The Donnersberg ("thunder mountain") is the highest peak of the Palatinate (german: Pfalz) region of Germany. The mountain lies between the towns of Rockenhausen and Kirchheimbolanden, in the Donnersbergkreis district, which is named after the mountain. The highway A63 runs along the southern edge of the Donnersberg.

European walking route E8 The E8 European long distance path or E8 path is one of the European long-distance paths, leading 4,700 km (2,920 miles) across Europe, from Cork in Ireland to Bulgaria. Route After Ireland it crosses the Irish Sea into Wales and then int ...

runs across the mountain. The highest point of the Donnersberg is the rock ''Königstuhl'' ("king's seat") at 687 metres above sea level. The mountain has a diameter of about 7 kilometres and covers an area of some 2,400 hectares. The Donnersberg was formed by volcanic activity during the Permian, in the transition period between the lower and upper Rotliegend strata. The name Donnersberg is thought to refer to Donar, the Germanic god of thunder, a theory supported by the fact that the Romans dubbed the Donnersberg ''Mons Jovis'' after their god of thunder, Jupiter. According to other theories, the name of the mountain was derived from the

Celtic Celtic, Celtics or Keltic may refer to: Language and ethnicity *pertaining to Celts, a collection of Indo-European peoples in Europe and Anatolia **Celts (modern) *Celtic languages **Proto-Celtic language * Celtic music *Celtic nations Sports Fo ...

''dunum'' (meaning "mountain") or from the name of a

deity,

Taranis In Celtic mythology, Taranis (Proto-Celtic: *''Toranos'', earlier ''*Tonaros''; Latin: Taranus, earlier Tanarus) is the god of thunder, who was worshipped primarily in Gaul, Hispania, Britain, and Ireland, but also in the Rhineland and Danube reg ...

. During the Celtic La Tène period, around 150 BC, an important settlement ('' oppidum'') was built on the Donnersberg, covering some 240 hectares. Part of the wall (''Keltenwall'') surrounding this settlement has been reconstructed. Archeological excavations are ongoing. In the Middle Ages, five castles surrounded the strategically placed mountain: Tannenfels, Wildenstein, Hohenfels,

Falkenstein Falkenstein or Falckenstein ("falcons' stone" in German) may refer to: Places Austria * Falkenstein, Lower Austria, a market town in the district of Mistelbach Germany * Falkenstein, Bavaria, a market town in the district of Cham * Falkenst ...

and Ruppertsecken. Today, only ruins remain of these five castles. About 900 metres east of the ''Königstuhl'' rock, a 27 metres tall tower was constructed in 1864-1865, the ''Ludwigsturm''. After World War II, a radio mast for the largest U.S. radio station in western Europe was placed on the Donnersberg. In the early 1960s, a new communications tower was constructed, stretching over 200 metres. The Donnersbergbahn is a railway line that runs from

Alzey Alzey () is a ''Verband''-free town – one belonging to no ''Verbandsgemeinde'' – in the Alzey-Worms district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is the fifth-largest town in Rhenish Hesse, after Mainz, Worms, Germany, Worms, Ingelheim am Rhein ...

to Kirchheimbolanden. The line originally ran even further, to

Marnheim Marnheim is a municipality in the Donnersbergkreis district, in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe aft ...

, but on March 20, 1945, the

Pfrimm Viaduct The Pfrimm Viaduct (german: Pfrimmtalviadukt), colloquially also called the Marnheim Bridge (''Marnheimer Brücke''), was a railway bridge near Marnheim in the county of Donnersbergkreis in the German state of Rhineland-Palatinate. It was built ...

, a railway bridge between Kirchheimbolanden and Marnheim, was destroyed by withdrawing German troops, and it has not been rebuilt since. File:SenderDonnersberg-unten.jpg, Base of the over 200 metres tall radio and TV mast on top of Donnersberg File:Donnersberg-earthworks-01s.jpg,

Earthworks Earthworks may refer to: Construction *Earthworks (archaeology), human-made constructions that modify the land contour * Earthworks (engineering), civil engineering works created by moving or processing quantities of soil *Earthworks (military), m ...

of the Celtic Hill fort File:Keltenwall.jpg, Recoonstructed Celtic fortification wall at the hillfort File:KeltendorfDJHSteinbachamDonnersberg.jpg, Reconstructed Celtic buildings at the hillfort

Sources

Donnersbergverein für Mensch und Natur: Der Donnersberg
(German)

(German) {{Authority control Former populated places in Germany Mountains and hills of Rhineland-Palatinate Mountains under 1000 metres Culture of the Palatinate (region) Treveri Laccoliths