Arenrath
Encyclopedia
Arenrath is an Ortsgemeinde – a municipality
belonging to a Verbandsgemeinde
, a kind of collective municipality – in the Bernkastel-Wittlich
district
in Rhineland-Palatinate
, Germany
.
some 13 km west of the district seat of Wittlich, between Bruch
and Binsfeld
. It belongs to the Verbandsgemeinde of Wittlich-Land
, whose seat is in Wittlich
, although that town is itself not in the Verbandsgemeinde.
.
, Arenrath, which had its first documentary mention as Arendroch in 1156, formed its own lordly domain within the Electorate of Trier.
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: A demibar in sinister and another in dexter enhanced, the two joined between the honour and fess points with a pallet couped at these points, all argent, in chief vert, sinister three ears of wheat Or conjoined at the stems, in base gules an arm couped below the shoulder, vested and embowed, the hand to dexter, all of the first, the hand holding a bowl of the third.
The escutcheon’s silver parting (described in the German blazon as a Stufenbalken, and apparently having no equivalent in English heraldic language) and the begging bowl are said to be references to the local church’s patron saint, Alexius
, who is represented in legend as a beggar under a staircase. The wheat ears stand for agriculture and the field tincture
vert (green) is a reference to the municipality’s name, Arenrath, which itself refers to “Arend’s clearing”. Green stands for woods and fields while the gules-argent (red-silver) combination is a reference to the village’s former allegiance to the Electorate of Trier.
Arenrath was granted the right to bear its own arms in 1982.
boulder that lies near the municipal limit between Bruch and Arenrath.
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 Bernkastel-Wittlich
Bernkastel-Wittlich
Bernkastel-Wittlich is a district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is bounded by the districts of Vulkaneifel, Cochem-Zell, Rhein-Hunsrück, Birkenfeld, Trier-Saarburg and Bitburg-Prüm.- 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...
.
Location
The municipality lies in the EifelEifel
The Eifel is a low mountain range in western Germany and eastern Belgium. It occupies parts of southwestern North Rhine-Westphalia, northwestern Rhineland-Palatinate and the south of the German-speaking Community of Belgium....
some 13 km west of the district seat of Wittlich, between Bruch
Bruch, Rhineland-Palatinate
Bruch is an Ortsgemeinde – a municipality belonging to a Verbandsgemeinde, a kind of collective municipality – in the Bernkastel-Wittlich district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany.- Location :...
and Binsfeld
Binsfeld
Binsfeld is a village in the commune of Weiswampach, in northern Luxembourg. , the village has a population of 220....
. It belongs to the Verbandsgemeinde of Wittlich-Land
Wittlich-Land
Wittlich-Land is a Verbandsgemeinde in the district Bernkastel-Wittlich, in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is located around the town Wittlich, which is the seat of Wittlich-Land, but not part of the Verbandsgemeinde....
, whose seat is in Wittlich
Wittlich
The town of Wittlich is the seat of the Bernkastel-Wittlich district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany, and thereby the middle centre for a feeder area of 56 municipalities in the Eifel and Moselle area with its population of roughly 64,000...
, although that town is itself not in the Verbandsgemeinde.
Geology
Arenrath is known for the Moselle agate stones that come from the local gravel quarriesQuarry
A quarry is a type of open-pit mine from which rock or minerals are extracted. Quarries are generally used for extracting building materials, such as dimension stone, construction aggregate, riprap, sand, and gravel. They are often collocated with concrete and asphalt plants due to the requirement...
.
History
In the Middle AgesMiddle Ages
The 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...
, Arenrath, which had its first documentary mention as Arendroch in 1156, formed its own lordly domain within the Electorate of Trier.
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.
Coat of arms
The German blazon reads: Wappen von rechtem silbernem Stufenbalken geteilt, oben in Grün links 3 goldene Ähren, unten in Rot ein silberner Ärmel mit silberner Hand, die eine goldene Schale hält.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: A demibar in sinister and another in dexter enhanced, the two joined between the honour and fess points with a pallet couped at these points, all argent, in chief vert, sinister three ears of wheat Or conjoined at the stems, in base gules an arm couped below the shoulder, vested and embowed, the hand to dexter, all of the first, the hand holding a bowl of the third.
The escutcheon’s silver parting (described in the German blazon as a Stufenbalken, and apparently having no equivalent in English heraldic language) and the begging bowl are said to be references to the local church’s patron saint, Alexius
Alexius of Rome
Saint Alexius or Alexis of Rome or Alexis von Edessa was an Eastern saint whose veneration was later transplanted to Rome, a process facilitated by the fact that, according to the earlier Syriac legend that a "Man of God" of Edessa, Mesopotamia who during the episcopate of Bishop Rabbula lived by...
, who is represented in legend as a beggar under a staircase. The wheat ears stand for agriculture and the field tincture
Tincture (heraldry)
In heraldry, tinctures are the colours used to emblazon a coat of arms. These can be divided into several categories including light tinctures called metals, dark tinctures called colours, nonstandard colours called stains, furs, and "proper". A charge tinctured proper is coloured as it would be...
vert (green) is a reference to the municipality’s name, Arenrath, which itself refers to “Arend’s clearing”. Green stands for woods and fields while the gules-argent (red-silver) combination is a reference to the village’s former allegiance to the Electorate of Trier.
Arenrath was granted the right to bear its own arms in 1982.
Culture and sightseeing
There is a natural monument in the so-called Teufelsstein (“Devil’s Stone”), a sandstoneSandstone
Sandstone is a sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized minerals or rock grains.Most sandstone is composed of quartz and/or feldspar because these are the most common minerals in the Earth's crust. Like sand, sandstone may be any colour, but the most common colours are tan, brown, yellow,...
boulder that lies near the municipal limit between Bruch and Arenrath.
External links
- Municipality’s official webpage
- http://www.swr.de/landesschau-rp/hierzuland/-/id=100766/nid=100766/did=2353716/1eorvhs/index.htmlBrief portrait of Arenrath 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....
] - Teufelsstein natural monument
