Alarmstange

The Alarmstange rises 545 metres above sea level in the Montabaur Heights, a long ridge on the western edge of the Westerwald. It lies within the Nassau Nature Park, where the borough of Montabaur meets Hillscheid. Three streams begin on its slopes: the Vorderste Bach and Hinterste Bach flow north, while the Biebrichsbach runs south. The summit sits close to the Köppel, another high point on the same ridge. A Special Area of Conservation covers parts of the southern flank and summit region. The hill takes its name from an optical signal station built by French soldiers in 1809. In 1853 a wooden post was set up for the Rhineland survey led by Jean-Joseph Tranchot and later Friedrich Carl Ferdinand von Müffling. This post was moved five metres in 1969 and replaced by a granite pillar. Today a 99-metre telecommunication tower stands 130 metres southwest of the summit, with an air quality survey station nearby. Visitors reach the Alarmstange along the Landesstraße 309 or the German Limes Road, which cross the southern slopes. The E1 long-distance path passes the Köppel to the east. Near a forest track fork on the western hillside stands the Thielshütte refuge hut, built in 1967. From the summit there are wide views across the Montabaur Heights and the surrounding countryside.