A few notes about the mechanics of travel in Germany might be appropriate. We had reservations to stay at only two places. One was in the Siegen area, and the other was in Heidelberg. The motivation was similar; these were larger places and it might prove hard to find a place. Otherwise, we basically found a place when we arrived. In one case it was not easy to find a place. In the Eppingen, Gemmingen, and Schwaigern area, there was a business convention in Sinsheim, and the delegates overflowed into nearby towns. All accommodations were good and reasonably priced (Heidelberg cost more), and all gave us a hearty breakfast. As to prices, the lowest was in Gresten where a double room with breakfast cost us fifty dollars a night for two people. Incidentally, food was cheaper and better (if you ignore the immense quantities of butterfat that they give you) than one could get in the States.
On the first day, after Kettenbach, we drove on to the Siegen area, where we stayed in Buchen outside Siegen. It was in the heart of many of the villages that we wanted to see. From the hills above Buchen, depending on the atmospheric conditions, one could see the University of Siegen about four miles away. One could see five ranges of hills, the farthest being the headwaters of the Sieg River to the east of Siegen. These hills and valleys lend their flavor strongly to the layout of the villages.
Our first village, one that we had encountered on the way to the hotel, but which we returned to in the morning, was Oberholzklau. The church is usually the most prominent feature of a village ,and this one was no exception. Unfortunately, the sun was at the wrong angle and so we resolved to return in the afternoon. In spite of the name, Oberholzklau has no special status for Germanna people. A notable house is the Pfarrhaus (parsonage) of 1608, which is the oldest Fachwerkhaus (half-timbered house) in Siegerland. Just a hop, skip, and a jump DOWN the road is Niederholzklau. " Ober " means the higher ground and " Nieder " means the lower ground; there is no reference to north or south.
The business to be in, in the Siegen area, is the slate business. The roofs and sides of many houses and other buildings are covered with slate. It is often ingeniously applied in complex patterns, but, when every house in town has gray slate over most of its exterior surface, the effect is not the best. The village of Eisern is especially strong on slate, but it may have arisen from the mines there. It may have been necessary to remove the slate to get at the iron ore. Thus, it may have been very economical.
At Eisern, one can see the Autobahn that passes by Siegen. In building it across the hills and valleys, the philosophy was not cut and fill as it would be here. That would waste a lot of land. Instead, the rule is to bridge the valleys with concrete which causes about the least damage to the landscape.
Museums in Germany, except on the heavy tourist routes, are open a minimum of hours, such as 2 p.m. to 4 p.m., on Sontag (Sunday). That, and the locked churches, are a source of frustration.
(04 Jun 00)
We gratefully acknowledge the work of John Blankenbaker who published over 2,500 Germanna History Notes via the Germanna-L@rootsweb.com email list from 1997 to 2008. We are equally thankful to George Durman (Sgt. George) for hosting the list and republishing the notes via rootsweb.com.