“The former Karlsberg Castle in Homburg was not particularly large by the standards of the time, but its furnishings were exquisite. The patron, Duke Karl II August of Palatinate-Zweibrücken, had originally had it built as a hunting lodge and pleasure palace for a transitional period. In fact, the Wittelsbach was actually waiting to become Elector of the Palatinate-Bavaria,” said Dr Jutta Schwan, an art historian with the Saarpfalz District’s cultural management department, as she opened the ceremony to unveil the SR plaque in the WaldPark at Karlsberg Castle. She has reviewed and compiled the information on Karlsberg Castle and its history, which is held in the archives of Saarländischer Rundfunk. The video and audio files can now be accessed free of charge at any time at the site via a QR code on the SR plaque.
As part of the ‘SR Contributions in Public Places in the Saarland’ project – which forms part of the ‘ARD Content in Public Spaces’ initiative – Saarländischer Rundfunk, together with its partners, the Saarland Museum Association (SMV) and the Saarland Association of Towns and Municipalities (SSGT), is Places of remembrance, museums, tourist attractions and so on across the Saarland with plaques. By scanning the QR codes featured on these plaques, anyone interested can easily access the stored information – in the form of videos and audio recordings – on their device, such as a mobile phone.
District Administrator Frank John, Dr Frank Matheis, Deputy Managing Director of the Saarland Association of Towns and Municipalities, Peter Meyer, Corporate Spokesperson for Saarland Broadcasting, and Raimund Konrad, Councillor for Culture and Tourism for the town of Homburg, Carsten Federspiel from SaarForst and Dr Jutta Schwan jointly unveiled the plaque on 4 September at the site of the former Karlsberg Castle. “The QR code offers a wonderful opportunity to delve into the history of our region and is thus another piece in the jigsaw of our tourism and trail concept. I would like to thank everyone involved for bringing this fantastic project to fruition,” said District Administrator Frank John. “The SR’s extensive archive is the audiovisual memory of the Saarland and thus a potential showcase for a wealth of accumulated knowledge. With these plaques, we are making this historical content visible again in close collaboration with local stakeholders. We see ourselves as shapers of our region’s identity and, through this project, are promoting a culture of remembrance. We are delighted that we are already able to unveil the 41st plaque in the Saarland today,” emphasised Peter Meyer. Dr Frank Matheis added: “The future needs the past. This valuable initiative creates precisely this connection. The swift implementation in such a highly successful manner demonstrates just how much passion all those involved have put into this project.” Raimund Konrad, Deputy Mayor for Culture and Tourism for the town of Homburg, also joined in thanking everyone involved and expressed his delight at the boost to tourism brought by the WaldPark Schloss Karlsberg.
In addition to the parties already mentioned, SaarForst – which is responsible for maintaining the Schloss Karlsberg Forest Park – was also involved in this initiative, as was Thomas Menges, the Saarpfalz District’s trail manager, who ensured that the plaque – in the form of a Corten steel stele – could be mounted appropriately, in keeping with the existing information boards.