Oaktree for Peace and Expellee

You know already that our Carlsheaven - Bad Karlshafen - has entirely been build as a safe haven. An asylum town for the French Protestant Huguenots, fleeing and expelled by the thousands from their native country for persecution, forced conversion. This asylum for the followers of Calvin was build around 1700.


After WWII many displaced Russians and Polish were housed in baracks here. Then came the Sudeten-Deutschen, the expelled East-Prussians and Russian Wolga-Germans. During the Nineties followed by Albanian and other refugees from the Balkan. Most of them have moved away, some did stay. Among them the descendants of the old French Huguenot families, some Albanians, Polish and Portugese. All of them perfectly integrated and converted into German, Karlshafener citizens.


Meanwhile some 250 refugees from Afghanistan and Syria are quartered in (former) hotels, hostels and houses to await their asylum procedure here. Just like it has happened everywhere else in smal towns and big cities. Until now here everything has gone very well, safely, quietly and without incidents or outbursts of conflict. This asylumtown has its historic legacy to fullfill and protect.

From the high mountainside in the South you can look into the valley and over the harbourtown and the river. There is a belvedere where you can stand close to a wooden statutue of Calvin. And there is a viewpoint where you find a stone in memory of the Heimatvertriebenen, the German Expellees. And just aside it this living, budding Oaktree: named Friedenseiche, Oak of Peace. May all three keep their protecting vision, faithfull heart and wings of humanitarian Guardianship over our Carlsheaven and the destiny of our refugees.