Walking through time

This beautiful route will guide through Blieskastel’s past and its stunning buildings, starting from the 17th century until today.

Theme: History
Location: Blieskastel, Saarland
Duration: 2 hours 30 minutes
Designer: Clara König

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Experience

Starting at a view point you can get a first overview of the city and its rich history. Since the city has changed its affiliation several times, there is much to learn and plenty more to see. In this tour you can discover the different places that are considered still standing testimonies of its history. The stops are mainly from the Baroque period, as the counts of the time Von der Leyen had a strong influence on the city which is considered one of the best-preserved baroque towns in southwest Germany. Afterwards you visit the impressive castle church and walk down to the city center and the old city, past numerous heritage-protected buildings like the remains and still intact buildings of the castle complex. In the city you get a brief overview of the National Socialist era by visiting the art project Stolpersteine. Passing the parade square, you finally visit the oldest fountains in the old town part of Blieskastel where you can sit down for a snack. Choosing this tour will take you right back in time.

Route

Monastery View Point

From here you have a great view over the beautiful meadows of the Bliesgau. The tiny Heilig-Kreuz chapel is nearby, as are the interesting gardens of the monastery of the Franziskaner order.

Schlosskirche

The Schlosskirche was built by Peter Reheis in 1776. The name often causes confusion, since the church is actually related to the monastery and does not belong to the old castle of Blieskastel like many would suspect.

Old castle remains “Schlösschen"

As the old castle was destroyed in 1793 due to the French Revolution, only remains are left today. The Orangery is the only still remaining building out of the castle complex behind which many stories are hidden.

Blieskastel Stolpersteine

Observe the Stolpersteine of Blieskastel and inform yourself about the different stories and tragedies of the persons they are dedicate to.

Napoleon well (Snakewell)

The Napoleon well was further extended by the local government of Blieskastel to honour Napoleon on the occasion of being crowned as emperor on the 12th May of 1804. The locals call it the snake well.

Herkules well

The Herkules well is the oldest still existing well of the city of Blieskastel and was built in 1691 by Johann Simon Rosinus who was the governor of the barons Von der Leyen at that time.

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Practicalities

In terms of accessibility it is not recommended for people with visual impairment and/ or impaired mobility to come alone due to partially uneven ground and high pavements.
On a sunny day it might get a bit loud in the afternoon at the last two stops.
If you prefer a calmer environment, the recommended starting time is no earlier than 4pm

About

This route was designed by Clara König in collaboration with Tourism studies at htw saar.