The Salzburger Kopf, at a height of , is the third highest summit of the

Westerwald The Westerwald (; literally 'Western forest') is a low mountain range on the right bank of the river Rhine in the German federal states of Rhineland-Palatinate, Hesse and North Rhine-Westphalia. It is a part of the Rhenish Massif ( or Rhenish ...

after the

Fuchskaute The Fuchskaute is an extinct volcano and, at , the highest mountain of the Westerwald and the county of Westerwaldkreis in the German state of Rhineland-Palatinate. The name ''Fuchskaute'' ("foxhole") refers to a place where the fox (''Fuchs'') h ...

and the

Stegskopf The Stegskopf, at , is the second highest mountain in the Westerwald range in Germany after the Fuchskaute. It is an extinct volcano in the municipality of Emmerzhausen in the county of Altenkirchen in the state of Rhineland-Palatinate. Geogra ...

. The north side of the mountain ridge is almost treeless; in the south strips of woodland alternate with open areas. The mountain is easily identified by the transmission tower which is in the shape of a red and white, cuboid, steel frame at its summit.

Geography

Location

The mountain lies 7 km north of

Rennerod Rennerod is a town in the Westerwaldkreis in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is the administrative seat of the ''Verbandsgemeinde'' of Rennerod, a kind of collective municipality. Within the municipal area, until German Reunification on 3 Octobe ...

and 4 km west of the Fuchskaute, immediately by the crossing of the B 414 (south) and B 54 (east) federal roads.
It is framed by the villages of

Salzburg Salzburg (, ; literally "Salt-Castle"; bar, Soizbuag, label=Bavarian language, Austro-Bavarian) is the List of cities and towns in Austria, fourth-largest city in Austria. In 2020, it had a population of 156,872. The town is on the site of the ...

to the south,

Stein-Neukirch Stein-Neukirch is an ''Ortsgemeinde'' – a community belonging to a ''Verbandsgemeinde'' – in the Westerwaldkreis in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. Geography The community of Stein-Neukirch lies in the Westerwald between Siegen in the north an ...

to the north (whose municipal territory runs over the crest), Hof to the west and

Bretthausen Bretthausen is an ''Ortsgemeinde'' – a community belonging to a ''Verbandsgemeinde'' – in the Westerwaldkreis in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. Geography The community lies in the Westerwald between Siegen and Limburg an der Lahn. Bretthausen ...

to the east. Salzburger Kopf 6 Tafel

Galgenberg

In a wider sense, the 649.7-metre high Galgenberg belongs to the Salzburger Kopf. This is where the mountain ridge ends 900 metres to the west-southwest. The Kreisstraße from Salzburg to Stein runs over the (635 m). South of the kuppe the Westerwald Club has erected a memorial for those members who fell in the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. The Galgenberg is notable for outstanding long distance views that open up to the west and south.

Watersheds

The Salzburger Kopf is part of the

watershed Watershed is a hydrological term, which has been adopted in other fields in a more or less figurative sense. It may refer to: Hydrology * Drainage divide, the line that separates neighbouring drainage basins * Drainage basin, called a "watershe ...

between the

Dill Dill (''Anethum graveolens'') is an annual herb in the celery family Apiaceae. It is the only species in the genus ''Anethum''. Dill is grown widely in Eurasia, where its leaves and seeds are used as a herb or spice for flavouring food. Growth ...

and

Sieg The Sieg is a river in North Rhine-Westphalia and Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is a right tributary of the Rhine. The river is named after the Sicambri. It is in length. The source is located in the Rothaargebirge mountains. From here t ...

. The waters of the Erlenbach, which rises on its northeast flank, reach the Dill via the Haigerbach. A brook, which rises southeast of the summit, flown into the Sieg tributary, the

Nister Nister is an ''Ortsgemeinde'' – a community belonging to a ''Verbandsgemeinde'' – in the Westerwaldkreis in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. Geography The community lies north of Hachenburg on the river Große Nister. Nister belongs to the ' ...

, 2 km to the east. Another brook, whose source is on the northwest flank of the Galgenberg empties into the Nister tributary, the Black Nister (Schwarze Nister).

History

In 1788, the summit was still the site of the three courts of

Marienberg Marienberg is a town in Germany. It was the district capital of the Mittlerer Erzgebirgskreis (Central Ore Mountains district) in the southern part of Saxony, and since August 2008 it has been part of the new district of Erzgebirgskreis. As of ...

Emmerichenhain Rennerod is a town in the Westerwaldkreis in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is the administrative seat of the ''Verbandsgemeinde'' of Rennerod, a kind of collective municipality. Within the municipal area, until German Reunification on 3 Octobe ...

and Neukirch. The transmission tower was operated by US Forces 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 ...

. Today it is owned by Vodafone.

Tourism

Due to its easy access (from the north) and its extensive views, the mountain is popular with visitors.
It is also the end of a stage for hikers. The main hiking trails, ''I'' (Königswinter – Hachenburg – Herborn) and ''6'' (Burbach – Rennerod – Limburg) of the Westerwald Club, as well as the

E1 European long distance path The E1 European long-distance path, or just E1 path, is one of the European long-distance paths designated by the European Ramblers' Association. It has a total length of some . It begins in Norway at Nordkapp, and crosses the Kattegat between S ...

, run along the ridge. On the eastern mountainside there is a ski piste and

lift Lift or LIFT may refer to: Physical devices * Elevator, or lift, a device used for raising and lowering people or goods ** Paternoster lift, a type of lift using a continuous chain of cars which do not stop ** Patient lift, or Hoyer lift, mobile ...

suitable for beginners and more advanced skiers. Since 2011 a further attraction has been a snowtube facility.{{cite web, title=Wintersportverein Salzburger Kopf e. V., url=http://www.wsv-salzburgerkopf.de, accessdate=2011-12-30, language=German

References

Mountains and hills of Rhineland-Palatinate Mountains and hills of the Westerwald