Editing Odenwald

{{short description|Low mountain range in Germany}}

{{Infobox mountain
|name                   = Odenwald
|other_name             = 
|photo                  = Odenwald - Deutsche Mittelgebirge, Serie A-de.png
|photo_alt              = 
|photo_caption          = Overview of the Odenwald

<!-- Geography -->
|country_type           = 
|country                = [[Germany]]
|country1               = 
|country2               = 
|region_type            = 
|region                 = [[Hesse]], [[Bavaria]], [[Baden-Württemberg]]
|region1                = 
|border                 = 
|border1                = 
|biome                  =

<!-- Highest point -->
|highest                = [[Katzenbuckel]]
|elevation_m            = 626
|elevation_system       = [[Normalhöhennull|NHN]]
|elevation_note         = 
<!-- Coordinates of the highest point -->
|coordinates            = {{coord|49|28|15|N|9|2|28|E|type:mountain_region:DE-BW/DE-BY/DE-HE|format=dms|display=inline}}
|coordinates_note       =

<!-- Range -->
|length_km              = 
|width_km               = 
|area_km2               = 2500
|length_orientation     = 
|width_orientation      = 
|length_note            = 
|width_note             = 
|area_note              = 
<!-- Overall coordinates for the range; usually the center of the range -->
|range_coordinates      = {{coord|49|35|N|9|1|E|type:mountain_region:DE-BW/DE-BY/DE-HE|format=dms|display=inline,title}}
|range_coordinates_note =

<!-- Geology -->
|geology                = 
|period                 = 
|orogeny                =

<!-- Locator map; takes coordinates from "highest point" (and perhaps "range"; need to experiment and then correct this comment) -->
|map                    = Germany
|map_alt                = 
|map_caption            = 
|map_relief             = 
|relief                 =
}}

[[File:Felsenmeer odenwald herbst.jpg|thumb|upright|The ''Reichenbach'' felsenmeer in autumn]]
The '''Odenwald''' ({{IPA|de|ˈoːdn̩valt|lang|Odenwald.ogg}}) is a low mountain range in the [[Germany|German]] states of [[Hesse]], [[Bavaria]] and [[Baden-Württemberg]].

== Location ==
The Odenwald is located between the [[Upper Rhine Plain]] with the [[Bergstraße Route|Bergstraße]] and the ''Hessisches Ried'' (the northeastern section of the Rhine rift) to the west, the [[Main (river)|Main]] and the [[Bauland]] (a mostly unwooded area with good soils) to the east, the [[Hanau-Seligenstadt Basin]] – a subbasin of the Upper Rhine Rift Valley in the Rhine-Main Lowlands – to the north and the [[Kraichgau]] to the south. The part south of the [[Neckar]] valley is sometimes called the ''[[Kleiner Odenwald]]'' ("Little Odenwald").

The northern and western Odenwald belong to southern Hesse, with the south stretching into [[Baden]]. In the northeast, a small part lies in [[Lower Franconia]] in Bavaria.

== Geology ==
[[File:Winter Felsenmeer Odenwald 2006.jpg|thumb|left|[[Felsenmeer]] near Reichenbach (Lautertal) in winter]]
[[File:Eberbach-sandstein-v2.jpg|thumb|left|Characteristic [[sandstone]] formation near [[Eberbach (Baden)|Eberbach]]]]
The Odenwald, along with other parts of the Central German Uplands, belongs to the [[Variscan orogeny|Variscan]], which more than 300 million years ago in the [[Carboniferous]] period ran through great parts of [[Europe]]. The cause of this [[orogeny]] was the collision of [[Africa]]’s and Europe's forerunner continents.

In the [[Triassic]], about 200 million years ago, the land sank again, forming the [[Germanic Basin]] in which the metre-thick layers of red sandstone could [[Sedimentation|build up]]. These were later covered over with layers of [[muschelkalk]] from a broad inland sea, then followed by sediments from the [[Late Triassic]] (or Keuper). The South German [[Cuesta]] Land thus formed.

When the land in the Odenwald was [[Tectonic uplift|uplifted]] again about 180 million years ago, more than 100&nbsp;m of the sedimentary layering, in parts, was [[Erosion|eroded]] away down to the [[bedrock]], as can still be seen in the western Odenwald. The bedrock here is composed of a number of different rocks, among them [[gneiss]], [[granite]], [[diorite]], [[gabbro]] in the Frankenstein [[pluton]], and so on. In the eastern Odenwald, the red sandstone is all that is left of the sedimentary mixture. Farther east in the Bauland, the muschelkalk deposits still overlie the [[Early Triassic]] layers. Furthermore, in the south near [[Heidelberg]], there is still [[Zechstein]] under the Early Triassic deposits.

Roughly 50 to 60 million years ago, [[volcano]]es formed along the great geological [[fault (geology)|faults]]. Still bearing witness to this time are the [[Otzberg]], the Daumberg and the Katzenbuckel, all extinct volcanoes in the Odenwald. Furthermore, volcanism with [[acid]]ic rocks has left a legacy of [[rhyolite]]s near [[Dossenheim]].

At roughly the same time, the Central European plate began to tear apart so that the [[Upper Rhine Plain|Upper Rhine Rift]] developed. Even as the Upper Rhine Rift valley still sinks today by just under a millimetre each year, the Odenwald, relatively to that, was uplifted to the height it has today. Along the faults, the small rivers Gersprenz and Weschnitz have, in part, carved their courses.

The Upper Rhine Rift is part of a fracture zone reaching from the [[Mediterranean Sea]] to [[Norway]]. Right on the edge of the Odenwald, it is roughly 2&nbsp;500&nbsp;m deep, but has been filled in to its current height by river and sea sediment, for until about 20 million years ago, the [[North Sea]] reached far inland, across the [[Wetterau]] Depression into the Rhine Valley.

=== Geological maps ===
<gallery class="center" widths="250px">
File:Geologie_Odenwald_(Altherr).jpg|Granite-Gneiss-Odenwald (Altherr, 1999)<ref name="uni-giessen.de">{{cite web |url=http://www.uni-giessen.de/geographie/phy/akn/Exkursionen/Odenwald05/odenwald.htm |title=Institut für Geographie: AKN - Mitarbeiter Jens-Philipp Keil |access-date=2012-05-15 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://archive.today/20121211093447/http://www.uni-giessen.de/geographie/phy/akn/Exkursionen/Odenwald05/odenwald.htm |archive-date=2012-12-11 }}</ref>
File:Geolog._Karte_(Stein)_Odw7.jpg|Granite-Gneiss-Odenwald (Stein, 2001)<ref name="uni-giessen.de"/>
File:GeolKarte_Geopark.jpg|Granite-Gneiss- and Redsandstone-Odenwald (Stein, 2001 + Weber, ''Geo-Naturpark'')<ref name="geo-naturpark.net">{{cite web |url=http://www.geo-naturpark.net/daten/geologie/geologie-geopark.php?navid=328 |title=Geo-Naturpark Bergstraße Odenwald |access-date=2012-05-15 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120731042700/http://www.geo-naturpark.net/daten/geologie/geologie-geopark.php?navid=328 |archive-date=2012-07-31 }}</ref>
File:Profil_Geologie_Odenwald.jpg|Geological profile (from left): Rheinplane, Granite-Odenwald, Gneiss-Odenwald, Redsandstone-Odenwald (''Geo-Naturpark'')<ref name="geo-naturpark.net"/>
</gallery>

== History ==
About 2500 BC, there is evidence that the [[Linear Pottery culture]] settled along the northern (Gersprenz) and southern (Neckar valley) edges of the Odenwald. About 400 BC, [[Celts]] (Gauls) settled throughout southern Germany. Almost all of the Odenwald was covered then with [[Old growth forest|virgin forest]], and the outer edges were not settled. [[Germanic peoples]] drove the Celts westwards across the Rhine to what is now [[France]].
[[File:Haselburg Wohntrakt.jpg|thumb|Roman manor house ''Villa Haselburg'' near Höchst (Mümling)]]
About AD 100, the older Odenwald line of the [[Neckar-Odenwald Limes]] was built under [[Ancient Rome|Roman]] Emperor [[Trajan]] (98-117). This stretch of the Empire's border ran from Fort Wimpfen in the Valley (''Kastell Wimpfen im Tal'') northwards by way of the Forts of Neckarburken, the lesser forts of Trienz and Robern near [[Fahrenbach]], Fort Oberscheidental, Fort Schloßau, [[Hesselbach Roman Fort|Fort Hesselbach]], Fort Würzberg, Fort Eulbach, Fort Hainhaus and Fort Hesselbach<!--Yes, I know! But the de:WP article says that.--> to Fort Wörth on the [[Main (river)|Main]]. Parts of the Odenwald now lay in Roman-ruled [[Germania Superior]].

About 159, the Limes was shifted about {{convert|30|km|0|abbr=off}} eastwards to the [[Miltenberg]]–[[Walldürn]]–[[Buchen]]-[[Osterburken]] line. In 260, Roman hegemony fell. The [[Alamanni]] were also thrusting into the Odenwald and settling the land between the Main and Neckar, after whom came the [[Franks]]. In the 5th century, the Franks, under [[Clovis I]], divided the land up into districts.

In the 7th and 8th centuries came [[Christianization]] by [[Ireland|Irish]]-[[Scotland|Scottish]] and [[Anglo-Saxons|Anglo-Saxon]] monks ([[Saint Pirmin|Pirmin]], [[Saint Boniface|Boniface]]). On the muschelkalk lands of today's Bauland, which favoured [[agriculture]], a broad mesh of settlements arose. The parts of the Odenwald farther in from the rivers, though, with their scant [[New Red Sandstone]] soils remained uninhabited. Four [[Benedictine]] monasteries were assigned the job of opening the empty woods up by the central Frankish power ([[Carolingian]]), [[Lorsch Abbey]] from the west, Fulda Monastery from the east and Mosbach Monastery from the south. Amorbach Monastery had the greatest importance for ecclesiastical, cultural and economic development in the eastern Odenwald.

In the 9th century in the southeastern Odenwald near the now more thickly settled Bauland, settlements were established. The muschelkalk-new red sandstone mineral boundary was crossed.

=== Name ===
{{more citations needed section|date=May 2024}}
The following are some theories about the origin of the name ''Odenwald'':

#Some have claimed that the toponym comes from ''Odins Wald'' (''Odin’s Woods''). The main problem here is that the god ''Wodanaz'' (known in Norse as ''[[Odin]]'') was worshipped in southern Germany under the name ''Wotan'' (in [[Old High German]] ''Uuodan''; compare [[Merseburg Incantations]]).
#A further theory holds that there is a link between the name Odenwald and the [[Ancient Rome|Roman]] administrative unit Civitas Auderiensium, which among other things included the range's northern reaches and might have been named after a tribe called the ''Auderienses''.
#There could be some kinship with the word ''öde'', not in the currently understood meaning in German of ''desert'', but rather in the meaning ''thinly settled''.
#''[[Einhard]]'', the biographer of ''[[Charlemagne]]'' used the term ''Odanwald''. Therefore, the renowned historian Karl Christ establishes a connection to the Old High German (ahd.) expression ''odan'' (=to [[Feoffment|enfeoff]]) and presumes, that the ''Odenwald'' was a hunting ground, which the King of the Franks Dagobert I. enfeoffed in 628 the Bishopric of Worms.<ref name=Morneweg>Morneweg, Karl: Offizieller Führer des Odenwald-Klubs durch den Odenwald und die Bergstrasse. Ravenstein Frankfurt a.M. 1926, S.33.</ref>
#An eminent geographer of the 16th century, Sebastian Münster, proposed a tribal chief as the name giver (''Odtonwald'', 821, = ''Odo's Woods''). However, it is not proven whether there actually was a count or duke called ''Odo'' (Otto). Finally, Münster's researches do not lead to any result.<ref name=Morneweg/>

Linguists who research phonetic changes and the sound shifts reject theories no. 1 to 3 and prefer 4 or 5; some historians favor no. 2.

=== Legends and mythology ===
The numerous Odenwald folk legends are mostly connected with historic geographic sites (castle, town, rock, road and so on) They relate:
* mysterious actions and appearances of ghosts in a castle (for example the two ''Bergstraße''-ruins ''Auerbach - castle'' and ''Windeck'') or in a nightscape respectively in a cottage: The ''Höhmann'' near Bensheim, the ''White Lady'' of Mossau, the ''Schlurcher'' close by Erbach, the ''Man without head'' near Heppenheim, the ''Goast-nuns'' of monastery ''Steinbach''.
* the stories of knights and their ladies: Konrad and Ann-Els von Tannenberg, Edelmut von Ehrenberg and Minna von Horneck at the ''Minneburg'', Georg von Frankenstein and Annemariechen, Hans von Rodenstein and Maria von Hochberg.
* the apparitions of the devil: ''Teufelspfad'' (pathway of the devil) to the ''Felsberg'', ''Teufelsstein'' (rock of the devil) in Gorxheimertal, ''Opferstein'' (altar stone) on the top of the ''Juhöhe''.
* or the apparitions of a witch: for example in the shape of a pig in Bensheim

In some stories the local aspect firstly is connected with monsters (knight Georg fights against the man-eating ''[[lindworm]]'' near ''Frankenstein-castle'') and creatures of nature with magic potency (a ''water spirit'' changed into a fox near Niedernhausen, the ''merwoman'' in the ''Meerwiese'' of Waldürn).

Secondly the local legend is connected with the genre of the historic saga: a historic person or an original is portrayed anecdotally (the count of Erbach and Luther, resp. the  ''Raubacher Joggel'', landgrave Ludwig VIII: of Hesse-Darmstadt, robber ''Hölzerlips'').
[[File:Wildweibchen mit Einhorn.jpg|thumb|upright|''Wild Woman'' (''Wildweibchen'') with a unicorn (Straßburg around 1500)]]

Thirdly a local tale explains an [[Etiology|etiological]] or original myth (aetiological saga). For example, there is explained:
* why a name is given: many ''Wildweibchensteine'' (''Wild Woman''-Rocks) in the Odenwald, ''Teufelsstein'' (stone of the devil), ''Teufelspfad'' (path of the devil), ''Opfersteine'' (altar stone) and  ''Hundsköpfe'' (dogheads) on top of the ''Juhöhe'', ''Hölzerlips''-stone, ''Schimmeldewoog'' for the village Schönmattenwag (→[[Folk etymology]]) or the phrase “{{lang|de|hinnerum wie die Fraa vun Bensem}}”,
* why a natural phenomena, for example a typical landscape, was formed: the saga creates a mythic history for the places of  the ''felsenmeer'' and the ''Hohenstein'' near Reichenbach (because giants stoned each other) or the ''Herrgottsfelsen'' (Godrock) near Darmstadt (act of revenge by the devil for finessing),
* why a castle (''Minneburg'') was built at a special place (''Minneberg'' at the Neckar) and was so named hereafter,
* why a mysterious stone carving was inset in a castle-wall: figure of a dog at the portal of the  ''Minneburg'' near Neckargerach, the ''Blecker'' at the town gate of Buchen, the ''Breilecker'' above the door of Breuberg-castle.

Beside these legends there are two famous and well-known Odenwaldsagas:

In the [[Nibelungenlied]] (see also [[Nibelung]]) the dragon slayer [[Sigurd|Siegfried]], on a hunting trip (instead of a failed campaign) leading from the [[Burgundians|Burgundian]] city of [[Worms, Germany|Worms]] into the Odenwald, is murdered by [[Hagen (legend)|Hagen of Tronje]]. Since no exact spot for this deed has been handed down, countless communities, especially in the Hessian Odenwald are squabbling over the right to call themselves “Siegfried’s Murder Site”, for example a spring near Gras-Ellenbach (''Siegfriedsbrunnen''), Mossautal-Hüttenthal ''Lindelbrunnen'') or Heppenheim (''Siegfriedbrunnen'').

The ruins of ''Rodenstein'' (below-mentioned) and ''Schnellerts'' near [[Fränkisch-Crumbach]] are the setting of an Odenwald ghost story: during the night the knight ''Rodenstein'' (the ''Rodensteiner'') flies with a berserker-cornet through the air to prophesy the beginning of a war ([[Wild Hunt]] motif).

<gallery class="center">
File:Siegfrieds Tod.jpg|"Siegfried's Death" ([[Julius Schnorr von Carolsfeld]], 1847): Hagen murdered Siegfried by a spring in the Odenwald.
File:Nibelungenlied manuscript-k.jpg|Picture of Siegfrieds assassination in the Nibelungenlied-manuscript k (1480–90)
File:Siegfriedbrunnen.png|''Siegfriedbrunnen'' by Wilhelm Trübner. In the legend there is no exact description in respect of the hunting trip.
File:Ritter von Rodenstein und Schnellart.jpg|''Rodenstein Castle'' is the scene of the ''Rodensteiner'' ghost legend (19th-century picture).
</gallery>

== Topography ==

=== Mountains ===
{{Further|Neutscher Höhe}}

==== Over 600 m ====
*[[Katzenbuckel]] (626 m; lookout tower), [[Neckar-Odenwald-Kreis]], [[Baden-Württemberg]]
*[[Neunkircher Höhe]] (605 m; [[Kaiser Tower]]), [[Bergstraße (district)|Bergstraße district]], [[Hesse]]
<gallery class="center">
File:Katzenbuckel 1.jpg|The ''Crystal Teaching Path'' around the ''Katzenbuckel'' starts near the old volcanic quarry (below-mentioned)
File:Neutscher Komplex_Neunkircher_Höhe.JPG|Neutsch with a view to Neunkirchen and the ''Neunkircher Höhe''
File:Hardberg_Götzenstein_Kisselbusch_800.JPG|View from ''Weschnitz''- Valley to the mountains ''Hardberg'' (with transmitter), ''Götzenstein'', ''Kisselbusch'' (from left)
File:Tromm329.JPG|''Weschnitz''- Valley with a view to ''Tromm''-mountain range
</gallery>

==== Over 450 m ====
*[[Hardberg (Odenwald)|Hardberg]] (593 m), Bergstraße district, Hesse
*[[Stiefelhöhe]] (584 m), Hesse/Baden-Württemberg border
*[[Tromm (Odenwald)|Tromm]] (577 m; lookout tower), Bergstraße district, Hesse
*[[Krehberg]] (576 m; with Krehberg transmitter), Bergstraße district, Hesse
*[[Königstuhl (Odenwald)|Königstuhl]] (567.8 m; [[observatory]], [[funicular railway]]), [[Heidelberg]], Baden-Württemberg
*[[Krähberg]] (555 m), [[Odenwaldkreis]], Hesse
*Kinzert (554 m), [[Neckar-Odenwald-Kreis]], Baden-Württemberg
*[[Weißer Stein]] (550 m; lookout tower), [[Rhein-Neckar-Kreis]], Baden-Württemberg
*Hohe Warte (548 m), Rhein-Neckar-Kreis, Baden-Württemberg
*[[Spessartskopf]] (547 m), Bergstraße district, Hesse
*Falkenberg (546 m), Odenwaldkreis, Hesse
*[[Waldskopf]] (538 m), [[Gorxheimertal]]-Trösel, Bergstraße district, Hesse
*Das Buch (535.30 m; near Lindenfels), Bergstraße district, Hesse
*Wagenberg (535 m), Bergstraße district, Hesse
*Eichelberg (526 m; lookout tower), Rhein-Neckar-Kreis, Baden-Württemberg
*[[Götzenstein]] (522 m), Bergstraße district, Hesse
*[[Melibokus]] („Malschen“) (517.40 m), Bergstraße district, Hesse
*[[Morsberg]] (517 m), Odenwaldkreis, Hesse
*[[Felsberg (Odenwald)|Felsberg]] (514 m; with Felsenmeer), Bergstraße district, Hesse
*Knodener Kopf (511.20 m), Bergstraße district, Hesse
*Wannenberg (482 m), [[Miltenberg (district)|Miltenberg district]], [[Bavaria]]
*[[Daumberg]] (462 m), Gorxheimertal-Trösel, Bergstraße district, Hesse
<gallery class="center">
File:Krehberg Lindenfels 771.JPG|Overlooking the ''Krehberg'' (view from Lindenfels)
File:Waldskopf2.jpg|The Waldskopf in the Gorxheim valley
File:Melibokus von Zwingenberg.jpg|The [[Melibokus]] near [[Zwingenberg, Hesse|Zwingenberg]]
File:LAUTERTAL_von Hohenstein_650.JPG|With a view from the ''Lauter''- Valley (Hohenstein) to the ''Melibokus'' (right) and the ''Auerbach'' Castle (background, in the middle)
File:Böllsteiner_Odenwald_821.JPG|The ''Gesprenz''-Valley gneiss-sandstone-mountain range: ''Böllsteiner Höhe'' on the left, ''Morsberg'' in the middle
File:Lautertal_Felsberg_639.JPG|The ''Felsberg'' (with transmitter, view from the ''Lauter''-Valley), ''Auerbach''-Castle and ''Melibokus'' on the left
File:Daumberg.JPG|The Daumberg in the Gorxheim valley
File:WESCHNITZPLUTON 72 von Tromm aus.JPG|The ''Weschnitz''-Valley with ''Hirschkopf''-''Juhöhe''-mountain range (view from the Tromm)
</gallery>

==== Over 300 m ====
*[[Heiligenberg (Heidelberg)|Heiligenberg]] (445 m), Heidelberg, Baden-Württemberg
*Knorz (404 m; near Lautern), Bergstraße district, Hesse
*Otzberg (367 m; with [[Otzberg Castle]]), [[Darmstadt-Dieburg]], Hesse
*Auerberg (339.70 m; with Schloss Auerbach), Bergstraße district, Hesse
*Breuberg (306 m; with Breuberg Castle), Odenwaldkreis, Hesse

=== Bodies of water ===

==== Flowing water ====
Countless streams rise in the Odenwald, the longest of which are the following:
*Weschnitz (60&nbsp;km), tributary to the Rhine
*Mümling (50&nbsp;km), tributary to the Main
*Gersprenz (47&nbsp;km), tributary to the Main
*Lauter (43&nbsp;km), tributary to the Rhine
*Erf (40&nbsp;km), tributary to the Main
*Elz (''Elzbach'') (34&nbsp;km), tributary to the Neckar
*Finkenbach (20.5&nbsp;km), joins the Ulfenbach in Hirschhorn, runs to the Laxbach, tributary to the Neckar
*Ulfenbach (19.1&nbsp;km), joins the Finkenbach in Hirschhorn, runs to the Laxbach, tributary to the Neckar
*Grundelbach, (10&nbsp;km), flows from Trösel to Weinheim
*Modau (42&nbsp;km), tributary to the Rhine
*Mud (24&nbsp;km), tributary to the Main
*Steinach (22&nbsp;km), tributary to the Neckar
<gallery class="center">
File:Gersprenz.JPG|The Gersprenz in [[Dieburg]]
File:Erbach 07.JPG|The Mümling in [[Erbach im Odenwald|Erbach]]
File:Eutersee 05.JPG|The Eutersee near [[Hesseneck]]
</gallery>

==== Standing water ====
There are a few bodies of standing water in the Odenwald, among which are the following:
* the Marbach [[Reservoir]]
* the Eutersee

== Political divisions ==

=== Districts (with district seats) ===
* [[Bergstraße (district)|Bergstraße district]] ([[Heppenheim]])
* [[Darmstadt-Dieburg]] ([[Dieburg]], administration in [[Darmstadt]]-[[Darmstadt-Kranichstein|Kranichstein)]]
* [[Main-Tauber-Kreis]] ([[Tauberbischofsheim]])
* [[Miltenberg (district)|Miltenberg district]] ([[Miltenberg]])
* [[Neckar-Odenwald-Kreis]] ([[Mosbach]])
* [[Odenwaldkreis]] ([[Erbach im Odenwald|Erbach]])
* [[Rhein-Neckar-Kreis]] ([[Heidelberg]])

=== District-free cities ===
[[File:View on the old Heidelberg.jpg|650px|thumb|center|[[Heidelberg]] with [[Heidelberg Castle|the castle]] and the [[Königstuhl (Odenwald)|Königstuhl]]]]
* [[Heidelberg]]
* [[Darmstadt]]

== International relations ==
{{See also|List of twin towns and sister cities in Germany}}

=== Twin towns – Sister cities ===
Odenwald is [[Twin towns and sister cities|twinned]] with:

*{{flagicon|Scotland}}  [[Falkirk]],  Scotland<ref name="Falkirk twinnings">[http://www.falkirktwinning.org/index.htm Falkirk Twinning Association] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120323161234/http://www.falkirktwinning.org/index.htm |date=March 23, 2012 }}, www.falkirktwinning.org Retrieved 2011-05-07</ref>

== Transport and tourism ==
The Odenwald is known as a leisure destination easily accessible from the urban areas of [[Mannheim]] and [[Frankfurt]]. It is known for its clean thin air and was once known for its health sanitariums. There are many marked hiking paths through the rural areas. Wild [[blueberry|blueberries]], [[strawberry|strawberries]] and [[mushroom]]s are to be found in the forests.

=== Roads ===
The planned extension to the ''Odenwaldautobahn'', that is, the [[Bundesautobahn 45|A&nbsp;45]] ([[Dortmund]]&ndash;[[Aschaffenburg]]), was never realized. Nevertheless, all these ''[[Bundesstraße]]n'' run through the Odenwald:
*B 27: [[Mosbach]] - [[Buchen]] - [[Tauberbischofsheim]]
*B 38: [[Reinheim]] - [[Groß-Bieberau]] - [[Brensbach]] - [[Reichelsheim (Odenwald)|Reichelsheim]] - [[Fürth (Odenwald)|Fürth]] - [[Mörlenbach]] - [[Birkenau (Odenwald)|Birkenau]] - [[Weinheim]]
*B 45: [[Groß-Umstadt]] - [[Höchst im Odenwald|Höchst]] - [[Bad König]] - [[Michelstadt]] - [[Erbach im Odenwald|Erbach]] - [[Beerfelden]] - [[Eberbach (Baden)|Eberbach]]
*B 47: [[Bensheim]] - [[Lindenfels]] - [[Reichelsheim (Odenwald)|Reichelsheim]] - [[Michelstadt]] - [[Amorbach]]
*B 426: [[Darmstadt]] - [[Mühltal]] - [[Ober-Ramstadt]] - [[Reinheim]] - [[Otzberg]] - [[Groß-Umstadt]] - [[Höchst im Odenwald|Höchst]] - [[Breuberg]] - [[Obernburg]]
*B 460: [[Heppenheim]] - [[Fürth (Odenwald)|Fürth]] - [[Mossautal]] - Hüttenthal

Furthermore, the ''Nibelungenstraße'' and the ''Siegfriedstraße'' run through the Odenwald, partly along the roads listed above.

=== Railways ===
[[File:Odenwaldbahn 08.jpg|thumb|left|The Himbächel viaduct on the [[Odenwald Railway (Hesse)|Odenwald Railway]]]]
*[[Odenwald Railway (Hesse)|Odenwald Railway]] from [[Darmstadt Central Station|Darmstadt]] or [[Hanau Central Station|Hanau]] by way of [[Groß-Umstadt Wiebelsbach station|Groß-Umstadt Wiebelsbach]] to [[Eberbach (Baden)|Eberbach]], opened in 1882, since December 2005 run with modern [[Bombardier Itino|Itino]] trains.
*[[Weschnitz Valley Railway]] from [[Weinheim (Bergstraße) station|Weinheim]] to [[Fürth, Hesse|Fürth]], opened in 1895.
*[[Überwald Railway]] from [[Mörlenbach]] by way of [[Wald-Michelbach]] to Wahlen, opened in 1901, abandoned in 1996.
*[[Hetzbach–Beerfelden railway|Hetzbach–Beerfelden line]] from Hetzbach to [[Beerfelden]], opened in 1904, abandoned in 1954.
*[[Mosbach–Mudau railway|Mosbach–Mudau line]] (locally known as the ''Entenmörder'' – “Duck Murderer”) from [[Mosbach]] to [[Mudau]], former {{convert|1000|mm|ftin|0|abbr=on}} [[narrow gauge|narrow-gauge railway]], opened in 1905, abandoned in 1973, since 1980 right-of-way has been converted into a cycling path.
*[[Neckar Valley Railway]] from [[Heidelberg Central Station|Heidelberg]] by way of [[Eberbach (Baden)|Eberbach]] and Mosbach to [[Bad Friedrichshall-Jagstfeld station|Bad Friedrichshall-Jagstfeld]], opened in 1879.
*[[Neckarelz–Osterburken railway|Neckarelz–Osterburken line]], opened in 1866 as part of the [[Odenwald Railway (Baden)|Baden Odenwaldbahn]]
*[[Madonnenland Railway]] from [[Seckach]] to [[Miltenberg]].
*[[Gersprenz Valley Railway]] from [[Reinheim railway station|Reinheim]] to [[Reichelsheim (Odenwald)|Reichelsheim]], opened in 1887 and abandoned by 1963.

=== Special day trips ===
[[File:Margarethenschlucht.jpg|thumb|upright|The Margarethenschlucht (gorge)]]
* In Hainstadt, Hesse (a constituent community of [[Breuberg]]) in the Mümling valley is a [[quarry]] which has been turned into a [[climbing]] facility by the ''Odenwälder Kletterfreunde'' ('Odenwald Climbing Friends'). There is also a climbing path secured by wire cables. The Odenwald Climbing Friends take care of the paths. The quarry also lies in the DAV's (''Deutsche Alpenverein e. V. '' – a mountain climbing club) [[Darmstadt]] Section feeder area.
*Beneath the 514 m-high Felsberg and north of [[Lautertal (Odenwald)|Lautertal]]-Reichenbach is found a ''Felsenmeer'' – literally 'cliff sea' – consisting of many weathered stones strewn about the ground which have fallen down from the cliff after having come loose from erosion. The [[Ancient Rome|Romans]] used it as a stone quarry.
* In Eberstadt, a constituent community of [[Buchen]], one of southern Germany's most important [[dripstone cave]]s was discovered in 1971. It is open to the public.
*Around the Katzenbuckel runs the ''Kristall-Lehrpfad'' ('Crystal Teaching Path'), which graphically shows the volcanic development in the Odenwald.
*From Höchst im Odenwald snakes the Obrunnschlucht (gorge) as a romantic fairytale path towards Rimhorn with many model buildings (palaces, castles and mills) along the valley.
*The Odenwald is threaded with a network of more than {{convert|10000|km|0|abbr=in}} of hiking trails.
*Because the roads have so many bends, the Odenwald is a popular outing destination for motorcyclists.
* Every year one of the greatest Halloween events in Germany is organized on the ''Frankenstein Castle'' (see above). The same name suggests a connection with [[Mary Shelley]]s famous filmed novel ''Frankenstein or The Modern Prometheus''. The horror scenery and the comedians dressed up as ghosts and witches spook the huge audience.
* Walking and climbing through the ''Margarethenschlucht'' (Neckargerach) or the ''Wolfsschlucht'' (Wolf's Glen) near ''Zwingenberg castle'' (Zwingenberg/Neckar)
* ''Zwingenberg Castle'' (see above) is the place of an annual castle festival. [[Carl Maria von Weber]]s romantic opera ''[[Der Freischütz]]'' (translated as ''The Marksman'' or ''The Freeshooter'') is performed at the entrance of the gorge ''Wolfsschlucht''. The plot is based on a German folk legend which the composer discovered in the ''[[Gespensterbuch]]'' ('Book of Ghosts') during his sojourn in Neuburg Abbey near [[Heidelberg]] in 1810. It is believed, that he also was inspired by the Wolf's Glen in a [[Neckar]] tributary valley, but there are many places in Germany with the same name. Anyway. In act 2 the protagonist Max meets the diabolic Caspar in the supernatural creepy opera scene ''Wolfsschlucht'' to become the best shooter with the assistance of magic power. Now a risky action starts.
[[File:20060408-Heppenheim Marktplatz Starkenburg.jpg|thumb|left|Every year the [[Heppenheim]]er Street Theatre ''Gassensensationen'' occupies the marketplace and other corners of the old town.]]
* For half a week early July the [[Heppenheim]]er (see above) Street theatre named ''Gassensensationen'' occupies several places und corners of the old town with presentations for children and adults. The outdoor performances include very popular loud and simple genres with music, dance, mime, circus arts and slapstick, but also sensitive theatre plays or songs in discrete spaces.
* The granite rocks of the ''Juhöhe'' near Heppenheim inspired people to imagine fairy tales. They told, that the holes were offering cups for the devil. Stones nearby got chapped, when he sharpened his claws. According to a local version of the ''Rodensteiner'' legend the [[Wild Hunt]]er crossing the ''Juhöhe'' lost his cry of hounds: They crashed and where rammed in the ground. Even today the petrified dogheads are on view at the top of the hill. So the rocks are called ''Hundsköpfe.'' ''Flat iron'' is the name of another granite formation near the ''Juhöhe.'' A long time ago Giant-ladies made use of it to set their Sunday dresses in order.
<gallery class="center">
File:Steinbruch Hainstadt.jpg|Climbing path at the [[Breuberg]]-Hainstadt [[quarry]]
File:HOHENSTEIN_Lautertal_631.JPG|''Hohenstein'' near Reichenbach (Baryte-quartz-cliff)
File:BORSTEIN_Reichenbach_622.JPG|''Borstein'' near Reichenbach (Baryte-quartz-cliff)
File:GNEIS-FELSGRUPPE Böllstein-Wallbrunn.JPG|Giant tortoise gneiss rocks (Böllstein)
File:TROMMGRANIT Salzlackenbuckel.JPG|Granite rocks (Tromm)
File:Felsenmeer Reichenbach Riesensaeule 03.jpg|''Reichenbach-Felsenmeer'': The giant column (''Riesensäule'') is a workpiece of Roman stonemasons.
File:Wildfrauhaus_Lützelbach.JPG|Granite rocks ''Wildfrauhaus'' (Fischbachtal)
File:Zwingenberg-wolfsschlucht-web.jpg|Zwingenberg (Neckar) gorge: ''Wolfsschlucht''
File:Ramberg Freischuetz wildes Heer.jpg|When Caspar und Max begin with casting the magic bullets in the ''Wolf’s Glen'' the [[Wild Hunt]] appears in the air with demoniacal noise.
File: Juhöhe Große Hundsköpfe.JPG|The rocks at the ''Juhöhe'' are  supposed to be the petrified dogheads of the ''Rodensteiner'' cry of hounds
File:Opferstein Juhöhe.JPG|It is said, that the holes of the ''Opfersteine'' were offering cups for the devil.
File: Höhnberg Bügeleisen2.JPG|People of the ''Kreiswald'' near the ''Juhöhe'' told, that a long time ago the granite formation was the flat iron of Giant-ladies
</gallery>

=== Castles ===
The Odenwald is home to many historic castles and palatial residences. In times past the fortresses on the top of the Odenwald mountains controlled Bergstraße and the Weschnitz-, the Gersprenz-, the Mümling- and the Neckar-Valley.

<gallery class="center">
File:Panorama castle frankenstein.jpg|''Frankenstein'' near [[Darmstadt]]/Upper Rhine Rift valley
File:InnerCastle.jpg|[[Frankenstein Castle]]
File:Spot Ruine Tannenberg.JPG| The ruins of ''Tannenberg'' near Seeheim ([[Seeheim-Jugenheim]])
File:Seeheim-Jugenheim-Heiligenberg-Schloss.jpg|''Heiligenberg'' Castle near Jugenheim ([[Seeheim-Jugenheim]])
File:Alsbach 2.JPG|''Alsbach'' Castle, view from ''Melibokus'' ([[Alsbach-Hähnlein]])
File:Schloss Auerbach.jpg|The ruins of ''Auerbach'' Castle near [[Bensheim]]
File:Fürstenlager Bensheim.jpg|Park and mansion ''Fürstenlager'' near Bensheim-Auerbach
File:Schoenberger Schloss 02.jpg|''Schönberg'' Castle ([[Bensheim]]-Schönberg)
File:2005-10-13 Heppenheim 2.JPG|[[Bergstraße Route|Bergstaße]]: ''Starkenburg'' (view from Maiberg, [[Heppenheim]])
File:Starkenburg Schlossberg.jpg|''Starkenburg'' with ''Schlossberg'' ([[Heppenheim]])
File:Schloss Weinheim 04.jpg|''[[Weinheim]]'' Castle
File:Burg Windeck (Weinheim).jpg|The ruins of ''Windeck'' ([[Weinheim]])
File:Wachenburg.jpg|''Wachenburg'' near [[Weinheim]] (''Two-Castles-Town'')
File:WEINHEIM_Heidelberger Granitgebiet_658.JPG|''Wachenburg'' (view from ''Hirschkopf''-tower), ''Weißer Stein (lookout tower) in the background''
File:Schriesheim Strahlenburg2.JPG| ''Strahlenburg'' near [[Schriesheim]]
File:Dossenheim_Schauenburg.jpg|The ruins of ''Schauenburg'' in [[Dossenheim]]
File:Birkenau schloss.JPG| [[Birkenau (Odenwald)|Birkenau]] Castle near Weinheim
File:BurgLindenfels.jpg|The ruins of [[Lindenfels]] Castle, ''Bürgerturm'' (tower)
File:Lindenfels_Weschnitztal_824.JPG|View from ''Weschnitztal'' to Lindenfels (left), in the background right of centre: ''Reichenberg'' Castle, left picture margin: ''Neunkircher Höhe''
File: Rodenstein_1.jpg|The ruins of ''Rodenstein'' near [[Fränkisch-Crumbach]] are the setting of a ghost story: ''Rodensteiner'' flies with a berserker-cornet in the night through the air to prophesy the start of a war (see above).
File:Reichelsheim_Schloss Reichenberg_2.jpg|''Reichenberg'' Castle, entrance, near [[Reichelsheim (Odenwald)|Reichelsheim]]
File:Gersprenztal_Böllsteiner_Odenwald.JPG|''Gersprenz''-Valley with Reichenberg
File:Schloss Lichtenberg Blick vom Bollwerk.jpg| ''Lichtenberg'' Castle (Fischbachtal)
File:Nördliche Flasergranitoidzone Reinheimer Bucht.JPG|''Neunkircher Höhe'' with a view to ''Lichtenberg'' Castle (left) and the ''Reinheimer Bucht'': ''Otzberg'' to the right of centre
File:Wilhelm Trübner - Schlosspark in Lichtenberg im Odenwald (1900).jpg|''Castle Grounds in Lichtenberg in Odenwald'', [[Wilhelm Trübner]], 1900. Colección Carmen Thyssen Bornemisza.
File:Otzberg panoramo 2.jpg|extinct volcano ''[[Otzberg]]'' and the old fort ''Veste Otzberg'' with the white tower
File:Schloss Erbach Odenwald.jpg| [[Erbach im Odenwald|Erbach]] Castle
File:Schlossfuerstenau2.jpg|''Fürstenau'' Castle (near [[Michelstadt]]) with decorative gateway arch
File:Bad Koenig Altes Schloss.jpg|Old Castle in [[Bad König]]
File:Burg Breuberg - Breuberg Odenwald.jpg|''Burg [[Breuberg]]'' near Höchst in the summer of 2006
File:Burg Breuberg05.jpg|[[Breuberg]] Castle, keep (Bergfried) and main gate
File:Wildenburg1.JPG|The ruins of ''Wildenberg'' (Kirchzell) from the High Middle Ages,  built in the Staufer era, where [[Wolfram von Eschenbach]] is said to have written parts of his [[Parzival]].
File:Wolfram47.jpg|Portrait of the medieval poet [[Wolfram von Eschenbach]] from the Codex Manesse
File:Burg Wildenberg Kamin 1.jpg|Fireplace in the great hall. In Wolframs ''Parzival'' the author indirectly compares the gigantic fireplace in the ''Grail Castle'' with that of ''Wildenberg'': “so groziu fiwer sit noch e sach niemen hie ze Wildenberc” (line 230,12-13)
File:Burg Freienstein01.jpg|The ruins of ''Freienstein'' near [[Beerfelden]]
File:Waldleiningen.jpg|''Waldleiningen'' Castle in the British-style (near Mudau)
File:Heidelberg corr.jpg|[[Heidelberg]] with [[Heidelberg Castle|Castle]] and the Old Bridge over river [[Neckar]]
File:Neckarsteinach1.JPG|[[Neckarsteinach]] with ''Mittelburg'' (left) and ''Vorderburg'' (in the middle)
File:Neckarsteinach_Vorderburg.JPG|[[Neckarsteinach]]: ''Vorderburg''
File:Neckarsteinach_Mittelburg3.JPG|[[Neckarsteinach]]: ''Mittelburg''
File:Neckarsteinach_Hinterburg1.JPG|[[Neckarsteinach]]: ''Hinterburg''
File:Schadeck-wehrgang.jpg|[[Neckarsteinach]]: The ruins of ''Schwalbennest''
File:Codex Manesse Bligger von Steinach.jpg|The medieval feudal lord and poet (minnesinger) [[Bligger von Steinach]] (Portrait from the Codex Manesse) resided in Steinach (Neckarsteinach)
File:Neckartal.jpg|[[Bergfeste Dilsberg|Dilsberg]] with mountain fort
File:Burgturm Dilsberg.jpg|Tower and wall of Dilsberg near [[Neckarsteinach]]
File:Burg Hirschhorn.jpg|Hirschhorn with Hirschhorn Castle
File:Burg-Eberbach02.jpg|The ruins of [[Eberbach (Baden)|Eberbach]] Castle
File:Burg Zwingenberg 2009.jpg|[[Zwingenberg Castle]] (also called the ''Zwingenburg'') (Zwingenberg/Neckar)
</gallery>

== Music ==
Songs have been written about the Odenwald:
* ''Es steht ein Baum im Odenwald'' (“There Stands a Tree in the Odenwald”)
* ''Tief im Odenwald'' (“Deep in the Odenwald”)
* ''Der Bauer aus dem Odenwald'' (“The Farmer from the Odenwald”)<ref>[http://www.markomannia.org/index.php?pid=liederbuch_lied&liedid=210&PHPSESSID=4eef3c7b3f37ff49ef2eaa617627c05c text and melody] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070928145852/http://www.markomannia.org/index.php?pid=liederbuch_lied&liedid=210&PHPSESSID=4eef3c7b3f37ff49ef2eaa617627c05c |date=2007-09-28 }} on the webpage of the Catholic Student Association Markomannia Münster in the [[Kartellverband katholischer deutscher Studentenvereine|KV]].</ref>

== See also ==
*[[Hessian dialects]]
*Historical territorial allegiances: [[Electorate of the Palatinate]] | [[Archbishopric of Mainz]] | [[Landgraviate of Hesse]] | [[Grand Duchy of Hesse]] | [[People's State of Hesse]] | [[Baden]]

== References ==
{{reflist}}

== Further reading ==

=== Monographs and anthologies ===

* Marco Lichtenberger: ''Saurier aus dem Odenwald''. Jens Seeling Verlag. Frankfurt 2007. {{ISBN|3-938973-04-8}}
* Winfried Wackerfuss (publisher): ''Zu Kultur und Geschichte des Odenwaldes''. 2. unveränderte Auflage 1982. Breuberg-Bund, Breuberg-Neustadt 1982. {{ISBN|3-922903-01-0}}
* Otmar A. Geiger: ''Sagenhafter Odenwald. Ein Führer durch das Reich der Nibelungen zwischen Worms und Würzburg''. Schimper, Schwetzingen 2000. {{ISBN|3-87742-152-0}}
* Georg Bungenstab (publisher): ''Wälder im Odenwald - Wald für die Odenwälder. Dokumente aus 150 Jahren Eberbacher Forstgeschichte''. Staatliches Forstamt Eberbach, Eberbach 1999, 288 S.
* Heinz Bischof: ''Odenwald''. 3., überarbeitete Auflage. Goldstadtverlag, Pforzheim 2004. {{ISBN|3-89550-313-4}}
* Thomas Biller/Achim Wendt: ''Burgen und Schlösser im Odenwald. Ein Führer zu Geschichte und Architektur''. Schnell & Steiner, Regensburg 2005. {{ISBN|3-7954-1711-2}}
* Andreas Stieglitz: ''Wandern im Odenwald und an der Bergstraße''. Aus der Reihe DuMont aktiv. DuMont Reiseverlag, Ostfildern 2005. {{ISBN|3-7701-5015-5}}.
* Seipel, Herbert Stephan: ''Faszination Odenwald. Eine Bilderreise zur Kulturgeschichte des Odenwaldes.'' Verlag Regionalkultur, Ubstadt-Weiher 2004. {{ISBN|978-3-89735-140-0}}
* Keller, Dieter/Keller, Uwe/Türk, Rainer: ''Der Odenwald zwischen Himmel und Erde.'' Verlag Regionalkultur, Ubstadt-Weiher 2003. {{ISBN|978-3-89735-187-5}}

=== Periodicals ===

* Breuberg-Bund (publisher): ''Beiträge zur Erforschung des Odenwaldes und seiner Randlandschaften''. Breuberg-Bund, Breuberg-Neustadt 1977 ff.
* Breuberg-Bund (publisher): ''Der Odenwald''. Vierteljahreszeitschrift des Breuberg-Bundes mit Beiträgen zur Geschichte, Volkskunde, Kunstgeschichte und Geographie des Odenwaldes und seiner Randlandschaften. Breuberg-Bund, Breuberg-Neustadt 1953 ff.
* Kreisarchiv des Odenwaldkreises (publisher): ''Gelurt. Odenwälder Jahrbuch für Kultur und Geschichte''. Odenwaldkreis, Erbach 1994 ff.
* Arbeitsgemeinschaft der Geschichts- und Heimatvereine im Kreis Bergstrasse (publisher): ''Geschichtsblätter Kreis Bergstraße''. Laurissa, Lorsch 1971 ff.

=== The Odenwald in Literature ===

* Adolf Schmitthenner: ''Das deutsche Herz''. 3. Auflage. Stadt Hirschhorn, Hirschhorn, 1999. {{ISBN|3-927409-00-6}} (first edition 1927)
* Werner Bergengrün: ''Das Buch Rodenstein''. 3. Auflage. Insel, Frankfurt am Main 2002. {{ISBN|3-458-33493-9}} (first edition 1908)
* Adam Karrillon: Michael Hely. Reprint der 2. Auflage (Grote'sche Verlagsbuchhandlung, Berlin 1904) im Verlag Gustav Aderhold, Pfungstadt 1979.
* Georg Schäfer: Die Falschmünzer im Weschnitztal oder Die silbernen Glocken von Mörlenbach. Reprint der Ausgabe von 1896 im Verlag Herbert A. Kammer Rimbach.

== External links ==
* [http://www.odenwald.de Odenwald – Official page of Odenwald-Regional-Gesellschaft (OREG)] {{in lang|de}}
* [http://www.geo-naturpark.de/ UNESCO Geo-Park – Official page of Geo-Naturpark Bergstraße-Odenwald] {{in lang|de}}
* [http://www.odenwaldklub.de/ Odenwaldklub – Official page of Odenwaldklub] {{in lang|de}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20061008084532/http://www.odenwald.de/leader/ Regionalentwicklung Odenwald – Official page of Interessengemeinschaft Odenwald e.V. (IGO)] {{in lang|de}}

{{German Central Uplands}}

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[[Category:Mountain ranges of Hesse]]
[[Category:Global Geoparks Network members]]
[[Category:Forests and woodlands of Bavaria]]
[[Category:Geoparks in Germany]]
[[Category:Forests and woodlands of Baden-Württemberg]]
[[Category:Regions of Baden-Württemberg]]
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