Königstuhl (Odenwald)

The Königstuhl (German pronunciation: [ˈkøːnɪçˌʃtuːl]), is a 567.8 metres (1,863 ft) high hill in the Odenwald Mountains and in the city of Heidelberg, in the German state of Baden-Württemberg. The Königstuhl summit allows visitors views of the city of Heidelberg and the Neckar river. On days with good conditions the view extends to the Pfaelzerwald (Palatinate Forest), which is roughly 40–50 km away.[citation needed]

Königstuhl
Old town of Heidelberg, Heidelberg Castle and Königstuhl
Highest point
Elevation567.8 m (1,863 ft)
Coordinates49°23′53″N 8°43′34″E / 49.39806°N 8.72611°E / 49.39806; 8.72611
Naming
English translationKing's seat
Language of nameGerman
Geography
Königstuhl is located in Baden-Württemberg
Königstuhl
Königstuhl
The location within Baden-Württemberg
LocationBaden-Württemberg, Germany
Parent rangeOdenwald

The hill is linked to Altstadt, by the Heidelberger Bergbahn, a two section historic funicular railway that stops at Heidelberg Castle, located on the lower slopes of the Königstuhl, the Molkenkur restaurant/hotel, and the ultimate stop at the mountain top which host a restaurant, an entertainment park for kids and various walking paths.

The Max Planck Institute for Astronomy is located near the summit of the Königstuhl, as is the historic Landessternwarte Heidelberg-Königstuhl astronomical observatory, established in 1898. Between 1912 and 1957, Karl Wilhelm Reinmuth discovered almost 400 asteroids whilst working from this observatory.

Several telecommunications facilities are located on the Königstuhl, including the Fernsehturm Heidelberg (Digital TV (DVB-T), Radio and Microwave), the Telecom Telecommunication Tower Heidelberg (Microwave and FM) and the now inactive Telecommunication Tower of US-Forces Heidelberg (Microwave).

Climate

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Königstuhl has a temperate Oceanic climate(Köppen: Cfb), similar to the city of Heidelberg, but with colder temperatures and much higher precipitation throughout the year.[1][2]

Climate data for Heidelberg(Koeingsthul) (1991-2020)
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Daily mean °C (°F) 0.8
(33.4)
1.4
(34.5)
4.7
(40.5)
8.6
(47.5)
12.7
(54.9)
16.0
(60.8)
18.0
(64.4)
17.8
(64.0)
13.6
(56.5)
9.5
(49.1)
4.5
(40.1)
1.7
(35.1)
9.1
(48.4)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 82.1
(3.23)
72.6
(2.86)
77.3
(3.04)
60.3
(2.37)
96.0
(3.78)
86.5
(3.41)
98.7
(3.89)
84.9
(3.34)
79.6
(3.13)
88.5
(3.48)
90.0
(3.54)
103.0
(4.06)
1,019.5
(40.13)
Mean monthly sunshine hours 60 85.7 136.4 185.6 209.6 217.7 230.7 222.3 169.6 111.7 62.7 49.3 1,741.3
Source: Deutscher Wetterdienst[1][2][3]

References

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  1. ^ a b "Lufttemperatur: vieljährige Mittelwerte 1991 - 2020" [Air Temperature: Long-term averages for 1991-2020]. dwd.de (in German). Deutscher Wetterdienst. Retrieved 23 February 2024.
  2. ^ a b "Niederschlag: vieljährige Mittelwerte 1991 - 2020" [Precipitation: Long-term averages for 1991-2020]. dwd.de (in German). Deutscher Wetterdienst. Retrieved 23 February 2024.
  3. ^ "Sonnenscheindauer: vieljährige Mittelwerte 1991 - 2020" [Sunshine: Long-term averages for 1991-2020]. dwd.de (in German). Deutscher Wetterdienst. Retrieved 23 February 2024.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: postscript (link)