Kyffhäuser
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The Kyffhäuser are a mountain range located on the border of Thuringia, Germany. It stands on the southern edge of the Harz. The mountain has significance in German traditional mythology as the resting place of Holy Roman Emperor Frederick Barbarossa, a charismatic leader who died in 1190 during the Third Crusade.
According to legend, Barbarossa is not in fact dead, but sleeps in a hidden chamber underneath the Kyffhäuser mountain, sitting at a stone table. His beard has supposedly grown so long over the centuries that it grew through the table. As in the similar legend of King Arthur, Barbarossa supposedly awaits his country's hour of greatest need, when he will emerge once again from under the mountain. The presence of ravens circling the Kyffhäuser summit is said to be a sign of Barbarossa's continuing presence.
Today, the mountain area is a tourist site featuring a restored medieval castle from the 11th century. Atop the mountain is the Kyffhäuser Monument, built during the German Empire in the late 19th century, which depicts William I, German Emperor, and Frederick Barbarossa. The Imperial "Pfalz" Tilleda from the 10th century is another historical site on the lowlands nearby.
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