St Caistor
One more Sounds from the Sensebach homeland. St Caistor Basilica at Deutsche Eck, Koblenz. The church was old, even in the days the Sensebachs were in the region. While the Sensebachs, as Reformed, may never have entered here, they surely would have known of it as the oldest church in Koblenz, the largest city in their area, though just outside the County of Wied. Apparently organ practice today.
Niederbieber bells
This morning’s addition to the Sounds of the Sensebach homeland. I was up in the Niederbieber Reformed Church belfry with the tour guide from the church when the bells struck 1. The bell on the left is relatively new, but the one on the right is over 400 years old. Was expecting the ring but still a bit startled.
Pfingstgottesdeinst in Oberbieber
The latest in Sounds from the Sensebach Homeland. The bells ring out for Pfingstgottesdeinst in Oberbieber, another church in the Sensebach story.
Anhausen bell
Another in the series of Sounds from the Sensebach homeland. This bell and the one to the right, both date back hundreds of years, and would’ve been heard by the family of Johann Paulus Sensebach living in Anhausen. Paulus was the brother of Friederich Sensebach the immigrant.
Wied River at Altwied
Guten Morgen from the top the ruins of Altwied castle for today’s edition of the Sounds from the Sensebach homeland. This was once the home of the Count of Wied until 1653. It was built on the Wied river where it takes a complete U-turn around a tall rock outcropping. The peninsula is walled off with the castle, a top of rock and a small village tucked in underneath it. 
Rengsdorf
More sounds from the homeland of the Sensebachs. Rengsdorf Evangelical Church rings in 3 pm. Rengsdorf appears frequently in the Sensebach story.
Spring in Oberraden.
More sounds from the land of Sensebachs. This morning I’m in the village of Oberraden, which is where Friederich Sensebach’s children were born. They were baptized nearby in Oberhonnefeld. The village was probably built around the spring that’s behind the water coming out of this pipe on a hillside.
Woods near Jahrsfeld. More sounds of Sensebachs.
Taking a stroll this morning through the woods near Jahrsfeld, above the Jahrsbach valley. Christopher Sensebach and Christina Reinhard lived about a half mile back in the village just below Strassenhaus, where Christopher’s father-in-law had built a tavern. Aside from the traffic noise in the distance, and the patch of sequoias recently planted, these woods probably sounded and looked the same back in their day.
The church bell in Dierdorf.
More sounds from the Sensebach land. The church bell in Dierdorf. Cast in 1463, it was nearly 30 years old when Columbus discovered America. The tower was built in 1204. Chuno would have seen the tower and heard the bell regularly when he worked for the Count of Wied in the early to mid 1600’s.
More sounds from the land of Wied. Clock Tower in Dierdorf, where the witch trials took place in the early to mid 1600s. Our ancestor Chuno was involved, serving as scribe.
Sounds of Sensen Bach
Sounds of Sensenbach - This is the actual creek, the "Sensen Bach" from which the village got its name.
It’s not just the sites, but also the sounds. Herborn Evangelical bells
Herborn Evangelical bells
It’s not just the sites, but also the sounds.
Historic Herborn
On this first day in Germany, I did not have any events scheduled, since I’d need to recover from the jet lag. But I did spend some time wandering around the city of Herborn just to get a feel for the place. As you can see from this one video in a market square, the town is filled with half-timbered homes that are hundreds of years old. Some were built as far back as the 1500’s. On neighboring streets there was actual markets; including a farmers market, a flowers and garden market, and various food stands. Even aside from our distant Sensebach ancestor’s residence here over 500 years ago, Herborn is worth a visit.
Herborn Academy
Standing in the courtyard where Chuno Christian Sensebach attended 1599-1608.
