The Karlstal is the valley of the Moosalb stream located near Trippstadt in the Palatine Forest in the German state of

Rhineland-Palatinate Rhineland-Palatinate ( , ; german: link=no, Rheinland-Pfalz ; lb, Rheinland-Pfalz ; pfl, Rhoilond-Palz) is a western state of Germany. It covers and has about 4.05 million residents. It is the ninth largest and sixth most populous of the ...

. It is registered as a

nature reserve A nature reserve (also known as a wildlife refuge, wildlife sanctuary, biosphere reserve or bioreserve, natural or nature preserve, or nature conservation area) is a protected area of importance for flora, fauna, or features of geological or ...

- number 335 055 - under the name of ''Karlstalschlucht'' ("Karlstal Gorge").

Location

The Karlstal lies about 10 kilometres south of the German city of Kaiserslautern near the

climatic spa A spa is a location where mineral-rich spring water (and sometimes seawater) is used to give medicinal baths. Spa towns or spa resorts (including hot springs resorts) typically offer various health treatments, which are also known as balneothe ...

of Trippstadt. There is a footpath running through the Karlstal Gorge, a ravine which is roughly 3 kilometres long.

History

Friedrich Ludwig von Sckell Friedrich Ludwig von Sckell (13 September 1750, in Weilburg – 24 February 1823, in Munich) was a German landscape gardener from Weilburg an der Lahn. He is regarded as the founder of the English gardens in Germany, which he introduced to the Germ ...

, who laid out the first

landscape garden The English landscape garden, also called English landscape park or simply the English garden (french: Jardin à l'anglaise, it, Giardino all'inglese, german: Englischer Landschaftsgarten, pt, Jardim inglês, es, Jardín inglés), is a sty ...

in Germany, was involved in the conversion and extension of the gardens of

Trippstadt House Trippstadt House (german: Trippstadter Schloss) is an 18th-century, baroque '' schloss'' or manor house in the eponymous village in the German state of Rhineland-Palatinate. Building The building is made of red sandstone and comprises a single ...

in the 1780s. Whilst there, he got to know the nearby Karlstal and described it thus: Subsequently, Sckell undertook alterations over the central part of the gorge, a good kilometre long, and dovetailed a trail with little wooden bridges and a wooden pavilion into the valley, so that its near-natural impression was even more heightened. An iron table at the entrance to the valley refers to a royal visit: Ex-king Ludwig I of

Bavaria Bavaria ( ; ), officially the Free State of Bavaria (german: Freistaat Bayern, link=no ), is a state in the south-east of Germany. With an area of , Bavaria is the largest German state by land area, comprising roughly a fifth of the total lan ...

, Grand Duke Louis III of

Hesse-Darmstadt The Landgraviate of Hesse-Darmstadt (german: Landgrafschaft Hessen-Darmstadt) was a State of the Holy Roman Empire, ruled by a younger branch of the House of Hesse. It was formed in 1567 following the division of the Landgraviate of Hesse betwee ...

and Archduchess Hildegard of

Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...

, together with their retinue, visited the valley on 9 August 1862.

Landscape

The rocky gorge, through which the Moosalb flows and which is largely natural, contains a large amount of rock debris from the red

bunter sandstone The Buntsandstein (German for ''coloured'' or ''colourful sandstone'') or Bunter sandstone is a lithostratigraphic and allostratigraphic unit (a sequence of rock strata) in the subsurface of large parts of west and central Europe. The Buntsands ...

of the region, as well as numerous little

waterfall A waterfall is a point in a river or stream where water flows over a vertical drop or a series of steep drops. Waterfalls also occur where meltwater drops over the edge of a tabular iceberg or ice shelf. Waterfalls can be formed in severa ...

s and old deciduous and conifer stands. As a result, it is one of those destinations in the Palatine Forest that is promoted by those responsible for

tourism Tourism is travel for pleasure or business; also the theory and practice of touring, the business of attracting, accommodating, and entertaining tourists, and the business of operating tours. The World Tourism Organization defines tourism mor ...

. On the left-hand side of the Karlstal valley, is a formerly occupied rock cave which is only accessible on an almost unmetalled path. Above it, on level ground is the

Amseldell The Amseldell is a former park-like leisure area about two kilometres west of the German town of Trippstadt in the Palatine Forest in the state of Rhineland-Palatinate. Geographic location and environment The Amseldell lies in field parcel (''G ...

, an old park-like area from the 19th century that has since been left to decay, but which originally had a maze, a firing range and a hut.Wolfgang Dammbrück (s. Literatur) Other sights in the surrounding area are described in the article on the Moosalb.

Transport

At its western end along the

Biebermühl Railway The Biebermühl Railway (german: Biebermühlbahn)—sometimes called the Moosalbbahn (Moosalb Railway)—is a 35.9 km long railway line from Kaiserslautern to Pirmasens in the German state of Rhineland-Palatinate, which was built between 1 ...

, there was once a halt called ''Karlsthal'', which through lack of profitability was closed. Since its closure the nearest station has been Schopp.

References

Literature

External links

Palatine Forest Tourism, Climatic spa of Trippstadt in the Palatine Forest: ''Das Karlstal''
Nature reserves in Rhineland-Palatinate Landscapes of Rhineland-Palatinate Palatinate Forest Valleys of Rhineland-Palatinate