FREEONTOUR

6

Our home community Neukirch
1120-2020
900 year anniversary

Lochenstraße 6, 78628 Rottweil, Deutschland

48° 11' 53.1" N 8° 41' 43.1" E

48.1980761 8.6953153

Wohnmobil-Stellplatz Pirmasens

It was already dark when we drove to the parking space (49.204399, 7.60807). We were lucky there was still a space available.
The pitch was easy to drive to, the ground is on firm brown sand, which had the disadvantage that it was carried into the motorhome.

Steinstraße 2, 66953 Pirmasens, Germany

49° 12' 16" N 7° 36' 27" E

49.2044444 7.6075000

Stadtrundgang Pirmasens

On Sunday morning we set out for a tour of Pirmasens and a hike through the rock forest. The center was only a 10-minute walk from the parking space, a total of around 14 km were ahead of us. And said in advance - we were (almost) alone.

The parade ground in its current form has only existed since 1995. Before that, it was a square paved with small granite stones, which was primarily used as a parking lot and - as is still the case today - as the location of the weekly market. Today the "Exe" is provided with an underground car park that only existed once in its round shape in Germany at the time it was built, namely in Baden-Baden at the Festspielhaus.

The "Schlossplatz" (also "Unterer Schlossplatz") is the center of Pirmasens. Located on the main street, it connects the "Old Town Hall" with the Pirminius Church via the castle stairs. A water cascade and an oversized bull's head are the eye-catchers of this ascent. At the lower end is the "Old Town Hall". Destroyed in the war and then rebuilt. The carillon also sounds every day at 11:00 a.m. We were surprised to find such a great facility in the middle of the beautiful pedestrian zone.

What would the (former) shoe town of Pirmasens be without its shoemaker Jean Joss?
After his apprenticeship as a shoemaker, which he completed in Paris, he settled in Pirmasens and laid the foundation stone for the local shoe industry. It is said that he sent his wife to the Prussian Rhine Province at the beginning of the 19th century to sell shoes there. When other Pirmasens shoemakers saw how much money the Joss couple had made from this trade, they too began to do the same.
And so began the rise of the “shoe city” - at least that is the legend. Today a bronze figure on the shoemaker's fountain in front of the Luther Church commemorates Jean Joss. The fountain figure had initially stood on the Upper Schloßplatz since 1921, before it was finally placed here in 1981 after the construction of the pedestrian zone. Pithy sayings adorn the octagonal fountain basin, which at least partially express the pride of the Pirmasens in their history.
This is what it says here, for example
"The shoe made us great here,
so don't despise shoes and shoemakers! "
or
"If the shoe leaves the urban 'border',
should he be praise for Pirmasens! "

Felsenwald-Wanderung

Rock forest
The tour lives up to its name - through an attractive forest with hidden meadow valleys, streams, springs and ponds, it led us past bizarre sandstone rock formations and through crevices. There were two places to stop for refreshments on the way, the forester's house and ...

Wohnmobilstellplatz Hornbach

49.183601, 7.36538
Nice local parking space in the monastery town of Hornbach. Larger RVs shouldn't have a problem. Barbecue hut and hut with tables and benches available. The place is divided and graveled.

Wohnmobilstellplatz, Bahnhofstraße 27, 66500 Hornbach, Germany

49° 11' 2" N 7° 21' 56" E

49.1838889 7.3655556

Radtour Zweibrücken 1.Station

Zweibrücken was our first stop

Our city tour began at the Alexander Church. Zweibrücken is on the north side of the signposted Jakobusweg. In the Middle Ages, pilgrims were shown evidence of medieval art along the way. The Alexander Church was built between 1493 and 1515 and is one of the most important building arts of the late Gothic period. The interior was characterized by an extraordinary star vault.
The name Zweibrücken comes from a castle built in the late 12th century, which had a double moat that had to be crossed by two drawbridges.
The Duke's Castle in Zweibrücken - built in its current form in 1725 - is the largest secular building in the Palatinate in the baroque style of the Nordic region. Clear lines, few flourishes, Zweibrücken is shaped by the Baroque, built in the style of the Nordic Baroque.
The path led through the palace gardens and past the Rhineland-Palatinate state stud that houses Zweibrücken.
Palace garden When the doctor and botanist Hieronymus Bock became famous in the 16th century with the first German herbal book, the city's green heart began to beat. Garden art reached its peak in the 18th century with spectacular inner-city parks in the baroque style. Only one baroque green vein has survived to this day: the canal and avenue allow you to feel the splendor of that time and make the hearts of walkers beat faster.

Zweibrücken and the first submarine
The inventor and inventor Wilhelm Bauer (1822 to 1875) constructed the first submarine called Brandtaucher in Kiel in 1849/50 during the German-Danish War. This marked the beginning of the age of underwater ships for Germany. The fire diver sank in the Kiel harbor basin on his first dive on February 1, 1851. The three-man crew, including Bauer himself, managed to save themselves. Wilhelm Bauer worked in Zweibrücken from October 1867 to July 1868. He planned to build an oil-powered submarine engine in the Dingler factory (now Terex). The factory, founded in 1827, was one of the most important steel construction companies in Germany at that time. At that time it was considered to be the world's leading company in the field of steam engine and air apparatus construction. Bauer went down in history as the developer and inventor of submarines through the submarines "Brandtaucher" and the successor model "Seeteufel".
The tour ended at the Duke suburb.
The Herzogsvorstadt is today the oldest preserved building ensemble in Zweibrücken, even the devastating bombing raids of 1945 could not harm it. The Duke's better officials, valets and court gardeners, lived here from 1770 near the castle.

The bike tour continued to Blieskastel

Blieskastel - 2.Station der Radtour

Blieskastel is considered to be one of the best preserved baroque towns in southwest Germany. 154 buildings are listed here. In the city center there is still a lot of old building fabric that was spared from the bombing at the end of the Second World War.
The present-day appearance of downtown Blieskastel was created in the Baroque era. In many places, palaces and mansions determine the image of the former royal seat, which is why it is a stop on Baroque Street Saar-Palatinate. Only remnants of the former castle are left.
A strong man standing on the fountain, the Greek hero Hercules, muscled and with his club he guards a coat of arms that the Count von der Leyen. A ghastly town keeper had the fountain built for the first time in 1691. The fountain used to be very important for the Blieskasteler because on the one hand there was drinking water and on the other hand there was even more important extinguishing water, there was a very high risk of fire, the houses were all only covered with simple shingles.
The castle church was one of the many major construction sites that Countess Marianne had to complete as the client after her husband suddenly died. The church was finished in 1778. It belonged to a Franciscan monastery that was housed in the large building to the right of the church. The count couple had recruited the Franciscans to open a Latin school here, another example of enlightened absolutism in which the nobility no longer only had themselves but also the welfare of their subjects in view. The count couple obviously wanted to develop Blieskastel sustainably. The artfully designed sandstone facade of the church is an eye-catcher, here we see a mixture of baroque and style that became more and more fashionable at the end of the 18th century This time two coats of arms are shown, on the left that the Count von der Leyen, on the right, that of those of Dalberg, the nobility of the Countess, underneath is that of Sebastian, hit by arrows, he is the patron saint of the city. The countess immortalized two men who were very important to her on the two vases above the entrance portal, her son Philipp is depicted on the medallion of the left vase and her late husband Franz-Karl is depicted on the one on the right vase. Inside the church, the huge ceiling painting is worth seeing, it shows, among other things, scenes from the life of St. Sebastian.
The orangery, the only building spared by the revolutionary troops, could be because it was used as a residential building very early on. At the time of the castle, the orangery was probably the place where the exotic plants from the garden were housed in winter, e.g. oranges and lemon trees, today it's a nice place to get married and there are always concerts and exhibitions. The large arches on the ground floor of the orangery are now glazed, they used to be open, behind that there was a portico in which the nobility could stroll, just as they liked it most in the shade. At that time very important, you wanted to enjoy the beautiful weather, the sun, but just not get dark facial skin, had the lower working class.

Altheim 3.Station der Radtour

Altheim
Worth seeing in the center of Altheim is the tower of the Catholic parish church St. Andreas, the basement of which dates from the 14th century. The tower was raised in 1499, which shows the year on the upper sound hole on the north side.

After returning we quickly stowed the bikes in the garage before it started raining and after a break we got ready to continue our journey.

Sankt Ingbert

Finding a parking space in Ingberth is extremely difficult, especially for larger vehicles. We used the parking lot at a shopping center not far from the center. On the way to the city center, it started to rain in torrents, the parish church of St Engelbert came as called, which we saw first
The St. Engelbert Church is the baroque heart of the city of St. Ingbert. It is one of the three landmarks of the city. The only exterior decoration, the beautifully executed large alliance coat of arms of Count Friedrich Ferdinand von der Leyen and his wife Charlotte von Hatzfeldt above the entrance portal.
The carillon
The carillon on the tower of Engelberts Church was put into service on June 30, 2007, it comprises 23 bells.
Every weekday at 12 o'clock the miner's song "Glück auf, Glück auf, der Steiger is coming" can be heard.

On our city tour we went to St.Josef Church. The Catholic parish church of St. Josef is the second largest church in the Speyer diocese. Only the Speyer Cathedral itself offers more space for believers. The church is one of the three landmarks of the city of St. Ingbert. During repair work on the roof structure, a fire broke out in the top of the church tower on July 17th, 2007, which led to the complete destruction of the roof structure and the bells.

On the way back to the Womo we went through the small pedestrian zone. From 1816 to 1920 St. Ingbert belonged to the Kingdom of Bavaria and the traces of that time can still be discovered everywhere.

66386 St. Ingbert, Deutschland

49° 16' 38.8" N 7° 6' 42.8" E

49.2774456 7.1118995

Saarbrücken

We had to plan a lot of time to drive to the parking lot in Saarbrücken. The traffic came to a standstill in places. The parking lot at the Saarhalle was empty and free of charge.
Shortly after our arrival, we set out for a city tour. A 30-minute walk took us along the Saar to the Old Bridge. The name of the city of Saarbrücken does not come from the bridges over the Saar, but from the castle that perched high above the Saar on a sandstone rock: "Sara Brocca": Brocken, rock, in the Saar. Saarbrücken as we know it today has existed since 1909: the two cities were only united in the imperial era. Over the old bridge we went to the castle. A Jewish museum is housed in the castle, which was closed when we arrived. Back over the bridge it went to the St. Johann district. With the town hall built by Kaiser Wilhelm II and the Johanneskirche. After a long stroll and a stop, we went back to the Womo.
In good time before dark we drove to Saarlouis to the pitch to stay overnight.

Deutschland

49° 14' 24.6" N 6° 59' 49" E

49.2401572 6.9969327

Stellplatz Saarlouis

Saarlouis, the city that was built by Louis XIV to secure his empire by his fortress builder Sébastien Le Prestre de Vauban in a Saar knee, is today a lively city,

Again we drove to a parking space in the dark. There were still enough free spaces to park. The place wasn't lit.

St.Nazairer Allee 6, 66740 Saarlouis, Germany

49° 19' 16" N 6° 44' 33" E

49.3211111 6.7425000

Stadtbesichtigung Saarlouis

We used the morning for a city tour. From the parking space we first went through the city park, if you follow the network of paths you reach the "Vauban Island", formerly also known as "the Halwe Mond", via a footbridge. This facility was built in 1698 as the “Contregarde de l écluse” to protect the lock bridge. From the “Vauban Island” you can look over to the well-preserved “Bastion VI”. It was called "Bastion de Vaudrevange", since 1821 "Bastion Prince Albrecht". From the platform on it you can enjoy an impressive panoramic view of the area. Numerous information boards provide information about the history of the facility. We continued to the old town. The narrow house fronts are characteristic. Barracks VI in Alte-Brauerei-Straße was built between 1866 and 1869 in place of the original French barracks in the classical style. Its unusual length of 185 m indicates the great strategic importance that the Prussians also attached to the fortress city of Saarlouis. In the building there is an interesting museum that you should definitely visit, free of charge. Opposite you come to the longest beer bar alley in Saarland. On the eve of the 200th anniversary, the baroque church tower of the Ludwigskirche fell victim to a fire. The new monolithic nave, completed in 1970, a striking asymmetrical concrete architecture. We strolled on through the old and new market places and through the German gate. The Prussian royal crown and Prussian coat of arms are still reminiscent of the Prussian era after 1815. The cannons in front of the German Gate were also positioned there in the early 1970s. The casemates were built by the Prussians in the area of the main wall in the course of the expansion of the fortifications between 1824 and 1829 as a bomb-proof defense system. The earth-covered vaults served soldiers and horses as accommodation and command posts in the event of a defense. From here it was the same way back to the Womo, with subsequent drive to the Druid Path.

Rehlingen-Siersburg

The approach to the hikers' car park was at the exit of Rehlingen on a narrow farm road.

Druid path
There is a lot to discover on the Druidenpfad in Rehlingen-Siersburg. A Celtic house, a high granary and a barrow were built there. In addition, the history of the buildings and interesting facts about the life of the Celts are told on information boards. An eight kilometer long path (path) leads through orchards and along old boundary stones on the smuggler's path, past mysterious mardelles and Celtic barrows. The Galgenberg tells its story as does the old oak. A Celtic tree calendar takes you into the world of the druids and their knowledge of the value and effect of these plants.

Niedaltdorf, 66780 Rehlingen-Siersburg, Deutschland

49° 20' 30.4" N 6° 35' 26.3" E

49.3417681 6.5906520

Stellplatz am Freizeitbad in Merzig

Bad Merzig car park
We were undecided whether we should go to the Bietzener Heilwasser bath after the city tour. The decision to do this was also decisive as to whether we would spend the night in the parking lot.

Parking fee in the car park: 2.50 euros

Fee for adjacent parking space with electricity: 7.50 euros pay at the bathroom counter.

After the sightseeing, we decided to go to the parking lot on the banks of the Moselle in Besch.

St. Peter is the largest preserved Romanesque sacral building in the Saarland. The monastery church, which was completed at the beginning of the 13th century, is an excellent late Romanesque building which has largely retained its original shape. The three-aisled basilica with Gothic cross vault from the 16th century.

The centrally located drinking fountain fed by Bietzener medicinal water is ideal for inhalations. Bundles of hawthorn and blackthorn brushwood form the walls of a salt works in the city park. The air blowing through atomizes the water and distributes the healing water finely in the area. The nebulized medicinal water has a beneficial and soothing effect, especially for respiratory diseases.

Saarwiesenring 5, 66663 Merzig, Germany

49° 26' 43" N 6° 37' 27" E

49.4452778 6.6241667

Besch

The parking lot in Besch is inconspicuously located directly on the banks of the Moselle. When we arrived we thought at first that there is no parking space here. Every now and then a Moselle barge chugs by, the place is very quiet.

Brühlweg 1, 66706 Perl, Deutschland

49° 30' 23" N 6° 22' 4.6" E

49.5063937 6.3679527

Schengen, Luxemburg

The next morning we set out on foot to the small wine-growing town of Schengen, where on June 14, 1985 the first of the Schengen agreements was signed on the ship Marie Astrid.

49° 28' 15.4" N 6° 21' 54.2" E

49.4709461 6.3650460

Dreiländereck Schengen

The Luxembourg star architect Francois Valentiny designed the monument and the pillars of the nations with the country stars of all countries that have signed the agreement. An entertaining
An informative walk through the history of Europe and its countries ended the varied excursion destination. On the same bike path along the Moselle (3.9 km) we went back to the Womo.
Another destination of today is the Villa Borg, which we then drove to with the mobile home.

Römische Villa Borg

Today's destination is the Celtic village near Nonnenweiler. There are two intermediate stops on the way there, one at the Villa Borg and one at the Saarschleife.

Today is a day with closed roads. The access road to the villa was closed, so we parked 500 m in a parking lot near the Villa Borg.
The Roman Villa Borg was not only excavated, it was completely rebuilt true to the original. The excavation site is unique in Europe and offers authentic insights into the life of the Romans.
It was only a short visit to the villa and only looked at the outside of the Roman villa.
We made sure that we get on quickly to the actual main goal, the Celtic village.

Johannesstraße 23, 66706 Perl, Deutschland

49° 29' 50.5" N 6° 26' 18.9" E

49.4973650 6.4385820

Mettlach Cloef -Saarschleife

On the drive to Cloef, we had to take a detour route on which there was no sign that indicated the direction to the Saar loop. Our navigation system guided us along rural roads that were blocked for vehicles over 3.5t.
When we arrived in Cloef, we started looking for a parking space. The parking lot that was approached was completely occupied, another one was blocked for mobile homes, so we had no choice but to park at a supermarket.
We had to walk a few hundred meters to the lookout point, in the hope that the weather would not worsen even more and that the beautiful landscape with the Saar loop could be seen. A circulating mountain made of hard Taunus quartzite forces the river to make a detour of ten kilometers and thus offers an incomparable natural spectacle, the most beautiful river bend in Germany. The Saarschleife, the symbol of the Saarland.

We did not use the tree top path, which you can take further up to lofty heights. On the 42 meter high observation tower you will be rewarded with a wonderful 360 ° view! Germany, Luxembourg and France meet here. From the lookout point it was the shortest way back to the Womo (1.5 km).
The journey then went on to a Celtic village in Nonnenweiler.

Unnamed Road, 66693 Mettlach, Deutschland

49° 30' 6.7" N 6° 32' 26.9" E

49.5018527 6.5407948

Keltische Ringwall Otzenhausen

On the way there it was raining, thank God it stopped raining during the tour.
The Celtic village and ring wall is located in the Hundsrück National Park. The parking lot was easy to drive into.
Admission: Celtic village € 5
After the visit, we hiked to the Celtic ring wall circular route 2.8 km.
The Celtic ring wall Otzenhausen is one of the most impressive Celtic fortifications in Europe. Even today, ten meter high stone walls bear witness to the monumental ground monument from the 1st century BC.
In contrast, a "real" Celtic village has emerged at the foot of the ring wall, in the Celtic Park. A village that could have stood within the huge fortress on the Dollberg 2,000 years ago. The reconstruction of a Celtic settlement is an essential part of the emerging Celtic park. The settlement currently consists of 10 residential, craft and storage buildings, the architecture and construction of which are based on historical findings and models. The settlement is surrounded by a wooden palisade made of sharpened oak trunks, which give the ensemble an authentic character.

Ringwallstraße 78, 66620 Nonnweiler, Deutschland

49° 36' 56.1" N 6° 59' 54.2" E

49.6155831 6.9983768

Reisemobilpark Saarburg

After a long and unplanned diversion of the route, we reached the Saarburg parking space annoyed.
Fee: 11.50 €
Electricity: € 0.50 / 1Kw
Shower token: 1.- € (2.- €)
Gas bottle: 11kg € 24.80

Reisemobilpark Saarburg, Am Saarufer 18, 54439 Saarburg, Germany

49° 36' 3" N 6° 33' 12" E

49.6008333 6.5533333

Besichtigung Saarburg

Unfortunately the day started with fog and light drizzle. The temperature was 8 ° C.
From the parking space we walked through the beautiful old town of Saarburg.
There the old castle of Siegfried the Ardennes Count, who founded Luxembourg in 963, proudly towers over the valley. We started the ascent to the castle ruins with the chapel in front and climbed the tower, which is over twenty meters high, to enjoy the wonderful view of the town and the foggy river landscape. The specialty of the place is the small Leukbach, which is cleverly diverted to form an 18 meter high waterfall in the middle of the town center. The water is still used to generate electricity today. In the past, the town mills were operated using water power. Three mill wheels staggered one behind the other drove the grinders.
After an extensive tour we went on a short hike through the surrounding vineyards. The harvest was not yet over, vines were still being harvested in individual vineyards.

Ottweiler Stellplatz Am Wingertsweiher

Parking space is easy to drive.

There is a beautiful lake nearby

Parking space 5.- € (pay with envelope)
Weather drizzle, 10 ° C

B420, 66564 Ottweiler, Germany

49° 24' 41" N 7° 10' 50" E

49.4113889 7.1805556

Ottweiler (Stadtrundgang)

Slept well in a very quiet pitch.
Weather overcast / dry
After breakfast, walked to the old town of Ottweiler, 2km away. Nice old town. During a stroll through the old town there are alleys built with historic stone and half-timbered houses to discover, but also the tower of the Protestant parish church known as Zibbelkapp, extensive remains of the city wall and the magnificent stem pavilion with its baroque rose garden. Nevertheless, the tour is not too strenuous as Ottweiler is relatively small.

Disposed of the toilet on return and continued to Homburg.

Ottweiler, Deutschland

49° 24' 15.6" N 7° 9' 46.9" E

49.4043228 7.1630189

Homburg

Free parking space
City tour, then we looked at the Schlossberg caves and the castle ruins of Homburg.
Entrance to the Schlossberg caves € 10
Stop in a cafe € 14
Weather overcast, dry, 11 ° C

The Schlossberg caves near Homburg were actually once a mine, today they are Europe's largest red sandstone caves.
In addition to visiting the imposing Schlossberg caves, the highlights of the tour include great views, as well as an old castle ruin in the Karlsberg Castle Forest Park (the Hohenburg castle ruins), an old Celtic cult site and chestnut trees that are over 200 years old.

66424 Homburg, Deutschland

49° 19' 40.1" N 7° 20' 14.5" E

49.3277921 7.3373707

Stellplatz im Zentrum

Fog / dry
little traffic on the way.
Driven to a free parking lot.
On the way to the city center we saw the castle ruins Nanstein on the hill, which we then visited, but only from the outside. Castle ruins Nanstein, built by Emperor Barbarossa around 1160, the castle came to the Knights of Sickingen clan through marriage in 1475. In 1689, the castle was finally destroyed by French troops during the War of the Palatinate Succession.
The old town wasn't really interesting, we walked quickly through the city and to the mobile home.

Von-Richthofen-Straße 25, 66849 Landstuhl, Germany

49° 24' 57" N 7° 34' 12" E

49.4158333 7.5700000

Wohnmobilstellplatz Daennerplatz

Driven to the parking space at the city cemetery, we didn't stand on the square, but in the free parking lot next door.
Parking fee 10, - € 24h. that was too much for us to park for 3 hours.
It took about 30 minutes to walk to the city center. First we strolled through the mighty pedestrian zone. By chance we came to the remains of the mighty Kaiserpfalz, (Barbarossa's imperial city). Passing the city theater, we came to an old part of the old town near St. Martin's Church with a beautiful fountain and house facades. The Kaiserbrunnen was the last attraction that we looked at.