At the beginning of June, the "WaldPark Schloss Karlsberg" steering group met for its first meeting of the year at the district administration.
The Saarpfalz district, the city of Homburg, the municipality of Zweibrücken-Land, the Palatinate and Saarland forestry authorities, the State Office for the Preservation of Historical Monuments, the Karlsberger Hof Foundation and the Ministry of the Environment, Climate, Mobility, Agriculture and Consumer Protection are all involved in the cooperative association, which was founded in 2008. Their task is to preserve the cultural and historical heritage of Karlsberg Castle and its extensive park near Homburg, i.e. to preserve architectural relics, maintain park elements, make the castle and park a tangible experience and to develop and promote all of this for tourism.
The meeting was special for two reasons. Firstly, the new District Administrator Frank John chaired it for the first time, and secondly, a rather unusual item enriched the agenda: the presentation of the short film "Karlsberg Castle. A little more than 'just walls'." The short film is available on the homepage of the Saarpfalz district.
Three students from the Digital Media Marketing programme at Kaiserslautern University of Applied Sciences, Zweibrücken campus, were responsible for the script and direction of the four-minute film: Nina Heinrich, Fabian Schreiner and Daria Schwan. Together with their programme director Prof. Barbara Christin, they created a real highlight with the presentation of the short film. The students succeeded in creating a vivid portrayal of the relics of the old ducal residence and its present-day appearance. With modern editing techniques and the use of drone shots, the viewer is introduced to the history of the once magnificent palace, which was built by Duke Charles II August of Palatinate-Zweibrücken on the Karlsberg near Homburg from 1777. French revolutionary troops set it on fire on 28 July 1793, destroying it forever.
All those present, including Professor Barbara Christin, were very impressed by the young people's creative achievements and were full of praise.
District Administrator Frank John found the result of their seminar work "exciting, innovative and inspiring" and immediately assured himself that the film could also be posted on the Saarpfalz district's homepage. "This is a great joint effort that deserves attention," said the District Administrator enthusiastically and continued: "The Saarpfalz district has very good connections with Kaiserslautern University of Applied Sciences and I am delighted that we can once again talk about a successful exchange - with our art historian Dr Jutta Schwan as the contact person, who is herself an expert on Karlsberg Castle at the Saarpfalz district. The short film definitely helps to raise awareness of our history and will certainly be used in a variety of ways."
District Administrator Frank John thanked the students for their commitment and wished them much joy in being creative and success for the rest of their studies. His thanks also went to Prof Barbara Christin and Dr Jutta Schwan.
In the further course of the meeting, solutions for the care and maintenance of the old menagerie, the so-called bear kennel, were discussed in order to present the historical sites and hiking trails in a well-kept manner. The next meeting is due to take place in autumn.