Way of St. James
Remigiusberg Kusel stage to Freisen Oberkirchen valley bridge
This stage leads us from Remigiusberg in Haschbach through Kusel up to Lichtenberg Castle, and over the Fritz-Wunderlich-Weg to our stage destination, the valley bridge in Oberkirchen Freisen. There are many sights to discover along the route.
The center of the landscape in the Glantal is the Remigiusberg between Altenglan and Theisbergstegen with its castle ruins and church. Separated by a mountain cut, the ruins of the Michelsburg rise on the Remigiusberg to the east opposite the church.
The Remigius Church was once the religious center of the Benedictine provostry of St. Remigi Remigiusberg, first mentioned in 1127, a branch monastery of the Abbey of St. Remy near Reims.
“There is a town in the Palatinate region, so beautiful in the valley …….”. This is how the famous son of the city, Kusel Fritz Wunderlich, sings about his Kusel. A tour through Fritz Wunderlich's hometown Kusel leads us to stations of his life and work, to places of his memory. He is remembered in the memorial rooms of the City and Local History Museum in Kusel.
Other sights in Kusel: Town hall with carillon, interesting town square with evang. Stadtkirche and Hutmacherbrunnen, Catholic church in neo-Gothic style (built in 1886 - 1889), historic town center.
Every visitor is thrilled by the beauty of Lichtenberg Castle in the heart of the Palatinate Uplands. It is one of the largest castle ruins in Germany, with a length of 425 m, was never destroyed by the enemy, but was struck by a fire around 200 years ago. The origins of the castle, built by the Counts of Veldenz and the Dukes of Pfalz-Zweibrücken, go back to the year 1200. A modern youth hostel, a restaurant and three museums are located within the castle grounds.
At the train station in Schwarzerden you will find the Ostertalbahn, an impressive tourist attraction. The train is on the route between
Schwarzerden and Ottweiler operated by the Ostertalbahn e.V. working group in the summer months, mostly on weekends.
The Mithras monument at the pond in Schwarzerden with its carved relief, which was once the back wall of a temple, is one of the oldest places of worship in our homeland. It is a memorial of the former residence of the Romans on this site, which probably dates back to the 3rd century AD. The Protestant church in Schwarzerden was completed in 1955. At that time the church only had a small bell over the entrance. In 2004 a separate bell tower with 2 bells, which were cast in Passau, was added.
The Weiselberg nature reserve is rich in natural beauty and impressive treasures. The Weiselberg is famous for the colorful mineral formation of the agates found there. Some finds are exhibited in the Mineralogical Museum in Oberkirchen and in the Mineral Museum in Freisen.
The most impressive structure in the municipality of Freisen is the valley bridge in Oberkirchen. Its 12 arches on 11 pillars extend to 275 m and span the valley of the Oster at a height of 30 m directly at the entrance to Oberkirchen. The valley bridge is one of the largest stone bridges in southwest Germany. It is believed that the Catholic Church of St. Katharina Oberkirchen dates from the 14th or 15th century. The church shows itself in all its splendor as the Christian and cultural center of Oberkirchen.
The valley bridge is the end of this stage. The Way of St. James then continues for 15.3 km to St. Wendel, on the next stage the Freisen Oberkirchen valley bridge to St. Wendel.
From Thallichtenberg you can take the Burgen Bus to Remigiusberg where the stage begins.
The 18 km long pilgrimage route leads past a number of sights.
Our accommodation offer"Over hill and dale"
