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12-691: On its rocky summit stands an impressive wooden cross and a Bergwacht (mountain rescue) hut. The panorama extends from the Osser and Arber to the northwest to the Dreisesselberg to the southeast; when there are föhn winds or temperature inversion conditions, the chain of the Alps can be seen from the Totes Gebirge to the Zugspitze . However, recently this all-round view is being obscured by

24-605: Is the local mountain of Frauenau and Spiegelau . Its summit can only be reached on foot. Mountain bikes are not allowed on the trails. The shortest way is from the Gfäll car park to the summit in 1 + 1 ⁄ 2  hours. Further starting points are Oberfrauenau , the railway station at Klingenbrunn and the Racheldienst Hut car park. Access to the two car parks mentioned is closed from 15 May to 2 November between 8 am and 6 pm and they can then only be reached by

36-690: The Bavarian State Office for the Environment (Geotope no.: 276R029). Bergwacht The Bergwacht is an organisation that is part of the German Red Cross (DRK-Bergwacht), whose primary functions are mountain rescue and nature conservation. The voluntary organisation provides over 90% of the emergency services in the impassable terrain of the German Central Upland and Alpine regions. By contrast

48-675: The Austrian Berg- und Naturwachten Österreichs purely looks after nature conservation and the environment, leaving Alpine rescue in the hands of the Austrian Mountain Rescue Service ( Österreichischer Bergrettungsdienst ). The objectives of the Bergwacht are multi-faceted: Save life: Nature conservation: The first German mountain rescue service existed in Saxony as early as 1912. It consisted of

60-597: The German Bergwacht. In 1939, the Bergwacht was also entrusted with nature conservation. In the further course of the Second World War the mountain rescue men were sworn in as auxiliary policemen. In 1944, the Bergwacht was placed under military authority. After the end of the Second World War, the Bergwacht was disbanded in the US occupation zone. The departments joined the respective regional associations of

72-660: The German Red Cross. In the French occupation zone, the authorities approved the establishment of the independent Black Forest Bergwacht. In 1955, the Bergwacht state associations joined forces at federal level to form a working group. From this the Federal Committee for Mountain Rescue of the German Red Cross (DRK) emerged. The Black Forest Bergwacht was represented on this committee as a corporate member. Today

84-603: The Red Cross founded the Mountain Accident Service (GUD), an association of Red Cross paramedics. By 1923, the mountain rescue service, or Bergwacht, already comprised three departments, Munich, Allgäu and Chiemgau. The Bergwacht was entrusted with the task of providing "on the spot help for alpine rescue services". With the annexation of Austria in 1938, the Austrian rescue organisations also merged into

96-630: The Samaritan department of the Saxon Mountaineering Association. In 1920, Munich men founded a German mountain rescue service with the aim of restoring order, custom and decency in the mountains. The rather desolate conditions in the mountains after the First World War, with poaching, theft of huts, cattle and wood, prompted the founders to join forces to "protect the mountain from the people". A short time later,

108-786: The buses of the Regional Bus Ostbayern . In winter, the mountain can often only be climbed with touring skis or snowshoes because of the metre-high snow. A direct ascent from the Czech side is no longer possible, as the traditional starting point, the Rachel Hut (Roklanská hájenka) is in the core zone of the Bohemian Forest National Park and thus out-of-bounds. The summit crags of the Großer Rachel are designated as an important geotope by

120-675: The growth of spruce in the summit region. The Great Rachel is a popular destination. Walkers can stop at the Waldschmidthaus below the summit and order food and drink; since 2011 it has not been possible to overnight here due to fire regulations. As on the neighbouring Lusen , large parts of the Rachel forest fell victim to bark beetle in 1995. According to the thinking of the National Park authorities, no defensive measures were taken nor were dead trees removed. Instead, nature

132-639: The mountain rescue service is a member of the International Commission for Alpine Mountain Rescue or IKAR. The organisation of the Bergwacht is aligned to that of the German Red Cross. For example, the Bergwacht operates as part of the eleven DRK state associations. The Black Forest Mountain Rescue Service (Bergwacht Schwarzwald or BWS) has a special status. The BWS is a corporate member of the DRK State Association of

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144-707: Was left to itself and instead of the former, monotonous spruce forests , mixed forest is returning. Southeast of the summit is the lake of Rachelsee , about 400 metres below. The Rachel Chapel is also situated on the slopes of the mountain. To the north-east of the mountain in the Czech Republic, in the Rachel Forest (Roklanský les) lie the source areas of the Little Regen and the Great Müllerbach/Roklanský potok. The Rachel

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