リングガウのおすすめウォーキング＆ハイキングルート

By the way, there is a wonderful view not only of Weißenborn, but you can also easily follow the Green Belt all the way to the rear ridge, where you can also see from right to left: Treffurt with Normannstein Castle, then further to the left the Hülfensberg and in front of it Wanfried in the Werra Valley, further to the left the mountain with Greifenstein Castle and on the far left the Hessian Switzerland near Bad Sooden-Allendorf.

You imagine a "clear viewpoint," but then you find yourself facing a narrow path leading to an embankment. You can catch a glimpse of the valley through the branches. Still very beautiful!

A very nice cabin, with a bench and a great view of Weißenborn.

A beautiful view of the valley

Approximately 700 meters behind the old boundary stone from 1837, which marked the border between Hesse-Kassel and the Kingdom of Prussia, runs the former patrol road. The old boundary stones now mark the state border between Hesse and Thuringia. Until the opening of the border, the heavily fortified "Inner German Border" ran along this route. The area between the boundary stone and the patrol road, now overgrown, was then barren, and metal fences stood there. The patrol road, which stretches from south to north across Germany, served as a road for effectively controlling the border.

The Schäferburg (Shepherd's Castle) likely got its name from the steep, towering rock faces, which suggest the presence of a castle. However, no castle ever stood here. Nevertheless, a legend tells of the Schäferburg being destroyed in a war. Only the lord's daughter is said to have escaped. On moonlit nights, one can supposedly watch a fair-haired maiden spinning and weaving a bridal veil in the Königstal (King's Valley). After finishing her work, she walks towards the Schäferburg. However, the sound of the night watchman's horn indicates that she is late and must begin her work again on the next moonlit night. Only a wisp of mist remains of her appearance.

The three-story border tower near Ifta was a so-called command tower of the GDR border troops. The inner-German border was divided into individual sections. Each section had its own command tower. The upper floor was permanently manned by an officer and a soldier. From the Ifta border tower, the entire area – the border, the village of Ifta, and the airspace – was monitored. All messages, including those from the signal fences, were received here. Radio and telecommunications technology was operated from here. The ground floor housed sanitary facilities, and the first floor contained a rest room with beds for up to six people. For safe operation, each tower was equipped with accumulators and an emergency generator to ensure power supply to the border section in the event of a power outage.

Here at the summit cross there is also a summit book to sign 😊! Great!