The best running trails around Offenbach an der Queich

The so-called Bärensee is a fish pond managed by the Ottersheim angling club. It is located in a nature reserve. At the southeastern corner of the lower pond, there is a fish sculpture that commemorates an important member of the angling community, Jean Benz.

Rather hidden for cyclists and only accessible on unpaved paths, but nice for a break

Beautiful old things to admire

Knight Stefan von Mörlheim, co-founder of the Cistercian monastery of Eußerthal, donated his manor, including a chapel, to the monastery in Mörlheim around 1148. After a turbulent history, the dilapidated St. Martin's Church in Mörlheim passed into Catholic ownership in 1705. The monastery church in Eußerthal and the church in Mörlheim still display a mitre and abbot's staff alongside the cross on their steeples – ecclesiastical symbols that Heinrich Wilhelm, Baron von und zu Sickingen, was permitted to wear as a layman. In 1754, Heinrich Wilhelm, Baron von und zu Sickingen, had the Mörlheim church rebuilt. It was consecrated on September 14, 1754. One hundred and fifty years later, at the beginning of the 20th century, the church had once again fallen into disrepair. The swinging of the bells in the bell tower had weakened the church ceiling, and the cramped space was no longer sufficient for the congregation. One hundred years ago, on July 1, 1912, the reconstruction of the church into the present one began, based on plans by the architect Johannes Albert Boßlet. It was extended to the west, and the existing beamed ceiling was replaced by a Baroque-style lath and plaster ceiling suspended from the roof truss, visually resting on newly added wall piers. Finally, a church tower nearly 30 meters high was erected. Two bells call the faithful to prayer, and the city of Landau owns the clock and its large clock faces. The reconstruction of the church, and especially the construction of the new church tower, was made possible by the Bavarian Church Community Ordinance of 1912. According to this ordinance, even landowners outside the parish could be assessed for the construction and maintenance of religious buildings. A good 75 percent of the land in Mörlheim subject to these assessments formerly belonged to outsiders, the so-called "outsiders." The extensive renovation of the church in 2008 has given the Mörlheim church a great splendor. (Egon Ehmer)

St. Joseph's Church in Offenbach an der Queich is located in the district of Südliche Weinstraße and in the Diocese of Speyer. The parish church of St. Giles, originally mentioned in 1235, evolved over the centuries and received its current patron saint, St. Joseph, in 1753. The present St. Joseph's Church building was consecrated on September 8, 1754, and underwent extensive renovations following damage sustained during World War II and structural expansions in the 1960s. The Baroque church tower and parts of the nave were preserved as historical monuments.

The so-called Bear Ponds are fish ponds managed by the Ottersheim Angling Club. They are located in a nature reserve. At the southeastern corner of the lower pond, there is a fish sculpture commemorating Jean Benz, a prominent figure in the angling community. A beautiful covered rest area, the "Jean Benz Park," with two benches and a table, has recently been created at the northeastern corner of the lake, along the Queich Valley Cycle Path. It's a wonderful place to unwind... especially on mild evenings when the sun sets in the west and you can gaze out over the ponds.

At the Spitaläcker lies the Bärensee with benches around the lake.

Vintage car enthusiasts gathered in Ottersheim and are interested in old tractors and historic agricultural equipment.