The ''Altschlossfelsen'' (, "Old Castle Rocks") is a rock outcrop formed of

bunter sandstone The Buntsandstein (German for ''coloured'' or ''colourful sandstone'') or Bunter sandstone is a lithostratigraphic and allostratigraphic unit (a sequence of rock strata) in the subsurface of large parts of west and central Europe. The Buntsands ...

in the Palatine Forest of

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

, near the border with

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

. The 1,500-metre-long rock wall is located on a hill known as the ''Brechenberg'' near

Eppenbrunn Eppenbrunn is a municipality in Südwestpfalz district, in Rhineland-Palatinate, western Germany and belongs to the municipal association Pirmasens-Land. Within the municipality is the 1.5 km long bunter sandstone The Buntsandstein (Germa ...

, . Discoveries from the

Hallstatt Hallstatt ( , , ) is a small town in the district of Gmunden, in the Austrian state of Upper Austria. Situated between the southwestern shore of Hallstätter See and the steep slopes of the Dachstein massif, the town lies in the Salzkammergut ...

and

Roman period The Roman Empire ( la, Imperium Romanum ; grc-gre, Βασιλεία τῶν Ῥωμαίων, Basileía tôn Rhōmaíōn) was the post-Roman Republic, Republican period of ancient Rome. As a polity, it included large territorial holdings aro ...

and evidence of a

medieval In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the Post-classical, post-classical period of World history (field), global history. It began with t ...

castle from the 11th or 12th century bear witness to earlier settlement. The ''Altschlossfelsen'' is well known because of its many, diversely shaped rocks, caused by weathering, and its rare

lichen A lichen ( , ) is a composite organism that arises from algae or cyanobacteria living among filaments of multiple fungi species in a mutualistic relationship.Roppeviller Roppeviller (, Lorraine Franconian: ''Roppwiller'') is a commune in the Moselle department of the Grand Est administrative region in north-eastern France. The village belongs to the Pays de Bitche and to the Northern Vosges Regional Nature Park. ...

in French

Lorraine Lorraine , also , , ; Lorrain: ''Louréne''; Lorraine Franconian: ''Lottringe''; german: Lothringen ; lb, Loutrengen; nl, Lotharingen is a cultural and historical region in Northeastern France, now located in the administrative region of Gr ...

External links

The ''Altschlossfelsen'' at www.pirmasens-land.de

{{Coord, 49, 06, 15, N, 7, 32, 22, E, type:landmark_region:DE-RP, display=title Natural monuments in Rhineland-Palatinate Heritage sites in Rhineland-Palatinate Rock formations of Rhineland-Palatinate Geography of the Palatinate (region) Western Palatinate Wasgau