European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - March 1, 1990, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Silent Sentinel text and photos by Jim Derheim staff photographer there s a parallel Between the magnificent Castle that looms above Auerbach West Germany and a tumbledown Stone Cabin in the Woods outside my Hometown of Lake Benton Minn. The 700 or so inhabitants of Lake Benton a midwestern Frontier town have been protective of the Musty ruin since the oldest of the town fathers can remember. A nearby picnic shelter is sprayed with Grafitti but no paint has defaced the leaning Walls of the old fur trader s Cabin. Germany s people have the same respect toward the Stone and mortar reminders of their proud past a history that is As colourful and Complex As a mosaic robbers and Barons the haves and the have not electors Dukes peasants and invaders. Young people in mohawks and leather seem just As awestruck As those in Gray suits and spectacles Germany s ruins Are shared and respected by the whole population. And that certainly includes the eerily silent Sentinel of Auerbach that perches above the Odenwald Region just off the Castle lined Bergstrasser. The Cornerstone of this imposing fortress was Laid in 1257. For More than 350 years it stood defiantly looking out Over the Flat Fields and misty rippling Hills that surround it. It fell to the swedes and French during the thirty years War 1618-48. There s something about this place that War and time could t erase a feeling that you can sense. The Castle still hums with a quiet heartbeat. Stand in its Grassy courtyard and you can imagine the Bustle of life filling the air the squealing of pigs waiting for the Cook to make them into the evening feast. Inhale in your imagination the familiar smells of Straw from the stables and the smoke from a half dozen fireplaces that drifts around the Lookout towers. The Castle is just off autobahn 5 Between Heidelberg and Darmstadt. Take the Auerbach exit and follow the signs to the town. Highway 3 Bergstrasser parallels the Castle. Look for Brown signs marked Quot Auerbacher Schloss Quot and follow the winding Road to the top of the Hill. There s plenty of free parking just outside the Walls. There is no admission fee. From oct. 16 to March 31, the Castle is open every Day except monday from 10 . To 5 . It stays open an hour later from april 1 to oct. 15