The 20 Most Amazing Peaks around Waldmünchen

Čerchov, whose German name is "Schwarzkopf", is the highest mountain in the Bohemian Forest. There are two towers and a row of barracks on the summit. One tower is an observation tower built in 1904. The other tower, peppered with listening devices, was used as a reconnaissance post by the Soviets and the Stasi until the fall of the Berlin Wall and later by the Czech army until after 1990. For this reason, it was not permitted to climb to the top of the mountain for a long time. The reconnaissance station is part of a chain of similar listening posts along the German border and continues northwards over Velký Zvon (859 metres), Havran (894 metres) and Dyleň (939 metres).

The Čerchov (German Schwarzkopf) is 1042 m n.m. the highest mountain in the Upper Palatinate Forest (Český les) and the northern peak of the Bohemian Forest. It is about 2 km from the German-Czech border in the Czech Republic, roughly in the middle of a triangle formed by the towns of Waldmünchen, Furth im Wald and Domažlice.

After being used by the Wehrmacht in World War II, the summit was used intensively as a reconnaissance station until the 1990s and was no longer open to the public. In addition to the Kurz-Turm (named after its builder), which was built in 1904 as an observation tower, a second, larger tower was built by the Czechoslovak army in 1987, which is now used for air traffic control purposes and is not accessible. The corresponding NATO communications station was on the Hoher Bogen about 20 km to the south-east; other reconnaissance posts were u. a. on the Velký Zvon (Plattenberg, with a tower built in 1978 in a very similar way, with visual contact to the Čerchov plant) and the Dyleň. In addition to the Soviet Army, Main Department III of the East German Ministry for State Security also used the position on the Čerchov as a listening post (code name "RUBIN"). In the course of the opening of the border and reunification, the listening posts were given up and the Kurz-Turm has been accessible again since July 2000. The mountain offers a panoramic view of the Bavarian Forest and the Czech plain, in good weather conditions the view extends to the Alps. There is also an amateur radio relay on the mountain. The Domažlice Tourist Club renovated the lookout tower and built an extension to the so-called short tower, which houses a small bistro. Climbing the tower costs €1.

Thanks to the great commitment of many voluntary helpers and sponsors, this building, based on an idea by Ralph Wenzel, could be realized on the Tannenriegel (Gibacht, Waldmünchen). About 10 tons of stones, some of which come from the most diverse regions and countries of the world, were laid in painstaking hard work. In the western direction, 4 hand-cast glass elements were used, which glow at night using solar technology. So, next to a disc of the world - an Islamic crescent, a Christian cross and a Star of David - send light signals into the world to call people to more peace and understanding among themselves.

Anyone who has a penny (not a cent) should leave it here, it's a good investment :-)

The Kreuzfelsen is 938 m above sea level. NHN the highest point in the German part of the Upper Palatinate Forest. On its summit there is a striking rock formation and on top of it a large summit cross on which a figure of Christ is attached.

It is always worth climbing up the steps of the short tower. Admission 1€ You will be rewarded with a gigantic view.

Nice trail to the Kreuzfelsen 😉