Blücherschanze

The Blücherschanze is a small earthwork fortification north of Runkel-Ennerich, standing on the Taunus hills above the Lahn river. It takes the form of a lunette with a central traverse, its sides measuring 30 and 26 metres, the flanks 25 and 18 metres, and the rear wall 32 metres across. The layout faces the Kerkerbach valley, giving a clear view down to the river below. A path runs close by, linking the site to the Lahnhöhenweg long-distance trail. Built in 1796 by Austrian troops during the Coalition Wars, the lunette was meant to block any advance of French forces stationed in the Westerwald. Its guns could also protect the road to Frankfurt. In 1813, 250 Prussian soldiers who had died in the nearby military hospital at Runkel were buried in the rear ditch of the lunette. A stone monument was raised there in 1926 to honour their memory. Visitors reach the site along a quiet woodland track that leaves the Lahnhöhenweg just north of Ennerich. The grassy ramparts still stand to their original height, showing the lunette’s pointed front and straight rear wall. From the top there are wide views over the Lahn valley and across to the Taunus ridges. A simple stone cross marks the grave of the Prussian soldiers, set among beech and oak trees.