ノルトハルベンの天然記念物・トップ20

This is the former Lehesten roofing slate opencast mine. Its dimensions alone are impressive; along with the nearby Oertelsbruch, it was one of the largest slate quarries on the continent (approximately 800 m long, 300 m wide, and up to 80 m deep). Source: Wikipedia

The tower is located on the Wetzstein hill. A circular hiking trail to Staatsbruch Lehesten also runs here.

A beautiful region 🤩 If you like, you can also take a detour to the Alvater Tower.

The tower on the Wetzstein was built as a memorial against the expulsion of people and as a place of remembrance of a lost homeland. After the expulsion of the Germans from Czechoslovakia in 1945/46, local friends founded the Altvaterturmverein Langgöns in 1976. In 1999, the association rebuilt the Altvaterturm, which collapsed on May 2, 1959 and was not rebuilt, on the Wetzstein in a true-to-original manner.

In the "Land of Blue Gold," as the slate is called here because of its distinctive color, the tradition of Thuringian-Franconian slate mining can still be experienced today. This extraordinary industrial complex, located at what was once one of Europe's largest open-cast slate mines, provides a hands-on experience of the history and processing of slate. The entire Staatsbruch Slate Park area is a nature reserve. 170 Red List species have now been confirmed to have settled in this partially inaccessible area.

Be sure to visit and take enough time with you.

The Grandfather Tower... appears unexpectedly after a bend in the path and impresses with its fairytale-like appearance. Open until 4 p.m. Bring enough time for the visit. In the tower there are extensive exhibitions and a wonderful panoramic view. You pay the entrance fee of 3 euros to a VERY friendly and entertaining tower guard.

The tower is a viewing pavilion above the town of Steinbach near Geroldsgrün. The Langesbühl can be reached via various hiking trails, including the FrankenwaldSteigla 12-Apostel-Weg. The 7 meter high stone tower on the 698 meter high Langesbühl mountain offers a wonderful all-round view over the Franconian Forest, the Thuringian Forest and the Fichtel Mountains. Source: https://www.frankenwald-tourismus.de/detail/id=6087f33e0d7ea872058c6ed1