Hesselberg

Hesselberg
Morning view of Hesselberg from the West
Highest point
Elevation	689 m (2,260 ft)
Prominence	233 metres (764 ft)
Isolation	34 kilometres (21 mi)
Coordinates	49°04′12″N 10°31′37″E / 49.07000°N 10.52694°E / 49.07000; 10.52694Coordinates: 49°04′12″N 10°31′37″E / 49.07000°N 10.52694°E / 49.07000; 10.52694
Naming
Pronunciation	German: [ˈhɛsəlbɛɐ̯k]
Geography
Hesselberg Location in Germany
Location	Middle Franconia, Germany
Parent range	Franconian Jura

Hesselberg (689 m above sea level) is the highest point in Middle Franconia and the Franconian Jura and is situated 60 km south west of Nuremberg, Germany. The mountain stands isolated and far from the center of the Franconian Jura, in its southwestern border region, 4 km to the north west of Wassertrüdingen. The mountain's first recorded name was Öselberg, which probably derived from öder Berg (bleak mountain). This name later changed to Eselsberg and finally to the current name Hesselberg. As a butte the mountain provides an insight into Jurassic geology. It has also witnessed an eventful history, many incidents were handed down from generation to generation and these mixed with facts have become legends. Nowadays many people visit Hesselberg in order to enjoy nature and the wonderful vista. When the weather is clear the Alps 150 km away can be seen.

The mountain has a length of approximately 6 km and an average width of 1 to 2 km. All of its slopes except for those on the southern side are covered with coniferous or mixed forest. On the upper slopes, and especially on the eastern slope of the Röckinger mountain, there are large areas of deciduous forest. The upper part of the prominent southern side is free of forest. On the southern and north-eastern slopes there are large areas of neglected grassland with their typical juniper bushes. Hesselberg can be divided into 5 sections along its center-line (see panorama image).

Hesselberg is amongst the most important geotopes in Bavaria. On September 24, 2005 it was awarded the cachet Bayerns schönste Geotope (Bavarian's most beautiful geotopes) by Georg Schlapp (director of the Bavarian Environmental Protection Office) in the course of a ceremony.

200 million years ago the Jurassic sea extended from the North Sea basin far to the South and covered the late Triassic land. At that time the Hesselberg region was on the border of that sea. Many affluxes brought huge masses of rubble from the eastern mainland and formed a multilayer seafloor, which had a rich flora and fauna. During more than 40 million years the different layers of Jurassic rock consecutively deposited: the Black Jurassic at the bottom, the Brown Jurassic above, and the White Jurassic at the top. Each of these layers is characterised by the typical rock and embedded fossils that are specific for each era. Because certain fossils are solely found in certain layers, they are referred to as index fossils. In Jurassic rock ammonites are the index fossils. In the course of time the Jurassic sea silted up completely. Because during the Early Jurassic Hesselberg was located in a sheltered basin it was not as eroded by wind and water as the plain between the mountain and the Hahnenkamm. The hard rock resisted erosion and left Hesselberg as a distinctive Zeugenberg rising above the landscape like an island. This kind of mountain-formation is known as inverted relief.