Scouting Trip to Essweiler and Area, Germany


Essweiler from near the cemetery looking west

April 23, 2018

I drove down to the village of Wolfstein after a night spent at a favorite "Landhotel" between Main and Bingen. Wolfstein has several small museums and I wanted to make contact with someone who might be able to tell me if there is information in one of them about Alexander Jung. Unfortunately for me, it was a Monday and there was no one available at the town hall to talk to. I got contact information for later and will call them at a later date to determine if Wolfstein is worth visiting.

On to Essweiler. It was a short and scenic drive through rolling hills and valleys. The village itself is dead silent. In fact, the loudest sounds I heard was the repeated crowing on a rooster in someone's yard in the center of the village. These villages seem to be stuck in a time warp. Devastated during the 30-years war of 1618-48 and then again in the 18th century by the French, it just seems that these areas have never recovered and that they are holding their breath, waiting.

I parked on the Dorfplatz and walked around. The little Catholic Church was locked, which was no surprise. I took notice of the contact information for local officials and will be calling them about a month before our visit to see about access into the church.

Next up to the cemetery, which is on a hillside overlooking the village. I found three headstones with the Jung name.

Back down to the village and out of the village I found the musician's house right where it was supposed to be. It seems to be occupied by multiple people. I didn't knock on the door.

Roland Geiger, a professional researcher who is working now on the translation of your various documents had told me that the premier museum dedicated to the history of the wandering musicians from Essweiler and the area is located at the castle of Lichtenberg, about 20 minutes away. Another scenic drive through lonely villages and I was there, visiting the castle, taking note of the meal times at the castle restaurant (will be good to eat here as options around seem to be limited) and visiting the museum in order to determine opening times (open all day on the Sunday we plan to go there) and picking up a booklet describing the castle in English and another one describing the exhibit on the wandering musicians (only available in German).

I drove back from here to Heidelberg, a trip which took me about an hour.