Almost 50% of Eschenburg is wooded. Yes, that’s right, wooded, including a spot that commemorates an amorous count’s jail time. With so much underdevelopment, many archaeological finds (many from the Celtic Age) in this Hessian town were found in pretty good condition.
But, now that I think about it — with all the silver, nickel, copper, and iron mined here; it’s amazing how the area isn’t overdeveloped. Well, who am I to look a gift horse in the mouth? I’ll just enjoy Eschenburg and all its wooded parts for what it is.
The Heimatmuseum (Local History Museum) is one of the best places to understand where Eschenburg came from. Out by the village of Simmerbach (one of seven of Eschenburg’s municipalities) is the Philippsbuche, commemorating Philip I’s return from a five year imprisonment in 1552. The reasons of his incarceration by the Dutch & Spanish are a bit unclear though.
Why give a care about Philip? Glad you asked — he was instrumental in bringing about the Reformation in Germany; having met Martin Luther in 1521. To bad this randy bloke didn’t take his first marriage all that seriously; and he tricked Luther into letting him marry wife number two.
It’s little tidbits of history like this that make you appreciate what you’re seeing around town so much more!
What else you can appreciate in Eschenburg is what you can do in the Hessian countryside. If you’re brave enough, why not try hang gliding?
If you’d rather stay on terra firma, Eschenburg can oblige with tennis, soccer, or cross country skiing. There’s a downhill ski run to try if you think you’re good enough.
Warmer weather is when the outdoor pool opens up and adds beach volleyball to the list of sports to do. Swimming is something you can do year round since Eschenburg has an indoor pool, too.
I’m thinking that if all these activities in Eschenburg were around in Philip’s day, he might have found other ways to occupy his time and burn off all that energy. ;-)
