Feiselberg

The Feiselberg is a 413-metre hill in the Damshäuser Kuppen range of the Gladenbacher Bergland. It stands south-south-east of Kernbach and west-north-west of Caldern, both in the Lahntal valley. The hill rises steeply from Kernbach’s southern edge, covered in dense woodland, while the western approach from Caldern begins gently and only becomes wooded half a kilometre from the village.

The Feiselberg has two summits about 250 metres apart, separated by a shallow saddle. Though its shape resembles a volcano, it is made of Middle Devonian slates, sandstones and quartzites rather than volcanic rock. The hill overlooks the upper Lahn valley, where the Mühlgraben stream branches off the river and flows back to it further east.

The Feiselberg lies within the 9,457-hectare Lahnhänge FFH site. Its slopes are part of this protected area, covering roughly one square kilometre. The hill’s steep north-eastern face drops down to the valley floor at 220 metres, where the narrow Kreisstraße 75 winds along the hill’s edge.