Rotes Höhenvieh
A red upland breed from Germany's Central Uplands, rebuilt in 1985 from a handful of cows
The Rotes Höhenvieh is a red breed of cattle from the Central Uplands of Germany, put together in 1985 from the last examples of several similar upland types. Cows stand about 600 kg and give roughly 4000 kg of milk a lactation; the breed is now kept for meat and for grazing down vegetation.
- A red German breed from the Central Uplands, formed in 1985 from several upland types
- Cows about 130 to 135 cm and 600 kg; bulls up to 145 cm and 875 kg
- Milk yield about 4000 kg a lactation, with 3% fat and 4% protein
- Herd grew from 387 animals in 1997 to 1521 in 2012
- Listed as endangered in 2007 and as seriously endangered on the German red list
What do Rotes Höhenvieh cattle look like?
The Rotes Höhenvieh is a red breed from the Central Uplands of Germany. It is a humpless taurine animal with horns, its coat red and its muzzle pale. Cows stand about 130 to 135 cm at the withers, the ridge between the shoulders, and weigh some 600 kg. Bulls are bigger, reaching 140 to 145 cm and about 875 kg, so the two sexes differ plainly in size. In German the name means red upland cattle, which fits both the colour of the animals and the country they come from.
Where does the Rotes Höhenvieh come from?
The breed's home is the Central Uplands of Germany, where these red cattle were the draught animals of upland farms for generations, pulling carts and ploughs. Mechanisation after the Second World War removed the need for that work, and by about 1980 the old stock had all but gone. The breed as it stands was created in 1985, when the few remaining animals of a number of closely similar regional red types were merged into one. Recovery was only possible because material from the old bloodlines had survived.
What the Rotes Höhenvieh is known for
The Rotes Höhenvieh is a horned upland animal with a working past: these cattle pulled carts and ploughs in the hills of central Germany until machines took over the job. What the breed is best known for now is its rescue from near-disappearance. It was the first of the German Red varieties to be given a recovery plan, and its numbers have climbed steadily, from 387 head in 1997 to 1521 in 2012.
How the Rotes Höhenvieh is bred and kept
The breed sits inside the German Red herd-book, Deutsches Rotvieh, as one regional variety among several. Rather than keep each local red type apart, breeders pooled what was left. Two things made the rebuild work: about twenty cows that were no longer pure-bred but still carried old characteristics, and a store of semen found at the collection centre in Giessen, in Hesse, where roughly sixty portions, all taken from a single pedigree bull, had been kept on the shelf.
Rotes Höhenvieh, drawn
What the Rotes Höhenvieh is kept for
Once these cattle were triple-purpose, meaning they gave milk, were fattened for meat and worked as oxen. That ended with mechanisation. A cow yields about 4000 kg of milk in a lactation, the milk-giving period after calving, with 3% fat and 4% protein, though milk is no longer the main reason for keeping the breed. Today it is kept for beef and for vegetation management, grazing ground where rough growth needs holding back.
The land and climate of the Rotes Höhenvieh
The breed belongs to the Central Uplands of Germany, the belt of hills and lower mountains running through the middle of the country. This is upland grazing country, and the cattle were formed by it: they worked the slopes and were fed from them. That is why the breed has a second job today. Its grazing serves as vegetation management, keeping ground open that would otherwise scrub over.
At a glance: where it belongs
Land and climate
Numbers, conservation and the herd book
Herd numbers have risen steadily, from 387 animals in 1997 to 1521 in 2012. The FAO classed the breed as endangered in 2007. A German society for the conservation of old and endangered farm animals places it in category II of its red list, meaning seriously endangered, and in 1997 named it its endangered breed of the year. The Rotes Höhenvieh was the first of the German Red varieties to have a recovery plan adopted for it.
Questions people ask about Rotes Höhenvieh
Where does the Rotes Höhenvieh come from?
From the Central Uplands of Germany. The breed as it stands was formed in 1985, when the last red upland cattle of several similar regional types were merged into one herd-book variety, using about twenty cows and stored semen.
What is the breed kept for today?
Beef and vegetation management, grazing rough ground to hold back scrub. It was once triple-purpose, giving milk, meat and draught work. A cow gives about 4000 kg of milk a lactation, at 3% fat and 4% protein, but milk is no longer the main use.
How big are these cattle?
Cows stand about 130 to 135 cm at the withers, the ridge between the shoulders, and weigh some 600 kg. Bulls are larger, around 140 to 145 cm and 875 kg. Both sexes are horned, and the coat is red with a pale muzzle.
Is the breed at risk?
Yes. The FAO rated it endangered in 2007, and a German conservation society puts it in the seriously endangered category of its red list. Numbers are small but rising, from 387 animals in 1997 to 1521 in 2012.
Why is it called red upland cattle?
The German name says so. Rotes refers to the red coat, and the second part of the name points to the upland country of the Central Uplands where these cattle were kept. The English name, German Red (Highland type), carries the same idea.
Good reading and sources
- Rotes Höhenvieh on WikipediaEncyclopedia
- More photos on Wikimedia CommonsPhotos and video
- Wikidata recordOpen data
The facts on this page come from the Wikipedia article "Rotes Höhenvieh", written by its contributors and used under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence, and from its Wikidata record (CC0). EveryCow rewrote the text in its own words, with AI assistance, and compares every page with the article to make sure no passage is copied. It may be reused under the same CC BY-SA 4.0 licence with a link back.
It may contain mistakes. Sizes, colours and customs differ from one herd, valley or breeder to the next. Folk beliefs are described as tradition, never as advice. If something is wrong, tell us. Last refreshed 2026-10-16.
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