The High Fichtel Mountains (), or High Fichtel, form a mountainous and heavily forested range consisting of several mountain chains in the shape of a horseshoe, the Fichtel Mountain Horseshoe (Fichtelgebirgs-Hufeisen), that rings the Selb-Wunsiedel Plateau. As a natural region the High Fichtel Mountains are major unit 394 within the major unit group of the Thuringian-Franconian Highlands (39), that run from the Thuringian Forest to the Fichtel Mountains. Since September 2010 there is a new system for classifying the natural regions of northeast Bavaria, whereby the natural region of the High Fichtel only covers the central mountain region of the Scheeberg, Ochsenkopf and Kösseine, whilst the Waldstein ridge, the Steinwald and lower parts of the horseshoe represent special subordinate natural regions of the Fichtel Mountains. Geography The High Fichtel Mountains begin in the northeast at the Kornberg, continue via the Waldstein, Schneeberg, Ochsenkopf and Königsheide in the southwest to the Kösseine, then over the Steinwald and Reichsforst to the Kohlwald in the southeast. In the geomorphological division of the neighbouring Czech Republic, the Asch Hills (; ), the Haslau Hills (Haslauer Hügelland or Hazlovská pahorkatina) and the Eger Hills (Egerer Hügelland or Chebská pahorkatina) are counted as part of the (High) Fichtel range. Geology Geologically the mountain range consists mainly of granite. The history of its orogeny begins in the Pre-Cambrian about 750–800 million years ago – covering almost 20% of the earth's history, something which only applies to a few of the surviving ranges of the truncated Central Uplands of Germany today. Mountains The mountains of the High Fichtel include the following, sorted by their elevation in metres (m) above sea level (NN): Settlements Bischofsgrün Brand (Oberpfalz) Erbendorf Ebnath Fichtelberg Goldkronach Konnersreuth Mehlmeisel Nagel Neusorg Schönbrunn Sparneck Tröstau Warmensteinach Weißdorf Zell im Fichtelgebirge Lakes and rivers See Fichtel Mountains article. Transport Marktredwitz railway hub B 303 and B 15 federal highways A 93 and A 9 motorways References Sources Fritsch Wanderkarte 1:50.000 Fichtelgebirge-Steinwald, External links BfN - landscape fact file Hohes Fichtelgebirge Natural regions of Germany Fichtel Mountains Mountain ranges of Bavaria