Hochsteinchen Observation Tower

The Hochsteinchen is a 648-metre hill in the Hunsrück range, the highest point in the Rhein-Hunsrück district. It stands between the villages of Ellern and Seibersbach, three kilometres south of Rheinböllen, whose municipal boundary includes the summit. The Soonwald forest surrounds the lower slopes and gives the area its quiet, wooded character. A metal observation tower built in 1893–94 rises eighteen metres above the summit. From its platform visitors once saw across the Hunsrück to the Middle Rhine Valley and as far as the Taunus hills. Today the view is narrowing as young spruce trees grow around the tower, and to the south the outlook is already lost behind dense growth. The Soonwaldsteig long-distance trail passes the foot of the hill, linking the region’s forests and valleys. Eleven wind turbines up to two hundred metres tall were erected in 2012 by the firm Juwi on Hochsteinchen and the nearby Katzenkopf. Their construction required clearing seven hectares of woodland and cutting wide access tracks for heavy vehicles. The project has divided opinion, with supporters citing renewable energy and critics pointing to its impact on scenery, wildlife and the tranquillity of the Soonwald.