Abentheuer
Encyclopedia
Abentheuer is an Ortsgemeinde – a municipality
belonging to a Verbandsgemeinde
, a kind of collective municipality – in the Birkenfeld
district
in Rhineland-Palatinate
, Germany
. It belongs to the Verbandsgemeinde of Birkenfeld
, whose seat is in the like-named town
.
. Beginning on the village’s outskirts is the Trauntalschleife, the award-winning hiking trail of the Saar-Hunsrück-Steig, a 180 km-long system of trails. The municipal area is 71.5% wooded.
, in the east on Buhlenberg
and in the south on Brücken
.
. The Traunbach then served as the border between the Hunolstein (and beginning in 1598, Palatinate-Zweibrücken) Amt of Achtelsbach to the west and the Sponheim Amt of Birkenfeld to the east. Over the course of its history, Abentheuer belonged either to the parish of Achtelsbach or to the parish of Birkenfeld; today it belongs to the parish of Brücken.
Beginning in the mid 16th century, the working of iron
began, first from the pits in Buhlenberg
and Elchweiler
, then later from Thalfang
and Schwarzenbach
. In 1763, owing to economic hardship, the Abentheuer Ironworks (Abentheuerer Hütte) passed into the ownership of the Stumm entrepreneurial family, which already had other ironworks and hammermills in the region at its disposal. After this change in ownership, production in Abentheuer rose noticeably. From 1770, the plant’s products were first and foremost cast-iron
articles made from imported pig iron
. In 1835, the ironworks were bequeathed to the Böcking brothers, who shut the works down in 1875 and moved them to the coal
deposits and better shipping links on the Saar.
In the late 17th century, the Hujetssägemühle (Sägemühle means “sawmill” in German
) set up shop east of the village in the wooded valley of the Traun. By the late 19th century, it had developed into a furniture factory with several production buildings. These were abandoned in the 1960s. Also forsaken was the inn that had arisen from the sawmill.
at the municipal election held on 7 June 2009, and the honorary mayor as chairman.
might be described thus: Above a base countercompony gules and argent vert a crucible of the second flanked by two ears of wheat slipped per chevron Or.
The municipal arms were approved by the Rhineland-Palatinate Ministry of the Interior in 1965.
’s Directory of Cultural Monuments:
41, and to the south, the Autobahn A 62
. Serving nearby Neubrücke
is a railway station on the Nahe Valley Railway.
Municipalities of Germany
Municipalities are the lowest level of territorial division in Germany. This may be the fourth level of territorial division in Germany, apart from those states which include Regierungsbezirke , where municipalities then become the fifth level.-Overview:With more than 3,400,000 inhabitants, the...
belonging to a Verbandsgemeinde
Verbandsgemeinde
A Verbandsgemeinde is an administrative unit in the German Bundesländer of Rhineland-Palatinate and Saxony-Anhalt.-Rhineland-Palatinate:...
, a kind of collective municipality – in the Birkenfeld
Birkenfeld (district)
Birkenfeld is a district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is bounded by the districts of Sankt Wendel , Trier-Saarburg, Bernkastel-Wittlich, Rhein-Hunsrück, Bad Kreuznach and Kusel.- History :...
district
Districts of Germany
The districts of Germany are known as , except in the states of North Rhine-Westphalia and Schleswig-Holstein where they are known simply as ....
in Rhineland-Palatinate
Rhineland-Palatinate
Rhineland-Palatinate is one of the 16 states of the Federal Republic of Germany. It has an area of and about four million inhabitants. The capital is Mainz. English speakers also commonly refer to the state by its German name, Rheinland-Pfalz ....
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
. It belongs to the Verbandsgemeinde of Birkenfeld
Birkenfeld (Verbandsgemeinde)
Birkenfeld is a Verbandsgemeinde in the district of Birkenfeld, in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. The seat of the Verbandsgemeinde is in Birkenfeld....
, whose seat is in the like-named town
Birkenfeld
Birkenfeld is a town and the district seat of the Birkenfeld district in southwest Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is also the seat of the like-named Verbandsgemeinde.-Location:...
.
Location
The municipality lies on the Traunbach in the Schwarzwälder Hochwald (forest) in the HunsrückHunsrück
The Hunsrück is a low mountain range in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is bounded by the river valleys of the Moselle , the Nahe , and the Rhine . The Hunsrück is continued by the Taunus mountains on the eastern side of the Rhine. In the north behind the Moselle it is continued by the Eifel...
. Beginning on the village’s outskirts is the Trauntalschleife, the award-winning hiking trail of the Saar-Hunsrück-Steig, a 180 km-long system of trails. The municipal area is 71.5% wooded.
Neighbouring municipalities
Abentheuer borders in the north on BörfinkBörfink
Börfink is an Ortsgemeinde – a municipality belonging to a Verbandsgemeinde, a kind of collective municipality – in the Birkenfeld district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany...
, in the east on Buhlenberg
Buhlenberg
Buhlenberg is an Ortsgemeinde – a municipality belonging to a Verbandsgemeinde, a kind of collective municipality – in the Birkenfeld district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany...
and in the south on Brücken
Brücken, Birkenfeld
Brücken is an Ortsgemeinde – a municipality belonging to a Verbandsgemeinde, a kind of collective municipality – in the Birkenfeld district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It belongs to the Verbandsgemeinde of Birkenfeld, whose seat is in the like-named town.-Location:The municipality lies on the...
.
Constituent communities
Two outlying homesteads also belong to Abentheuer: Arthenberg and Hujetsägemühle.History
Abentheuer grew together in the early 20th century out of the two formerly separate centres of Leyen and Abentheuer, the latter also known as Abentheuerhütte. Leyen, which lay in the southeast of today’s municipality, on the Traunbach, had its first documentary mention in 1367, whereas Abentheuer, to the north, is first witnessed in records in 1580. Until the 18th century, each centre still bore its own name. Today’s municipal area was held by the County of SponheimCounty of Sponheim
The County of Sponheim was an independent territory in the Holy Roman Empire which lasted from the 11th century until the early 19th century...
. The Traunbach then served as the border between the Hunolstein (and beginning in 1598, Palatinate-Zweibrücken) Amt of Achtelsbach to the west and the Sponheim Amt of Birkenfeld to the east. Over the course of its history, Abentheuer belonged either to the parish of Achtelsbach or to the parish of Birkenfeld; today it belongs to the parish of Brücken.
Beginning in the mid 16th century, the working of iron
Iron
Iron is a chemical element with the symbol Fe and atomic number 26. It is a metal in the first transition series. It is the most common element forming the planet Earth as a whole, forming much of Earth's outer and inner core. It is the fourth most common element in the Earth's crust...
began, first from the pits in Buhlenberg
Buhlenberg
Buhlenberg is an Ortsgemeinde – a municipality belonging to a Verbandsgemeinde, a kind of collective municipality – in the Birkenfeld district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany...
and Elchweiler
Elchweiler
Elchweiler is an Ortsgemeinde – a municipality belonging to a Verbandsgemeinde, a kind of collective municipality – in the Birkenfeld district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany...
, then later from Thalfang
Thalfang
The climatic spa of Thalfang is an Ortsgemeinde – a municipality belonging to a Verbandsgemeinde, a kind of collective municipality – in the Bernkastel-Wittlich district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany...
and Schwarzenbach
Nonnweiler
Nonnweiler is a municipality in the district of Sankt Wendel, in Saarland, Germany.-Overview:It is situated approx. 20 km northwest of Sankt Wendel, and 30 km southeast of Trier....
. In 1763, owing to economic hardship, the Abentheuer Ironworks (Abentheuerer Hütte) passed into the ownership of the Stumm entrepreneurial family, which already had other ironworks and hammermills in the region at its disposal. After this change in ownership, production in Abentheuer rose noticeably. From 1770, the plant’s products were first and foremost cast-iron
Cast iron
Cast iron is derived from pig iron, and while it usually refers to gray iron, it also identifies a large group of ferrous alloys which solidify with a eutectic. The color of a fractured surface can be used to identify an alloy. White cast iron is named after its white surface when fractured, due...
articles made from imported pig iron
Pig iron
Pig iron is the intermediate product of smelting iron ore with a high-carbon fuel such as coke, usually with limestone as a flux. Charcoal and anthracite have also been used as fuel...
. In 1835, the ironworks were bequeathed to the Böcking brothers, who shut the works down in 1875 and moved them to the coal
Coal
Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock usually occurring in rock strata in layers or veins called coal beds or coal seams. The harder forms, such as anthracite coal, can be regarded as metamorphic rock because of later exposure to elevated temperature and pressure...
deposits and better shipping links on the Saar.
In the late 17th century, the Hujetssägemühle (Sägemühle means “sawmill” in German
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
) set up shop east of the village in the wooded valley of the Traun. By the late 19th century, it had developed into a furniture factory with several production buildings. These were abandoned in the 1960s. Also forsaken was the inn that had arisen from the sawmill.
Municipal council
The council is made up of 8 council members, who were elected by majority votePlurality voting system
The plurality voting system is a single-winner voting system often used to elect executive officers or to elect members of a legislative assembly which is based on single-member constituencies...
at the municipal election held on 7 June 2009, and the honorary mayor as chairman.
Mayors
Listed here are the municipality’s mayors since 1857:- Gustav Adolf Böcking (11 June 1857 – 31 October 1891)
- von Hammerstein (25 April 1892 – 21 April 1914)
- Wilhelm Antes (29 September 1914 – 13 August 1919)
- Karl Mersch (13 August 1919 – 10 January 1923)
- Kurt Böcking (25 February 1923 – 23 October 1964; during his wartime service from 25 April 1940 to 19 March 1945, he was represented by Karl Mersch)
- Richard Spreier (4 December 1964 – 10 June 1972)
- Günther Jörg (17 June 1972 – 17 August 1999)
- Klaus Goldt (17 August 1999 – present, last acclaimed 9 June 2009 with 81.4% of the vote)
Coat of arms
The municipality’s armsCoat of arms
A coat of arms is a unique heraldic design on a shield or escutcheon or on a surcoat or tabard used to cover and protect armour and to identify the wearer. Thus the term is often stated as "coat-armour", because it was anciently displayed on the front of a coat of cloth...
might be described thus: Above a base countercompony gules and argent vert a crucible of the second flanked by two ears of wheat slipped per chevron Or.
The municipal arms were approved by the Rhineland-Palatinate Ministry of the Interior in 1965.
Buildings
The following are listed buildings or sites in Rhineland-PalatinateRhineland-Palatinate
Rhineland-Palatinate is one of the 16 states of the Federal Republic of Germany. It has an area of and about four million inhabitants. The capital is Mainz. English speakers also commonly refer to the state by its German name, Rheinland-Pfalz ....
’s Directory of Cultural Monuments:
- Böckingstraße 11 – country house on an irregular floor plan, partly wood-shingled brick timber framingTimber framingTimber framing , or half-timbering, also called in North America "post-and-beam" construction, is the method of creating structures using heavy squared off and carefully fitted and joined timbers with joints secured by large wooden pegs . It is commonplace in large barns...
, about 1900 - Mühlenberg 1, 3, 3a, 5, Abentheuer Ironworks (Abentheuerer Hütte; monumental zone) – plot ringed with a quarrystone wall and buildings of former iron ore smelter: no. 1 former small-stock warehouse (1771); no. 3 manor house; building with mansard roofMansard roofA mansard or mansard roof is a four-sided gambrel-style hip roof characterized by two slopes on each of its sides with the lower slope at a steeper angle than the upper that is punctured by dormer windows. The roof creates an additional floor of habitable space, such as a garret...
, side risalto (last third of the 18th century); no. 3a administration building and inn; stable and shed (from 1772 on); no. 5 dwelling and production building; remnants of the iron overshot waterwheel (latter half of the 19th century), cast-ironCast ironCast iron is derived from pig iron, and while it usually refers to gray iron, it also identifies a large group of ferrous alloys which solidify with a eutectic. The color of a fractured surface can be used to identify an alloy. White cast iron is named after its white surface when fractured, due...
bridge (about 1800), remnants of the blast furnaceBlast furnaceA blast furnace is a type of metallurgical furnace used for smelting to produce industrial metals, generally iron.In a blast furnace, fuel and ore and flux are continuously supplied through the top of the furnace, while air is blown into the bottom of the chamber, so that the chemical reactions...
(early 19th century), course of the Traunbach, pond, landscaped garden - Mühlenbergstraße 4 – building with half-hipped roof, partly timber-frame, early 19th century
- Mühlenbergstraße 20 – one-floor building with hipped mansard roof, about 1800, timber-frame barn; characterizes village’s appearance
Transport
To the east runs BundesstraßeBundesstraße
Bundesstraße , abbreviated B, is the denotation for German and Austrian national highways.-Germany:...
41, and to the south, the Autobahn A 62
Bundesautobahn 62
is an autobahn in southwestern Germany, connecting the A 1 with the A 6. It also connects numerous communities throughout the central Hunsrück mountains...
. Serving nearby Neubrücke
Hoppstädten-Weiersbach
Hoppstädten-Weiersbach is an Ortsgemeinde – a municipality belonging to a Verbandsgemeinde, a kind of collective municipality – in the Birkenfeld district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany...
is a railway station on the Nahe Valley Railway.
Sons and daughters of the town
- Otto Braß (1887–1945), Member of the Reichstag
- Klaus Rüter (1940– ), former Secretary of State of the Rhineland-Palatinate state government.