The Gebaberg, also called the Hohe Geba or Die Geba, near Geba in the county of Schmalkalden-Meiningen in southern Thuringia, Germany, is , and thus the highest point of the Anterior Rhön (''Vorderer Rhön'').

Location

The mountain is located about 11 kilometres west of the county town of

Meiningen Meiningen () is a town in the southern part of the state of Thuringia, Germany. It is located in the region of Franconia and has a population of around 25,000 (2021).

. In the south of the broad summit plateau lies the village of Geba, in the north is the highest point of the mountain which has a walking hut and cafe. At the southern foot of the massif, in the valley of the

Herpf Herpf is a part (''Stadtteil'') of the town of Meiningen in the district Schmalkalden-Meiningen, in Thuringia, Germany. It was an independent municipality until 1 December 2010, when it was merged into Meiningen.Wohlmuthausen, Helmershausen and Bettenhausen which, like the village of Seeba to the southeast, belong to the municipality of

Rhönblick Rhönblick is a municipality in the district Schmalkalden-Meiningen, in Thuringia, Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after ...

. On the eastern slopes of the Geba lies the village of Träbes with the sinkhole of ''Träbeser Loch'' and in the valley lie the villages of

Stepfershausen Stepfershausen is a village and a former municipality in the district Schmalkalden-Meiningen, in Thuringia, Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous ...

and

Oberkatz Oberkatz is a village and a former municipality in the Schmalkalden-Meiningen district of Thuringia, Germany. Since 1 January 2019, it is part of the town Kaltennordheim Kaltennordheim () is a town in the Schmalkalden-Meiningen district, in Thur ...

. In the northwest behind the Diesburg is the village of

Aschenhausen Aschenhausen is a village and a former municipality in the district Schmalkalden-Meiningen, in Thuringia, Germany. Since 1 January 2019, it is part of the town Kaltennordheim Kaltennordheim () is a town in the Schmalkalden-Meiningen district, in ...

Description

Also part of the extensive massif are the tops of ''Neidhardskopf'' (721 m) in the south, the Hohe Löhr (638 m) and the Diesburg (713 m) in the west. At the edge of the wooded summit plateau there is an observation knoll with a panoramic view of the Bavarian, Hessian and Thuringian Rhön, the Thuringian Forest, the Haßbergen and the

Hoher Meißner The Hoher Meißner is a mountain massif with a height of 753.6 m and is located in the '' Meißner-Kaufunger Wald'' nature park in Hesse, Germany. Geography The Hoher Meißner is densely forested and covers an area of 10 km by 5 km. ...

History

In 1867 the Duchy of Saxe-Meiningen had the first surveys carried out on the Geba, during which the first log cabin was built as protection from the weather. On 2 June 1897 the first Meininger Hut (''Meininger Hütte'') was inaugurated in the presence of Duke George II. The hut was later extended. In the decades that followed, the Geba developed into a popular destination for walkers and holidaymakers looking for peace and relaxation, thanks to its good views. From 1945 to 1962 the building was used by the

Free German Youth The Free German Youth (german: Freie Deutsche Jugend; FDJ) is a youth movement in Germany. Formerly, it was the official youth movement of the German Democratic Republic (GDR) and the Socialist Unity Party of Germany. The organization was meant ...

(FDJ) as a youth hostel. Thereafter, the Soviet Army occupied the highest point of the summit plateau and built a radar station. The terrain was placed out of bounds and was no longer accessible to local people and visitors. At the end of the 1960s, a local German firm built a barracks for the Soviet Army. In "House I" (today the ''Gebatreff'') was an

armoury An arsenal is a place where arms and ammunition are made, maintained and repaired, stored, or issued, in any combination, whether privately or publicly owned. Arsenal and armoury (British English) or armory (American English) are mostly ...

, a political room for education, a dormitory for 120 soldiers, a kitchen, a dressing chamber, dining rooms and simple toilets and bathrooms. On 22 April 1991 the Soviet soldiers left and House 1 was gutted as part of the post-reunification job creation program. In 1998 the Meiningen Hut was re-opened by the Meiningen branch of the

Rhön Club The Rhön Club (german: Rhönklub) is an inter-state local history and rambling club in Bavaria, Hesse and Thuringia, with around 25,000 members in 88 branches and is one of the larger German rambling clubs in the Association of German A ...

on its historic site. It contains a lounge with a stove and a dormitory. In addition, in 1999 a Rhön cultural garden, 3 hectares in area, was laid out at the summit with a reconstruction of a Celtic village. In the late 1990s the barracks were gradually converted and today they house the ''Bergstübchen'' cafe, an event hall, a club lounge, a training room, the Russian museum, ''Дружба'' ("Friendship") and an information point for the Geba Tourist Association (''Fremdenverkehrsverein Geba e.V.''). On 28 August 2005 the Rhön Club inaugurated a metal table on the observation knoll with 40 direction indicators for places in the Rhön, the Werra valley and the Thuringian Forest. In early 2014 the county council in Meiningen announced that it wanted to build a 70-metre-high, sloping observation tower on the summit at an angle of 23.5°. In September 2014 the construction was rejected in a county-wide referendum., retrieved 3 January 2015 By contrast, all the municipalities with a share in the Gebaberg voted for the leaning tower.

Walks

The following run over the Geba: * the Geba Way (''Gebaweg''), an Extra tour of the Hochrhöner * the Julius Greif circular walk with a stone monument * the Milseburg Way (HWO3) * the Rhön-Rennsteig Path, which links the Geba with

and

. * the Thüringian Rhön Path

References

External links