Oberkirn: Holiday Apartments and Holiday Homes

Oberkirn lies above the confluence of the Eschenbach and Kyr, protected by wooded hills. A figurative tombstone for Franz Brune von Schmidtburg, who died in 1573, is displayed on the outer wall of the Evangelical Church.

Culture and History

Oberkirn has two noteworthy churches. The present-day Evangelical Church stands at the upper edge of the village, above the foundations of a Roman country estate, a villa rustica. The building was constructed in a simple Gothic style a few years before 1400 and served as a burial place for the Schenks zu Schmidtburg. The Catholic church was consecrated in 1794 and stands in the middle of the village on a mighty slate slope.

Until the middle of the 20th century, slate mining in 21 surrounding pits was Oberkirn’s most important livelihood. Numerous spoil heaps and several dozen tunnel entrances remain on the slopes of the Kyrbach valley as traces of Oberkirn’s mining past. Beyond the Kyrbach bridge, a figure of Saint Barbara, the patron saint of miners, stands in a rock niche. On the hill above Oberkirn, a large wayside cross stands beside the road to Schwerbach.

Hiking

The Rhaunen–Oberkirn–Hausen hiking route passes through Oberkirn. It is a moderately difficult half-day tour covering 12.8 kilometres, taking 3.5 hours, and includes meadow paths, forest sections, and views of the Idarkopf.

More local pages: Achtelsbach, Herrstein, Vollmersbach, Sonnschied, Idar-Oberstein, Elchweiler, Bundenbach, Heimbach.

Anyone wishing to rent a holiday apartment in Oberkirn can then continue their accommodation search.

To the higher-level travel overview: Birkenfeld.