Hirschberg, Mountain summit in Kaufungen Forest, Germany

Hirschberg is the highest mountain in the Kaufunger Forest, rising to 643.4 meters above sea level. Its basalt summit forms an almost circular plateau about one kilometer in diameter, with two gently rising knolls: the northwest knoll at 643.4 meters and the southeast knoll at 637.8 meters, roughly 450 meters apart. The upper slopes are densely forested, but a clearing 140 to 165 meters wide on the southwestern plateau recalls former brown coal mining.

Brown coal was mined on the Hirschberg's northern slopes from at least 1690, leaving visible open-cast pits. The Zeche Hirschberg colliery closed on 3 October 2003, ending coal mining in northern Hesse.

The mountain holds meaning for hikers and nature lovers who visit regularly to walk through its forested slopes. The protected status of the surrounding forest shows how the landscape is now cared for and restored.

The mountain can be reached from the towns of Wickenrode and Großalmerode using marked hiking trails, as no roads lead to the summit. The paths are well marked and guide visitors through the forest up to the plateau.

The summit plateau still shows visible traces of its mining past, particularly in circular clearings scattered across the surface. Some of these clearings reach up to 165 meters in diameter, revealing the scale of coal extraction that took place here.