Hardtkapelle Wielenbach

Located just east of Wielenbach, Hardtkapelle Wielenbach is a small chapel. North of this chapel, there is a way of the cross with 15 stations. But the most important and most unique feature of this chapel is a hole in a stone in front of the altar, which looks like a footprint.

According to local legend, this hole a footprint of the devil. It originated around the year 1250 during an argument between Haunshofen and Weilheim regarding the pasturage rights on the Hardt area.

As the argument broke out again, the quarrelling parties met at the place on which now Hardtkapelle Wielenbach stands in order to mediate this argument by judges. While the quarrelling parties swore at each other, suddenly the devil appeared out of the crowd, laid a stone on the ground and shouted: “So wahr ich trete in diesen Stein, ist dies Haunshofer G´mein“, which means in German, “when I kick into this stone, is it the community of Haunshofen.” Afterwards, the devil kicked its foot into the stone, whereby this footprint-like hole in the stone originated and disappeared.

After this incident, the argument between Haunshofen and Weilheim ended and as protection for this stone a chapel was built around it, which was at least once renewed, as the actual chapel derives from 1885-1886.

Besides this, it is said that Hardtkapelle Wielenbach is haunted as there are reports of sudden nausea, dizzy turns and panic attacks by visitors of the chapel. There are also some claims of sightings of a mysterious white woman and a black dog at night.