Kesselberg (Palatinate)

The Kesselberg stands in the Haardt range of the Palatine Forest, near Edenkoben in Rhineland-Palatinate. It reaches 661.8 m above sea level and is the second highest peak in the Palatine Forest after the Kalmit. The mountain lies between the Edenkobener valley to the north and the Modenbach valley to the south. From the Rhine Plain it is hidden behind the Blättersberg. The summit plateau is covered with trees that block views of the surrounding region.

The Kesselberg is known for the Gletschermulden, round depressions in the Bunter sandstone. One theory claims they were Celtic sacrifice bowls, another that they are glacial potholes. No glacial stria have been found in the Palatine region, so the glacial theory is unlikely. A new view suggests the depressions formed by weathering in different sandstone layers. The old summit signpost has been replaced by a new one that explains these formations in a scientific yet amusing way.

The summit can be reached from trail forks at Benderplatz and Kohlplatz. A smaller footpath branches off the main trail and leads to the top. This path was blazed in 1953 by the historian Friedrich Sprater and named after him. Benderplatz can be reached from the Lolosruhe car park and the former forester’s lodge Forsthaus Heldenstein. Kohlplatz is accessible from the Modenbach valley and the Edenkobener valley near the Edenkobener Hut.