definition
“Himmelsfels is a huge and unique compound in the medieval town Spangenberg, Northern Hesse, which is according to Wikipedia the population center of Germany. During the last 40 years something unique has developed at this special place. A married couple from Spangenberg built a whole mountain out of constructing rubble on the ruins of an old lime plant and turned it into a beautiful park. At the beginning of 2007 the compound became a nonprofit and economic foundation and since then people from all over the world come to visit the small town.Today people from different nationalities and denominations get together at the Himmelsfels to share their life and one goal: To shape the Himmelsfels into a place of international hospitality and to help especially young people to recognize their potentials and to become bridgebuilders between nations, cultures and confessions. The economic Christian community is receptive to people outside of the church and invites them to share the experience of reconciliation and to get a casual insight of the Christian spirituality.
The Himmelsfels has the ambition to overcome trenches between different confessions, nationalities and cultures. A special characteristic of the foundation is the collective work of people from various social layers and generations on the creation of this exceptional place. Himmelsfels takes a stand for local job seekers, refugees, the support of art and music and wants to give an impetus for new forms of cultural living. “
(source: website Himmelsfels)
What does Himmelsfels mean to me, to us?
At first, I thought there was no easier question for me to answer. But then I thought more about the question and my answer (after all, I wanted to write a whole text about it). More and more different catchwords, meanings, answers came to my mind. To order this clutter of thoughts I asked friends of mine, also great admirers of the Himmelsfels, what it means to them. I hoped to find resemblances in their statements, but their answers couldn’t have been more different.
For example, one said, that the Himmelsfels is a place where everybody can share a good time, no matter where one is from. For someone else it is a place that gives one strength and a second family, so that one can forget the rest of the world for a short amount of time. However, a third answer was that this unique compound is a place where respect, brotherly love and community still mean a lot. Personally, I think it is a place where one can do both, laugh and cry together, where one can simply be and where one always receives more than one gives.
You may think now that these answers have nothing in common, just like I did at the beginning. But as I looked closer I recognized the one similarity of all these answers: All these meanings require that one feels comfortable, that one feels understood and that one can truly be themselves. They require that love, respect and appreciation are shown at this place and they require that one never feels alone.
This place may mean something different to every person, but it gives everybody, what he or she needs at that moment and most importantly it gave every single one of us a second home, a place to which we can come back at every moment. So, just come to visit the Himmelsfels, get a second home and find out what this place means to you!
