Parkstein (hill)

Parkstein (Northern Bavarian: Parkstoa) is a municipality in the district of Neustadt an der Waldnaab in Bavaria in Germany. In 2020, it counted approximately 2,300 inhabitants. The origins of its castle, built atop a conical shaped mountain, also called the Parkstein, date back to around the year 1000. A first written account of its existence can be traced back to the year 1053 in the documentations of the monks of Niederalteich of the Reichstag in Merseburg. Parkstein was chartered in 1435.Most likely in November 1796, Alexander von Humboldt called the 24-million-year-old basalt formation the most beautiful he had encountered in Europe. According to the Bavarian State Geology Office, during the Cenozoic, from Paleocene to the Pliocene epochs, a number of active volcanoes produced liquid magma in Northern Bavaria, mostly due to the continental collision of Europe and Africa. As a result, not only the Alps but a number of fissures and cracks began to form throughout central Europe where magma could rise. Most of the Parkstein's magma cooled below the surface, leading to the crystalline column formation that is now exposed as a result of erosion.

Kirchendemenreuth is a municipality in the district of Neustadt an der Waldnaab in Bavaria, Germany. It includes the village (Dorf) of Steinreuth.

Schwarzenbach is a municipality in the district of Neustadt an der Waldnaab in Bavaria, Germany.

The Dürrschweinnaab is a river of Bavaria, Germany. It is a right tributary of the Sauerbach river (Naab basin) in Upper Palatinate. It arises at Großenbühl (448 m) from the confluence of the Lohbach and the Schwarzenmoosbach, northeast of Parkstein.

Krummennaab is a municipality in the district of Tirschenreuth in Bavaria, Germany.

Hohlbach is a small river of Bavaria, Germany. It is a left tributary of the Haidenaab near Mantel.

Sauerbach is a river of Bavaria, Germany. It is a left tributary of the Schweinnaab near Weiden in der Oberpfalz.

Neustadt an der Waldnaab is a Landkreis (district) in Bavaria, Germany. It is bounded by (from the south and clockwise) the districts of Schwandorf, Amberg-Sulzbach, Bayreuth and Tirschenreuth, and by the Czech Republic (Plzeň Region). The city of Weiden in der Oberpfalz is enclosed by, but does not belong to the district.

Floß is a river of Bavaria, Germany. It passes through the town Floß, and flows into the Waldnaab near Neustadt an der Waldnaab.

The German Continental Deep Drilling Programme (German: Kontinentales Tiefbohrprogramm der Bundesrepublik Deutschland, lit. 'Continental deep-drilling program of the Federal Republic of Germany'), abbreviated as the KTB borehole, was a scientific drilling project carried out from 1987 to 1995 near Windischeschenbach, Bavaria. The main super-deep borehole reached a depth of 9,101 m (29,859 feet) in the Earth's continental crust. The Federal Ministry of Research funded the project with 528 million DM (270 million euros). The (Lower Saxony) LBEG mining office (State Office for Mining, Energy and Geology) took the project lead. After the drilling project ended, the German Research Centre for Geosciences used the borehole to install a seismic deep observatory (Tiefenobservatorium) which was active from 1996 to 2001. The derrick used at the site, one of the largest in the world, remains in place and has become a tourist attraction. The two boreholes were kept open for further scientific research and for in-situ testing of equipment and devices.

Altenstadt an der Waldnaab is a municipality in the district of Neustadt an der Waldnaab in Bavaria, Germany. It is situated on the river Waldnaab, 2 km (1.2 mi) southeast of Neustadt an der Waldnaab, and 5 km (3.1 mi) north of Weiden in der Oberpfalz. Bundesautobahn 93 (Regensburg - Hof) passes west of Altenstadt. It has a railway station on the Weiden–Oberkotzau railway.

Weiherhammer is a municipality in the district of Neustadt an der Waldnaab in Bavaria, Germany.