Scalding hot rock masses are located in the earth's interior and push upwards under pressure. In weakened areas of the earth's crust, magma can rise and come to the surface as lava. We have such a weak zone to thank for the formation of the Daun maars, which are lined up along a fissure in the earth's crust.
The first maar to form was near Schalkenmehren (1), which was buried again shortly afterwards when its younger brother (2) erupted. Today we find a species-rich fen here. Afterwards, the western
Schalkenmehren maar with the maar lake (3).
The series of eruptions continued to the west: first the Gemünden maar was formed, which appears here as a deep funnel with a beautifully wooded crater wall. The youngest member of the volcanic group is the Weinfelder Maar - today a dreamy lake surrounded by hedges and gorse bushes. The siblings of the volcano group have a completely different landscape character.
