(Do not download from the "Thumbnail", as you will get the reduced-sized picture.)
(If the photos don't load at first, click the "Reload" or "Refresh" button in the icon bar of your web browser until they all show up.)
(Photos of German and Austrian Villages Web Pages, Copyright © 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009 George W. DURMAN.)
(While we allow downloading of these pictures for your enjoyment, and for personal genealogical uses, they are copyrighted material and commercial use of them is FORBIDDEN.)
(The photos shown are "Thumbnails" of the actual photos. If you wish to see them full-sized, LEFT-CLICK on the picture and you will see the photo full-sized. To download, RIGHT-CLICK on the FULL-sizeD photo and select "Save Image as", or whatever command your browser uses. Since each picture will open in its own web page window, to return to this page, just close the page.)
The Burg* Falkenstein sits on a rocky spur that comes out from the mountain. Between the Burg and the mountain, there is room for one street with houses on both sides. This is one section of this linear village, which extends to the left and the right. (Today there is small chapel, or church, in the village, but when the Yagers lived here they had to go to a church in Marienthal or Winnweiler, which were adjoining villages.)
(Click here to see photos of Marienthal.)
(Sorry, but no photos yet of Winnweiler; however, you can see maps of these three closely connected villages on this map web page.)
(May, 2002)
(File size: 885 x 576, 600,116 Bytes)
Falkenstein was principally a castle site. Around it would have been the homes of dependencies, or those who supported the work of the castle. There was not much room where Falkenstein was built; it was on a hillside.
(Translation of the German words in the legend of the plan: Obere=Upper; Burg=Castle; [thus, Obere Burg=Upper Castle]; Ritter=Knight; Haus=House or Building; [thus, Ritterhaus=Knights' House or Building]; Knechte=Menials, that is, vassals, serfs, servants, laborers, farm hands, or subordinates]; [thus, Knechtehause=Servants' Building]; Vorwerk=Ante [or Front] Building; Bauernh�user=Peasants', or Farm Laborers', Houses; Haupttor=Main Gate or Entrance; Ring=Circular or Round; Mauer=Wall, Stone Wall, or Side Support for a Building; [thus, Ringmauer=What we would call a Wall Tower]; Schild=Shield-shaped plate for displaying a Coat of Arms; [thus, Schildmauer=The wall where the ruler's Coat of Arms is displayed]; Zwinger=Kennels [for animals, probably dogs]; Wachtturm=Watch Tower.)
(May, 2002)
(File size: 370 x 396, 134,531 Bytes)
This picture shows the main entrance through the stone wall around the old Falkenstein castle.
(May, 2002)
(File size: 870 x 576, 550,008 Bytes)
(For more photos of Falkenstein Village, click here. These photos were found on the web and some of you may find them useful.)
(* "Burg" translates to "Castle" in English. Towns in Germany with this ending were built around a castle, and the towns kept the name, even though, in some cases, the castles no longer exist. "Burg" can also mean "fort", "fortress", "chateau", "palace", or "stronghold". In its simplest translation, a "Burg" is a "fortified home", "fortified" meaning it had a high wall around it, with easily defended entrances through the wall. On the other hand, a "Schloss" can be translated as a "palace" (a home ) without fortifications.)
(Often, towns will have a name ending with "Berg", which is quite different from "Burg". "Berg" translates to "Mount" or "Mountain" in English. Rarely, it might also mean "Hill". I suspect, however, that the root for both words may be the same. It isn't a far stretch from a "Berg" [mountain], to a "Burg" [castle], which was always built on a mountain, or, at least, on a the highest hill in the vicinity.)
(Comments by Webmaster, GWD.)
Go To Top.
Aufkirchen (2002)
Bergnerzell (2002) Beyerberg (2002) Falkenstein (2002) Fellinghausen (2000) Frankenhofen (2002) Freudenberg (2000) Gemmingen (2000) Gresten (Austria) (2000 & 2002) Guttenberg Castle (2000) Haundorf (2002) Heidelberg (2000) |
H�ffenhardt (2000)
Illenschwang (2000) Illenschwang (2002) Kettenbach (2000) Klings (2002) K�hnhardt (2002) Lambsheim (2002) Marienthal (2002) Mosbach (2002) Neuenb�rg (2000) Oberfischbach (2000) Obermichelbach (2002) |
�tisheim (2000)
R�dgen (2000) Schwaigern (2000) Seiderzell (2002) Siegen (2000) Sulzfeld/Ravensburg (2000) Stetten (2002) Trupbach (2000) Waldbach (2002) Zaberfeld (2002) |
Gaar Family Villages (2002) | Utz Family Villages (2002) |
Map of 2nd Colony Villages in Germany (2000) |
[Germany and Austria Photo Gallery]