Schwarzer Mann, Mountain summit in Eifelkreis Bitburg-Prüm, Germany.
Schwarzer Mann is the highest summit of the Schneifel ridge in the western Eifel, rising to 700.9 m above sea level near the Belgian border. The mountain is built of quartzite and covered mainly with spruce. Its highest point lies at the Tranchotstein, a small boundary stone carved with a triangle, three concentric circles and the old place name Kerschgesroth.
The summit's highest point, at 700.9 m, is marked by the Tranchotstein, a small boundary stone named after the French geographer Jean Joseph Tranchot (1752–1815), who carried out the topographic survey of the Rhineland under Napoleon Bonaparte. The stone bears a triangle, three concentric circles and the old place name Kerschgesroth carved on its south side.
The name refers to the blackened faces of miners from the lead ore mine in Bleialf, not to the folkloric figure of the Black Man. The summit was formerly called "Kerschgeroth", probably from the clearing of the densely wooded area. The Tranchotstein near the top bears the old name Kerschgesroth carved into its south side.
The summit is crossed by Landesstraße 20, with parking near the top. The Schneifelhöhenweg runs about 10 km between the Schneifelforsthaus hiking car park and the Brandscheid rest area. In winter, two ski lifts serve 800-metre pistes, a 450-metre toboggan run with lift and a children's toboggan run; two cross-country trails of 12 and 18 km are usually groomed in January and February.
The summit itself is marked by the Tranchotstein, a small boundary stone named after the French geographer Jean Joseph Tranchot (1752–1815), who surveyed the Rhineland for Napoleon. Carved into its south side are a triangle, three concentric circles and the old place name Kerschgesroth.
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