Eschkopf

Summit area of Esch head with the Eschkopf tower; behind the radar Palatinate Forest German Air Traffic Control

Lettering on the observation deck of the tower Eschkopf

Pd4

The Eschkopf near Hofstätten in Rhineland-Palatinate County Southwest Palatinate is a 608.3 m above sea level. NHN high mountain of the Palatinate Forest.

Geography

Location

The Eschkopf is part of the Franks pasture, which represents a central massif in the Palatinate Forest and about the same time runs the Palatine main watershed. The summit of the mountain lying in the biosphere reserve Palatinate Forest and in the Palatinate Forest Nature Park rises about 3.4 kilometers south of Hofstätten ( county Southwest Palatinate ) and 3.6 km (each distance) south-southeast of the in neighboring district of Kaiserslautern hamlet locust cross. The mountain is the northernmost of a series of four peaks that exceed 600 m. To the south of the Mosisberg ( 608.7 m), the Hort head ( 606.2 m ) and the White Mountain ( 609.9 m) follow.

Nature Spatial allocation

The Eschkopf part of the natural environment " Palatinate Forest ," which is classified in the systematics, edited by Emil Meynen and Joseph Schmithüsen manual of the biogeographic division of Germany and his subsequent publications as Greater Region 3rd order. Looking at the internal structure of the natural environment, so it belongs to the Franks pasture or to " High Palatinate Forest ," a core area of the Middle Palatinate Forest.

In summary follows the natural spatial allocation of Esch head so that the following system:

Waters

Approximately 500 m northwest of the Eschkopf summit rises with the Erlenbach the strongest source of Speyer Bach Bach, which flows directly to the Rhine to the east; approximately 900 m east of the summit is the source of Bach's Well, whose waters first south, then east on the Queich also tends towards the Rhine. Upper tributaries of the Black creek, which rises even below locust Cross, have their sources on the western flank of the mountain. Your water passes westward across assemblies, Saar and Moselle to the Rhine.

Reserves

The northern and north-western edge of the ash falls head - below the B 48 - in the biosphere reserve Palatinate Forest Fauna- Flora-Habitat Area ( FFH-Nr. 6812-301; 359.97 km ² ) and the bird sanctuary Palatinate Forest ( VSG-Nr. 6812 -401; 30.233 km ² ) from.

Structures

The plateau-like summit area carries two distinctive buildings: the Eschkopf tower was built in 1902 for the purpose of surveying. As an observation tower with 99 steps, it allows a panoramic view of Thunder Mountain in the north to the Kalmit in the east to the French Alsace in the south. About 1 km north-east is on 585.3 m in height, the tower of the secondary radar system Palatinate Forest German air traffic control.

Transport and Hiking

North and east past the summit region of Esch head leads the winding state road 48 It runs from high Speyer in the north, by locust Cross, on the Eschkopf high altitudes, reaching on the north flank of the mountain 549.5 m in height, and by the Wellbachtal Annweiler am Trifels in the south. The intersection to Iggelbach a bus stop in the summer months on Sundays and public holidays will be served twice each of Neustadt on the Wine road.

Just south past the mountain peak runs the E8 European long distance path. From Eschkopf from it is possible to glues, Kaiserslautern Mölschbach, Elmstein and wander through the forest lodges Taubensuhl and Heldenstein almost to Neustadt on the Wine Road on continuous ranges of hills without falling below the 450 -m contour line. The streets in the area Eschkopf be as challenging because of their ascents of sporting cyclists.