Weißenberg | |
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View of the Weißenberg and Luitpold Tower from Hermersbergerhof
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Highest point | |
Elevation | 609.9 m above sea level (NHN) (2,001 ft) |
Prominence | 138 m ↓ Forsthaus Heldenstein (472 m above NHN) |
Isolation | 15 km → Roßberg (637 m above sea level (NHN)) or Steigerkopf (613 m above NHN) |
Coordinates | 49°15′09″N 7°49′32″E / 49.2526°N 7.8255°ECoordinates: 49°15′09″N 7°49′32″E / 49.2526°N 7.8255°E |
Geography | |
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Parent range | Palatine Forest |
Geology | |
Age of rock | 251–243 million years ago |
Mountain type | Rock unit: bunter sandstone |
The Weißenberg in the Palatine Forest is a hill in the municipality of Merzalben (Südwestpfalz county, Rhineland-Pfalz). Its height is variously give as 610 m above sea level (NHN) or 607 m above NHN. The higher value has been officially recommended since 2011. That makes the Weißenberg the highest point in the west of the mountain range, ahead of the Eschkopf and Mosisberg (each 609 m above NHN). As part of the Palatine Forest-North Vosges Biosphere Reserve it is protected by special conservation measures.
The Weißenberg lies in the central Palatine Forest in the Palatine Forest Nature Park. It rises about 6.5 kilometres east-northeast of Merzalben and eight kilometres north of Hauenstein near the Wilgartswiesen hamlet of Hermersbergerhof. It does not have a single peak, but a saddle-shaped summit running in a north-south direction. The southern peak is 609.9 m high, and the northern peak, 280 metres away, is 609.1 m high.
The hill is part of the Frankenweide, a central massif in the Palatine Forest, and is the southernmost in a row of four summits, all above 600 m in height. To the north, in sequence, are the Hortenkopf (606 m), the Mosisberg and the Eschkopf (each 609 m).