Schwedenschanze (Gersfeld)

View of the cleared part of the Schwedenschanze in Gersfeld

View of the star shape of the ski jump

The Schwedenschanze on the eastern slope of the Reesberg in the Rhön is a historical star-shaped fortification as a double rampart at 715 meters above sea level.

It served as a starting point for monitoring the Bischofsheim - Gersfeld road and as a retreat in the event of looting in the surrounding areas of the Rhön. The name Schwedenschanze came about after the Thirty Years' War , although the ski jump was probably not built by the Swedes but by the imperial troops. An old Landwehr from the Middle Ages was involved in the construction of the ski jump .

Because the Schwedenschanze is located in the Wildflecken military training area, it is usually not open to the public. However, a tradition that the Bundeswehr continues after the American forces withdrew from Wildflecken (1994) is the annual “People's March” through the restricted military area on the last weekend in July . It is possible to hike the otherwise inaccessible terrain on prescribed paths. With routes changing every year, the Schwedenschanze can also be visited from time to time.

Web links

Commons : Schwedenschanze  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

• The Rhöner Schwedenschanze with a description of the facility

Coordinates: 50 ° 25 ′ 14.7 ″  N , 9 ° 56 ′ 5 ″  E