Kalvarienberg, Religious mountain site in Blankenheim, Germany.
Kalvarienberg is a 523-metre hill in the Lampertstal nature reserve near Alendorf, topped by fourteen Stations of the Cross made of red sandstone. The stations line a roughly one-kilometre ascent from the village, and juniper bushes stand a few metres apart across the calcareous grassland. A cross marks the summit where a chapel once stood.
Count Salentin Ernest of Manderscheid-Blankenheim established the first seven stations between 1663 and 1680. Seven additional stations were added during the 1800s, expanding the devotional site.
The name Kalvarienberg refers to Calvary, the hill of the crucifixion, chosen because the Kelberg and the Alendorf countryside reminded Count Salentin Ernest of Jerusalem. Each year in Holy Week pilgrims walk about a kilometre up from the Gothic church of St. Agatha (1494), passing the Stations of the Cross that depict Christ's Passion. Fourteen stations stand on the hill, and further crosses of red sandstone are grouped around the summit.
The ascent from Alendorf village to the summit is a good kilometre long, passing the Stations of the Cross on the way. The hill lies in the Lampertstal and Alendorfer Kalktriften nature reserve, where grazing sheep keep the calcareous grassland open. The weathered stations were restored with support from the NRW Foundation.
A flock of around 600 sheep grazes the slopes, maintaining the landscape through natural management. This grazing supports habitats for 31 orchid species and diverse butterfly populations.
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