Wetzstein, Mountain summit in Thuringia, Germany

Wetzstein is a 792.7 m mountain on the northern slope of the Franconian Forest, the highest point in eastern Thuringia, rising near Brennersgrün south of Lehesten. Its summit carries the 35.8 m Altvaterturm, built 2000–2004, while the Rennsteig ridge path crosses its southern flank. The Staatsbruch nature reserve covers its western and northwestern slopes.

The Thuringian Forest Association built a 22 m observation tower near the summit in 1902, the Bismarckturm, and an excursion trade developed. From 1961 to 1989/1990 the summit lay in the restricted zone of the inner-German border, and the tower, by then dilapidated, was blown up on 27 July 1979. An NVA post for air surveillance stood on the mountain in the border zone.

The Altvaterturm tower, constructed in 2004, replicates a historical structure that previously stood on Praděd mountain in the Czech Republic until 1959.

The summit is accessible via several marked hiking routes suited to different fitness levels. Visitors should plan for solid footwear and weather protection, as conditions can change quickly.

The Altvaterturm was built from 2000 and finished in August 2004 by the Altvaterturm-Verein, founded in Langgöns in 1976 by Sudeten German expellees; it stands 530 m north-northeast of the summit, not on it. Its lower chapel holds memorial plaques for towns from which Sudeten Germans were expelled in 1945/46.