Frankenwald facts for kids

The Doerbraberg is the highest point in the Frankenwald. Its peak is 794 metres above sea level.

The Frankenwald (which means Franconian Forest) is a beautiful mountain range in Germany. It is located in a part of Bavaria called Oberfranken. This area connects the Fichtelgebirge to the Thuringian Forest. The Frankenwald is mostly a long, forested area with flat tops, like a big tableland. The hills in this area act like a natural divide. They separate the waters that flow into the Rhine River from those that flow into the Elbe River.

History of the Frankenwald

People started settling in the Frankenwald around the 13th century. At first, they lived on the high, flat parts of the land. They would cut down trees to create clearings and then build their homes there. A good example of one of these early settlements is Wilhelmsthal. Later on, people also began to settle in the valleys.

The main jobs in the Frankenwald long ago were making porcelain, working with wood from the forests, and making charcoal. People would cut down trees and then build rafts to float the wood down the Main River and the Rhine River to bigger cities.

What Does the Frankenwald Look Like?

The Frankenwald has a few main types of landscapes:

• High, flat areas called plateaus where the forests have been cleared for towns or farms.
• Forest-covered slopes, which are the sides of the hills and mountains.
• Green, grassy valleys, which are the low areas between the hills.