Potzberg
| Potzberg | ||
|---|---|---|
 Potzbergkuppe with post and observation tower as well as Bundeswehr tower, "castle" (hotel) and wildlife park, on the top right the community of Föckelberg |
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| height | 562 m above sea level NHN | |
| location | West Palatinate ( Germany ) | |
| Mountains | North Palatinate Uplands | |
| Coordinates | 49 ° 31 '14 " N , 7 ° 28' 49" E | |
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| particularities | Potzberg Wildlife Park and observation tower | |
The Potzberg is 562 m above sea level. NHN high wooded mountain in the North Palatinate Bergland ( Rhineland-Palatinate ).
geography
The Potzberg rises in the Kusel district as part of the so-called Palatinate Cupolas in the middle of the western part of the North Palatinate Uplands. Its relative height and, above all, its massive appearance make the mountain a striking elevation in the West Palatinate . Although the Stolzberg ( 572 m ) and the Königsberg ( 567 m ) are slightly higher, the Potzberg has received the nickname "King of the Westrich ". Its layers of earth come from the Permocarbon .
Its summit, on which the Potzberg Wildlife Park , the Potzberg Tower , a Bundeswehr tower and a hotel are located, is part of the local community of Föckelberg . In 1964/65 the road was expanded up to the crest.
history
The Potzberg was in the 18th and 19th centuries, a mining center in the Palatinate (→ List of mines in the Palatinate ). Cinnabar ores were mined from the first decades of the 18th century until 1866 . The mining area in this second Palatinate mining period was mainly divided into the districts of Gimsbach , Rutsweiler am Glan , Mühlbach am Glan and Föckelberg. The Electoral Palatinate promised itself new sources of income from the extraction of mercury . It began on the southern Potzberg ("Alter Potzberg"), from 1771 the focus then shifted to the northern Potzberg, which is much more ore-rich.
The peak is likely to have been in the 1780s. An old mine map from the Electoral Palatinate miner Adolph E. Ludolph dates from this time. The names of the pits recorded on it bear witness to the Christian faith of the miners. Numerous test pits, mining tunnels and other pits characterize this period. However, many projects remained unsuccessful and were therefore discontinued after a short time. Few pits turned out to be profitable and lasted for a long time.
Finally, the great colliery death began on the Potzberg. In 1795 only five mines were still in operation, in 1850 three, until mining ended in 1866 with the closure of the Dreikönigszug mine . The Dreikönigszug, operated for almost nine decades, was one of the most profitable mercury mines in the Palatinate and Germany. Even today, numerous surface relics in the Potzbergwald remind of the mining history such as mouth holes, sunken tunnels (pingen), heaps, the Gelbes Wasser drainage tunnel and the former mountain administrator's house in the Dreikönigszug miners' settlement and the Kellerhäuschen housing estate .
Attractions
Potzberg Tower
Today's Potzberg Tower, which had several precursors, was built in just 39 working days. The foundation stone was laid on October 13, 1951, and on December 2, 1951, the last stone was walled up on the 35 m high structure. After the installation of 165 wooden steps and platforms to the platform of the tower, the inauguration of the tower was celebrated on July 13, 1952 with around 3000 guests. In the judgment it said:
"... The work of our hands wants to keep peace from the forces of nature, revolt and war."
Originally an 18.5 m high radio antenna on the platform completed the structure. From here the radio programs of the then Südwestfunk were broadcast until November 30, 1993 and the private radio RPR1 until March 24, 1993 . Because the tower was in disrepair, the transmitting antennas had to be dismantled. The successor to the Potzberg transmitter is the telecommunications tower on the 520 m high Bornberg at Schneeweiderhof near Eßweiler ; it is used by today's Südwestrundfunk .
The Potzberg tower has been closed for some time and is to be renovated in the course of 2019. The owner is the district of Kusel .
Potzbergkuppe
Potzberg Tower
"Castle" (north view)
"Castle" (south view)
Air show in the wildlife park
"Castle"
On the summit of the Potzberg there is a large building that is popularly known as a "castle" because its construction is based on a medieval knight's castle . However, it does not stand above any previous ruins , but was built over the course of two decades as a Potzberg hotel or tower hotel. The typical Palatinate sandstone was used as building material . The hotel is now closed, but the knight's hall can still be booked for festivities.
Deer park and falconry
Hiking trails and sights
The Potzbergverein, which has taken on the care of tourism and local history, has created six circular hiking trails. Sights in the Potzbergwald include u. a. the Schützenbrunnen , the Triangular stone (a landmark), the drainage tunnel Yellow water that Ottilie source , which also Altenburg called castle ruins Deinsberg , the basement houses , the lazy Born fountain and the former mining settlement Dreikönigszug. A hiking brochure, which is available on the Potzberg summit and on the Internet, shows the various stops in the forest. In 2019, the association set up a direction and distance tree with national and international destinations near the wildlife park.
Popular places to stop for refreshments on the Potzberg are the log cabin of the Potzberg Wildlife Park , the Buchwaldhütte of the Palatinate Forest Association Theisbergstegen and the Ottilienquelle refuge (Rutsweiler / Glan district) of the Ottilienquelle Friends' Association. The huts can be reached via the hiking trails.
Sports
The Potzberglauf, with a length of 8210 m and 342 m of cumulative gradient, takes place every year in November and is part of the Palatinate mountain run series .
Until 1997, only once a year was touring cars approved hill climb from Mühlbach organized on the Potzberg up. The route length was 3.34 km.
literature
- Jan Fickert: Around the Potzberg . Sutton-Verlag, Erfurt 2010, ISBN 978-3-86680-675-7 .
Web links
- The Potzberg, King of the Westrichs , site of Sigmund Niebergall
Individual evidence
- ↑ Map services of the Federal Agency for Nature Conservation ( information )
- ↑ The Potzberg. Retrieved December 1, 2017 .