Fichtel Mountains

The Fichtel Mountains (German: Fichtelgebirge, Czech: Smrčiny), form a small horseshoe-shaped mountain range in northeastern Bavaria, Germany. They extend from the valley of the Red Main River to the Czech border, a few foothills spilling over into the Czech Republic. They continue in a northeasterly direction as the Ore Mountains, and in a southeasterly direction as the Bohemian Forest. The Fichtel Mountains contain an important nature park, the Fichtel Mountain Nature Park, with an area of 1,020 square kilometres (390 sq mi).

Origin of the name

The first person to write about the Fichtel Mountains, Matthias of Kemnath (actually Matthias Widmann, b 23 February 1429 in Kemnath) reported in 1476: Ein bergk, hoch, weitt, wolbekant ligt in Beiern, gnant der Fichtelberg ("A mountain, high, wide and well-known, lies in Bavaria, known as the Fichtelberg"). In descriptions of the border in 1499 and 1536, the mountain that is now called the Ochsenkopf was called Vichtelberg; thereafter the name was extended to the whole mountain region. It is also mentioned in old documents: around 1317 the lords of Hirschberg were enfeoffed inter alia with the walt zu dem Vythenberge. By the 14th century iron ore was being extracted in the St. Veith Pit on the southern foot of the mountain. Vyth → Veit → Fichtel. High-profile local history and name researchers have still not had the last word.

Mountain

A mountain is a large landform that stretches above the surrounding land in a limited area, usually in the form of a peak. A mountain is generally steeper than a hill. Mountains are formed through tectonic forces or volcanism. These forces can locally raise the surface of the earth. Mountains erode slowly through the action of rivers, weather conditions, and glaciers. A few mountains are isolated summits, but most occur in huge mountain ranges.

High elevations on mountains produce colder climates than at sea level. These colder climates strongly affect the ecosystems of mountains: different elevations have different plants and animals. Because of the less hospitable terrain and climate, mountains tend to be used less for agriculture and more for resource extraction and recreation, such as mountain climbing.

The highest mountain on Earth is Mount Everest in the Himalayas of Asia, whose summit is 8,850 m (29,035 ft) above mean sea level. The highest known mountain on any planet in the Solar System is Olympus Mons on Mars at 21,171 m (69,459 ft).

Mountains (Biffy Clyro song)

"Mountains" is a single by Scottish band Biffy Clyro, released on 18 August 2008. Originally released as a 'non-album' single, "Mountains" is the band's highest charting single to date on the UK singles chart, peaking at #5. The song was later included on the band's fifth studio album, Only Revolutions.

"Mountains" was originally entitled "Teeth or Mountains", and was first played live at the Electric Festival in Getafe, Spain, on 30 May 2008.

The song is the 40th biggest selling rock song of the 21st century in the United Kingdom with sales of 200,000.

Release and reception

Taking a short break from touring with Say Anything in March 2008, the band recorded the song in Los Angeles, with producer Garth Richardson - producer of the band's previous album, Puzzle.

After appearing in many of the band's summer setlists, the song made its radio debut on Zane Lowe's BBC Radio 1 show on Friday 19 June 2008 and was introduced as "The Hottest Record in the World Today".

To coincide with the single's physical release, the band embarked on a promotional tour across the UK performing acoustic sets in record stores and signing copies of the single.

Mountains (Lonestar song)

"Mountains" is a song written by Richie McDonald, Larry Boone and Paul Nelson, and recorded by American country music band Lonestar. It was released in June 2006 as the lead-off single and title track from their album of the same name. The song is the band's final Top Ten hit, reaching a peak of number 10 on the U.S. country singles charts in late 2006.

Content

"Mountains" is a mid-tempo in which the narrator cites two examples of people who overcome difficult situations in their lives. The first is a single mother who has to work two jobs to support her family, and the second is a man with crippled legs who runs a marathon despite the pain he feels. In both situations, the narrator uses mountains as a metaphor for the struggles each person faces.

Music video

The music video was filmed partially west of Denver, Colorado (where the band played), and was directed by Kristin Barlowe.

Chart performance

Year-end charts

References

External links