Ritterstein No. 262: Wilhelm Merkel Hut Memorial

The set up by the Palatine Forest Association Ritterstein is to remember a refuge that stood here and burned down times. Actually, it should be rebuilt. Wilhelm Merkel was an enthusiastic wanderer and many years 1st Chairman of the Kaiserslautern local group. Thanks to him the knight stone to remind.

Wilhelm Merkel was an avid hiker. From 1934 he was first chairman of PWV Kaiserslautern for many years until he died on August 3, 1947. During the Nazi era, he tried to keep politics away from the Palatinate Forest Association, as far as that was possible. Today it is understandable that this only succeeded with personal sacrifice. To thank Wilhelm Merkel for this, PWV Kaiserslautern erected this memorial stone in 1949 and named the refuge "Wilhelm Merkel Hütte", which was built in 1907 on the Kleiner Humberg, in his honor. This hut burned down in the 1970s.

One of the Palatinate Forest Association's more than 300 knight's stones is located here.
For Ritterstein fans: Under the “PWV” abbreviation you can also find the date of its construction (here: “1949”).