Fichtel Mountain Horseshoe

High Fichtel (Hohes Fichtelgebirge)
Location of the High Fichtel
Highest point
Peak	Schneeberg
Elevation	1,051 m above NN
Geography
The High Fichtel within northeastern Bavaria
State	Bavaria, extreme east of the Czech Republic
Range coordinates	50°03′00″N 11°51′00″E / 50.05000°N 11.85000°E / 50.05000; 11.85000Coordinates: 50°03′00″N 11°51′00″E / 50.05000°N 11.85000°E / 50.05000; 11.85000
Parent range	Thuringian-Franconian Highlands

The High Fichtel Mountains (German: Hohes Fichtelgebirge), or High Fichtel, form a mountainous and heavily forested range consisting of several mountain chains in the shape of a horseshoe, the Fichtel Mountain Horseshoe (Fichtelgebirgs-Hufeisen), that rings the Selb-Wunsiedel Plateau.

As a natural region the High Fichtel Mountains are major unit 394 within the major unit group of the Thuringian-Franconian Highlands (39), that run from the Thuringian Forest to the Fichtel Mountains. Since September 2010 there is a new system for classifying the natural regions of northeast Bavaria, whereby the natural region of the High Fichtel only covers the central mountain region of the Scheeberg, Ochsenkopf and Kösseine, whilst the Waldstein ridge, the Steinwald and lower parts of the horseshoe represent special subordinate natural regions of the Fichtel Mountains.

The High Fichtel Mountains begin in the northeast at the Kornberg, continue via the Waldstein, Schneeberg, Ochsenkopf and Königsheide in the southwest to the Kösseine, then over the Steinwald and Reichsforst to the Kohlwald in the southeast.

In the geomorphological division of the neighbouring Czech Republic, the Asch Hills (German: Ascher Hügelland; Czech: Ašská vrchovina), the Haslau Hills (Haslauer Hügelland or Hazlovská pahorkatina) and the Eger Hills (Egerer Hügelland or Chebská pahorkatina) are counted as part of the (High) Fichtel range.