'Berger Wacken' and Hunolstein Castle

If you are traveling along the old Roman road "Via Ausonia" through the Haardtwald forest towards the village of Gräfendhron and have passed the small connecting road Talling-Berglicht, you eventually encounter a less conspicuous and easily overlooked signpost with the inscription "Berger Wacken". This leads downwards from the Roman road. After a few minutes you abruptly reach an enormous rock, which is hard to make out in the dense stand of trees even though it is several meters high. It is composed of very hard quartzite rock, which is part of a quartzite ridge several kilometers long that is visible here. A visit to this natural monument should not be missed.

Back on the Roman road, a little later you pass the turnoff towards the mystic spring Haardtquelle located solitarily on a wood glade and surrounded by dark forests. A mineral spring with natural carbonation from 100 m deep is located there. The carbon dioxide, which visibly escapes in small bubbles, gives the water a fizzy freshness with a slightly tart flavor.

Photo: Hunolstein Castle is located in the village of Hunolstein (municipality of Morbach) and can be easily reached via the Hunsrücköhenstraße (B327), roughly in the middle between Morbach and Thalfang. The castle lies on a rocky cliff high above the valley of the Dhron.