Copper, silver, cobalt and nickel – all of these ores were mined at Oberwiederstedt and Walbeck. The corresponding mines were listed as “Wiederstedt V” and “Wiederstedt VI” in the prospecting files of the Halle Chief Mining Authority in 1873. Today, wind turbines rotate above the remnants of mining, with their rotor blades beating their monotonous rhythm into the landscape, occasionally interrupted by the call of a skylark – no second Berggeschrey [“mining clamor”] can be heard. The walk from Oberwiederstedt along the way to Sylda over the Ziegenberg in the direction of Walbeck and back through the Ölgrund leads not only along but over old heaps and pits from the 16th century, as well as past wind power and photovoltaic plants. The Planteurhaus near Walbeck is also on the way. The classicist villa in the style of the Renaissance master architect Palladio (1508 – 1580) is not only an architectural rarity but a welcome occasion to talk about the utopian idea of the “(post)socialist landscape” in the sense of the Marxist philosopher and architectural theorist Lothar Kühne (1931 – 1985).
And the Ölgrund is a gem. Although there are only remnants of the old fruit tree plantations, and only a blue metal railing reminds us of the Ölgrund pond, a popular excursion destination in the 1970s and 1980s with a snack bar and boat rental, here the Adonis roses bloom in spring. In the nearby Zechstein quarry, not only the stones for the castle in Oberwiederstedt were quarried. Along the Ölgrundbach [Oil Ground Creek], past allotment gardens, the path leads back to Oberwiederstedt, where the creek, which used to be called Walbke, flows into the Wipper River.
This walk was designed together with Frank Morcinietz, a knowledgeable honorary archaeological monument conservator and one of the rescuers of Novalis’ birthplace in Oberwiederstedt. He accompanies us on this walk. Together, we will meet other guests with local knowledge.