Großer Finsterberg, Mountain summit in Thuringian Forest, Germany

The Großer Finsterberg is a 944.1 m high mountain in the Thuringian Forest, near Stützerbach and Schmiedefeld am Rennsteig, and the third highest peak in Thuringia. Its conical summit tilts markedly to the west, revealing its volcanic origin. Except for the plateau, it is covered by nearly pure wood-reed grass spruce forest with almost no shrub layer. The plateau has mountain pasture vegetation with baldmoney, veronica and St. John's wort.

Coal was mined at the Mordfleck and at the Blauer Stein from the mid-18th century. Towards the end of the Second World War, soldiers' graves were laid out on the mountainside. From 1954 to 1990 the Soviet Union used the summit for military purposes, making it a restricted zone closed to the public.

The mountain sits along the historic Rennsteig trail, which has guided people through this forest landscape for centuries. Hikers use the route today to explore the region by following these traditional paths.

Several hiking routes lead to the summit starting from the villages of Stützerbach and Schmiedefeld am Rennsteig through forest paths. Proper hiking gear is recommended as the trails can vary in difficulty depending on the season.

The 8-metre observation tower rebuilt in 2019 is a wood-clad steel structure modelled on the tower on the Ilmenauer Lindenberg; its predecessor, a 7.85-metre wooden tower, stood from 2001 until it was demolished as unsafe in 2018. From the top, the Großer Beerberg and Schneekopf, the two higher Thuringian peaks, are visible.