Odenwald


Odenwald

(ō`dənvält), hilly, forested region, S central Germany, bordering on the Neckar and Main rivers and the Rhine plain. Its highest point (2,055 ft/626 m) is the Katzenbuckel. Fruit and grapes are grown in the western and southern regions, and there are porphyry quarries. The region is a popular tourist area, its landscape dotted with castles and medieval ruins.

Odenwald

 

a mountain mass in the southwestern part of the Federal Republic of Germany. It lies north of the Black Forest, along the right bank of the Rhine, between the Main and Neckar rivers. The massif has a maximum elevation of 626 m and is composed chiefly of gneiss in the west and of variegated sandstone in the east. It has flat crests and steep slopes. The annual precipitation ranges from 800 to 1,000 mm. About one-third of the Odenwald is covered with beech, oak, and coniferous forests. The region’s economy is based on livestock raising and the cultivation of oats, barley, and wheat. There is fruit-growing in the river valleys. The Berstrasse-Odenwald Park is a major tourist attraction.