Upper Verstal Valley

Oberes Verstal: Wonderfully quiet and uninhabited valley full of flower meadows. The only thing that bothers me is the power line.

Between 1361 and 1432 there was the place Gilbertshausen, which was wiped out by the plague.

The valley is deserted today but steeped in history. There used to be two settlements here. A stop is worthwhile.In the upper western part of the valley, hidden in the forest but only a few meters from the asphalt path (see komoot hiking highlight and MTB highlight), was the former settlement of Melmertshausen. Wooden signs explain the location of the houses. Burglaries indicate their location to the left and right of "Dorfstraße". It is assumed that the settlement consisted of five to seven houses and farmsteads. An overgrown path leads to the former village square or Hof D. With imagination, the square in the middle of the settlement can still be imagined. Slag residues were found in the surrounding forests, proving that the inhabitants of Melmertshausen were probably forest blacksmiths. Melmertshausen was abandoned around 1350. At Hof G. there is a boundary stone (inscription: Grand Duchy of Hesse/Kingdom of Prussia). This stone was set 400 years after the settlement was abandoned.The settlement of Gilbertshausen was further out in the open, north-east of the point where the paved road makes a sharp 90-degree turn. The farmsteads were made of wood and clay. The lime used during construction is said to still have an influence on the plant growth in the corresponding places. Farming was practiced here. It is assumed that Gilbertshausen was abandoned (“deserted”) around 1430 AD, later than Melmertshausen.More interesting information about the former settlements can be found in the local history museum in Frankenbach and on the following websites, among others (part of the information given here comes from these websites):
de.wikiloc.com/routen-wandern/die-auslassen-siedlungen-gilbertshausen-und-melmertshausen-in-biebertal-frankenbach-26660117
de.wikiloc.com/routen-wandern/extraschleife-zu-den-ehemaligen-rennofen-in-den-braichten-31137364