The best walks and hikes in Waldhof-Standorfsberg Bei Grüsselbach

In the background, you can see the Rhön Biosphere Reserve.

After the "fall of the Wall" on November 9, 1989, there were even around 6000 dogs that suddenly became orphaned due to their unemployment and thus uselessness. Previously, they had been part of the GDR's border protection as so-called 'Mauerhunde' (wall dogs). The German Shepherd was particularly popular as a wall dog, although other large shepherd dogs, Rottweilers, Great Danes, and Giant Schnauzers were also trained. Their task was to guard at difficult-to-access or unclear border sections and to alert republic fugitives so that the border patrol could catch them. For this purpose, dog runs were created, in which the animals moved on a leash about 5 meters long, which in turn was attached to a 70 to 100 meter long wire rope. Source: https://gudog.de/blog/passierte-mit-den-mauerhunden-nach-der-wiedervereinigung

On January 1, 2008, the cross-border Point Alpha Foundation was established. The foundation's goal is to profile the Point Alpha Memorial as a place of remembrance of German division, as well as a place for documentation and research of the Cold War in Europe. In addition to the care and preservation of the memorial, the foundation sees the development of continuous educational and research work as one of its main areas of focus. With the appointment of the full-time board on December 1, 2008, the foundation became operational. The foundation's capital came from the federal government, the states of Hesse and Thuringia, the Fulda district and the Wartburg district, as well as the city of Geisa and the municipality of Rasdorf. Quelle: https://www.pointalpha.com/stiftung/

The Ulstertal with its wonderfully original low mountain landscape is a gem in the heart of the Kuppenrhön.

In an area of just over 5,000 sq km, more than 150,000 soldiers and 4,000 tanks and armored vehicles from the two military blocs faced each other with different strategies for many decades. As early as the 1960s, the US military therefore began to establish an observation post near Rasdorf and concentrated troop units around Fulda, 30 km away, to slow down a possible attack until reinforcements arrived. In the US camp, visitors encounter the authentic military facility and military equipment left behind by the US forces. The permanent exhibition is housed in one of the former barracks. Source: https://hlz.hessen.de/angebote/erinnerungskultur/fahrten-zu-gedenkstaetten/point-alpha/

Along the Green Belt directly on the Point-Alpha-Weg, an outdoor pavilion with three rotating sun loungers has been set up on a sun plateau. There, you can also learn interesting facts about the special history of the place from information boards - Wiesenfeld became known primarily for a mass exodus out of fear of forced evacuations. Quelle: https://www.rhoen.info/w/opendata/poi/sonnenplateau-wiesenfeld

In 1968 the first wooden observation tower was erected, in 1982 a steel tower, and in 1985 the concrete tower that still exists today.

Facility located on the former border.