The Tourism Department of the city of St. Ingbert put a lot of thought into how families can enjoy the area around the mid-sized town during the corona period. "Hiking was a good activity at that time: fresh air, exercise – parents think it’s a great idea. But unfortunately, you often hear children say, ‘Oh no, hiking again!’ So we made hiking exciting," says Iris Stodden, an employee of the Tourism Department.
Many legends and stories are connected with St. Ingbert, each very interesting in its own right, although many of them are forgotten. Iris Stodden and her colleagues, together with Konrad Weißgerber, the chairman of the Heimat- und Verkehrsverein St. Ingbert e.V., have compiled five stories and created hiking trails around St. Ingbert. The five St. Ingbert legend trails bring history to life and offer fun in nature and the opportunity to collect points. However, there are no signs – the entire route is tracked via the app “Actionbound” (more information at https://urlaub-st-ingbert.de/st-ingberter-sagenwege/). “Here, nature and imagination come together with technology,” praises Mayor Dr. Ulli Meyer the concept. “This has created a great offer for young people – which, however, I also really enjoy,” he adds with a laugh.
And these are the five St. Ingbert legend trails:
The ‘Giant Kreuzmann’ at the boot in Sengscheid
The ‘Mori-Taten-Weg’ at the Gehnbach, St. Ingbert-Center
The ‘Magic Crystal’ in Oberwürzbach
The ‘Fröschenpfuhl’ in Hassel
The ‚Gebrannte‘ near Rohrbach
The official inauguration of the now complete Legend Trails was celebrated at the orchard meadow of the Oberwürzbach e.V. Fruit and Gardening Association on the Farrenberg. This is where the "Magic Crystal" trail runs. Among fruit trees, ground bee hotels, beehives, and a donkey and horse meadow, this is one of the quietest and most relaxing places in St. Ingbert. "The meadow must be cared for daily. We monitor the plant and tree growth, mow the grass, harvest fruit, etc. There is always something to do," says Margit Frenzel-Klemsch, chairwoman of the Fruit and Gardening Association. There is also a puzzle point for the Legend Trail. The enchanting atmosphere is enhanced by the sound sculpture built by music teacher Herrmann Müller, which is also inaugurated at the same time. Under his and music teacher Friederike Tosolini’s direction, ten students from the music school perform a small concert right in the middle of nature.
The costs for the five saga trails are covered by the city; however, there were so many dedicated and diligent hands involved, without whom the idea and design would not have been possible at all. Specifically, these are:
„On the legend trails, history is vividly told, in nature you can discover something new every day, and through the app we have a modern medium with background information and plenty of games and fun,“ the mayor enthusiastically summarizes. Together with the local representatives Lydia Schaar, Irene Kaiser, and Dieter Schörkl, he plants another tree on the legendary meadow: a fall apple tree.
