Starting point of the tour
Freisen composting plant

Hike on the geopath in the realm of precious stones. The Achatweg Freisen gives an insight into the 290 million year old history of the earth on the Hellerberg. Volcanic forces were the trigger for the creation of magnificent agates, as they were found over many years in the Hellerberg quarry. The highlight of the tour is a mighty rock ball that was unlocked in a rock face by the quarry. On this hike you will get fascinating insights into the geological heritage of the Hellerberg at 10 stations.

 

From the composting plant we walk up the driveway through a valley. The remains of an old quarry can soon be seen on the right-hand side of the path. After a few meters, a short detour to the right leads to the former "Schassewitt" quarry. Andesite used to be mined here and processed into gravel. After the end of the quarry in the 80s, nature has recaptured this habitat.
The path continues to the 600 meters high, windy Freisener Höhe. Because of the special location, the first wind farm in Saarland was built on the 609 meter high Trautzberg at the end of the 1990s. We continue to hike on the heights, pass through a small forest and at the same time pass the state border with Rhineland-Palatinate. We walk across an open area to the bottom right to the large wind turbine standing on a lattice mast. Here we step into the forest and hike on the Böschberg over narrow paths and forest paths. In a curve we leave the wide forest path and hike on a path through the stream valley into the disused Hellerberg quarry. The quarry walls tower up in front of us on the lowest excavation level. Straight ahead we cross the mining area and get back into the forest. At the crossroads we keep to the right and go uphill in a beech forest. Soon a path branches off to the right, which leads steeply into the second level of the quarry. As soon as you step out of the forest, you immediately come across a mighty, approximately 15 meter high ball of andesite rock. A board explains the genesis of this spectacular geotope. We now walk back to the crossroads and then keep to the right. In an arch it goes up to the third level of the quarry. From up here there are already beautiful views of Oberkirchen, the Ostertal and the Palatinate. In some places in the quarry walls, the exposed agates can be seen with the naked eye, which often appear in a pink pastel shade on the Hellerberg. After we have left the quarry, the path leads through a spruce forest up to the summit path, where we turn left. After about 300 meters we turn left at the boulders into a barely visible path. After a few meters we come to one of the breathtaking viewpoints. The view sweeps far from the Weiselberg, to Oberkirchen with the stone valley bridge, to the Potzberg and far into the Palatinate Bergland. We walk back along the summit path to the new refuge, where we can take a break and enjoy a beautiful view of the nearby Freisen. From here it is only a short descent over the driveway to the composting facility, where our hike began.

Elevation profile: