An excursion back in time to 175 years ago, when the region was in the middle of the "Palatinate Revolution", was experienced by a tour group that is currently travelling in the footsteps of the history of democracy in the middle of the district town.
"It was probably quite a strange situation. Homburg, with its population of just under 3,000 at the time, was home to 1,500 bold to strange irregulars, who characterised the scene with their bonnets, scythes and a few rifles," said Martin Baus, Managing Director of the Siebenpfeiffer Foundation in Homburg's district administration office, explaining the dramatic course of events in June 1849 to the more than 20 participants. The Freiheitsbrunnen fountain at the Rondell also provided the backdrop for a report on the recalcitrant "Landcommissär" Philipp Jakob Siebenpfeiffer. His public criticism of Bavarian King Ludwig I at the end of 1830 was the beginning of the movement that culminated in the Hambach Festival, the largest demonstration for freedom and democracy in the 19th century.
District Administrator Dr Theophil Gallo gladly welcomed the inquisitive excursion group at the Freedom Fountain. The Chairman of the Siebenpfeiffer Foundation also emphasised the historical significance of Homburg and the surrounding area for the development of modern-day freedom. "I am delighted that you have shown an interest in our historic district town, where the cradle of German democracy stood, and that you are finally able to pass on your impressions and experiences. On the one hand, this emphasises the need to cultivate our culture of remembrance and, on the other, anchors the importance of the development of democracy in the present. This is particularly important with regard to the social and political behaviour of the younger generation," said the District Administrator.
The district administrator presented the organiser and leader of the tour, Thomas Handrich, with a copy of his doctoral thesis, which has been published as the third volume in the Siebenpfeiffer Foundation's publication series. It examines the legal-historical aspects of the proceedings in which the speakers at the Hambach Festival, above all Siebenpfeiffer and Wirth, stood trial in Landau in the summer of 1833. In return, the District Administrator accepted Thomas Handrich's brand new book "Erinnerungsorte zur Geschichte der Demokratie - Auf den Spuren der Demokratiebewegung in Rheinhessen und der Pfalz". Homburg is the only place outside of Rhineland-Palatinate to be represented in the book. "This illustrates the central importance of the town in this respect," emphasised the author. In the 380-page book, he describes the events in detail and sheds light on the "memorial sites" as well as the "culture of remembrance" in Homburg.
The fact that the invasion of the Prussian army on 13 June 1849 marked the beginning of the end of the revolution in the Palatinate was one of the things the guests took away with them. After a battle in Homburg, the revolutionaries fled via Zweibrücken to Pirmasens. A ride on the just 175-year-old Ludwigseisenbahn railway between Bexbach and Homburg was supposed to complete the visit - historically quite authentic. However, this item on the programme fell through: The railway was delayed.