here together with those for Greimersburg, give some idea of the kind of times that these were: A “hearth” – or household – contained on average seven persons, but sometimes as many as ten. In the two centuries that followed, the population grew considerably. In 1717, Landkern had 17 families, and in 1778 there were 137 inhabitants. In 1832, Landkern had 56 families (308 inhabitants). Population figures for 1848 and 1872 were 441 and 589 respectively. It was this population growth that led to the building of the new parish church, which still stands today. The foundation stone was laid on 14 August 1859. On 21 June 1726, the four Bergdörfer (“Mountain Villages”) at last got their wish and were split from the parish of Klotten, with that municipality's agreement. The first Landkern parish priest, Father Franz Wilhelmy, born in Hambuch, began keeping the baptismal and death registers in 1728. The new parish comprised not only the four Bergdörfer but also the estates of Esper (first mentioned in 1399) and Fahrenday (mentioned in a document from 1431). The chapel in Landkern, first mentioned in 1511, whose patron even then was Saint Servatius, was succeeded by another chapel on 13 August 1737, less than a decade after the first parish priest had arrived. The new church was a small, east-oriented building with a tall west tower and stood parallel to the road towards Greimersburg. The cost had to be borne by parochial funds while the municipality had to come up with the wherewithal for the tower. The chapel mentioned in 1511 had two altars, whereas the new church had three. This church lasted until it was replaced with yet another, which was consecrated on 22 July 1862. It was also at this time that the organ was built into the church. Four times between 1777 and 1860, bells were consecrated, and three new ones were mentioned in 1861. Only one of these survived the Second World War. In 1630, Kern still had no school. The villagers brought this subject up at the Visitations that were held from time to time, and eventually a school appeared. The first schoolteacher known to history in Landkern was Peter Schnitzler. He died in 1769. In 1779, 29 boys and 9 girls were attending this school. The tuition for the (agricultural) Winterschule (“Winter School”) was 13 Albus, and for Sunday school and holiday school it was