Those who venture onto the 30-year-old Historical Mine Trail Nordfeld in the Höcher Forest will now once again be provided with explanatory texts and contemporary photos at the relics of the "Consolidiertes Nordfeld" mine. It was a great concern for Christoph Missy to reinstall the informative display boards.
What happened? At the initiative of Manfred Hans, then chairman of the Pfälzerwaldverein local group Höchen, he and Hans set up six information boards in 2004 at the prominent locations of the mining heritage. The signage of the hiking trail was monitored over the years by Manfred Hans and Rudi Edinger. Hikers were supposed to get answers to questions about the ruins in front of them even without a hiking guide, which already existed at that time. This worked well for 17 years. Last year, two of these boards were damaged, and one was even completely stolen.
Christoph Missy then designed new panels and increased the number to five. Recently, he officially handed over the new information panels to their intended use in the presence of dedicated supporters. Also present was the First District Deputy Markus Schaller, representing District Administrator Dr. Theophil Gallo.
„It is a great thing that you have once again taken on the task of enhancing this hiking trail for tourism. It is thanks to people like you that the younger generation continues to gain knowledge about our region as an important economic site of mining. This involves a lot of work and costs, which we as an authority cannot manage alone. Thank you for your extraordinary commitment,“ Markus Schaller addressed Christoph Missy and all the helpers.
District Administrator Dr. Theophil Gallo sent his greetings and thanks as well. "Vandalism is not a trivial offense. Such deliberate actions by individuals are not only a criminal act, but they also harm society and are highly regrettable and disrespectful towards the efforts and work of others. Nevertheless, let us remain hopeful that the destruction of such signs will remain isolated incidents and that many people will benefit from the voluntary work documented on these signs. The Saarpfalz district was very happy to support this project by Christoph Missy," said the District Administrator.
The financing of the information boards was supported by the district administration, Saarpfalz Touristik, the association "Unser Höchen," the foundation "Pfälzerwäldler für Höchen," the Palatinate Forest Association local group Höchen, as well as the Höcherberg local history association.
From now on, the "AG Rund um Höchen" is responsible for monitoring the boards.
