Hegau

 ( Regions Of Baden-württemberg ) 

Hegau () either refers to a region of the Duchy of Swabia or to only that part of said region which is presently located in the country of Germany. It is known for its extinct, partly eroded volcanoes, most of which are crowned with ruins of medieval fortresses.

Historically, Hegau was a Gau of the Duchy of Swabia, first mentioned in 787 A.D. in the Latinised form in pago Egauinsse.Albert Krieger: Topographisches Wörterbuch des Großherzogtums Baden, Vol. 1, p. 882 (1904) Its area reached from the Überlinger See of Lake Constance and the city of Konstanz in the east to the Randen and Schaffhausen in the present-day Swiss canton of Schaffhausen in the west. Towards south, it extended to the High Rhine and to the north until the Danube.

Today, Hegau refers only to that part of the former Gau which is located within the German state of Baden-Württemberg. This region, also called the Hegauer Kegelbergland (), is a Young Drift moraine landscape marked by the remains of several extinct volcanoes, the Hegau volcanoes, which are located mostly to the west and east of the line from Singen (Hohentwiel) in the south to Geisingen in the north. The Hegau volcanoes are national of Germany.

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Origin of the landscape The Hegau region, situated at about a.s.l., is surmounted by nearly a dozen , which are between and high and which correspond to the remains of the volcanic pipe of past volcanoes. The area was volcanically active during the Miocene epoch.Johannes Baier & Armin Scherzinger (2021): Das Vulkanfeld im Hegau. Aufschluss, 72(2): 58–69.Johannes Baier & Armin Scherzinger (2024): Geohistorische Bemerkungen zum Vulkanfeld im Hegau. Jh. Ges. Naturkde. Württemberg, 180, 277–301. Much later, during the Riss glaciation (Pleistocene epoch), about 150 kiloannus ago, the Hegau region was covered by large glaciers, which over time eroded the softer rocks around the harder rocks of the former volcanic pipes (an example of an inverted relief). After the melting of the ice age glaciers, the landscape received its typical, modern-day appearance.

In conjunction with the past volcanisms, several formed in the area, which later filled with water to form lakes. The of these maar lakes preserve exceptional , for example of the early horse Hippotherium or of the giant salamander Andrias scheuchzeri.

During the Middle Ages, fortresses were built on top of several Hegau volcanoes.

The arguably best-known of the Hegau volcanoes is the Hohentwiel, on top of which lie the ruins of a fortress of the same name. The Hohentwiel is located next to the industrial city of Singen. It is the southernmost of the Hegau volcanoes. To the north of it, there are nine other extinct volcanoes (see list below).

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List of Hegau volcanoes

Blauer Stein		Located near the village of Randen (Blumberg); its name means "blue rock" in German
Hohenhewen		Located near Engen, with fortress ruins on top
Hohenkrähen		Located near Hilzingen, with fortress ruins on top
HohenstoffelnJohannes Baier (2025): Die Säulenklüftung beim Hohenstoffeln (Hegau). In: Aufschluss 76(2): 92-99.	/	Located between Binningen and Weiterdingen (Hilzingen), with double summit
Hohentwiel Johannes Baier, Armin Scherzinger (2024): Der Phonolithdom Hohentwiel im Hegau. Aufschluss, Jg. 75, H. 4, S. 253–262.		Located near Singen, with ruins of Hohentwiel Castle on top
Höwenegg Armin Scherzinger, Johanne Baier, Günter Schweigert, & Roland Berka (2024): Zur Entstehung der Höwenegg-Vulkangruppe und der Höwenegg-Schichten im Hegau. Jh. Ges. Naturkde. Württemberg, 180, S. 501–528.		Located south of Immendingen, with two fortress ruins on top
Mägdeberg		Located near Mühlhausen-Ehingen, with fortress ruins on top
Neuhewen		Located near Stetten (Engen), with fortress ruins on top
Staufen		Located near Hilzingen, with fortress ruins on top
Wartenberg		Located near Geisingen, the northernmost of the Hegau volcanoes

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