Idar Oberstein

A memorable place was very close by.

What an incredible little town! The geography of this place is so unique to what I have seen before, which, granted is not that much. This is the view from the castle on the hill.

The town is nestled against the hill. The castle is at the top and set aways below it is a church. The Felsenkirche, aka the Church of the Rock, and two ruined medieval castles are perched on the hills above the town, and are, after gemstones and jewelry, the chief tourist attractions in the city.

According to legend, there were two noble brothers, Wyrich and Emich, who both fell in love with a beautiful girl named Bertha. The brothers lived in Castle Bosselstein, which was situated atop a 450 foot high hill. Bertha was from a noble line that occupied the nearby Lichtenburg Castle (this castle later became the site of the Nazi's Lichtenburg Concentration Camp).

Neither brother was aware of the other's feelings for Bertha. When Wyrich, the elder brother, was away on some unknown business, Emich succeeded in securing Bertha's affections and, subsequently, married her. When Emich announced the news to his brother, Wyrich's temper got the better of him. In the heat of the moment, he hurled his brother out of a window of the castle and sent him to his death on the rocks below.

Wyrich was almost immediately filled with remorse. With the counsel of a local abbot, he began a long period of penance. At this time, Bertha disappears from historical record. Many romantics feel that she died of a broken heart.

As Wyrich waited for a heavenly sign showing that he was forgiven, the abbot suggested that he build a church on the exact place where his brother died. Wyrich worked and prayed himself into exhaustion. However, the moment the church was completed, he received his sign: a miracle spring opened up in the church.

Wyrich died soon after this. When the local bishop came to consecrate the new church, he found the noble lord dead on its steps. Wyrich was later placed in the same tomb with his brother. 

Today the castle steps greet visitors like us. We were greeted by the owner of a little restaurant inside the castle. They were the most gracious people and we decided to come back for dinner.

This view was from inside the castle.

In town below we sat a while, watching children play at the fountain. We walked through town looking at little booths selling gemstones. Amethyst and Rose Quartz is native to the area. Kathy found a necklace for Ollie made of rose quartz in the shape of a dolphin.