Buchschirmberg
Buchschirmberg
The 746 meter high Buchschirmberg belongs to the Kuppenrhön and is located in the Hessian part of the Rhön Biosphere Reserve in the district of Fulda near the village of Hilders.
From time immemorial, the Battenstein on the Buchschirmberg has been the destination of various pilgrimages. On the summit of the mountain there is a viewing platform with a memorial stone of the Rhönklub branch club Hilders, the "Cross of the East" and a transmission mast. On the southwestern slope, about 2 km east of Hilders on the road to Frankenheim, is the basalt rock group of the Battenstein with the pilgrimage chapel of St. Mary on the summit. The path to the chapel leads past 13 station houses. These house wood-carved groups of figures depicting the Passion of Christ. The year 1706 can be read in the crossbeam of the chapel. Behind the chapel stands the so-called "poor soul's cottage" from 1827 with a stone relief of purgatory. At the Battenstein there are also beautiful old hute beeches, which offered protection to the grazing cattle during storms. On the plateau of the Battenstein there are still herds of cattle all summer long.
From the mountain you have a magnificent panoramic view to the east into the Thuringian Rhön as well as into the western Rhön and the Ulstertal, to the Wasserkuppe and Milseburg. Therefore it is a popular destination for hikers. In the western direction one finds a vacation home settlement and the youth campground as well as a youth hostel of the municipality of Hilders. In the northwest on the plateau is the Thomas-Morus-Haus, a youth education and leisure center. Not far away is the Pater-Löslein-Hütte, a self-catering hut of the Jugendwerk St. Michael e.V.. To the north is the Seekutte, a hiking rest point of the Simmershausen branch of the Rhönklub.
A popular destination for winter sports enthusiasts is the Rhönwald cross-country ski trail in the southeast of the mountain. The Battenstein can be reached from the community center of Hilders via the circular hiking trail No. 10 (black number). The Rhön cattle drive takes place in the Hilders district of Simmershausen every year on the 4th Sunday in September. It was first held in 1989 and is now one of the most popular tourist attractions in the Rhön.
The Buchschirmberg is located on the premium hiking trail Extra tour "The Hilderser.