Location The Soonwald lies in the west and south of the county of
Rhein-Hunsrück-Kreis and the east and north of
Bad Kreuznach county. It is located within the
Soonwald-Nahe Nature Park, roughly between the main crest of the
Hunsrück mountains (to the northwest) and the
Nahe valley (to the southeast), behind which the
Saar-Nahe Uplands rise. The Soonwald extends over about 40 kilometres in a southwest to northeast direction from the Simmer valley on the Nahe to the valley of the
Guldenbach, which lies on the boundary of the Soonwald with the
Bingen Forest, west of the
Rhine knee near
Bingen. Other ranges and woodlands of the German
Central Uplands adjoin the Soonwald in all directions of the compass: to the southwest are the
Lützelsoon and, a just to its west, the
Idar Forest; to the southeast is the
Gauchswald; and to the northeast, the
Bingen Forest. The Lützelsoon and parts of the Bingen Wald are sometimes counted as part of the Soonwald rather than as separate forest regions; the entire region then being known as the "Großer Soon" ("Great Soon").
Climate The average annual temperature on the summits of the Soonwald is just under 7 °C, more than 2 °C lower than that in the
Simmerbach valley near
Kellenbach (over 9 °C), thanks to a height difference of about 500 metres. They also receive around 25% more
precipitation (800 mm) than in the valleys.
Mountains and hills The highest mountain in the Soonwald is the
Ellerspring (657.5 m). By contrast, its lowest point is near Simmertal – if the village still counts as part of the Soonwald – by the confluence of the Simmerbach and the Nahe (190 m). The following mountains and hills belong to the Soonwald, sorted by their height in
metres (m) above
sea level (NN), unless otherwise indicated (excluding those in the
Lützelsoon): •
Ellerspring (657.5 m), between
Argenthal and
Winterbach •
Simmerkopf (653.75 m), highest mountain in
Rhein-Hunsrück-Kreis, east of
Tiefenbach •
Opel (ca. 649 m), west of
Dörrebach •
Hochsteinchen (648.3 m), south-southeast of
Rheinböllen; with observation tower •
Schanzerkopf (643.5 m), south of
Ellern •
Katzenkopf (636.5 m), southwest foothill of the Hochsteinchen •
Ochsenbaumer Höhe (ca. 635 m), south-southeast of
Argenthal •
Ginsterkopf (ca. 632 m), southeast of
Riesweiler •
Wildburghöhe (633.5 m), southeast of
Sargenroth; with the ruined castle of
Wildburg •
Gemündener Höhe (575.2 m), southeast of
Gemünden •
Alteburg (620.5 m), northeast of
Schwarzerden; with ramparts and observation tower •
Steineberg (563.9 m), northwest of Münchwald •
Koppensteiner Höhe (554.9 m), north-northwest of
Henau; with the ruins of
Koppenstein Castle == History ==