occur. This resulted in the emplacement of mafic dykes , which follow the general structural trend of the extensional faults. In addition, isolated volcanoes such as the Kaiserstuhl were formed. The Kaiserstuhl (literally "Emperor's Chair")

954-402: The 1950s and 1960s did research prove that it was a carbonatite; one of the clues was identification of the eruptive carbonatites found in the western part of the Kaiserstuhl. The carbonatite contains the niobium rich pyrochlore ; attempts to mine the carbonatite rock for niobium were carried out in the middle of the 20th century, but the amount turned out to be too small to be economical. For

1007-590: The Kaiserstuhl (in alphabetical order) are: The formation of the Kaiserstuhl volcano during the Tertiary was the climax and at the same time the end of volcanic activity in the Upper Rhine Valley Rift . Volcanism started as early as the Cretaceous Period . Volcanic landforms include heavily eroded volcanic vents . The Kaiserstuhl is the only larger volcano from this period in the rift valley. Geologically

1060-598: The Kaiserstuhl can be divided into two parts: the sedimentary and volcanic part. Due to these peculiarities the Kaiserstuhl has been labeled one of the most important national geotopes . The horizontal sedimentary layers forming the eastern third of the Kaiserstuhl date back to the Jurassic and the Tertiary long before the volcanic activity. Important stratigraphic outcrops include the Hauptrogenstein (local oolite ) which

1113-438: The Kaiserstuhl has been altered by the people living there since it was settled. The loam there is strongly susceptible to erosion as a result of soil cultivation, thus terraces had to be added, which were then mostly used as vineyards, as well as fruit growing or for other agricultural uses. As a result, the typical small "patio" hillsides and the streaked loess sunken roads typical of the region came into being. To start with, it

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1166-595: The Mediterranean area. (However, according to the latest research results the sand lizard presumably belongs to the allochthonous species of the European green lizard (Lacerta viridis)). The pubescent oak ( Quercus pubescens ) is a Xerophyte and normally only occurs in Southern Europe , but is also able to survive at the Kaiserstuhl. This species has a disjunct distribution , which means away from its normal habitat. It

1219-749: The Vogelsang Pass to the Neunlinden Tower, through the Eichgasse to Bickensohl and across the Kreuzbuck through the Lenzengasse to Ihringen. Rhine rift The Upper Rhine Plain , Rhine Rift Valley or Upper Rhine Graben ( German : Oberrheinische Tiefebene , Oberrheinisches Tiefland or Oberrheingraben , French : Vallée du Rhin ) is a major rift , about 350-kilometre-long (220 mi) and on average 50-kilometre-wide (31 mi), between Basel in

1272-511: The Vogt Burger districts of Schelingen and Oberbergen and the somewhat remote eastern community of Eichstetten lies two direct neighbouring natural Designated Conservation Areas (DCA), the DCA Badberg (DCA No. 81345), which was established in 1969, is 65 hectares high and has many rare plants (e.g. Orchids), and the eastern add-on DCA Haselschacher Buck (DCA no. 163542) which was founded in 1989 and

1325-479: The available area is covered with vineyards. They are either run as parts of winemaking cooperatives or are private property or property of private vineries . Because of the volcanic soils, vines grow particularly well. Varietals grown in the Kaiserstuhl: Müller-Thurgau , Riesling , Silvaner , Ruländer , Blue Spätburgunder , Grauburgunder , Weißer Burgunder , Gewürztraminer . The terrain of

1378-462: The central Kaiserstuhl are plutonic equivalents of the erupted material ( essexite , carbonatite and coarse-granular phonolite). Several local terms which do not carry official status with the International Union of Geological Sciences have been used for different varieties of the intrusive rocks. Of major scientific interest is the consolidated carbonatite near Altvogtsburg und Schelingen. It

1431-580: The city of Basel and flattening buildings as far as 200 km away. It was the most significant historic seismological event to have occurred in Central Europe. Its epicenter was between Waldkirch and St. Peter in Breisgau-Hochschwarzwald . However, it remains disputed whether the fault that ruptured to cause this earthquake was part of the Rhine Valley extensional system, or simply one of

1484-595: The construction licence for the plant. The plant was never built and the land eventually became a nature reserve. The Wyhl occupation generated extensive national debate. This initially centred on the state government's handling of the affair and associated police behaviour, but interest in nuclear issues was also stimulated. The Wyhl experience encouraged the formation of citizen action groups near other planned nuclear sites. Many other anti-nuclear groups formed elsewhere, in support of these local struggles, and some existing citizens' action groups widened their aims to include

1537-556: The country. Summers (June to September) can be very hot and with temperatures often exceeding the 35 °C (95 °F) during midsummer. Because of its loess covered volcanic soils and the climatical situation, it is an internationally renominated wine-producing region. Since the last decades, there is a tendency to very little precipitation during the summer months. Autumn starts warm to still hot in September and cools down to around 10–12 °C (50–54 °F) by November on average. As

1590-472: The formation of an extensional basin. As a consequence, the highest mountains exist immediately adjacent to the margin of the basin, and become increasingly low outwards. The boundaries between the hill ranges and the Rhine Graben are defined by major, normal fault zones. The northern section of the Rhine Plain is equally framed by somewhat lower mountain ranges, the Palatinate Forest on the western and

1643-486: The length of the basin. To the west, in France, these hills are known as the Vosges mountain range and in the east, in Germany, the hills comprise the Black Forest . These ranges exhume the same types of rocks in their cores, including deep crustal gneiss . Both ranges correspond to uplifts of more than 2,500 metres, much of which has since been eroded. This uplift has occurred because of the isostatic response associated with

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1696-546: The level of the Rhine downstream (179.5 m a.s.l.) from the weir close to Burkheim. At its greatest extent, from the Michaelsberg near Riegel in the northeast, to the Fohrenberg, by Ihringen in the southwest, the Kaiserstuhl is about 15 km long. Its maximum width is about 12.5 km. The hills of the Kaiserstuhl include the following (sorted by height in metres above sea level): Towns and villages in and around

1749-623: The many thrust faults that make up the Alps to the south. Doubts have been raised over the adequacy of the seismic evaluation and design of the Fessenheim Nuclear Power Plant , built in the Rhine Plain close to the faults. Located below the plain, the Upper Rhine aquifer – one of the largest in Europe – holds an estimated 45,000 km (11,000 cu mi) of fresh water and supplies some 3 million people in France and Germany, supplying 75% of their drinking water and 50% of

1802-594: The nuclear issue. This is how the German anti-nuclear movement evolved. Therefore, Wyhl is often referred to as the first great success of the German Anti-nuclear power Movement with an announcement effect for other similar conflicts like Brokdorf , nuclear reprocessing plant Wackersdorf or Gorleben . Anti-nuclear success at Wyhl also inspired nuclear opposition in the rest of Europe and North America. Kaiserstuhl (Baden-W%C3%BCrttemberg) The name "Kaiserstuhl"

1855-628: The range to the east, north and west, whilst the Breisach Railway passes it to the south. There are many opportunities for hiking in the Kaiserstuhl. The best known trail is the North-South Trail (check mark: blue rhomb on yellow background) from Endingen across the Katharinenberg and the Totenkopf and the Neunlinden viewing point to Ihringen. From the trail there are panoramic views over

1908-490: The recent years, with a tendency to more precipitation during this period. Snow is very rare and concentrates mostly on the higher regions if it occurs. Spring starts generally in February and is characterized by the almond flowering trees, which are typical for the region. The time between February and May counts many days exceeding 20 °C (68 °F) and therefore counts as one of the warmest and sunniest spring climates in

1961-423: The rest of the year, the southern location and direct mediterranean influence can make autumns warm and pleasant with temperatures up to 30 °C (86 °F) even in the second half of October, which is very rare in other parts of Germany. Besides the wine, the mild climate enables the wild cultivation of other sensitive fruits and vegetables like kaki , olive trees , fig trees , and banana plants . The region

2014-422: The sedimentary base of the eastern Kaiserstuhl, which is why in some places changes in the base's mineralogical composition occurred. The driving force behind this process of contact metamorphism was an increase in temperature. Due to the alternate eruption of tephra and lava flows from several vents a complex stratovolcano came into existence. Some of the rising magma solidified as volcanic intrusions below

2067-642: The south and the cities of Frankfurt / Wiesbaden in the north. Its southern section straddles the France–Germany border . It forms part of the European Cenozoic Rift System , which extends across Central Europe . The Upper Rhine Graben formed during the Oligocene , as a response to the evolution of the Alps to the south. It remains active to the present day. Today, the Rhine Rift Valley forms

2120-441: The southwest where no loess has been deposited. The Northern Limestone Alps are considered the main source of the Kaiserstuhl loess. A rust-coloured band occurs at irregular intervals. It developed as a new material and did not arrive regularly but in phases of different intensities. In a phase of weak sedimentation the material on top weathered – and the calcium carbonate was washed out. It then precipitated further down and formed

2173-556: The surface are leucite - tephrites , with subordinate phonolites , limburgites , and olivine- nephelinites (at the Limberg Mountain near Sasbach), the last of which is rich in xenoliths from the Earth's mantle . Carbonatite ignimbrite and lapilli are local peculiarities; they can be found in places in the western part of the Kaiserstuhl (Henkenberg near Burkheim, Kirchberg near Oberrotweil). The subvolcanic and intrusive rocks of

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2226-466: The surface – and today forms the central part of the Kaiserstuhl. Laterally rising phonolite magma also intruded into the sedimentary base of the Eastern Kaiserstuhl. Several hundred metres of the original volcano have been eroded. The entire volcanic Kaiserstuhl consists of rock types that contain feldspathoid minerals and olivine and are undersaturated with SiO 2 . Most igneous rocks at

2279-466: The surfaces of the acclivities, cold air pockets were formed in which the vines in bloom were frostbitten. Additionally substantial frost damage occurred in the woody part of the vines, especially in the vineyards which were situated in lower regions. In earlier times fruit had mostly been grown here but later this was changed to vineyards. The activity of the farmland consolidation authority was narrowed to repairing and partly to rescheduling which at least

2332-576: The temperatures especially in winter as well, while the surrounding mountains are able to hold most of the precipitation away from Kaiserstuhl. This is why the Region features nearly 2,100 sunshine hours and only around 500 liters of precipitation a year, while the nearby Black Forest has levels up to 2,000 liters a year. Winters are short and mild, although light night frost can occur especially in January. Days are mostly cool to mild with changeable weather and, in

2385-566: The trails link to, or through built up areas. Every trail is distinguished by its own colour and the names have a corresponding symbol displayed on entranceways and signposts. A further 120 smaller themed paths illuminate local attractions along the way. Local paths such as the Brunnenpfad (7 km) in Bötzingen were integrated into the new network of themed paths. In 2010, the Kaiserstuhlpfad

2438-432: The years that followed, local opposition steadily mounted, but this had little impact on politicians and planners. Official permission for the plant was granted and earthworks began on 17 February 1975. On 18 February, local people spontaneously occupied the site and police removed them forcibly two days later. Television coverage of police dragging away farmers and their wives through the mud helped to turn nuclear power into

2491-438: Was irregular , the initial contact between the two continents resulted in the formation of dilational (extensional) structures in the foreland basin to the north of the Alps. The result was substantial crustal thinning, forming a major extensional graben and causing isolated volcanic activity. The stretch factor is estimated to be ~2. To both the east and west of the Rhine Plain, two major hill ranges have formed that run

2544-653: Was added to the eight theme trails. This trail was given a special status as a "Quality Trail of Wonderful Germany" ( Qualitätswanderweg Wunderbares Deutschland ). The trail, which has a length of 21.7 km, was adapted to the Neunlindenpfad (North-South Trail) and leads from Endingen through the Ehrle Valley to St. Catherine's Chapel ( Katharinenkapelle ), across the Badberge hills to the Eichelspitz Tower, onward across

2597-404: Was equivalent to one third of the annual average, causing great damage in the modified areas. The surfaces of the acclivities often slid off together with the vegetation. Former valleys, which had been blocked due to re-allocation, were flushed out. In some terraces dramatic shear failures developed. In addition extensive, devastating frost damage occurred; due to the incline of the mountainside at

2650-471: Was for this reason that smaller terraces were merged in around 1950, this resulted in large scale reallocation, which turned parts of the original landscape completely upside down. The phases of this reallocation were:- From 1977 on, several longer periods of enhanced precipitation caused damage to the embankments. During one week in May 1983 for example, the amount of precipitation was so large that in some areas it

2703-522: Was meant to correct the most severe consequences of the transformations from 1982 on. The Kaiserstuhl area is served by the A 5 motorway . Major local roads are the L 113 that links the A5 , the north side of the area and the French border; and the B 31 which connects the southside of the area with the French border, A 5 and Freiburg i.B. The area is also served by Breisgau S-Bahn . The Kaiserstuhl Railway runs past

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2756-437: Was no vegetation that could have moderated it – entraining the lightest material and depositing it at obstacles like the Kaiserstuhl. Deposition took place northeast of the Kaiserstuhl, as the winds blew from the southwest. The higher the place of sedimentation, the thinner the layer of the sedimented material is. At the Kaiserstuhl the thickness of the loess layer varies between 10 and 40 metres. There are, however, also areas in

2809-644: Was not coined until the 13th century. The Kaiserstuhl is situated in South Baden , mainly in Breisgau-Hochschwarzwald county or district . However, the smaller northern part belongs to Emmendingen . Within the Upper Rhine Plain it is situated about 16 km northwest of the city of Freiburg , right next to the eastern bank of the Rhine and a short distance west of the Dreisam . It reaches up to 377 metres above

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