The Eifel is part of theRhenish Massif; within its northern portions lies theEifel National Park. TheEifelian stage in geological history is named after the region because rocks of that period reach the surface in the Eifel at the Wetteldorf Richtschnitt outcrop.
The inhabitants of the Eifel are known asEiflers[1] orEifelers.[2]
The Eifel lies between the cities ofAachen to the north,Trier to the south andKoblenz to the east. It descends in the northeast along a line from Aachen viaDüren toBonn into theLower Rhine Bay. In the east and south it is bounded by the valleys of theRhine and theMoselle. To the west it transitions in Belgium and Luxembourg into the geologically relatedArdennes and the LuxembourgÖsling. In the north it is limited by theJülich-Zülpicher Börde. Within Germany it lies within the states of Rhineland-Palatinate and North Rhine-Westphalia; in theBenelux the area ofEupen,St. Vith and Luxembourg. Its highest point is the volcanic cone of theHohe Acht (746.9 m; 2,450 ft). Originally the CarolingianEifelgau only covered the smaller region roughly around the sources of the riversAhr,Kyll,Urft andErft. Its name was more recently transferred to the entire region.
The Eifel belongs to that part of the Rhenish Massif whose rolling plateau is categorised aspeneplain highland (Rumpfhochland), which was formed by theerosion of the ancient mountains of theVariscan mountain building phase and subsequent further uplifting. Individual mountain chains, up to 700 m (2,300 ft), such as theSchneifel andHigh Fens, run through the western part of the plateau. In the eastern part, in theHigh Eifel andVolcanic Eifel, individualcinder cones and basaltkuppen, like theHohe Acht and theErnstberg, emerged as a result ofvolcanicity in theTertiary andQuaternary periods and rise above the undulating countryside.
The rivers draining into theMoselle,Rhine andMeuse, such as theOur,Kyll,Ahr,Brohlbach andRur, have cut deep into the edge of the Eifel and formed larger valleys.
The Eifel covers an area of 5,300 km2 (2,000 sq mi) and is geographically divided into the North and South Eifel. It is further divided into several natural regional landscapes, some with further subdivisions.
There are several distinct chains within the Eifel:
The northernmost parts are calledNorth Eifel ("Nordeifel") includingRur Eifel the origin of the river Rur,High Fens ("Hohes Venn") and the Limestone Eifel (Kalkeifel).
The northeastern part is calledAhr Hills[3] (German:Ahrgebirge) and rise north of theAhr river in the district ofAhrweiler.
South of the Ahr is theHigh Eifel[3] (Hohe Eifel), with theHohe Acht (747 m) being the highest mountain of the Eifel.
In the west, on theBelgian border, the hills are known asSchneifel (part of theSchnee-Eifel or "Snowy Eifel"), rising up to 698 m (2,290 ft). Also in the west, by the Belgian andLuxembourg border, the region is known asIslek (Aquilania).
The southern half of the Eifel is lower. It is cut by several rivers running north–south towards the Moselle. The largest of these is theKyll, and the hills on either side of this river are called theKyllwald.
In the south the Eifel is concluded by theVoreifel above the Moselle.
Since 2004, about 110 km2 (42 sq mi) of the Eifel within the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia have been protected as theEifel National Parknature reserve.
Up to 1960, the German part of the Eifel, which belonged to the natural region of theRhenish Massif, was, according to theHandbook of the Natural Region Divisions of Germany, divided into threemajor unit (i.e. two-digit) groups and these were subdivided into (three-digit) major natural units.[4][5] These divisions were subsequently refined in theindividual map sheetsTrier/Mettendorf,Cochem (both 1974) andCologne/Aachen (1978) as follows;[6][7][8] for the most detailed natural region divisions in Rhineland-Palatinate, fact files were produced by the state information system of the conservation administration (LANDIS):[9][10][11]
Apart from its valleys, the Eifel is a gently rolling plateau from which elongated mountain ridges and individual mountains rise. The majority of these summits do not attain a great height above the surrounding terrain. Several, however, like theSchwarzer Mann in theSchnee-Eifel, stand out from a long way off as long, forested ridges or clearly isolated mountaintops.
The highest mountain in the whole Eifel is theHohe Acht at 746.9 m. It is the only Eifel summit above 700 m. However, many peaks, mountain ridges and large regions, such as theZitterwald reach heights of over 600 m. These include two dozen peaks with good all-round views, of which many have anobservation tower. From north to south they are: the Michelsberg, Häuschen and Teufelsley in the north; the Adert, Hohe Acht and Raßberg in the northeast; the Hochkel, Nerotherkopf, Dietzenley and ruins of theKasselburg in the central area; the Prümer Kalvarienberg, Hartkopf and Prümer Kopf in the east, the Steineberg and Mäuseberg near Daun, the Hochsimmer and Scheidkopf near Mayen; the Eickelslay and Absberg in the southeast; and the Krautscheid and Hohe Kuppe in the southwest.
The mountains and hills of the Eifel include the following (in order of height in metres abovesea level):
The PrümUpper basin of the Rur Reservoir betweenEinruhr andRurberg
Due to its moist and mild Atlantic climate, the Eifel is bisected by numerous streams and small rivers. Impoundment of these streams, especially in the North Eifel has led to the creation of very largereservoir, such as theRursee, which is the second largest in Germany by volume, and theUrftsee.
A feature of the Eifel are its natural lakes of volcanic origin. The largest, theLaacher See, is a collapsed, water-filledcaldera, whilst the manymaars are water-filled volcanic eruption bowls. The largest maar lake is thePulvermaar. TheMeerfelder Maar has an even bigger basin, but three-quarters of it has silted up.
The many rivers and streams of the Eifel drain into theNorth Sea via the great rivers outside of the Eifel: theRhine (and its tributary, theMoselle) and theMeuse (with its tributaries, theRur andOurthe). The rivers and streams within the mountain range, together with their larger tributaries, are as follows:
Despite the interesting geology of the Eifel region, only three comprehensive geological accounts have been produced.[34] In 1822, Johann Steiniger published the first geological map of the area and, in 1853, theGeognostische Beschreibung der Eifel.[35] In 1915Otto Follmann published a new account, adding to the extent of scientific understanding at that time, theAbriss der Geologie der Eifel ("Abstract of the geology of the Eifel region".[34][36] In 1986, Wilhelm Meyer finally published the volume,Geologie der Eifel ("Geology of the Eifel"), whose fourth, revised, edition is now regarded as the standard work on the geology of the Eifel.[34][37]
The Eifel and its western continuation into Belgium, theArdennes, are the remains of aVariscantruncated upland, much of it 400 million years old, that is part of theRhenish Massif (Rheinisches Schiefergebirge). In the area of the Stavelot-Venn Saddle (Hohes Venn) are the oldest layers of rock, which originate from theCambrian and are around 550 million years old. The Eifel is one of the few volcanically active areas of Germany, as is evinced by numerous discharges ofcarbonic acid, for example into theLaacher See. The last eruptions, which gave rise to the most recentmaars, occurred about 11,000 years ago.
Darkargillaceous slate of the Siegen stage (deep Lower Devonian, between 410 and 405 million years old), near Monschau in the northern EifelTheRichelsley, an erosion remnant of conglomerates of the Gedinne stage (deepest Lower Devonian, c. 415 million years old), west of Monschau in theBelgian Eifel
Thebasement in the Eifel, as in the other regions of theRhenish Massif, consists mainly ofDevonianslates,sandstones andlimestones, laid down in an ocean south of theOld Red Continent[38] and folded and overthrust in the Variscan orogeny. Only on the northern edge of the Eifel, in the High Fens and its environs, do older rocks from theCambrian andOrdovician outcrop. Rocks of theCarboniferous do not occur in the Eifel itself, but lie along its northern boundary in the region ofAachen.
The Devonian rocks were deposited in anoceanic basin, in which erosion debris was washed in from the north from the great north continent ofEuramerica (Laurussia or theOld Red Continent) which was formed byCaledonian mountain building during theSilurian. From the end of theLower Carboniferous the sea basin was caught up in theVariscan mountain building process, pushed together and uplifted, and thus formed part of the Variscan mountain system that, in the Upper Carboniferous andearly Permian, covered large areas of Europe.
The Eifel geological structures like mainfolds andoverthrusts can be traced in a southwest–northeast direction far beyond the Rhine valley.
Since that folding, the Eifel has largely remained part of the mainland. During thePermian, after the end of the uplifting, the Variscan mountains were heavily eroded, leaving only a relatively flat, truncated upland. For a short time, and only partially, this was later flooded by the sea.
Depositions from theTriassic andJurassic periods have survived in the so-called Eifel North-South Zone. This is a region ofsubsidence, which runs from theTrier Bay in the south to theLower Rhine Bay in the north. Through this zone existed at one time a sea link between north and south Central Europe. The remains of the sediments laid down at this time have survived to a greater extent in theMaubach-Mechernich Triassic Triangle in the north and in theOberbettingen Triassic Graben in the area aroundHillesheim andOberbettingen.
In the UpperCretaceous and during theTertiary, the Eifel was inundated mainly from the north. Remains of Cretaceous rocks were discovered on the High Fens. Scattered patches ofOligocene deposits can be found there and in the Western Eifel.
From thePliocene onwards, the Rhenish Massif, including the Eifel, experienced an uplift. This led to the streams and rivers cutting into the gently rolling landscape resulting in the present appearance of the low mountain range with its flat plateaus and deeply incised valleys.
Due to numerous recent research projects, climate changes since thelast ice age can be traced in detail in the Eifel region.[39]
The Laacher See in winter seen from the southwestern shoreThe Weinfelder Maar
Volcanic activity in the Eifel began 50 million years ago and continues into the geological present. It created numerous volcanic structures, lava flows and extensive layers of volcanicejecta made oftuff andpumice, which have formed the basis of a significant mining activity for the extraction of building materials since Roman times. Some of the hills are volcanic vents. The peculiar circle-shaped lakes (maars) of the volcanic regions formed in volcanic craters.
The first volcanic eruptions took place in the earlyTertiary centred in the High Eifel and even before the volcanic activity of theSiebengebirge andWesterwald. Volcanism in the High Eifel came to an end about 15 to 20 million years ago, at the same time as that of the Siebengebirge.
Volcanism in the western and eastern Eifel is, in contrast to that of the High Eifel, much more recent than that of the Siebengebirge and Westerwald. It began in the West Eifel region of Daun, Hillesheim and Gerolstein about 700,000 years ago and created a chain of ash volcanoes,cinder cones,maars and craters running in a chain from northwest to southeast. The youngest maars are only slightly older than 11,000 years.
In the eastern Eifel, volcanism began about 500,000 years ago in the area of today's Laacher See; it extended to the Neuwied Basin to the south, and crossed the Rhine to the east. The quantity ofbasalt lavas, pumice tuffs and ash tuffs produced by the volcanoes was far greater here than in the western Eifel. East Eifel volcanism came to an end with a huge eruption, as a result of which themagma chamber emptied and collapsed, creating acaldera. Today'sLaacher See formed in the caldera. The ashes from the eruption can be detected today in deposits all over Central Europe and as far asBornholm as a thin layer.[40]
Volcanism is caused bymagma, which either rises directly to the Earth's surface from the upper regions of theEarth's mantle or, in the majority of cases, gathers in a magma chamber, several tens of kilometres deep, at the base of theEarth's crust, from which magma rises at irregular intervals and causes volcanic eruptions.[41] Volcanism in the Eifel is thought to be partly caused by theEifel hotspot, a place where hot material from deep in themantle rises to the surface, and partly by melt-ascent at deepfractures in the Earth's crust.[42] Research has shown that the volcanism is still active; the Eifel region is rising by 1–2 mm per year and there are escaping gases, for example,carbon dioxide (CO2) in theLaacher See.
The Eifel is in the Atlantic climate zone with its relatively high precipitation; winters that are moderately cold and long with periods of snow; and summers that are often humid and cool. The prevailingwind is west/southwest. A relatively dry and milder climate prevails in the wind and rain shadow of the High Eifel. Cold air from Siberia in the higher elevations of the Eifel has less of an impact on weather conditions, as the proximity of the Atlantic Ocean to the Eifel brings milder sea air to the Eifel even in winter.
Looking at the long-term averages, even theSnow Eifel only has snow cover for nine consecutive days in winter, as there are no longer lasting cold spells. However, there is an average of 70 days of full snow cover because the frequency of snow at higher elevations is relatively high (for comparison:Bitburg 35 days,Maifeld 30 days), but the level of snowfall varies from year to year. Snow heights vary on average between 15 cm and 60 cm. The humid Atlantic climate can cause extreme variations though: on 2 March 1987 there were 227 cm (89 in) of snow in the Eifel on theWeißer Stein.
The mean temperature in the coldest month (January) is −1.5 °C (29.3 °F) at high elevations, +1.5 to 2 °C (34.7–35.6 °F) in the mountain foreland. There is an average of 110 days of frost, with temperatures below freezing (0 °C; 32 °F) in the highlands and an average of 30 to 40 'ice days' when temperatures do not rise above freezing. The warmest month (July) only has an average temperature of 14 °C (57 °F) in the higher areas. The level of precipitation decreases significantly from west to east as a result of therain shadow of the highlands. So theSchneifel receives an average of 1,200 mm (47 in) of precipitation (High Fens: 1,400 to 1,500 mm; 55–59 in), while in Maifeld the average rainfall is only 600 mm (24 in).
The bioclimatic conditions in the Eifel are favourable. Heat stress and air humidity are rarely present in summer. The Eifel has a distinctly stimulating climate; the high elevations being considered as highly stimulating. The Eifel is a clean air area with very low air-chemical pollution. On hot sunny days, there is sometimes an increased concentration of ground-level ozone.
Below are two weather station examples for settlements in the Eifel.
Climate data for Nürburg, 485 m asl (1981–2010 normals)
At the time of theRoman Empire the whole mountain range between the rivers Rhine, Meuse and Moselle was calledArduenna silva ("high forest").[46] The oldest record of the name "Eifel" does not occur until theEarly Middle Ages. Following the collapse of theWestern Roman Empire, theFrankish Empire emerged in the territories of present-day France and western Germany. This was divided intogaue (Lat.:pagi). One of them, theEifelgau, covered the source regions of the riversErft,Urft,Kyll andAhr, i.e. predominantly the northern and northwestern foothills of the present Eifel in the eastern half of theArduenna silva of the Romans.[47] West of the Eifelgau lay theArdennengau, whose name was derived fromArduenna silva.
Following the end of the Frankish Empire the name of the oldgaue continued to be used in popular language. Over the centuries an ever-larger region was referred to as the Eifel. Today the whole German-speaking part of the range between the Rhine, Meuse and Moselle is called the Eifel (including several areas outside of Germany, see the → Belgian Eifel), while the French-speaking part in Belgium and France is called theArdennes.
Müller/Schnetz (1937) believe that an-n- has dropped out between thediphthong and thesyllable,-fel. The resulting root formAnfil orAnfali would then mean an "area that is not so level".An- would then be a prefix and-fali, which is related to the Slavicpolje ("field"), means "plain" or "heath".
W. Kaspers (1938) deduces from the surviving formin pago aquilinse the root formaku-ella, akwella and points to its development into the name "Eifel" in the following sequence:aquila >agfla >aifla >eifla >Eifel.Akuella derives from the pre-German and means "land with summits" or "land with peaks".
Both propositions, like several others, are highly contentious. The most convincing proposal is that of Heinrich Dittmaier (1961).[48] Dittmaier initially derives it from the GermanicAi-fil. The second component corresponds toVille, which is the name of a ridge between the Erft, Swist and Rhine today. The variantsVele,Vile andViele may often be found in place names such asVeler Weg orVeler Pfad. Unlike the modern wordVille the fricative consonant is hard in "Eifel". Responsible for that was probably a sound betweenai- and-fil, which was assimilated by thef, possiblyf,k,ch,d,t. Dittmaier believes the missing sound was ak orch, whereby "Eifel" originally went back toAik-fil.Aik/Aich is also a name for oak (Eiche) and qualifies the root wordville. On the basis that it was covered by oak trees, the Eifel (= Eich-Ville) could thus be distinguished from the otherVille, a name still used today, on the Erft. However, the original, historical and even current vegetation of the present dayVille is dominated by oak mixed forest.
The meaning of "Ville" is also disputed. Dittmaier gives three possible explanations: "marshy region", "plain, heath" and "heathland", which would all bring geology and vegetation into harmony.
Another proposal sees the name as even older and possibly of Celtic origin. Near Cologne, an altar was found, which was dedicated toMatronae Aufaniae Celtic goddesses which were honoured by flowing water. The thesis that the name "Eifel" was derived from this source is not conclusive, but it is persuasive; Eifel would then mean "land of water" or "watery mountains".[49]
Excavations show that iron was already being worked by theIron Age "Hunsrück-Eifel culture" to which the Eifel gives its name. The first smelting hut north of the Alps was built during theLa Tène period in the 5th century BC inHillesheim. NearBitburg there is an iron smelting site in which metal was smelted and worked in an almost industrial manner during the Roman period. In Roman times, the Eifel was an important economic region. Its mineral resources (lead,zinc spar, iron, limestone and stones for construction) were mined, and trade benefited from long-distanceRoman communication routes such as theRoman road from Trier to Cologne, which crossed the Eifel.
In the late Middle Ages, the Eifel was a border area between the Archbishoprics ofElectoral Cologne andElectoral Trier, theCounty of Luxembourg and theDuchy of Jülich. This explains the large number of castles, now lying in ruins, which had been built mainly for the purpose of guarding the border. Through skillful politics, several smaller principalities and abbey estates were able to acquire their independence, for example the House ofManderscheid-Blankenheim, the County ofSalm-Reifferscheid andPrüm Abbey.
The mining and smelting works, with their demand forpit props andcharcoal forsmelting, the great demand for construction timber and firewood and theshipbuilding industry which was widespread until the 19th century, led to an almost complete deforestation of the woods. In fact, around 1800, the Eifel must be imagined as a landscape of meadows and heathland, where animals, especially flocks of sheep, grazed. At the same time, the population was becoming increasingly impoverished because the poor arable land did not yield rich harvests. Even after the decline of mining and smelting operations after the mid-19th century, the situation of the population did not improve. In addition, the Eifel was a marching route for French troops to all kinds of theatres of war. They demanded "forage money" from the local population, which just caused further impoverishment, as the records ofKottenheim show.
Prussian rule began in 1815, but little changed in terms of social conditions: The Eifel, as a poor peripheral region of the empire ("Prussian Siberia"), was only of interest for military reasons. For Prussian officials and officers, mainly Protestants, a posting to the purely Catholic Eifel region was like a punishment sentence. However, the landscape changed as Prussia carried out systematic reforestation, albeit with coniferous trees that were not typical of the region.
In the 19th century, the Eifel region suffered severe famines, especially in 1816/17, 1847 and 1879/80, and an 1853 memorandum records that"Many Eifel inhabitants know no food other than potatoes and bread that consists of a mixture of oatmeal and potato. It can be said without exaggeration that two thirds of the entire population only enjoy meat once a year." The consequences of the terrible food situation were only too obvious:"In 1852, only 10% of all those liable to enlistment were fit for military service.".“[50]
Due to its barren soils and the harsh climate, which led time and again to poor harvests, many farmers were in debt. According to reports of the winter of starvation in 1879/80, however, there was a wave of solidarity in theReich, and in 1883 the "Eifel Fund" was established, through which, within 18 years, 5.5 millionsReichsmarks were raised forland improvement, for theafforestation of barren land and forland consolidation..[50]
For a long time, economic development was hampered by the poor condition of roads and tracks. However, due to its border location between the German Empire, Belgium and Luxembourg (as march routes to France), manyrailway lines were built since thefoundation of the German Empire, which servedmilitary-strategic purposes. This improvement of the transport routes also boosted tourism. The construction of theNürburgring also served the purpose of economic development in the 1920s.
The border region of the Eifel was also not spared by theSecond World War. The construction of theSiegfried Line was followed, from September 1944 to January 1945, by violentbattles and theArdennes Offensive, especially in the northern Eifel, which still bears witness to the legacy of the war: ruins of old bunkers and parts of tank barriers. Especially in theBattle of the Hürtgen Forest, where the battle with the highest losses was fought in the west, military cemeteries - such as in Vossenack - bear witness to the brutal events of the war.
Much of the Eifel has limited infrastructure and there are almost no large industrial areas. Only in thePellenz in theNeuwied Basin is there a stronger industrial presence. Agriculture is restricted to certain valleys and the lower levels (particularly in parts of thesouthern Eifel, thePre-Eifel and theMaifeld). A large number of farms have been converted into stabling facilities, some of which offer overnight accommodation and horse care fortrail riders.
Wine-growing is a major activity along the Rhine, Moselle and Ahr valleys and in theWittlich Basin. In the Wittlich Basin,tobacco is also grown. AtHolsthum in the Prüm valley, in the lee of theFerschweiler Plateau,hops are grown for theBitburger Brewery. However, at high altitudes in the Eifel, only forestry and dairy farming are generally possible.
Mining is still carried out in the Eifel region. InMayen the firm of Rathscheck Schiefer minesroofing slates in the Moselle slate mines of Katzenberg and Margareta, andgypsum inRalingen on the RiverSauer near the border with Luxembourg. In the South Eifel, especially in the Wehrer Bowl, volcaniccarbonic acid is extracted.
In many places in the Eifel region, the mining ofpumice,basalt and other rocks and minerals has a long tradition. For example, between Daun, Gerolstein and Hillesheim – i.e. in the heart of theVolcanic Eifel – there are 17 active pits over an area of 11 by 12 km (6.8 by 7.5 mi). Residents and local authorities affected by the planned expansion (as of July 2012) have practically no influence over it because it is based on the oldmining law.[51]
There is evidence thatiron was being processed in the Eifel by theIron Age. The first smelting works north of theAlps was built during theLa Tène period in the 5th century BC inHillesheim.[52] NearBitburg there is an iron smeltery where, during theRoman period, the metal was being smelted and worked almost in an industrial way. So by then the Eifel was already an important economic area. Its mineral resources (lead,zinc spar,iron,lime and rocks for construction) were mined and trade benefited fromRoman roads such as theRoman road from Trier to Cologne, which crossed the Eifel.
The abundance oftimber, which was needed for smelting, and of watercourses, which were indispensable for the preparation and operation ofhammer mills andbellows, made it possible for the Eifel to be an important supra-regional economic area even in the late Middle Ages. About 10% of the iron produced inEurope originated from the Eifel. It was traded at the markets inTrier andCologne.[53]
Well known are the manymineral springs, which occur frequently here because of the region's volcanic past. The largest bottlers areGerolsteiner Brunnen andApollinaris. One of the largest German breweries,Bitburger, has its headquarters and production facilities inBitburg in the Eifel.
The economic importance oftourism has increased since theSecond World War; and it was further encouraged, for example, by the Eifel's designation as anational park (theEifel National Park) on 1 January 2004, as well as the natural history infrastructure in the Volcanic Eifel. Furthermore, theEifel Park and severalmaars and lakes are popular tourist destinations. In winter, in some of the highlands, there are opportunities for winter sports, e.g. at theSchwarzer Mann nearPrüm, theWeißer Stein nearHellenthal or inRohren nearMonschau. A well known destination for motorsport fans is theNürburgring with its famousNordschleife. Anothertouristic andgeological destination is theGerman Volcano Road, which links the attractions of theVulkanland Eifel Geopark. There are also numerous mountains and hills with good viewing points as well as severalholiday routes. Hiking tourism is also of considerable economic importance, as is reflected in the increasing number of overnight stays for hiking guests and the progressive expansion of the network of trails. In addition to theEifelsteig trail, which was opened in 2009 and runs fromAachen toTrier across the Eifel, there is a wide network of themed and circular walks.[54][55]
As a traditionally isolated land, in which the population kept a quiet and simple way of life, the Eifel offered fertile soil for lively folk poetry. Thesagas,legends andfairy tales, which were told on long winter evenings in the farmhouse parlours, often reflect a longing for a better world, which stood in contrast to the found reality of life. The Eifel also repeatedly offered material for numerous literary and regional studies works - from the Eifel and about the Eifel.[56]
Eifelmentality andhumour were reflected in numerousanecdotes andjokes. Figures of fun and Eifel characters are brought to life in these stories. TheDahnener Sprünge have become famous beyond the region. A love of jokes and ridicule of one's neighbours may have formed motives for these popular stories of Eifel fools. In addition, there are countless horror stories ofwitches,undead,headless riders,revenants andwerewolves, which – like those in the neighbouring Ardennes region – survived into the 20th century.
Folk poetry of the Eifel was collected early on. Inspired byRomanticism, in which folklore was seen as a rich source of unadulterated motifs and forms, collections of stories and adaptations of Eifel folk tales emerged. Among the most illuminating collections is the poetic guide through the Eifel region by chaplain, Johann Heydinger. Prominent authors such asAdelbert von Chamisso,Guido Görres,Karl Simrock,Ernst Moritz Arndt andFriedrich Schlegel rank amongst the early Eifel authors.
During the 1920s scientific interest in folk culture also gave impetus to the collection of folk poetry. The most prominent collector was Bonn professor of folklore, Matthias Zender, who was born in Zendscheid and who, as a student between 1929 and 1936, collected about 10,000 stories, folk tales and jokes from the Eifel/Ardennes region, of which 2,000 were published.
Scary stories from the Eifel region were collected and partly published by headmaster, Heinrich Hoffmann, fromDüren in 1900 and also by Zender in the 1930s. Peter Kremer published a collection of such stories with a commentary in 2003 in a Düren publication.[57]
Well-known historical works of the Eifel are theEiflia illustrata oder geographische und historische Beschreibung der Eifel byJohann Friedrich Schannat, published in the 17th century, translated, supplemented and re-edited in 1824 by Georg Bärsch; and theEiflia sacra, also edited by Schannat and re-edited in 1888 by Carl Schorn.
The first recognised Eifel poet was Peter Zirbes, a wanderingstoneware trader fromNiederkail. He was the author of simple poems in theEifel dialect, which he published in 1852. In 2010, Ute Bales wrote a novel about his life, which was awarded the special prize by the jury in the Rhineland-Palatinate Book of the Year competition (Buch des Jahres Rheinland-Pfalz). Many contemporary poets who live in the Eifel or come from the Eifel have captured the Eifel poetically and made it known beyond its borders to readers of poetry in the German-speaking world. These include Jochen Arlt (who has also contributed to regional literature as the editor of several Eifel anthologies),Theo Breuer,Ursula Krechel andNorbert Scheuer. Jochen Arlt's poemEinkaufn gehen in Münstereifel may be read in the most important German poetry collection,The Great Conrady. The book of German poems. From its Beginnings to the Present.
One great narrator and native ofTrier, who chose the Eifel as the setting for her novels and stories, wasClara Viebig. The best-selling author of the subsequentnaturalism movement, wrote two great literary monuments about the Eifel with her novels,Kreuz im Venn andWeiberdorf. The reception of Clara Viebig's work was interrupted during theNazi era because of her marriage to a Jewish publisher. Since the end of the 1980s, the author's works have experience a deserved renaissance - even in the Eifel region. Perhaps the most important literary work about the Eifel region and its people is the novelWinterspelt byAlfred Andersch, which is set in the final phase of theSecond World War and depicts the positional war during the Ardennes offensive and the tragic combination of people and their fates in epic breadth. The author, Heinz Küpper, who died in 2005 and whose novels includedWohin mit dem Kopf andZweikampf mit Rotwild,Norbert Scheuer fromKall and Ute Bales fromGerolstein are today the most important representatives of the Eifel in the field of contemporary, German-language prose. In their works, they present the Eifel, both physically and symbolically, as a rugged landscape, which becomes a reflection of spiritual landscapes. Particularly interesting here (in comparison to the perspective of the more down-to-earth narrator) is the Eifel's literary composition from the point of view of the outsider.
This literature challenges us to confront the region and its people, especially where there is no attempt to romanticize the Eifel, but where hopelessness and despair in the face of poverty and misery, intellectual narrowness or rigid systems of values become apparent. Although Norbert Scheuer was born in the Eifel, the narrators of his novels and stories take the perspective of the distanced or the outsider. Norbert Scheuer has succeeded in presenting life in the Eifel in a multifaceted way and making it interesting for readers in the entire German-speaking area, especially in his latest bookKall, Eifel (2005). In Ute Bales' novels, landscape and people are inseparably connected. The characteristic of the Eifel landscape and its inhabitants is the starting point of a narrative style that shows people as"lonely, lost, in a misunderstood place" in and with their suffering, as in the novelKamillenblumen (2010) about the peddler, Traud, fromKolverath.
One literary genre that has been flourishing in many regions and cities in Germany over the last few decades is thecrime novel with a local or regional setting. Jacques Berndorf has become the best-selling German crime novelist with detective novels such asEifel-Blues (1989),Eifel-Sturm (1999) orEifel-Träume (2004). In 1996, he was awarded the top prize at theEifel Literature Festival. In addition, Ralf Kramp was awarded the sponsorship prize. Kramp was the first author to write Eifel crime stories for children with his series about the "black cloverleaf" (schwarzes Kleeblatt). Harald Schneider (born 1962) is the author of the children's detective seriesDie Meisterschnüffler, an interactive read that leads readers from 8 years old to different locations in the Eifel. Carola Clasen, Carsten Sebastian Henn, Andreas Izquierdo, Rudolf Jagusch, Martina Kempff, Elke Pistor, Edgar Noske and Hans Jürgen Sittig are other authors who contribute to the genre of Eifel crime novels. Historical crime novels have been penned by Günter Krieger and Petra Schier. Josef Zierden has published an Eifel thriller travel guide that covers countless crime novel scenes in the Eifel. In the town ofHillesheim there is an Eifel crime novel hiking trail that links the scenes of novels by Jacques Berndorf and Ralf Kramp. The crime novel house in Hillesheim houses the largest collection of detective novels in the German-speaking world with a stock of 30,000 books, and there is also a "crime café" in the house.
The Eifel was a destination for Germanimpressionists, among themEugen Bracht, who painted there with colleagues, andAugust von Brandis, who often spent several days there with architecture students from Aachen in order to give them an understanding of landscape painting. Two of Bracht's paintings are preserved at thecastles of Manderscheid.
theEifel Line from Cologne via Euskirchen, Kall and Gerolstein to Trier and several branch lines. Most of the branch lines have however since been closed and some have been lifted.
theTrans-Eifel Railway from Andernach via Mayen, Kaisersesch and Daun to Gerolstein. The section of line from Kaisersesch to Gerolstein is only operated in spring and summer. The branching lines from Mayen via Polch to Koblenz, Polch to Münstermaifeld and Daun to Wittlich were closed and partly converted for tourist purposes (cycleways).
theRur Valley Railway from Düren to Heimbach. It is additionally worked on summer weekends by theEuregio Railway on the section from Heerlen (Netherlands) via Aachen and Düren to Heimbach and is especially popular with day tourists, for whom the town of Heimbach and its associated villages are a charming destination.
theBrohl Valley Railway from Brohl to Engeln; privately operated narrow gauge railway.
TheNürburgring, one of the world's most famous motor-racing courses. The northern loop (Nordschleife) of the course is known as the Green Hell (Grüne Hölle), because of its long, difficult and dangerous course through the local forest. The2020 Formula One World Championship held a race at theNürburgring under the title ofEifel Grand Prix.
^E. Meynen, J. Schmithüsen et al.:Handbook of the Natural Region Divisions of Germany Bundesanstalt für Landeskunde, Remagen/Bad Godesberg, 1953–1962 (9 issued in 8 books, 1:1,000,000 scale map with major units, 1960).
^A boundary line between the two plateaux is not shown on either of the two map sheets, however the Hollerath Plateau lies largely on the Cochem map sheet Cochem and the Broich Plateau on the Cologne map sheet.
^In the border shown on the Cochem map, the Kuhdorn is shown as a perimeter hill of the bowl to the south: 276.90 Gerolsteiner Kalkmulde → Limestone Eifel
^On the Cologne and Cochem maps the Kopnick is part of the valley system to the northwest: 274.0 Münstereifel Valley → Münstereifel Forest and Northeastern Foot of the Eifel
^To the southwest and not far from the Kellerberg it joins the 270.7 Meulen Forest → Moselle Eifel
^The Herkelstein lies orographically,[jargon] because it is north of the Landesstraße 165, in the eastern part of the Mechernich Upland and Hill Country, but is shown on the Cologne map as a perimeter hill of the southeastern and neighbouring unit: 276.0 Sötenicher Kalkmulde → Limestone Eifel
^The Stockert is orographically analogous like its western neighbour, the Herkelstein; in that it is shown on the Cologne map as part of the next but one unit: 274.0 Münstereifel Valley → Münstereifel Forest and Northeastern Foot of the Eifel
^The Sonnenberg is orographically separated by the Heimbach valley from the rest of the Kermeter Forest to the south; but is shown on the Cologne map as belonging to the neighbouring valley system: 282.33 Rurseegebiet → Rur Eifel
^Meyer, W. (1986).Geologie der Eifel. Stuttgart: Schweizerbart'sche Verlagsbuchhandlung.ISBN3-510-65127-8. p. 4.
^Wagner, H. Wolfgang; Kremb-Wagner, Friederike; Koziol, Martin; Negendank, Jörg F. W. (2012). Rothe, Peter (ed.). "Trier und Umgebung".Sammlung Geologischer Führer (in German). Vol. 60 (3rd ed.). Stuttgart: Gebrüder Bornträger Verlagsbuchhandlung. p. 4.ISBN978-3-443-15094-5.
^Roland Walter et al. (1992).Geologie von Mitteleuropa. 5th ed. Stuttgart: Schweizerbarth’sche Verlagsbuchhandlung.ISBN3-510-65149-9. p. 185.
^Peter Kremer:Wo das Grauen lauert: Blutsauger und kopflose Reiter, Werwölfe und Wiedergänger an Inde, Erft und Rur. PeKaDe-Verlag, Düren, 2003,ISBN3-929928-01-9.
Hans-Ulrich Schmincke:Vulkane der Eifel: Aufbau, Entstehung und heutige Bedeutung. Springer Spektrum, 2nd expanded and revised edition, 2014.ISBN978-3-8274-2984-1 (print);ISBN978-3-8274-2985-8 (eBook).
Joachim Schröder:Zu Besuch im frühen Eifeldorf. Regionalia Verlag, Rheinbach, 2014,ISBN978-3-95540-114-6.
Michael Losse:Burgen und Schlösser in der Eifel. Rheinbach, 2013,ISBN978-3-939722-44-1.
Angela Pfotenhauer, Elmar Lixenfeld:Eifel. Monumente edition, Deutsche Stiftung Denkmalschutz, Bonn, 2013,ISBN978-3-86795-068-8.
Alois Döhring (Hrsg.):Die Eifel in frühen Fotografien. Euskirchen, 2011,ISBN978-3-939722-37-3.
Heinz Renn:Die Eifel. Die Wanderung durch 2000 Jahre Geschichte, Wirtschaft und Kultur, 4th unamended edition, published by the Eifelverein, Düren, 2006,ISBN3-921805-23-6.
Werner D’hein:Natur- und Kulturführer Vulkanland Eifel. Mit 26 Stationen der "Deutschen Vulkanstraße". Gaasterland Verlag, Düsseldorf, 2006,ISBN3-935873-15-8.
Walter Pippke, Ida Leinberger:Die Eifel. Geschichte und Kultur des alten Vulkanlandes zwischen Aachen und Trier. 5th updated edition. DuMont Reise Verlag, Ostfildern, 2006,ISBN3-7701-3926-7.
Andreas Stieglitz, Ingrid Retterath:Polyglott on tour: Eifel. Munich, 2006,ISBN3-493-56629-8.
Hans Joachim Bodenbach:Eine hessische Wassermühle in der Eifel? Bemerkungen zu einem Eifelbuch. Eine Glosse in: Denkmalpflege&Kulturgeschichte, Landesamt für Denkmalpflege Hessen 1/2000, Wiesbaden, 2000, pp. 62–64, 5 pictures., (2 in colour)
Conrad-Peter Joist (ed.):Landschaftsmaler der Eifel im 20. Jahrhundert Düren, 1997,ISBN3-921805-12-0.
Wilhelm Meyer:Geologie der Eifel. Schweizerbart’sche Verlagsbuchhandlung, Stuttgart, 1986,ISBN3-510-65127-8.
Hans Joachim Bodenbach:Mühlen der Eifel-Bemerkungen zu einem Eifelbuch. In: Neues Trierisches Jahrbuch 1990, 38th vol (49th vol, older series). Published by the Verein Trierisch im Selbstverlag, Trier, 1998, here: pp. 251–261, with 5 pictures. [This is a critical examination of the mill image on the cover page of the book.: Erich Mertes, Vol. I: Mühlen der Eifel. Geschichte-Technik-Untergang. Helios-Verlag, Aachen, 2nd expanded edition, Aachen, 1995. In Wirklichkeit keine Eifelmühle, sondern die ehemals im weit entfernt gelegenen nordosthessischen Altkreis Eschwege [heute Werra-Meißner-Kreis] gelegene Ölmühle bei Motzenrode.]
Sabine Doering-Manteuffel:Die Eifel. Geschichte einer Landschaft. Campus Verlag, Frankfurt am Main, 1995,ISBN3-593-35356-3.
Wilhelm Meyer:Geologie der Eifel. Schweizerbart’sche Verlagsbuchhandlung, Stuttgart, 1986,ISBN3-510-65127-8.
Bolko Cruse, ed. (1980),Zur Mineralogie und Geologie des Koblenzer Raumes, des Hunsrücks und der Osteifel, Der Aufschluß Sonderband 30 (in German), Heidelberg: VFMG,hdl:10013/epic.42825.d001, 800854667, Format: PDF, KBytes: 13990
.JPG)
.jpg)
