SZ-Aktion-Mein Lieblingsplatz - Where twelve orchid varieties bloom

Merchinger Berg is the favourite place of Norbert Becker from Honzrath. He writes the following about his suggestion: "As a pensioner who still works as an SZ employee in his many spare hours, I like to spend a lot of time privately and as one of the two second chairmen of the Honzrath local history association at my favourite place, the former limestone quarry site on Merchinger Berg, which is 398 metres above sea level. From here you can not only look down into the village, but also have a fabulous view of Oppen or Düppenweiler as well as the Saarland and neighbouring France. The construction of the factory halls in the Lisdorfer Berg industrial estate in Saarlouis can also be seen. The remains of the lime kilns formerly operated there by Josef Selzer (Selzer Sepp) next to the quarry can also be seen on the slope towards the country road passing by. After the war, many men from Honzrath were employed in the business, crushing limestone and then burning lime. Young people also worked there to earn their pocket money. But with the declining demand for lime as a building material, the business was closed at the end of the 1950s. The former industrial site is now owned by the Naturlandstiftung, which has leased it to the Honzrather Heimatverein, along with the lime kiln hut clad in planks. Twelve different species of orchid grow in the quarry area, which is maintained in accordance with the Flora-Fauna-Habiat rules and is particularly close to the heart of former first and now second chairman Werner Reinert as a nature expert. Under his successor Jörg Lenhof as the current first chairman, work is still carried out time and again to maintain the grounds and renovate and maintain the hut, which is only used for events. A few years ago, a wooden platform with a direction and distance scale was built to further improve visibility. Of course, there is also the opportunity to take a break on the new seating area with a solid wooden table and enjoy the marvellous view, which can be further enhanced with binoculars."