The best walks and hikes around Merzkirchen

St. James' Church, Littdorf-Rehlingen The Roman Catholic St. James' Church stands in the Mannebach Valley on the Way of St. James from Trier to Metz. The settlements of Littdorf and Rehlingen had a wooden church at this location around the year 800. Of the Littdorf settlement, only the church remains, which also belongs to the Rehlingen estate. Today, this parish church encompasses the parishes of Littdorf-Rehlingen and Kahren. Until 1803, it was also the parish church of Mannebach, Körrig, and Kümmern. The church has Baroque furnishings from the time the nave was built: three wooden altars and a pulpit. The main altar is dedicated to St. James the Elder and contains relics of Simon of Trier. The side altars were originally dedicated to the Virgin Mary and Lucia. The latter was later replaced by a statue of the Sacred Heart and now stands to the right of the high altar. In the high altar itself, the figure of St. James and the oil painting of the Sacrifice of Melchizedek at the top were added later. The Rococo pulpit, which now has no steps, bears the date 1756. On the left choir wall is a relief of Oswald von Bellenhausen, who was murdered during a raid by robber barons. The bell tower contains two historic bronze bells: The smaller bell is called a pointed hat or sugarloaf bell due to its shape. It was probably a gift from the noble von Bellenhausen family and was cast around 1250. The large bell, dating from 1594, was a gift from the noble von Warsberg family, who had owned the Rehlinger Hof since 1557. It is a so-called weather bell and decorated with Gothic ribs. Its inscription reads: "IN GOD'S NAME I RING – I DRIVE AWAY BAD WEATHER – JAKOB THE GREAT HISCHEN I RING – ANNO DOMINI 1594 – P B R." The church's special significance lies in the preservation of a church type (a relatively small church with a Romanesque tower and a Baroque nave) that was widespread in the Saar-Upper Moselle region until the mid-19th century. Due to population growth, these churches have become too small for most towns and have been replaced by much larger neo-Gothic buildings. The church is normally open during the day from April to September until the protective gates are in place.

In the immediate vicinity of the church is the so-called Bruoder Boar (Bruoder Boar), a spring with a well house. A spring with never-ending water is likely the foundation of the Frankish settlement of Littdorf, founded after 454. The present spring lies 1.5 m below ground level and was encased in a cistern-like structure as part of the West Wall construction during the construction of the Wasserliesch-Freudenburg railway line, of which only a single viaduct remains just above the church. In 1966, the well was reinforced with a simple concrete wall. In 2005/06, the municipality of Fisch, with the support of the St. James Pavilion, redesigned the Bruoder Boar. It was named after the last pious hermit who lived around 1783 in the hermitage attached to the church tower like a swallow's nest and demolished before 1914.

Be sure to go to the basement of the shelter! The stream that flows through the house invites pilgrims to cool their hot feet. The enclosure already says it all: water is life. A scallop shell is also set into the wall.

Here you can stop off and try numerous delicacies from the organic farm. From freshly pressed apple juice to cider, numerous types of jam and marmalade to take away (trusted cash register). So take some change with you.

In Fisch (Kapellenstraße 10a) there is the Viezomat from Viezhof Hinsicker with regional products such as cheese, cider, sausage and other delicacies.

From the fishing pond in Trassem you can explore numerous hiking and walking trails.

Remains of the Westwall Railway.

Great view of the beautiful Saar Valley