Meuspath

Meuspath is "the village at the Ring." Meuspath is in Rhineland-Palatinate. Population is tiny - perhaps 100 inhabitants. Meuspath is 3 kilometers from the Nürburgring. 3 minutes by car. Meuspath residents hear the Nordschleife every day. They hear the engines. They hear the tires. They hear the crashes. Meuspath is so close to the Ring that Meuspath residents can feel when a car passes the Nordkehre. The earth vibrates. Windows rattle. Meuspath residents live "inside" the racing circuit. Meuspath is not just close to motorsport. Meuspath is surrounded by motorsport.

Meuspath has one economy: motorsport tourism. Holiday apartments. Guesthouses. Campgrounds. Meuspath residents rent their homes to tourists. Race weekend: €500 per night. 24-hour race: €1000 per night. Meuspath residents earn more in one weekend than in one month. Meuspath residents are dependent on the Ring. When the Ring runs well, Meuspath runs well. When the Ring runs poorly, Meuspath dies. Meuspath has no other industry. No agriculture. No factories. Only motorsport. Meuspath is a "motorsport parasite."

Here is the irony: Meuspath residents live from motorsport. But Meuspath residents hate motorsport. Why? Because motorsport destroys their lives. On race weekends, Meuspath is no longer Meuspath. Meuspath is a parking lot. Thousands of cars. Thousands of people. Trash everywhere. Noise 24 hours. Meuspath residents cannot sleep. Meuspath residents cannot leave their houses. Streets are blocked. Meuspath residents are prisoners in their own village. But Monday it's all over. Tourists are gone. Meuspath is quiet again. Meuspath is empty again. And Meuspath residents count the money.

Meuspath residents have complicated relationship with tourists. Tourists bring money. But tourists also bring chaos. Meuspath residents see tourists who are drunk. Who are loud. Who pollute their village. Meuspath residents see tourists who "love" the Ring. But these tourists don't respect Meuspath. For tourists, Meuspath is just a "place to sleep." A "cheap hotel." Tourists don't see Meuspath as "community." They see Meuspath as "service." Meuspath residents feel used. But Meuspath residents need the money. So they smile. And rent their houses.

Meuspath is home to WIGE Solutions GmbH. A company providing official timing data for motorsport events. 24 Hours Nürburgring. VLN. Meuspath has a motorsport technology company. But most Meuspath residents don't work there. Most Meuspath residents have no technical skills. Most Meuspath residents rent rooms. That's their skill. That's their life. Meuspath has a high-tech company. But Meuspath is a low-tech village.

In winter, Meuspath is dead. The Ring is closed. No tourists. No income. Meuspath residents live from their savings. From the money they earned in summer. Meuspath residents wait for spring. Wait for engines. Wait for tourists. Meuspath without motorsport is a ghost village. 100 inhabitants. No shops. No restaurants. Only houses. And silence. Meuspath residents sit in this silence. And dream of noise.

Meuspath is the perfect paradox. It's the best place to experience the Nürburgring. 3 minutes away. Affordable accommodations. But it's the worst place to live. No privacy. No peace. Only noise and tourists. Meuspath children grow up in this chaos. Meuspath children don't know normal weekends. Every weekend is "race weekend." Meuspath children learn early: "Motorsport is life." But they also learn: "Motorsport is curse." Meuspath is a village that lives from the Ring. But also dies through the Ring.