Wasgau

Wasgau
Typical Wasgau countryside with conical hills and plains: view looking southwest from Rehberg
Highest point
PeakGrand Wintersberg (581 m above NHN) for the whole Wasgau; Rehberg (577 m above NHN) for the German part
Dimensions
Area1,300 km2 (500 sq mi)
Geography
Location of the Wasgau (highlit) in the southern Palatine Forest and northern Vosges
State(s)Rhineland-Palatinate (Germany); Départements of Bas-Rhin and Moselle (France)
Range coordinates49°02′54″N 7°39′44″E / 49.04822°N 7.662191°E / 49.04822; 7.662191
Parent rangeof the Palatine Forest (south) and the Vosges (north)
Geology
Rock age(s)Bunter sandstone 251–243 M years ago
Zechstein 256–251 M years ago
Rock type(s)Rock units bunter sandstone and Zechstein

The Wasgau (German: Wasgau, French: Vasgovie) is a Franco-German hill range in the German state of Rhineland-Palatinate and the French departments of Bas-Rhin and Moselle. It is formed from the southern part of the Palatine Forest and the northern part of the Vosges mountains, and extends from the River Queich in the north over the French border to the Col de Saverne in the south.

The highest hill in the entire Wasgau is the Grand Wintersberg (581 m above NHN) near Niederbronn-les-Bains in northern Alsace. Next, at 577 m is the only slightly lower Rehberg near Annweiler in the South Palatinate, which is the highest summit on German soil in the Wasgau.

The Wasgau forms the southern part of the Palatine Forest-North Vosges Biosphere Reserve.