The Rahnfels is a hill in the Palatine Forest in Germany, about 2 kilometres northwest of the ruins of Hardenburg castle. With a summit height of the Rahnfels is the highest point in the Palatine Forest north of the River Isenach.

Summit plateau

On the summit plateau of the Rahnfels there is an observation point, the Frankenthaler Hut. This simple, wooden

refuge hut Refuge is a place or state of safety. It may also refer to a more specific meaning: Safety * Area of refuge, a location in a building that may be used by occupants in the event of a fire * Bunker, a defensive fortification designed to protect pe ...

was erected in 1906 by the Frankenthal branch of the Palatine Forest Club and offers shelter to hikers in inclement weather.Hundert Jahre Frankenthaler Hütte
/ref> During the

Cold War The Cold War is a term commonly used to refer to a period of geopolitical tension between the United States and the Soviet Union and their respective allies, the Western Bloc and the Eastern Bloc. The term '' cold war'' is used because the ...

there was a

US Forces The United States Armed Forces are the military forces of the United States. The armed forces consists of six service branches: the Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force, Space Force, and Coast Guard. The president of the United States is the ...

radio relay Radio stations that cannot communicate directly due to distance, terrain or other difficulties sometimes use an intermediate radio relay station to relay the signals. A radio relay receives weak signals and retransmits them, often in a different di ...

site and a telephone call forwarding facility for the DSN network on the southern side of the summit. The tarmac road to the summit dates to this period and ends today at an enclosed and privately owned forest clearing in which the ruins of the military installation are still recognisable.

Transport

The Rahnfelsen may be accessed either on a scenic, country walk( Waymark: red dot) or via the L518 state road, which starts at the southern edge of Leistadt at a roundabout. At kilometre 7 a tarmac lane branches off to the left on a right-hand bend. After about 1.5 km the summit plateau is reached.

References

{{reflist Mountains and hills of Rhineland-Palatinate Mountains and hills of the Palatinate Forest Bad Dürkheim (district) Heritage sites in Rhineland-Palatinate Natural monuments in Rhineland-Palatinate