The Eifel (; , ) is a middle mountain range in western Germany, eastern Belgium, southeastern Netherlands and northern Luxembourg. It occupies parts of southwestern North Rhine-Westphalia, northwestern Rhineland-Palatinate and the southern area of the German-speaking Community of Belgium.
The Eifel is part of the Rhenish Massif; within its northern portions lies the Eifel National Park. The Eifelian 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 as Eiflers or Eifelers.
Geography
Location
The Eifel lies between the cities of Aachen to the north, Trier to the south and Koblenz to the east. It descends in the northeast along a line from Aachen via Düren to Bonn into the Lower Rhine Bay. In the east and south it is bounded by the valleys of the Rhine and the Moselle. To the west it transitions in Belgium and Luxembourg into the geologically related Ardennes and the Luxembourg Ösling. In the north it is limited by the Jülich-Zülpicher Börde. Within Germany it lies within the states of Rhineland-Palatinate and North Rhine-Westphalia; in the Benelux the area of Vaals, Eupen, St. Vith and Luxembourg. Its highest point is the volcanic cone of the Hohe Acht (). Originally the Carolingian Eifelgau only covered the smaller region roughly around the sources of the rivers Ahr, Kyll, Urft and Erft. Its name was more recently transferred to the entire region.
Topography The Eifel belongs to that part of the Rhenish Massif whose rolling plateau is categorised as peneplain highland (Rumpfhochland), which was formed by the erosion of the ancient mountains of the Variscan mountain building phase and subsequent further uplifting. Individual mountain chains, up to , such as the Schneifel and High Fens, run through the western part of the plateau. In the eastern part, in the High Eifel and Volcanic Eifel, individual cinder cones and basalt kuppen, like the Hohe Acht and the Ernstberg, emerged as a result of volcanicity in the Tertiary and Quaternary periods and rise above the undulating countryside.
The rivers draining into the Moselle, Rhine and Meuse, such as the Our, Kyll, Ahr, Brohlbach and Rur, have cut deep into the edge of the Eifel and formed larger valleys.
The Eifel covers an area of and is geographically divided into the North and South Eifel. It is further divided into several natural regional landscapes, some with further subdivisions.
National and nature parks Since 2004, part of the North Eifel has been designated as the Eifel National Park. There are also four nature parks in the Eifel (from north to south): Rhineland, High Fens-Eifel, Volcanic Eifel, and South Eifel, although the first extends only partly into the northern foothills of the Eifel.
Divisions Overview There are several distinct chains within the Eifel:
The northernmost parts are called North Eifel ("Nordeifel") including Rur Eifel the origin of the river Rur, High Fens ("Hohes Venn") and the Limestone Eifel (Kalkeifel). The northeastern part is called Ahr HillsElkins, T.H. (1972). Germany (3rd ed.). London: Chatto & Windus, 1972. . () and rise north of the Ahr river in the district of Ahrweiler. South of the Ahr is the High Eifel (Hohe Eifel), with the Hohe Acht (747 m) being the highest mountain of the Eifel. In the west, on the Belgian border, the hills are known as Schneifel (part of the Schnee-Eifel or "Snowy Eifel"), rising up to . Also in the west, by the Belgian and Luxembourg border, the region is known as Islek (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 the Kyll, and the hills on either side of this river are called the Kyllwald. In the south the Eifel is concluded by the Voreifel above the Moselle.
Since 2004, about of the Eifel within the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia have been protected as the Eifel National Park nature reserve.
Natural regional divisions Up to 1960, the German part of the Eifel, which belonged to the natural region of the Rhenish Massif, was, according to the Handbook of the Natural Region Divisions of Germany, divided into three major unit (i.e. two-digit) groups and these were subdivided into (three-digit) major natural units.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).online map of the major unit groups and list of major units These divisions were subsequently refined in the individual map sheets Trier/Mettendorf, Cochem (both 1974) and Cologne/Aachen (1978) as follows;Ewald Glässer: Geographische Landesaufnahme: the natural regional units on map sheet 122/123 Cologne/Aachen. Bundesanstalt für Landeskunde, Bad Godesberg, 1978. → online map (pdf; 8.7 MB)Heinz Fischer, Richard Graafen: Geographische Landesaufnahme: the natural regional units on map sheet 136/137 Cochem. Bundesanstalt für Landeskunde, Bad Godesberg, 1974. → online map (pdf; 5.6 MB)Otmar Werle: Geographische Landesaufnahme: the natural regional units on map sheet 148/149 Trier/Mettendorf. Bundesanstalt für Landeskunde, Bad Godesberg, 1974. → online map (pdf; 4.5 MB) for the most detailed natural region divisions in Rhineland-Palatinate, fact files were produced by the state information system of the conservation administration (LANDIS):
56 Venn Foreland 560 Venn Foothills 560.0 Kornelimünster Venn Foreland 561 Aachen Hills 561.0 Stolberg Valley 561.1 Aachen Bowl 561.2 Aachen Forest 561.3 Vaals Hills 28 West Eifel 280 Islek and Ösling (Designation in the map sheets of Cochem and Trier; Handbook: Islek) 280.0 Eastern Islek 280.00 Lascheid Plateau 280.01 Middle Prüm Valley 280.1 Central Islek 280.10 Arzfeld Plateau 280.11 Neuerburg Enz Valley 280.12 Karlshausen Plateau 280.2 Western Islek 280.20 Leidenborn Plateau 280.21 Winterscheid Plateau 280.3 Middle Our Valley 280.30 Urb-Vianden Our Valley (Cochem map sheet; Trier map sheet: Vianden Our Valley) 280.31 Genting Our Valley 280.4 Southern Schneifel Foreland 280.5 Islek Foothills 281 Western High Eifel 281.0 Schneifel Ridge 281.1 Northern Schneifel Foreland 281.10 Brandscheid Schneifel Foreland 281.11 Manderfeld Schneifel Foreland 281.2 Grenzwald Ridge 281.20 Ommerscheid 281.21 Losheim Forest 281.3 Oberes Kyll Valley 281.4 Duppach Ridge 282 Rur Eifel 282.0 Düren Eifel Foothills 282.1 Hürtgen Plateau 282.2 Monschau Hedge Land 282.3 Rur-Urft-Olef Valleys 282.30 Monschau-Rurberg Rur Valley 282.31 Gemünd Urft and Olef Valleys 282.32 Urftsee Region 282.33 Rursee Region 282.34 Heimbach-Maubach Rur Valley 282.4 Monschau-Hellenthal Forest Plateau 282.5 Dreiborn Plateau 282.6 Hollerath-Broich PlateauA 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. 282.60 Hollerath Plateau 282.61 Broich Plateau 282.7 Wildenburg Plateau 282.8 Kermeter Forest 283 High Fens 283.0 Venn Plateau 283.00 Lammersdorf Fen Plateau 283.1 Northern Venn Foothills 283.10 Roetgen Venn Foothills Roer Spring Plateau (entirely in Belgium) Upland of the Upper Warche (Southern Venn Foreland; entirely in Belgium) Eastern High Ardennes (entirely in Belgium) St. Vith Plateau 27 East Eifel 270 Moselle Eifel (Lower Eifel)addendum from the Handbook 270.0 Eastern Moselle Eifel 270.00 Elz Valley 270.01 Kaisersesch Eifel Perimeter 270.02 Gevenich Plateau 270.1 Lower Üßbach Valley 270.2 Kondelwald 270.3 Offling Plateau 270.4 Middle Lieser Valley 270.5 Southern Volcanic Eifel 270.50 Daun-Manderscheid Volcanic Hills 270.51 Dauner Maar Region 270.6 Wittlich Hedge Land (Cochem map sheet; Trier map sheet: Heckenland) 270.60 Naurather Horst 270.61 Arenrath Plateau 270.62 Littgen Plateau 270.7 Meulenwald 271 Eastern High Eifel 271.0 Olbrück Eifel Perimeter 271.1 Kempenich Tuff Plateau 271.2/3 Central Eastern High Eifel 271.2 Hohe Acht/Nitz-Nette Upland 271.20 Hohe Acht Upland 271.21 Nitz-Nette Forest 271.3 Elzbach Heights 271.4 Southwest foothills of the Eastern High Eifel 271.40 Trierbach-Lieser Source Upland 271.41 Üßbach Upland 271.42 Müllenbach Riedelland 271.43 Middle Üßbach Valley 272 Ahr Eifel 272.0 Reifferscheid Upland 272.1 Northern Ahr Upland 272.2 Middle Ahr Valley 272.20 Dümpelfeld Ahr Valley 272.21 Recher Ahreng Valley 272.3 Southern Ahr Upland 274 Münster Eifel Forest and Northeastern Foot of the Eifel (Cologne map sheet; Cochem map sheet: Northeastern Eifel Perimeter; Handbook: Münster Eifel Forest) 274.0 Münstereifel Valley 274.1 Münstereifel Forest (Flamersheim Forest) 274.2 Swist Eifel Foothills (Rheinbach Forest) 274.3 Königsfeld Eifel Foothills (Cochem map sheet; Cologne map sheet and LANIS: Königsfeld Rhine-Eifel Foot) 275 Mechernich Pre-Eifel 275.0 Wollersheim ScarplandBetween natural regions 272.0 and 272.2 on the Cologne/Aachen map sheet no boundary is shown. It probably runs from Eicks via Kommern to Firmenich. 275.1 Vlatten Hills 275.2 Mechernich Uplands 275.3 Antweil Basin 275.4 Billig Ridge 276 Limestone Eifel 276.0 Sötenich Limestone Basin 276.1 Blankenheim and Zingsheim ForestIn the Handbook on the Cologne map sheet the numbering of the Blankenheim and Zingsheim Forests has been reversed. 276.10 Zingsheim Forest 276.11 Blankenheim Forest 276.2 Blankenheim Limestone Ridge 276.3 Eichholz Ridge 276.4 Rohr Limestone Basin 276.5 Dollendorf Limestone Basin 276.6 Senkenbusch 276.7 Ahrdorf-Hillesheim Limestone Basin 276.70 Ahrdorf Limestone Basin 276.71 Hillesheim Limestone Basin 276.8 Northern Volcanic Eifel 276.80 Kyll Volcanic Eifel 276.81 Dockweiler Volcanic Eifel 276.9 Southern Limestone Basin 276.90 Gerolstein Limestone Basin 276.91 Prüm Limestone Basin 277 Kyllburg Waldeifel 277.0 Neidenbach Sandstone Plateau 277.1 Middle Kyll Valley 277.2 Kyllburg Forest Ridge 277.20 Prümscheid 277.21 Wittlich Forest 277.3 Salm Hills
The BfN groups the 3 (two-digit) major unit groups under the combined group designated D45.
Mountains and hills
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 the Schwarzer Mann in the Schnee-Eifel, stand out from a long way off as long, forested ridges or clearly isolated mountaintops.
The highest mountain in the whole Eifel is the Hohe Acht at 746.9 m. It is the only Eifel summit above 700 m. However, many peaks, mountain ridges and large regions, such as the Zitterwald reach heights of over 600 m. These include two dozen peaks with good all-round views, of which many have an observation 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 the Kasselburg 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 above sea level):
Mountain/hill Height(m) Lowest levelnatural region No.(natural region) Natural regionmajor unit Hohe Acht 746.9 Hohe Acht Upland 271.20 Eastern High Eifel Ernstberg (Erresberg) 699.8 Prümscheid 277.20 Kyllburger Waldeifelunnamed summitUnnamed summits (sorted by height): 699.1 m: highest point in the Western High Eifel; just under 1.5 km northeast of the summit of the Schwarzer Mann