The Kyffhäuser, sometimes also referred to as Kyffhäusergebirge, is a range of hills located on the border of the German state of Thuringia with Saxony-Anhalt. It stands south of the Harz mountains. The range has a length of 19km and a width of 7km. It reaches its highest point at the Kulpenberg (473.4m), situated in Thuringia. The Kyffhäuser has significance in German traditional mythology as the resting place of Emperor Frederick Barbarossa.GeographyThe Kyffhäuser is a Mittelgebirge located in the Kyffhäuserkreis district of Thuringia and the Mansfeld-Südharz district of Saxony-Anhalt, not far from the larger Harz range. The Kyffhäuser range is 19 km long (from west to east) and 7 km wide. The highest point is the Kulpenberg (473.4m), located in Thuringia. The range also borders on the Goldene Aue.Some parts of the range in the west and south are karstified and bare of trees, covered by calcareous grassland.EtymologyThe name Kyffhäuser probably stems from the word "cuffese" meaning head, dome or peak.HistoryThe settlement of Tilleda at the northern rim was already mentioned at the beginning of the 9th century in the Breviarium Lulli as Dullide, an estate of Hersfeld Abbey. A Kaiserpfalz at Tilleda is attested by the 972 marriage certificate of Emperor Otto II and Empress Theophanu.