My Ancestor's Path.

As I sat at an outdoor table in Saarburg's upper city, watching the quiet stream at my side, I also heard its noisy rush downward just a few meters away as it tumbled over the precipice and became a waterfall.  I imagined a time when the Leukbach had not shared the roar of its impressive descent with a babble of tourist voices.  I imagined my great-great grandmother Lena, a young and healthy woman, arriving from Irsch.  She crossed the river, ferried in a small boat (for no bridge was yet built) and once she reached the other side, she made her way to this place where I was sitting.   The warm sun shone down on her dark hair which was mostly covered by her bonnet.  She carried a handmade woven basket.  Often she turned her head to look from one side of the street to the other as she climbed the hill from the lower to the upper city, drinking in the sights of the largest city in the Kreis.  I think she might have seen something like this:

Crossing the Saar to Saarburg's lower city

From the shore of the Saar into an archway to the street called Staden

Beginning the climb up the hill to the upper city

The roar of the Leukbach waterfall 

Just a little way farther to climb to reach the upper city

Photos by Offshoot Kathy

Saarburg 2 - The Leukbach

The Saar River was the focus of the old city; a gift of God for the sailing families, the tanneries, and the barges with their goods coming to and sailing from Saarburg over the centuries.  But the "new city," built on the hill above the Saar, had its own gift of God - a flowing stream which was engineered to produce a waterfall and the power that came from it.  The Leukbach turned the magnificent waterwheel that milled the grain and sawed the logs needed for everyday life in the city and countryside.

The Leukbach waterfall tumbles from the upper city

The waterwheel still works today although the mill is now a museum

The water flowing and dropping from one height to another brings a special sound to the upper city

How old are these buildings?  They have been modernized but their bones seem to come from long ago

The "New" upper city has become a part of the 21st century, with lovely places to have an ice cream, a pizza, or a full meal - then wander back and forth across the little bridges for some shopping