Wasgau | |
---|---|
Highest point | |
Peak | Grand Wintersberg (581 m above NHN) for the whole Wasgau; Rehberg (577 m above NHN) for the German part |
Dimensions | |
Area | 1,300 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 coordinates | 49°02′54″N 7°39′44″E / 49.04822°N 7.662191°E |
Parent range | of 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.