Worth seeing and knowing about the landscape and surroundings
Landscapes:
Grünwettersbach and the outskirts of Palmbach
The hike begins in the village and gradually climbs up to the radio tower, initially leading through orchards to the radio tower. There you enter the beech forest at the playground newly built in 2015, pass the wild boar enclosure and take the border trail. We then reach the edge of the Kälberklamm gorge, a steep gorge that leads down to the Alb valley. At the beginning of the Kälberklamm gorge is a spring area that drains into the Alb valley. Abandoned quarries can still be found at the end of the gorge.
The entire Kälberklamm gorge and the adjoining Hasenklamm gorge are protected areas. A description: "Two Kerbbach systems with natural spring areas, with typical animal and plant communities; ravine forest communities; former quarries as "geological windows" and habitat for drought-loving animals and plants." (From the ordinance of the Karlsruhe Regional Council on the "Kälberklamm and Hasenklamm" nature reserve). http://web1.karlsruhe.de/Stadt/Stadtrecht/s-3-3-6.php
Now you leave the forest and enter the orchard landscape. An educational trail provides information about the orchards. The landscape becomes more open and there are several views of landscape-defining elements, especially the distant views of the northern Black Forest and the avenue of poplars between Batzenhof and Thomashof. On the way, you can visit a small wetland biotope (seepage spring) at the beginning of the Hatzengraben. Information boards are set up there. Please only use the wooden footbridge to protect the environment.
Historical:
Here are excerpts of some information on the history of the respective places. If you want to know more, you can find it on the homepage of the city of Karlsruhe, the appropriate link can be found at the end of the respective town chronicles.
GrünwettersbachÂ
The Protestant church in Grünwettersbach, which is at least 423 years older than the younger Palmbach district of Wettersbach, can be seen from afar, rising up on a protruding hill. This church, with its Romanesque tower dating back to the 12th century, was first mentioned in 1278 as follows "...dominus Adelhart verus pastor in weterspach..." As the whole area was covered by a large, dense forest at the time, no archaeological finds can tell us anything about the time before 1200.
The village was laid out as a so-called clustered village and probably had its core in the middle Kirchstraße, as the village was easier to defend here than a place deeper in the valley. In addition, several springs provided the necessary water for life.
Seventy years after the first mention, on May 22, 1348, the archdeacon and provost of St. German in Speyer transferred the patronage rights of the parish church in Grünwettersbach to the Teutonic Order. And not quite 20 years later, the noblemen Balsam and Kraft from Wedersbach were named as local nobles.
The introduction of the Reformation in 1534 brought the first Protestant pastor to the village, which had been transferred to Württemberg following the secularization of Herrenalb Abbey, even though it was surrounded by Baden territory. At this time, people spoke of the "Württemberg corridor" (1534 - 1602). Grünwettersbach was therefore the westernmost possession of Württemberg at this time. The official town was Neuenbürg a. d. Enz, which was far, far away due to the road and path conditions at the time.
Further information at http://www.karlsruhe.de/b4/stadtteile/bergdoerfer/gruenwettersbach/geschichte.de
Buildings worth seeing, taken from the list of monuments of the city of Karlsruhe
- Church first mentioned in 1278, west tower from the 12th century, Protestant from 1534 (introduction of the Reformation) Bell storey of the tower and church interior by Wilhelm Friedrich Goetz, 1782, baptismal font 1491, wooden pulpit around 1780, organ, 12th/18th century by Wilhelm Friedrich Goetz, Ludwigsburg
- Old schoolhouse from 1846.
- Am Wetterbach 31, half-timbered house, two storeys above a high solid basement with arched entrance and corner console, dated GB 1799.
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PalmbachÂ
Palmbach is a new foundation of the Waldensians. On February 4, 1701, they received permission from Duke Eberhardt Ludwig of Württemberg to settle in his land. They were allocated 360 acres of overgrown farmland, meadows and some small woodland between Grünwettersbach, Stupferich and Langensteinbach. The Waldensian Trail, a cultural and historical trail dedicated to the history of the Waldensians, was laid out in 2015.
At the time, Grünwettersbach was located in a small Württemberg enclave in Baden and belonged to the Oberamt Neuenbürg. After the Thirty Years' War and the Palatinate War of Succession, the village, which still had 80 inhabitants in 1630, had only 30 inhabitants, while the village of Untermutschelbach, also in Württemberg, still had nine.
35 mostly poor Waldensian families arrived in the new homeland, 28 of them were assigned to Grünwettersbach, where they founded the new settlement of La Balme, meaning "refuge", later spelled Balmbach, in memory of their old homeland. The remaining families found a place to stay in Untermutschelbach. In 1806, Grünwettersbach and Palmbach became part of Baden.
The first place of worship in Palmbach was a small wooden church built in 1725 under Pastor Jaques Resplendin, who had taken over the parish in 1720. The church had to be rebuilt in 1906.
The French language was used until around 1810, and until 1821 the pastor of Palmbach also looked after the Waldensians in Untermutschelbach.
Grünwettersbach and Palmbach become Baden
The next important event took place in 1806, when a record in the municipal archives states that on October 19, 1806, "Grünwettersbach was exchanged to Baden-Durlach by His Royal Majesty of Württemberg Friedrich II". From this day on, Grünwettersbach and Palmbach were Baden, now belonging to the nearby official town of Durlach.
Further information at http://www.karlsruhe.de/b4/stadtteile/bergdoerfer/palmbach/geschichte.de
Buildings worth seeing, taken from the list of monuments of the city of Karlsruhe
- Council and school building from 1902, now the Baden School Museum
- Protestant Waldensian church, neo-Gothic, dated 1906, replacing a previous building, which is still commemorated by two wooden inscription plaques from 1725. Historic stained glass window. Choir rebuilt in 1949 after destruction. The rectory dates from the same period.
Stage 2: From the radio tower to Ochsenstraße (approx. 6 km)
Start: Grünwettersbach, bus stop Grünwettersbach Rathaus line 47, 27
The access route to the Bergdörfer Grenzweg starts at the "Rathaus" bus stop in Grünwettersbach.
a) We walk around the town hall, then head towards Baumgasse and Baumgässle to the street "Im Eichbusch", turn right over the "Reuth-Stäffele" into Wingertgasse and continue to the signpost "Funkturm".
b) Alternatively, you can follow the signpost to the wild boar enclosure directly from the bus stop.
From there, continue to the "Wildgehege ", the highest point (322 m), which is, however, in the wild boar enclosure itself. Follow the signpost in the direction of "An der Grenze" for approx. 200 m. Continue straight on to the actual border path to the next signpost "An der Grenze" via "Ettlinger Weg".
There are some boundary stones along the way. We walk on to the "Sattelklamm" gorge, then continue uphill through the forest to the "Jagdhütte" signpost . Here we turn left and after approx. 200 m we reach the edge of the forest "Rust". The name of the area refers to the elm trees that once stood there, also known as "Rüster". Here we are back in the Wettersbach district. There is a damp to swampy depression on the right-hand side. This is the border between Wettersbach and Busenbach. Unfortunately, there is no path leading there.
After a few meters, the orchard nature trail with 12 information boards begins, which runs all the way to Grünwettersbach, but we don't follow it all the way, instead we turn right after the poultry farm at the "Stuben" signpost onto the path that leads us through the orchards to the Busenbacher Weg, which we then follow for a while in the direction of Busenbach. We pass an atonement cross before reaching the boundary between Grünwettersbach and Palmbach again "in den Steinbuckeln". There we follow the path in an easterly direction to Hatzengraben. On the right, we can see a wetland biotope with springs over a wooden footbridge. The border now runs straight ahead. The hiking trail first turns left here and then right again, past a resettlement farm onto Waldbronner Straße until it reaches Ochsenstraße (the old country road to Langensteinbach). The bus stop "Auf der Römerstraße" (lines 47, 27) is reached via the industrial area.
Suitable footwear, camera, binoculars, drinks for on the way.
A brochure with explanations and the hiking map is available at the office of the Black Forest Association Wettersbach e.V., Am Wetterbach 48, 76228 Karlsruhe. (while stocks last)
