Achtelsbach
Encyclopedia
Achtelsbach 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
.
) in the Hunsrück
. Both north and south of the village lie wooded mountains of 500 and 525 m above sea level
respectively. Just west of the village runs the state boundary with the Saarland
. Achtelsbach lies some 6 km west of the district seat of Birkenfeld
. Idar-Oberstein
lies 22 km to the northeast, while Sankt Wendel
lies roughly 25 km to Achtelsbach’s south.
, Traunen (an outlying centre of Brücken), Meckenbach
and Eisen. The last named place is part of the municipality of Nohfelden
in the Saarland’s Sankt Wendel district
.
of Hunolstein. In 1480, this arrangement ended when the Duke of Zweibrücken
sent his own Schultheiß
out to Achtelsbach. The territory of the Pflege was expanded to encompass first Ellweiler
, and beginning in the late 18th century also Eisen and Eckelshausen. In the course of the French
takeover of the Rhineland
in the French Revolutionary Wars
, Achtelsbach became the seat of a mairie (“mayoralty”), which lasted even after the Congress of Vienna
(1814-1815) as an Oldenburg Bürgermeisterei (also “mayoralty”) until 1876.
The parish of Achtelsbach was originally coëxtensive with the Pflege, until Brücken and Abentheuer
were added to it. It lost influence after the Reformation
and was ceded to Birkenfeld and Sötern (today an outlying centre of Nohfelden). It is known that there was a parish priest at the Achtelsbach church, which was consecrated to Saint Ulrich
, as of 1334, although the church’s beginnings stretch back further. The church itself, which has been Evangelical
since the 16th century, is, with its churchtower that defines the village’s skyline, Achtelsbach’s most prominent building. On 9 January 2010, the belltower, and indeed the whole church, were heavily damaged in a fire.
at the municipal election held on 7 June 2009, and the honorary mayor as chairman.
The municipality’s arms
might in English heraldic
language be described thus: Per fess argent a rose foiled of six gules barbed proper and seeded Or, and sable issuant from base a lion rampant of the third armed, langued and crowned of the second.
The German blazon says nothing about the rose’s “barbs” (sepals).
The rose in the escutcheon’s upper field refers to the Evangelical church in the village, which, with its enormous tower, dominates the skyline. The charge
in the field below this is a reference to the village’s former allegiance to the Duchy of Palatinate-Zweibrücken
. Moreover, the village’s old court seal also showed a lion.
The arms have been borne since 5 July 1965, when they were approved by the Rhineland-Palatinate Ministry of the Interior.
’s Directory of Cultural Monuments:
on the Nahe Valley Railway. There are road links to Birkenfeld, to Nonnweiler in the Saarland
and to Hermeskeil
beyond the High Forest. The Autobahn A 62
(Kaiserslautern
–Trier
) runs by Achtelsbach roughly five kilometres to the south; interchange
s are to be found in Neubrücke and Nohfelden-Türkismühle. Bundesstraße
n 41 and 269 lead from Birkenfeld to Neubrücke a few kilometres east of Achtelsbach.
Bund der Pfadfinderinnen und Pfadfinder
(Guides and Scouts). In the 1970s, this former farmhouse was bought up by the boyscouts and renovated. Ever since, it has been let out to many clubs from throughout Germany, who use it regularly. Each year, several thousand visitors spend the night in the house or on the meadow next to it. Also, there is an open-house day in the autumn on which the scouting hall (Pfadfinderheim) presents itself.
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, at the foot of the Schwarzwälder Hochwald (High Black ForestBlack Forest
The Black Forest is a wooded mountain range in Baden-Württemberg, southwestern Germany. It is bordered by the Rhine valley to the west and south. The highest peak is the Feldberg with an elevation of 1,493 metres ....
) in the Hunsrück
Hunsrück
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...
. Both north and south of the village lie wooded mountains of 500 and 525 m above sea level
Sea level
Mean sea level is a measure of the average height of the ocean's surface ; used as a standard in reckoning land elevation...
respectively. Just west of the village runs the state boundary with the Saarland
Saarland
Saarland is one of the sixteen states of Germany. The capital is Saarbrücken. It has an area of 2570 km² and 1,045,000 inhabitants. In both area and population, it is the smallest state in Germany other than the city-states...
. Achtelsbach lies some 6 km west of the district seat of Birkenfeld
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:...
. Idar-Oberstein
Idar-Oberstein
Idar-Oberstein is a town in the Birkenfeld district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. As a Große kreisangehörige Stadt , it assumes some of the responsibilities that for smaller municipalities in the district are assumed by the district administration...
lies 22 km to the northeast, while Sankt Wendel
Sankt Wendel
St. Wendel is a municipality in northeastern Saarland. It is situated on the river Blies 36 km northeast of Saarbrücken, the capital of Saarland, and is named after Saint Wendelin of Trier.- Geography :...
lies roughly 25 km to Achtelsbach’s south.
Neighbouring municipalities
Achtelsbach’s neighbours are BrückenBrücken, 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...
, Traunen (an outlying centre of Brücken), Meckenbach
Meckenbach, Birkenfeld
Meckenbach is an Ortsgemeinde – a municipality belonging to a Verbandsgemeinde, a kind of collective municipality – in the Birkenfeld district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany...
and Eisen. The last named place is part of the municipality of Nohfelden
Nohfelden
Nohfelden is a municipality in the district of Sankt Wendel, in Saarland, Germany. It is situated approx. 15 km north of Sankt Wendel, and 20 km southwest of Idar-Oberstein....
in the Saarland’s Sankt Wendel district
Sankt Wendel (district)
Sankt Wendel is a Kreis in the north of the Saarland, Germany. Neighboring districts are Trier-Saarburg, Birkenfeld, Kusel, Neunkirchen, Saarlouis, and Merzig-Wadern.-History:...
.
History
In 1256, Achtelsbach had its first documentary mention as Achtelsbach. Soon afterwards, in the decades that followed, the village managed to become a hub among the neighbouring villages, and in 1315 it became the seat of a Pflege (literally “care”, but actually a local geopolitical unit), which, besides Achtelsbach, also administered the neighbouring villages of Meckenbach and Traunen. This Pflege was a subfief from the Electorate of Trier whose immediate lords were the VögteVogt
A Vogt ; plural Vögte; Dutch voogd; Danish foged; ; ultimately from Latin [ad]vocatus) in the Holy Roman Empire was the German title of a reeve or advocate, an overlord exerting guardianship or military protection as well as secular justice...
of Hunolstein. In 1480, this arrangement ended when the Duke of Zweibrücken
Palatinate-Zweibrücken
Palatinate-Zweibrücken is a former state of the Holy Roman Empire. Its capital was Zweibrücken.-Overview:→ History before 1394 see main article County of Zweibrücken→ History before 1444 see main article County of Veldenz...
sent his own Schultheiß
Schultheiß
In medieval Germany, the Schultheiß was the head of a municipality , a Vogt or an executive official of the ruler.As official it was...
out to Achtelsbach. The territory of the Pflege was expanded to encompass first Ellweiler
Ellweiler
Ellweiler is an Ortsgemeinde – a municipality belonging to a Verbandsgemeinde, a kind of collective municipality – in the Birkenfeld district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany...
, and beginning in the late 18th century also Eisen and Eckelshausen. In the course of the French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
takeover of the Rhineland
Rhineland
Historically, the Rhinelands refers to a loosely-defined region embracing the land on either bank of the River Rhine in central Europe....
in the French Revolutionary Wars
French Revolutionary Wars
The French Revolutionary Wars were a series of major conflicts, from 1792 until 1802, fought between the French Revolutionary government and several European states...
, Achtelsbach became the seat of a mairie (“mayoralty”), which lasted even after the Congress of Vienna
Congress of Vienna
The Congress of Vienna was a conference of ambassadors of European states chaired by Klemens Wenzel von Metternich, and held in Vienna from September, 1814 to June, 1815. The objective of the Congress was to settle the many issues arising from the French Revolutionary Wars, the Napoleonic Wars,...
(1814-1815) as an Oldenburg Bürgermeisterei (also “mayoralty”) until 1876.
The parish of Achtelsbach was originally coëxtensive with the Pflege, until Brücken and Abentheuer
Abentheuer
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.-Location:The municipality lies on...
were added to it. It lost influence after the Reformation
Protestant Reformation
The Protestant Reformation was a 16th-century split within Western Christianity initiated by Martin Luther, John Calvin and other early Protestants. The efforts of the self-described "reformers", who objected to the doctrines, rituals and ecclesiastical structure of the Roman Catholic Church, led...
and was ceded to Birkenfeld and Sötern (today an outlying centre of Nohfelden). It is known that there was a parish priest at the Achtelsbach church, which was consecrated to Saint Ulrich
Ulrich of Augsburg
Saint Ulrich , sometimes spelled Uodalric or Odalrici, was Bishop of Augsburg and a leader of the Roman Catholic Church in Germany. He was the first saint to be canonized.-Family:...
, as of 1334, although the church’s beginnings stretch back further. The church itself, which has been Evangelical
Evangelical Church in Germany
The Evangelical Church in Germany is a federation of 22 Lutheran, Unified and Reformed Protestant regional church bodies in Germany. The EKD is not a church in a theological understanding because of the denominational differences. However, the member churches share full pulpit and altar...
since the 16th century, is, with its churchtower that defines the village’s skyline, Achtelsbach’s most prominent building. On 9 January 2010, the belltower, and indeed the whole church, were heavily damaged in a fire.
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.
Mayor
Achtelsbach’s mayor is Albert Wild, and his deputies are Ottmar Ruppenthal and Herbert Klein.Coat of arms
The German blazon reads: In geteiltem Schild oben in Silber eine rote, sechsblättrige Rose mit goldenen Butzen, unten ein wachsender, rotgekrönter, -bewehrter und -gezungter goldener Löwe in Schwarz.The municipality’s arms
Coat 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 in English heraldic
Heraldry
Heraldry is the profession, study, or art of creating, granting, and blazoning arms and ruling on questions of rank or protocol, as exercised by an officer of arms. Heraldry comes from Anglo-Norman herald, from the Germanic compound harja-waldaz, "army commander"...
language be described thus: Per fess argent a rose foiled of six gules barbed proper and seeded Or, and sable issuant from base a lion rampant of the third armed, langued and crowned of the second.
The German blazon says nothing about the rose’s “barbs” (sepals).
The rose in the escutcheon’s upper field refers to the Evangelical church in the village, which, with its enormous tower, dominates the skyline. The charge
Charge (heraldry)
In heraldry, a charge is any emblem or device occupying the field of an escutcheon . This may be a geometric design or a symbolic representation of a person, animal, plant, object or other device...
in the field below this is a reference to the village’s former allegiance to the Duchy of Palatinate-Zweibrücken
Palatinate-Zweibrücken
Palatinate-Zweibrücken is a former state of the Holy Roman Empire. Its capital was Zweibrücken.-Overview:→ History before 1394 see main article County of Zweibrücken→ History before 1444 see main article County of Veldenz...
. Moreover, the village’s old court seal also showed a lion.
The arms have been borne since 5 July 1965, when they were approved by the Rhineland-Palatinate Ministry of the Interior.
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:
- Evangelical church, Hohlstraße 1 – formerly Saint Ulrich’sUlrich of AugsburgSaint Ulrich , sometimes spelled Uodalric or Odalrici, was Bishop of Augsburg and a leader of the Roman Catholic Church in Germany. He was the first saint to be canonized.-Family:...
Parish Church (Pfarrkirche St. Ulrich), aisleless churchAisleless churchAn Aisleless church is a single-nave church building that consists of a single hall-like room. While similar to the hall church, the aisleless church lacks aisles or passageways either side of the nave separated from the nave by colonnades or arcades, a row of pillars or columns...
, essentially mediaevalMiddle AgesThe Middle Ages is a periodization of European history from the 5th century to the 15th century. The Middle Ages follows the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 and precedes the Early Modern Era. It is the middle period of a three-period division of Western history: Classic, Medieval and Modern...
, BaroqueBaroque architectureBaroque architecture is a term used to describe the building style of the Baroque era, begun in late sixteenth century Italy, that took the Roman vocabulary of Renaissance architecture and used it in a new rhetorical and theatrical fashion, often to express the triumph of the Catholic Church and...
conversion 1738; in the tower a tomb slab, 1738 - Hauptstraße 24 – Quereinhaus (a combination residential and commercial house divided for these two purposes down the middle, perpendicularly to the street), marked 1857, timber-frameTimber 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...
barn - Hauptstraße 47 – Quereinhaus, stately Quereinhaus, mid 19th century; conversion possibly about 1900, bakehouse addition
- Hauptstraße (beneath the Evangelical church) – warriors’ memorial; 1920s, design by Johann Wettgen, HermeskeilHermeskeilHermeskeil is a town in the Trier-Saarburg district, in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is situated in the Hunsrück, approx. 25 km southeast of Trier...
- Former Forsthaus Neuhof (forester’s house), Neuhof 1 – dwelling and work building, partly timber-frame (largely slated), 1855, commercial building
Transport
Achtelsbach has no railway link. The nearest railway station lies seven kilometres to the southeast at NeubrückeHoppstädten-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...
on the Nahe Valley Railway. There are road links to Birkenfeld, to Nonnweiler in the Saarland
Saarland
Saarland is one of the sixteen states of Germany. The capital is Saarbrücken. It has an area of 2570 km² and 1,045,000 inhabitants. In both area and population, it is the smallest state in Germany other than the city-states...
and to Hermeskeil
Hermeskeil
Hermeskeil is a town in the Trier-Saarburg district, in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is situated in the Hunsrück, approx. 25 km southeast of Trier...
beyond the High Forest. 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...
(Kaiserslautern
Kaiserslautern
Kaiserslautern is a city in southwest Germany, located in the Bundesland of Rhineland-Palatinate at the edge of the Palatinate forest . The historic centre dates to the 9th century. It is from Paris, from Frankfurt am Main, and from Luxembourg.Kaiserslautern is home to 99,469 people...
–Trier
Trier
Trier, historically called in English Treves is a city in Germany on the banks of the Moselle. It is the oldest city in Germany, founded in or before 16 BC....
) runs by Achtelsbach roughly five kilometres to the south; interchange
Interchange (road)
In the field of road transport, an interchange is a road junction that typically uses grade separation, and one or more ramps, to permit traffic on at least one highway to pass through the junction without directly crossing any other traffic stream. It differs from a standard intersection, at which...
s are to be found in Neubrücke and Nohfelden-Türkismühle. Bundesstraße
Bundesstraße
Bundesstraße , abbreviated B, is the denotation for German and Austrian national highways.-Germany:...
n 41 and 269 lead from Birkenfeld to Neubrücke a few kilometres east of Achtelsbach.
Scouting Hall
Achtelsbach is home to the state hall of the Idar-ObersteinIdar-Oberstein
Idar-Oberstein is a town in the Birkenfeld district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. As a Große kreisangehörige Stadt , it assumes some of the responsibilities that for smaller municipalities in the district are assumed by the district administration...
Bund der Pfadfinderinnen und Pfadfinder
Bund der Pfadfinderinnen und Pfadfinder
The Union of Guides and Scouts is the largest interreligious, co-educational Scout association in Germany, one of the three component members of the Ring deutscher Pfadfinderverbände and of the Ring Deutscher Pfadfinderinnenverbände...
(Guides and Scouts). In the 1970s, this former farmhouse was bought up by the boyscouts and renovated. Ever since, it has been let out to many clubs from throughout Germany, who use it regularly. Each year, several thousand visitors spend the night in the house or on the meadow next to it. Also, there is an open-house day in the autumn on which the scouting hall (Pfadfinderheim) presents itself.
Further reading
- Alfred Eiler: Achtelsbach Geschichte einer Heimat; Achtelsbach: Ortsgemeinde Achtelsbach, 2000
External links
- http://www.swr.de/landesschau-rp/hierzuland/-/id=100766/nid=100766/did=2350418/ia8cqo/Brief portrait of Achtelsbach with film at SWR FernsehenSWR FernsehenSWR Fernsehen is a German regional television channel targeting the states of Baden-Württemberg and Rhineland-Palatinate. It is produced by Südwestrundfunk and is one of eight regional "third channels" broadcast by the ARD members....
] - Pictures of the church fire on