Katzenstein

The Hohlestein is a steep-sided basalt cone rising 476 metres above sea level in the Habichtswald Nature Park. It stands between the villages of Ahnatal-Weimar and Habichtswald-Dörnberg, about nine kilometres west-north-west of Kassel. The summit is a small wooded plateau covered by beech trees, while the eastern slopes drop into the Ahne valley. A geodetic survey point marks the top, and a small shelter hut stands at the southern foot. About 600 metres south lies the smaller Katzenstein, a treeless knoll crowned by a single group of pines.

The site is worth a visit for its unusual geology and protected landscape. The Hohlestein’s 25-metre vertical basalt wall is formed from columns of olivine-nephelinite that cooled rapidly from the upper mantle roughly ten million years ago. The surrounding softer tuff has eroded away, leaving the hard volcanic plug standing as a landmark. Archaeologists have found an Iron Age ring-wall and medieval pottery, suggesting the rock was once part of a fortification or iron-working site. Climbers now use the basalt face for roped ascents.

On the summit plateau visitors find the square stone cistern and survey marker amid beech trunks. The steep southern cliffs are a popular roped climb, while the northern side offers scrambling without equipment. From the shelter hut at the southern base a wide forest path leads back to the Ahnetal valley. To the south the Katzenstein’s pine-capped crest appears as a low island in the surrounding farmland, offering a quiet viewpoint over the Habichtswald ridges.