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The radio tower on the Hesselberg is the summit's prominent landmark and a key point of orientation for hikers and runners. It stands on the highest point in Middle Franconia (689 m) and was originally built as a telecommunications tower for the German Federal Post Office. Today, it serves for broadcasting and microwave radio communication and is operated by Deutsche Funkturm GmbH. With its distinctive silhouette, the tower rises above the tree line and can be seen from afar, even from the Ries crater or the Altmühl Valley. Right next to it are the summit cross, the geological nature trail, and a small viewing platform offering views as far as the Alps on a clear day. In the early morning, when mist rises from the valleys and the tower glows in the first sunlight, it appears almost like a silent sentinel over the landscape.

The Hesselberg geological trail leads for approximately 2.5 kilometers through a fascinating landscape, where you can experience the history of the southern German Jura up close. Several information panels explain how the Hesselberg, a mountainous site, formed from the White Jurassic (Malm) layers – remnants of an ancient seabed formed about 150 million years ago. The trail impressively demonstrates the transition from limestone to marl and leads past small outcrops where fossil traces of mussels and ammonites can be found. In addition to geology, you will also learn a great deal about the flora and fauna of this special cultural landscape: dry grasslands, rare orchids, juniper heaths, and nutrient-poor grasslands characterize the landscape. At the end, the trail rewards you with a wide panoramic view from the summit plateau – stretching across the Nördlinger Ries, the Franconian Lake District, and all the way to the Alps. A tranquil place where geological history, nature, and vastness merge.

From the Hesselberg to the south, the view extends far across the Franconian hills, over golden fields and dark forest islands. In the distance, on a clear day, the bluish contours of the Alps emerge – barely tangible, yet clearly noticeable. The morning light settles like a veil over the landscape, mist rises from the valleys, and the wind carries the scent of damp earth and fallen leaves. A silent moment between sky and land.

Kiosk at the foot of the Hesselberg with adjacent parking lot

A great area that is worth exploring!

A new kiosk will be built here in the foreseeable future... The Anrein community wants to make this place even more attractive.

The kiosk is open on Saturday and Sunday, as shown in the picture

As a witness mountain (a single mountain in a layered landscape) of the Franconian Jura, the Hesselberg is geologically closely related to the Staffelberg (Lichtenfels district) or the Walberla (Forchheim district). The Hesselberg also has a Nazi past, like so many other things. During the Nazi era, the Franconian Gauleiter Julius Streicher made the Hesselberg a political meeting place for the National Socialists. After the NSDAP came to power, party rallies developed into the Franconian Days, which were held annually until 1939. Alongside the Nuremberg Party Rallies, these were the largest Nazi rallies in Franconia, with up to 100,000 people in attendance. Evidence from this period can no longer be found on the Hesselberg today. Since 1951, the Hesselberg has been in church hands and is, among other things, the venue for the Bavarian Evangelical Church Congress.