Hofruine Geisskopf, Forest settlement ruins near Iggelbach, Germany.
Hofruine Geisskopf are the remains of five residential buildings that once stood scattered in a forest clearing in Elmstein municipality. The foundations and wall fragments give a sense of how this rural settlement was originally arranged.
The settlement was established in 1744 by the Counts of Leiningen to protect the forests from illegal cutting. It was later abandoned and demolished around 1852 as forestry practices changed.
The settlement shows how people lived and worked in the forest to manage and protect timber resources. You can still see how the buildings were spread across the clearing to oversee the surrounding woods.
The Ritterstein marker stone number 186 pinpoints the exact location of the ruins to help visitors find the site. Sturdy footwear is recommended since the forest floor can be uneven and muddy in places.
The location was contested between two rulers because valuable oak and beech forests grew in the region. These disputes over timber resources show how precious natural materials once were to local powers.
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