Korbach

The drive was delightful. The country was rolling green hills, farms, small towns. Everything was so neat and well manicured. We drove for a while on the autobahn but then left it and travelled on secondary two lane highways which were much more relaxing. That gave us the chance to really look at the country and enjoy what we were seeing.

One thing that we really noticed was the number of wind turbines that we passed. We were miles from the coast and the steady ocean winds but still these modern windmills were dotted across the countryside. They were located usually in farmer’s fields with crops growing around their feet or cattle grazing next to them. They were not fenced so their footprint was not large and they seemed to us to be silent.

We drove part of the way on an Autobaun , that was an experience, but we found the secondary highways more relaxing and scenic.

Germany is ahead of North America in the adoption of wind turbines. We drove past dozens of them standing in the fields, often amongst herds of cattle.

Korbach is an old town over a thousand years old. Like many old cities the historic core where all the old buildings are is surrounded by modern buildings, homes and factories. If you look at the city on Google Earth you will see that it is not large and is surrounded by farms and forests. It is a beautiful setting.

Our friend Wolfgang had made reservations for us at a the Hotel Touric just outside the old town but very convenient. We found it with the help of the car’s GPS and they were ready for us with a very nice room. By the time we checked in and unacked in our room it was around 9:00pm and the daylight was fading. So we went downstairs to the pub for a nightcap and made plans for the morning.

Susan is sitting in the historic center of Korbach. The stone building on the left with the pointed arches is the old City hall and one of the oldest buildings in the city.

The next morning we were up early eager to see Korbach. We walked into the historic enter of the town and it was like walking into a German postcard. It was a charming old town with incredible buildings, quiet streets, and window boxes full of flowers.

We saw a church steeple in the center of the town and we headed that way. Being Sunday there was a church service just beginning and so we joined the German Lutheran worshipers for the service. The Minister was surprised when we greeted him in English as we walked out. Korbach is off the beaten track and I think they get very few tourists, especially at Sunday service.

Many of the houses were several centuries old built in a post an beam style. The frame of the house was built  of sturdy beams and the spaces between them were filled with stone or stacked short log rounds. If the logs were used the ends were then covered in stucco and painted white to weatherproof them. Over the years gravity took its toll and the structures sagged or leaned but remained sturdy and serviceable.

I love that everywhere in Europe there are flowers.

Here Susan is standing in front of the same gazebo as we saw in the picture above. Note the traditional buildings behind her.

This group of statues by Peter Lehmann was erected in 1977. It is called “The Night Watchman”. Up until the 1930’s towns would have a patrolling night watchman who looked out for fire, theft or civil unrest and to call out the hours.

The ubiquitous flowered window box.

In the afternoon we walked back to the hotel and found a message from Wolfgang. We called him and arranged to meet in town for dinner. So we walked back and met him and his wife Utta. We walked around for a bit while he told us about Korbach and then we went for dinner at “Am Pranger”, a little restaurant in town.

Wolgang and Jutta sitting on the front stairs of their home. We liked their home but the Europeans certainly have a different way of doing things. Not better, just different.

The next morning Wolfgang picked us up and we drove to the Horizont plant where we spent about four hours touring the factory and looking at the equipment they made. You might think that it would be boring to spend so much time in a factory but it was super interesting and the time flew by.

We then went for lunch with Wolfgang, We picked up sandwiches at a local deli and then went to his house to wait for Utta to finish work and come home. When she arrived we went for a drive in the late afternoon south from Korbach into the countryside. We first went to Schloss Waldeck, an 11th century castle, perched high above the lake known as the Ederzee.

The castle is in an excellent state of preservation and currently serves as a tourist destination and hotel. The lake below was created when the Ederzee Dam was built and finished in 1914. This was one of the dams breached by the Dam Busters raid in May of 1943.

This old canon is on the ramparts overlooking the Ederzee.

After leaving the Schloss Waldeck we went down to the Ederzee Dam where we parked and then walked across the dam. There is actually a road across it with wide sidewalks making for a pleasant walk. The turn of the centruy architecture is charming to see. The damage caused by the Dambusters Raid has long ago been fully repaired and you would not know that it ever happened.

By the time we returned to the car it was getting dark and we were hungry. A short distance from the dam, on the shores of the Ederzee, was the Strandhaus Hotel and Restaurant where we went for dinner. We had a table by the window which looked out across the lake. On one side you could see the dam and on the other the view was up the lake. It was magic as the light faded and the lights around the lake became brighter in the deepening night.The meal was delightful and we sat there until late. By the time we got back to our hotel it was after midnight.

Here we are with the Ederzee side of the dam behind us. We walked across the dam on the sidewalk that accompanies the road on the top of the dam. The architecture is beautiful and the views in both directions are lovely.

We were on a rough schedule. It was the 4th of September and we had to meet people in Venice on the 12th of September and here we were in the middle of Germany! We had a lot of ground to cover. So we were up early the next morning and ready to hit the road. We had had a wonderful time in Korbach and were sorry to leave.

That is always the problem with vacation travel. We discovery lovely places, have good times, and then have to leave it all behind.

We had only the most basic of plans: head west till we hit the Rhine and then follow it south to Switzerland. We had a good roadmap and the GPS in the car was really excellent.

So away we went, Susan handling the map and planning our route. She had finally relaxed and got over her fear of getting lost. She had embraced the road!