Murals Show the Old Boundaries Along the Saar.

Josiane wrote, "a few other pictures from above Saarhölzbach...another place above the river this time. The paintings on the walls in the shelter make us dream of old days in the area along the River Saar."

A little background explains "Kutrierish." Kurtrier (also Archbishopric and Electorate of Trier) was one of the original seven electorates of the Holy Roman Empire of the German nation. The temporal dominion of the Archbishop of Trier existed from late Carolingian period until the time of Napoleon. Its capital was Trier, residence since the 17th Century Koblenz .

The Lorraine -- Lothringen in German -- region is the only region having borders with four countries: France, Belgium, Luxembourg, and Germany. The location of Lorraine has contributed to its being seen as a strategic asset, and as the crossroads of four nations, it has played a very important role in European affairs.  Hence the border markers in the murals below.

First chapel built 1430
New building 1792
Extended 1848
Enlarged again 1933

Rest-stop for barges
1770

Memorial (Unreadable)
1765

Kurtrierish - Lothringisher
Borderstone marker
Built on the right side of the Saar River

Kutrierish - Lothringisher
borderstone marker
Located on the left side of of the Saar

Viewing point
for the Saar River

Saarholzbach

These pictures were taken toward the end of March in the hilly woods near Saarholzbach, Germany. Josiane who lives in Lorraine, the former German territory of Lothringen, is delighted by the spring rebirth, whether in France or in nearby Germany. The plants in Saarholzbach, she says, are exactly the same as in the Vosges of France, "same acidic soil." The River Saar that flows through Kreis Saarburg, comes from the Vosges too.

For the last photo in the group below, Josiane has a special feeling, "The small white flower is oxalis. I like it because my mother told me the name while we were walking once. It can be eaten; it tastes like sorrel."

Hiker's delight

Oxalis, the special memory