Öchsen, Mountain summit in Wartburgkreis, Germany.
Öchsen is a mountain in Wartburgkreis reaching about 627 meters in elevation, with forested slopes and exposed basalt rock formations. The mountain sits within a landscape shaped by the Oechse river and Sünna creek that flow around its base.
The mountain served as a major settlement site in ancient times when Celtic groups built a fortified complex with basalt ring walls. This fortified place developed over the period spanning the late Hallstatt through the middle La Tène era.
The mountain holds traces of ancient settlements where early peoples lived and buried their dead on the slopes. The visible burial mounds and stone arrangements tell the story of communities that made this place their home thousands of years ago.
The mountain is crossed by several marked hiking trails of different lengths, from shorter loops around nearby villages to longer routes through the surrounding region. Wear sturdy footwear as the slopes are steep and the ground can be uneven in many places.
The mountain was mined for basalt from the 17th century until 1986, when operations finally stopped and the land began to recover. This long period of quarrying left visible marks on the landscape that visitors can still see today.
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