Belchen | |
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The Belchen and its bare summit, seen from the Blauen
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Highest point | |
Elevation | 1,414 m (4,639 ft) |
Prominence | 379 m (1,243 ft) |
Isolation | 13.5 km (8.4 mi) |
Parent peak | Feldberg |
Coordinates | 47°49′21″N 7°50′01″E / 47.82250°N 7.83361°ECoordinates: 47°49′21″N 7°50′01″E / 47.82250°N 7.83361°E |
Geography | |
Location | Germany |
Parent range | Black Forest |
The Belchen, 1,414 metres (4,639 ft), or Black Forest Belchen (German: Schwarzwälder Belchen) is the fourth highest summit of the Black Forest after the Feldberg, Seebuck and the Herzogenhorn. The municipalities of Münstertal, Schönenberg and Kleines Wiesental meet on the summit dome of the Belchen which is located in the southwest German state of Baden-Württemberg.
The domed, treeless summit has a striking profile that, seen from the Upper Rhine Plain, is almost symmetrical. Belchen (Celtic: the radiant) is a name also used for other high points in the neighbouring mountains, including two that are especially striking when covered with snow. Together with the Black Forest Belchen, they form the so-called Belchen Triangle: to the west on the French side of the Upper Rhine Plain is the Alsatian Belchen (Elsässer Belchen) or Ballon d'Alsace in the Vosges; to the south on the southern side of the Upper Rhine is the Swiss Belchen (Schweizer Belchen), the Belchenflue. In addition, within sight in the Alsace in the Vosges are the Great Belchen (Großer) and Little Belchen (Kleiner Belchen), or Grand and Petit Ballon which, together with the others belong to the so-called Belchen System.