Rhön Mountains

Rhön Mountains
View from the Soisberg looking south towards the Rhön
Highest point
Peak	Wasserkuppe
Elevation	950 m (3,120 ft)
Dimensions
Length	70 km (43 mi)
Area	1,860 km2 (720 sq mi)
Geography
Physical overview of the Rhön Mountains
Country	Germany
States/Provinces	Hesse, Bavaria and Thuringia
Range coordinates	50°31′N 10°02′E / 50.52°N 10.04°E / 50.52; 10.04Coordinates: 50°31′N 10°02′E / 50.52°N 10.04°E / 50.52; 10.04
Parent range	East Hessian Highlands
Geology
Orogeny	Low mountains
Age of rock	250 - 23 mya
Type of rock	Bunter sandstone, Muschelkalk, Keuper, Vulcanite

The Rhön Mountains (German: Die Rhön) are a group of low mountains (or Mittelgebirge) in central Germany, located around the border area where the states of Hesse, Bavaria and Thuringia come together. These mountains, which are at the extreme southeast end of the East Hesse Highlands (Osthessisches Bergland), are partly a result of ancient volcanic activity. They are separated from the Vogelsberg Mountains by the river Fulda and its valley. The highest mountain in the Rhön is the Wasserkuppe (950.2 metres (3,117 ft)) which is in Hesse. The Rhön Mountains are a popular tourist destination and walking area.

The name Rhön is often thought to derive from the Celtic word raino (=hilly), but numerous other interpretations are also possible. Records of the monks at Fulda Abbey from the Middle Ages describe the area around Fulda as well as more distant parts of the Rhön as Buchonia, the land of ancient beech woods. In the Middle Ages beech was an important raw material. Large scale wood clearing resulted in the "land of open spaces" (Land der offenen Fernen), 30% of which, today, is forested.

Lying within the states of Hesse, Bavaria and Thuringia, the Rhön is bounded by the Knüll to the northwest, the Thuringian Forest to the northeast, the Grabfeld to the southeast, Lower Franconia to the south, the Spessart forest to the southwest and the Vogelsberg mountains to the west.