Marienweg

A short hike with places of Marian devotion around Bexbach-Frankenholz. Hikers' and mining fans' hearts beat faster here, as various mining relics in the forest make for an exciting hike into the contemporary history of mining in Frankenholz.

The Marienweg starts at the St. Josef church or the community center in Frankenholz and is a section of the Tilemann-Stella trail. The starting point of the Marienweg is the Bürgerbrunnen fountain at the community center or the Lourdes Grotto in front of St. Joseph's Church. From here, the trail leads to the grave monument of August Ferdinand Culmann, the founder of the Frankenholz mine and member of St. Paul's Church, then through the Buchwald forest past the new Marien-Bildstock to the romantic Feilbach valley and on to the Marien-Marterl of the Hau family. The hiking trail leads past several Marian memorials.

It soon becomes clear why this route is called the Marienweg. Just a little further on towards Frankenholz, another small clearing opens up on the right-hand side of the path. There, another bench invites you to linger in picturesque surroundings and there is also a beautiful wayside shrine to the Virgin Mary.

At the top you can read: "Happiness and misfortune, bear both in peace, everything passes and so do you." There is also a reference to the creators, as a small plaque at the foot of the wayside shrine reads: "Donated & built Dr. Udo Hau ... W. Hau ... 2011." And just before the village begins, there is another picture of the Virgin Mary at the edge of the path, a so-called Marienmarterl. Here you can read that this beautiful form of Marian devotion was blessed in 1992.</p