Westerwald

The Westerwald is a mountain chain in Germany. It is located on the junction of the states (Bundesl?nder) of Rhineland-Palatinate, North Rhine-Westphalia and Hesse.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The mountains are bounded by four river valleys: the Rhine in the west, the Sieg in the north, the Dill in the east, and the Lahn in the south.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The highest peak is the Fuchskauten at 656 meters. 40 percent of the Westerwald's approximately 1000 km? are wooded. Tourist attractions include the Dornburg (394 metres) and Limburg an der Lahn, a city with an medieval centre.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The Westerwald is known for its distinctive salt-glazed grey pottery with cobalt blue decoration, and its basalt mines. The latter industry is centred round Hoehr-Grenzhausen.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

In the mid 16th century, potters from Raeren in Belgium migrated into the Westerwald, bringing with them some of their moulds. This type of pottery was taken to the New World and was found in the early Chesapeake settlements.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Today one finds highly crafted moulded vases and mugs but also a range of handcrafted utility ware, with hand painted swirling floral motifs.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The Westerwaldkreis is a district (Landkreis) of the Rhineland-Palatinate, with Montabaur as its capital.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Mountain: A mountain is a landform that extends above the surrounding terrain in a limited area. A mountain is generally much higher and steeper than a hill, but there is considerable overlap, and usage often depends on local custom. Some authorities define a mountain as a peak with a topographic prominence ...

Hesse: Hesse is also the name of the German writer Hermann Hesse, as well as the German mathematician Otto Hesse. See also Hesse (disambiguation)...

Valley: :This article is about the physical-geographic term. For places named "Valley" see Valley (disambiguation)....