Markus Ege

The magic of the first encounter. You want to continue on foot. On the last few metres, when you come down into the Jagst valley, cross the river in Oberregenbach over the stone bridge with the mighty icebreakers, no two cars can fit past each other anyway. Between the last cut of the wet meadows and the autumn-coloured forest, it appears, for the first time. Unterregenbach. The fact that it doesn't appear in black and white takes one aback, as in old albums, with jagged edges. The colours of the tiled roofs, diced from the foot of the mountainside to the banks of the Jagst, shine in a very real way. Only one has stood transversely, erect, rising modestly above the other ridges. You feel as if you want to tiptoe around so as not to disturb the sleep that has taken hold of the whole village. And then you descend, twice, crypt and cross canal. Church under the village. From A to Z on the trail of a mystery. From Old Castle or Ark Bridge to Basilica, Christianisation, Monument and Eternity. From palmettes and pilgrims, relics and giants to ornamental fittings. Timeless, enchanting, like the first encounter.