Hessian Skittles
The Hessian Skittles () are a group of nine extinct volcanoes in the northwestern and lowest part of the Rhön Mountains in East Hesse, Germany. This striking collection of domed hills or "kuppen" is located in the counties of Hersfeld-Rotenburg and Fulda in the northwestern part of the Kuppen Rhön east of Eiterfeld and south of Schenklengsfeld. Geology and history. The heart of these "kuppen", that were called the Hessian Skittles thanks to their similar shape and number, consists mainly of hexagonal basalt columns (see also under Stoppelsberg), that were formed as the lava cooled off. According to  legend, the giants had a skittle alley here, using the Stoppelsberg as the bowling ball. Mountains and hills. The nine summits of the Hessian Skittles include one mountain, the Soisberg, and eight hills. In order of their height in metres (m) above sea level (NHN), they are: The Gehilfersberg (456 m) is not, however one of the skittles, even though it could have been considered due to its location. In addition, the Stoppelsberg (523.9 m, with the ruins of Hauneck Castle), which is counted as one of the skittles, lies to the west outside the actual Rhön region. This stems  from a local mnemonic verse, which did not take the Hübelsberg and Gehilfersberg into consideration: The sentence is used to remember the names of the various hills that all end in "-berg": the Wissels-, Rückers-, Appels-, Stoppels-, Klein-, Mors-, Stall-, Licht- and Soisberg as the nine peaks in the game of skittles. An alternative, somewhat shorter version runs: "Es trägt das kleine Wiesel auf seinem lichten Rücken, durch Moor und Hügel, den Apfel in den Stall. So ist es."