Hornberg (Virngrund)

Hornberg
The Hornberg in the east of the Virngrund region, east of the natural region of the Swabian-Franconian Forest
Highest point
Elevation	580 m above sea level (NHN) (1,902.9 ft)
Coordinates	49°01′16″N 10°12′03″E / 49.02111°N 10.20083°E / 49.02111; 10.20083Coordinates: 49°01′16″N 10°12′03″E / 49.02111°N 10.20083°E / 49.02111; 10.20083
Geography
Hornberg Near Ellenberg; Ostalbkreis, Baden-Württemberg, Germany
Parent range	Virngrund

The Hornberg is a hill ridge, about 2.5 kilometres long, with three kuppen that reaches a maximum height of 580 m above sea level (NHN) making it the highest point of the Virngrund region in the German state of Baden-Württemberg.

The ridge is a continuation of the small plateau around Ellenberg in the Württemberg county of Ostalbkreis, with which it is only linked by a narrow strip of land as a result of valleys to the west and east. It then runs west and in an increasing curve towards the west, finally heading southwest. Compared with the plateau it is only slightly, or even insignificantly prominent, the aforementioned valleys and, especially the northern foreland around Georgenstadt, however, lie some 60–80 metres lower down. Its three kuppen follow one another on the gently sloping ridgeline on the upper right, along which a forest track runs. The car driver on the A 7 encounters the Hornberg as a forested and under-tunnelled hill ridge between the motorway junction of Dinkelsbühl/Fichtenau to the north and the motorway services of Ellwanger Berge ("Ellwangen Hills") to the south.

Description of the kuppen with their heights above Normalhöhennull (NHN) and geocoordinates:

(579 m, 49°1′11.2″N 10°12′44″E / 49.019778°N 10.21222°E / 49.019778; 10.21222)
To the north is the hillside forest, to the south is open pasture. In addition to a transmission site here, there is also a small football pitch (Bolzplatz) and 3 tennis courts.. Just under 450 m south-southeast on the other side of the landbridge to the Ellenberg Plateau stands the Ellenberg water tower (150 m³ capacity, 29 m high), which has an observation platform.