Merkur

Merkur rises above the spa town of Baden-Baden in the Northern Black Forest. It is a free-standing cone of red sandstone, known in the 16th century as the Großer Staufenberg for its mug-like shape. A Roman votive stone to Mercury once stood on the summit; today a cast marks the spot while the original is kept in Baden-Baden’s municipal museum. The mountain’s slopes are covered with mixed woodland and open meadows that catch the afternoon light. The Merkur Funicular climbs 1,200 metres from Baden-Baden to the summit on gradients up to 54 per cent, making it one of Germany’s longest funiculars. At the top station a restaurant overlooks the Rhine plain and the Vosges. A sunbathing lawn, barbecue area and children’s play park share the plateau with an observation tower built in 1837 and later raised for broadcasting. Halfway up, the Panorama Way offers broad views before the funicular reaches the summit. Visitors find a restaurant and terrace at the top, a wildlife park at the foot with red deer, fallow deer and mouflon, and a network of graded Terrainkurwege designed for gentle exercise. Two long-distance trails, the Gernsbacher Runde and the Murgleiter, pass the summit, while the surrounding panorama includes the ruins of Hohenbaden Castle, the Battert rocks and the cities of Karlsruhe and Strasbourg.