BBB: 200km in Hunsrück - In the Homeland

Just a few kilometers from Luxembourg, we offer you a nature dive in the Hunsrück, a rural region in Rheinland-Pfalz, where the roads twist and turn at will, going up and down. Up to 200 km of fun and discoveries!

Text by Philippe Bonamis & Jacques Berghmans

Let’s start with a brief word of explanation. Calling an article "In the Homeland" may seem somewhat strange when you know that "Heimat" in Goethe's language means "land"... But not land in the administrative sense of the word... In German, Heimat is the home, the region, or even the village where you feel at home. Our beautiful (but doomed...) Walloon language uses the expression "little homeland," which has a quite similar meaning. Heimat is also a film, one of the greatest successes of German cinema of the twentieth century. Heimat, released in theaters in 1984 and since then broadcast worldwide on television, takes place in the Hunsrück, east of Trier. By watching the film, we got to know this region a little better. We wanted to follow in the footsteps of Maria, Paul, Katharina, Mathias, Eduard, Lucie, Anton, Ernst, Hermann, and all the other protagonists of this extraordinary fresco that traces the history of Germany through the life of a family, the Simons. The goal: the mythical village Schabbach, which... does not exist, as the film was shot in various corners of the Hunsrück! A region where - those who leave German cinema marvel will be pleased to learn - it’s really good for motorcycling. On the program is the famous "Hunsrück Heights Road," but of course also full of little "motorcycle" roads that wind through the valleys before they rise up to attack the plateau, to our greatest delight... Ready?

See you in Trier

For us, coming from the West via the Grand Duchy (or via St. Vith and Bitburg, which is more pleasant...) Trier is the gateway to the Hunsrück. This once particularly rough and poor region is a plateau with an average altitude of 400 m, bordered in the west and north by the Moselle, in the east by the Rhine, and in the south by the Nahe. For your amusement, the name "Hunsrück" means "dog's back." The start of our walk begins in Waldrach, a small village east of Trier, right in front of the guesthouse... Simon! As the last houses of the village disappear in the mirrors, the first vineyards appear on the left side of the road. We are on the "Ruwer Riesling Route," a name that already makes you thirsty, doesn't it? A few enjoyable twists and we connect for a handful of kilometers the just 52, which leads us to Hermeskeil, where a remarkable outdoor exhibition of airplanes awaits us, covering more than 75,000 m². It showcases more than 100 complete planes, both civilian and military, and a large number of parts, including over 60 engines. The café plane in a Concorde with 150 seats is a real attraction. At the entrance, you will be greeted by an Ilyushin from the former East German airline Interflug. The division of the country after World War II and its reunification in 1990 remain significant events for our neighbors in recent history... We now drive on the B327 or Hunsrück Heights Road towards Morbach. This 157 km long road connects Saarburg with Koblenz. It was built in 1938-39 by the Todt Organization on behalf of Göring for military purposes. The aim was to quickly connect the "West Wall" (what the French call the "Siegfried Line") at the French border with the interior of the country. A real technical masterpiece, whose realization took just a hundred days. Its course roughly follows the watershed between the Moselle and Nahe. The road was successively called Hunsrückstraße, Reichsstraße 327, then Reichshöhenstraße. Its construction is in the background of Part 4 of the film Heimat...

The Ruins of Baldenau

In Morbach, the hometown of Heimat director Edgar Reitz, we make a brief stop at the Café... Heimat, at the foot of the church (see the box "Gourmet Stations"). But we can hardly wait to discover the nearby Baldenau site. The ruins of this small medieval castle by the water can be freely visited. Boards in German and English inform about the role of "Baldenau Castle" in Heimat 1: During a family picnic, Paul Simon managed in the early 1920s to record a concert on the radio with the equipment he built with his own hands! We get back on the B327. It’s not a mountain road, okay, but it twists enough to be fun. Just before the airport in Hahn, a former NATO air base that has been converted into a modern civil airport and is used as a freight drop to Frankfurt, we take the L190 to descend through a landscape of fields and forests towards Rhaunen. For a photo, we stop at Krummenau near an old watermill, the Schlossmühle, whose wheel still turns. The place has become more of a hotel-restaurant "chicos." We can't tell you more: It was closed on our visit (more info at www.historische-schlossmuehle.de - tip for those looking for a charming stop in the region!). In Rhaunen, the town hall with its typical covered column portico takes us back to Heimat: From Rhaunen, Eduard Simon becomes mayor before the war to please his ambitious wife Lucie...

Schabbach, finally...

At the exit of Rhaunen, we take a feast of winding roads that would irresistibly remind one of a mountain race if the terrain were a bit sharper. Nonetheless, the joy of driving is intense with impeccable roads, little traffic, and many twists. Through Hausen, we reach Woppenroth (Schabbach), where many outdoor scenes from Heimat were filmed. We particularly find the inn and the church. But aside from a stone inscribed in front of the latter, there isn’t much to remind us of the film, which is a shame. It seems that in the past "Schabbach" signs were put up at the entrances to the village, but they quickly made for unscrupulous cinephile collectors. At Dickenschied, a straight road, from which the view extends far, leads us to Kirchberg. The number of solar panels on rooftops is impressive: Germany believes in solar just as much as in wind. These two "green" energy sources now account for nearly 15% of electricity production in Germany. The small town of Kirchberg seduces us. The marketplace is a true postcard scene. Don’t miss the pharmacy, which dates back to the eighteenth century, and the half-timbered houses that are very (too?) well-restored. A walk through the surrounding streets is worth it to see the many old houses with partially quirky shapes, like the Heimat house (at the crossroads of Eifelgasse and Schülergasse), which is unfortunately currently under construction. In the square itself, the unavoidable ice cream shop, a constant everywhere in Germany, and the equally unavoidable Asian restaurant... It’s now straight ahead, or almost, to Simmern, the capital of the Rhein-Hunsrück district. Simmern is also the "big city" of the film Heimat. In Simmern, Hermann, the son of Maria and Otto, attended high school, and Pauline and Robert a watch jeweler’s shop. This city, with 8,000 inhabitants, is known to have welcomed many Huguenots from Lorraine, Alsace, and Flanders after the Edict of Nantes was revoked at the end of the seventeenth century. The castle square is pleasant with animation and many options for dining... A good step!

From Valley to Valley

The general direction of our route now turns southwest. Once we were back on set, we already stopped again. First at the Nunkirche, on the right side of the road, at the entrance to Sargenroth. The cemetery that surrounds the building has the peculiarity of housing the graves of the heroes of Heimat. A curious mix of fact and fiction. One might almost meditate before these graves, obviously empty, of imaginary characters! The route then becomes hillier and rewards us with some beautiful twists, all the joy it offers. We then cross Mengerschied, a typical village of the Hunsrück with its many half-timbered houses. Just a few kilometers further, we take a detour to Gehlweiler, where the Simon family house stands with the forge on the other side of the yard. It really feels like the film! Throughout the village, signs explain how the buildings were "groomed" for the filming of "The Exodus" to regain the appearance they must have had around 1840. Edgar Reitz’s work is truly pervasive in this part of the Hunsrück...

After these "nostalgia" sequences, it’s time to turn the handle in the right direction. That's good; the roads are really winding. We now follow the flow of the Simmerbach, a tributary of the Nahe. This stretch is a true delight for connoisseurs! In the Simmertal, we turn east to follow the course of the Nahe; the road, wider, is much busier and... Controlled! But overall, it’s still pleasant. Thus we arrive almost unnoticed in Idar-Oberstein. This city, with more than 30,000 inhabitants, specializes in processing semi-precious stones and has a museum dedicated to them. The once flourishing agate mines have since closed down, but the area is still an important center for the jewelry trade. Idar-Oberstein is also known for its Felsenkirche, a church that is "crusted" in the rock: impossible to miss when you arrive in the city!

Now it is time to think about returning to Trier. Fortunately, the last kilometers of this BBB (or rather BBA...) are no punishment. Some roadwork slows us down, but this purgatory does not last. From Tiefenstein, we reconnect with beautiful landscapes, then Katzenloh, where we resolutely head west. At Thalfang, we cross the Hunsrück Heights Road before trying the last turns on the side of Beuren and Lorscheid. Nothing special here, just the pleasure of riding on beautiful roads with little traffic, where we appreciate the courtesy that German drivers show towards bikers. Good road and caution, always!

The Heimat Trilogy

Heimat is an extraordinary cinematic work, thanks to Edgar Reitz, articulated in 3 parts. The first work, which is further divided into 11 parts, traces the life of Maria Simon from her birth in 1900 to her death in 1982. In 16 (sixteen!) hours of film, the entire history of Germany in the twentieth century passes before us, lived by Maria, her family, and the residents of the small village of Woppenroth, which was renamed Schabbach in the film. The second, even longer opus (25:30!) focuses on Maria's third son Hermann, who leaves Schabbach at 18 years of age to study music in 1960s Munich and forget a terrible heartbreak. Heimat 3 finally is a shorter film (11h, nonetheless...). It premiered in 1990 in Berlin, where Hermann meets again with Clarissa, the love of his life. With her, he will return to settle in the Hunsrück, while reunited Germany undergoes profound changes... In 2013, Edgar Reitz also staged "Heimat Chronicle of a Dream - The Exodus," which tells the story of the inhabitants of the Hunsrück who emigrated to South America between 1842 and 1844 to escape poverty and build a better life.

The Heimat trilogy has nothing to do with most current films and TV series, where everything is so "formatted" that the viewer quickly understands without having to think hard. In Heimat "everything is true, without artificiality," wrote the newspaper Le Monde. It couldn’t be better said... Edgar Reitz takes the time to set the scene, allowing us to know and love credible characters who, like in real life, are complex beings, each with their share of shadows and light. These three films, although relatively flowing, achieve the tour de force of presenting no length or almost. Did you say paradox? All this means that if you stop "in real life" in front of the Simon family house in the village of Gehlweiler, you somehow feel moved, as if you were arriving at the home of people you know well... Great cinema, a must!

Logbook

- Trier (Trier): Located by the Moselle just a few kilometers from Waldrach, the starting point of this walk, Trier is one of the oldest cities in Germany. Its origins date back to Roman times, as evidenced by the famous "Porta Nigra," its emblematic monument. The city, partially pedestrianized, can preferably be visited... On foot - the center is not very extensive - and has much to offer. Don’t miss the birthplace of Karl Marx (Brückenstraße, 10), the basilica, the imperial baths, the many Renaissance and Baroque half-timbered houses, etc. And for lovers of the genre, why not take a boat trip on the Moselle? More info at www.trier-info.de.

- The Aviation Museum in Hermeskeil is open from April 1st to November 1st from 10 am to 5 pm. Entrance: €9. Video presentation on the museum's website.

Aviation Exhibition Hermeskeil, Habersberg 1, Hunsrückhöhenstrasse, 54411 Hermeskeil II, Tel.: +49(0)6503.7693, www.flugausstellung.de.

- Rhaunen: see the town hall with its columns and the covered portico. Rhaunen is the birthplace of Albert Kahn, an American industrial architect known for promoting reinforced concrete and for having built many automobile factories in the United States.

Lodge

In Trier and its region, there is no shortage of hotels at all prices, quaint country inns, bed and breakfasts (rooms available), and campsites. However, we had all the trouble in the world finding an accommodation. Unbeknownst to us, we planned our exploration in the days preceding the ADAC Rallye Deutschland, which is part of the World Rally Championship. In other words, the smallest rooms were stormed and prices were affected. We finally found a small comfortable hotel, all there is, nickel but without much character, the Keisers Hotel. No restaurant, but a pizzeria (some...) next door. Nice reception and genuine willingness to help: We were allowed to store the motorcycles in the bike room without an extra charge. Be careful, it might work for 2-3 bikes, but not for 10, it’s too small. Expect between €63 and €85 for the room, breakfast extra (€8). Simple booking via booking.com.

Keisers Hotel, Eurenerstraße, 190a, 44294 Trier. Tel.: +49(0)651.810040, www.hotel-keisers.de.

We would have liked to try the Landgasthof-Hotel Simon in Waldrach, right at the starting point of our roadbook, but it was full, too bad. However, here is the website, just in case: www.landgasthof-simon.de

Gourmet Stops

- The Café Heimat in Morbach is a must for fans of the film, as the entire decoration is dedicated to it. Moreover, it is located in the house of the parents of the director Edgar Reitz, who was born in the village. The place is definitely an opportunity for a pleasant stop and drink, including excellent coffees from around the world. Other items on the menu include regional soups and homemade cakes. It is also possible to buy DVDs and books dedicated to the Heimat trilogy, but only in German, it seems... Open Wednesday to Sunday from 9 am to 6 pm (Sundays from 10 am to 6 pm).

Café Heimat, Biergasse, 5, 54497 Morbach. Tel.:+49 (0)6533-9588203, www.cafe-heimat-morbach.de.

- Located at the easternmost point of our route in the center of Simmern, we, a little coincidentally, set our sights on the restaurant Zeitgeist and its inviting terrace, well protected under large umbrellas. Traditional German cuisine with daily recipes for €10.90 and €13.90. Among the usual schnitzels and other saucy dishes, we preferred, given the summer temperatures, an excellent flammkuchen (€7.90), a variant of the pride of Alsace. The bacon was replaced by thin slices of Black Forest ham and ordinary onions with small fresh onions. Excellent and served with a smile!

Café-restaurant Zeitgeist, Schlossplatz, 1, 55469 Simmern. Phone: +49 (0)67612914, www.zeitgeist-simmern.com.