Eckkopf

The Eckkopf is a hill fifty metres higher than the surrounding Palatine Forest. It stands three kilometres west of Deidesheim, a small town on the edge of the Haardt range. The Haardt marks the forest’s eastern limit and runs north to south for many kilometres. A twenty-five-metre observation tower crowns the summit, offering wide views across vineyards and valleys. The hill is worth the journey because it has drawn visitors for decades. In 1982 the federal president Karl Carstens climbed the Eckkopf during his national hikes. He was accompanied by Bernhard Vogel, then minister-president of Rhineland-Palatinate. The tower and an inn beside it are cared for by local voluntary groups under Deidesheim’s municipality. A visitor finds the Eckkopf Tower at the top, reached by a short path from the inn. The inn itself serves food and drink on most weekends and several public holidays. A circular walking route links Deidesheim to the Michaelskapelle, the Heidenlöcher and the Eckkopf before returning via the Rotsteig. The route passes through vineyards and quiet woodland, ending where it began.