The hiking tip goes on the trail of the sandstone in the Odenwald

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NLarge-format signs are still reminiscent of the celebrations for the 1,200-year anniversary of Mömlingen in 2017. The possibilities that the anniversary opened up for the general overhaul of the community in the north-eastern Odenwald are so obvious. The most striking thing was the change in the central village square. Where previously there was a wasteland, light-colored pavement now brings out the sandstone red of the raised baroque St. Martin’s Church to its best advantage, with a gallery of historical border and coat of arms stones set off from it in steps, as well as casts of Roman gods and devotional images on the right.

Mömlingen in the fertile Mümling valley has always been in demand, first to supply the Roman troops on the nearby Main, then as an outpost of the Fulda monastery and finally for centuries by Kurmainz, which shielded the area with a militia against Hesse-Darmstadt. The area went to Bavaria in 1814 as the heir to the Archdiocese of Mainz. It stayed that way, no matter how warmly the Hessen lion embraced the place.

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In the recent past, iron ore and basalt in particular aroused desires. The long-forgotten mining legacies can now be explored in the wooded area, prepared for a geological nature trail and the “Hot Pavement” geo-point. As the name suggests, the mineral deposits are the result of volcanic activity 40 to 50 million years ago, when the encounter of 1000 degree hot rock melts with groundwater in the rugged sandstone caused violent eruptions.

The ejected material has long since weathered, but it was known as early as the 14th century that washed-out iron ore accumulates in subterranean basalt. How long it was exploited is not known. The difficulties must have been big enough, because new attempts had to be abandoned after only a few years due to severe water ingress, such as at “Grube Berta” in 1838. Subsequent attempts, even as late as 1935, all failed.

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