- Kaufunger Wald
The Kaufunger Wald is a range of steep, wooded hills straddling the border between the states of
Hesse andLower Saxony in centralGermany .The hills lie in the fork of the Rivers Fulda and
Werra , which meet atHannoversch Münden just to the north. They are bounded to the west and north-west by the Fulda valley, and to the east and north-east by theWerra valley . The southern boundary is less clearly defined, as the range merges into the gentler hills of theSöhrewald to the south-west, and climbs towards the high plateau of theHoher Meißner to the south-east.The highest natural point is 643m Hirschberg; however the 641m summit of Bilstein forms a much better natural viewpoint, and since
1869 has been crowned with an observation tower. The present tower was erected in1889 and extended to its present height of 20m in1960 ; it offers panoramic views across the region. Other peaks include Mühlenstein (607m),Haferberg (581m), Langenberg (565m), Großer Steinberg (542m) and Kleiner Steinberg (542m).The area is popular for
walking and especially forcycling ; an extensive network of waymarked forestry and agricultural tracks provide excellent traffic-free routes. The annual [http://www.bilstein-bike-marathon.de/ Bilstein Bike Marathon] attracts hundreds of mountain bikers to compete in races of varying length and difficulty. In winter, the same trails are used forcross-country skiing . The main tourist centre for the area is the small town ofGroßalmerode . Other settlements includeKaufungen (which lends its name to the range),Helsa andNieste . The larger towns ofKassel ,Witzenhausen andHessisch Lichtenau lie on the western, eastern and southern fringes respectively.The entire of the area enjoys protected status; the hills in Hesse form part of the "Naturpark Meißner-Kaufunger Wald", while those in Lower Saxony belong to the "Naturpark Münden". However,the southern part of the range may be affected by the planned extension of the A44
autobahn from its present end inKassel toEisenach . The controversial extension, which has been delayed and rerouted several times on environmental grounds, is part of a national strategy to improve communications between the east and west of Germany, in the wake of reunification.External links
* [http://www.naturpark-mkw.de/ Naturpark Meißner-Kaufunger Wald] (in German)
* [http://www.naturpark-muenden.de/ Naturpark Münden] (in German)
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