It is considered one of the oldest in the group of ‘Hornbach towers’.
The square chancel, the tabernacle niche with blind tracery in the chancel wall and the so-called oculus, as well as the sandstone altar table with its Gothic consecration crosses, date from the 15th century. The short, unadorned nave was renovated in the mid-18th century as a Protestant church. The church is a typical example of a Romantic village church. Despite its modest dimensions and limited space, it served as the ecclesiastical centre for several surrounding villages, most of which consisted of only a few farmsteads.
The village of Walsheim was first mentioned in a document in 888. In the centre of Walsheim stands the ‘Duppstein’. This is an irregularly porous calcareous tuff containing land snails and plant remains from the Quaternary period. It is 10,000 years old.
By way of comparison: the shell limestone formations in the immediate vicinity were formed over 200 million years ago. The limestone outcrop in Walsheim originally covered an area of over 40 square metres and was at least four metres thick. Today, the ‘Duppstein’ rises no more than 120 centimetres above the surrounding ground level.
The “Duppstein” is the largest limestone formation and the second-largest such deposit in the Saarland in terms of area. The Walsheim outdoor swimming pool is situated in the scenic Hetschenbach Valley. Visitors can relax on a large sunbathing lawn after a swim. Right next door is the campsite, offering pitches for both long-term and short-stay campers.
