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The Belchen System refers to five mountains with the name Belchen around the tripoint of Germany, France and Switzerland that may have been used by the Celts as a solar calendar. The term is an extension of the Belchen Triangle.
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Geographical description
The heart of the Belchen System is the southernmost mountain of the Vosges, the Alsatian Belchen (Elsässer Belchen or Ballon d'Alsace, 1,247 metres). Seventy three kilometres due east is the Black Forest Belchen (Schwarzwälder Belchen, 1,414 metres), which is only 167 metres higher and over which the sun rises at the equinoxes, i.e. at the beginning of spring and autumn. Conversely, the sun sets over the Alsatian Belchen on these days when seen from the Black Forest Belchen.
From the Alsatian Belchen, at the time of the summer solstice, the sun sets over Little Belchen (Kleiner Belchen or Petit Ballon, 1,272 metres), 27 kilometres away to the northeast. At the winter solstice it sets over the Swiss Belchen (Schweizer Belchen or Belchenflue, 1,099 metres), 88 kilometres to the southeast. Thus from the Alsatian Belchen the start of all four astronomical seasons is defined.
In addition, the sun rises over the highest mountain of the Vosges, the Great Belchen (Großer Belchen or Grand Ballon, 1,424 metres) 21 kilometres to the northeast, on 1 May.
The region of the Belchen System is known today as the Upper Rhine, the Regio Basiliensis, the Dreiland or RegioTriRhena.