Berndorf, Rhineland-Palatinate
Encyclopedia
Berndorf is an Ortsgemeinde – a municipality
belonging to a Verbandsgemeinde
, a kind of collective municipality – in the Vulkaneifel district
in Rhineland-Palatinate
, Germany
. It belongs to the Verbandsgemeinde of Hillesheim
, whose seat is in the like-named town
.
and Kerpen
, southwest of the latter in the Vulkaneifel
, a part of the Eifel
known for its volcanic history, geographical and geological features, and even ongoing activity today, including gases that sometimes well up from the earth.
Beginning in the 14th century, Berndorf – then still known as “Berendorf” – belonged to the Electorate of Trier, and more locally to the Amt of Hillesheim. According to a “patronage under oath” undertaken by two Amtmänner (Amt officials) in 1379, the Margraves of Jülich also exercised their rights in “Berendorf”.
In connection with the Napoleonic Wars
, the region came to be under French
administration in 1794, and from 1798 onwards belonged to the canton of Daun in the Department of Sarre.
After the Rhineland
passed to the Kingdom of Prussia
in 1815 under the terms of the treaties concluded at the Congress of Vienna
, Berndorf belonged to the Bürgermeisterei (“Mayoralty”) of Kerpen in the district of Daun, itself newly created in 1816.
In the course of administrative restructuring in Rhineland-Palatinate
, the municipality passed in 1970 to the Verbandsgemeinde of Hillesheim
.
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 pale, argent a cross gules and gules a key palewise, the wards to chief and sinister, Or.
The cross on the dexter (armsbearer’s right, viewer’s left) side stands for the old Electorate of Trier, while the key on the sinister (armsbearer’s left, viewer’s right) side stands for the parish’s patron saint, Peter
.
The arms have been borne since 7 August 1961, when they were approved by the Rhineland-Palatinate
Ministry of the Interior.
fortress church at Kiefernstraße 4, which today serves as a graveyard chapel. It is a small, aisleless structure from between 1513 and 1515 with a walled churchyard. The west tower is from 1545. It has 14 Stations of the Cross, and also a warriors’ memorial from the First World War. Saint Peter’s Parish Church (Pfarrkirche St. Peter; indeed, both churches are consecrated to Saint Peter), built right next to it at Kirchstraße 1, comes from 1927 and is an aisleless church
with Expressionistic
influences.
Other cultural heritage buildings include:
(born 19 April 1894 in Berndorf, died 6 October 1977), well-known artist in New York
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 Vulkaneifel 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 Hillesheim
Hillesheim (Verbandsgemeinde)
Hillesheim is a Verbandsgemeinde in the district Vulkaneifel, in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. The seat of the Verbandsgemeinde is in Hillesheim....
, whose seat is in the like-named town
Hillesheim
Hillesheim is the third largest town in the Vulkaneifel district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is the seat of the like-named Verbandsgemeinde, to which it also belongs.- Location :...
.
Location
Berndorf lies between HillesheimHillesheim
Hillesheim is the third largest town in the Vulkaneifel district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is the seat of the like-named Verbandsgemeinde, to which it also belongs.- Location :...
and Kerpen
Kerpen
Kerpen is a town in the Rhein-Erft-Kreis, North Rhine-Westphalia. Germany. It is located about 30 kilometers southwest from Cologne.-Division of the town:...
, southwest of the latter in the Vulkaneifel
Vulkan Eifel
The Vulkan Eifel is a region in the Eifel Mountains in Germany, that is defined to a large extent by its volcanic geological history. Characteristic of the Vulkan Eifel are its typical explosion crater lakes or maars, and numerous other signs of volcanic activity such as volcanic tuffs, lava...
, a part of the Eifel
Eifel
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....
known for its volcanic history, geographical and geological features, and even ongoing activity today, including gases that sometimes well up from the earth.
History
In 1121, Berndorf had its first documentary mention.Beginning in the 14th century, Berndorf – then still known as “Berendorf” – belonged to the Electorate of Trier, and more locally to the Amt of Hillesheim. According to a “patronage under oath” undertaken by two Amtmänner (Amt officials) in 1379, the Margraves of Jülich also exercised their rights in “Berendorf”.
In connection with the Napoleonic Wars
Napoleonic Wars
The Napoleonic Wars were a series of wars declared against Napoleon's French Empire by opposing coalitions that ran from 1803 to 1815. As a continuation of the wars sparked by the French Revolution of 1789, they revolutionised European armies and played out on an unprecedented scale, mainly due to...
, the region came to be under 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...
administration in 1794, and from 1798 onwards belonged to the canton of Daun in the Department of Sarre.
After 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....
passed to the Kingdom of Prussia
Prussia
Prussia was a German kingdom and historic state originating out of the Duchy of Prussia and the Margraviate of Brandenburg. For centuries, the House of Hohenzollern ruled Prussia, successfully expanding its size by way of an unusually well-organized and effective army. Prussia shaped the history...
in 1815 under the terms of the treaties concluded at 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,...
, Berndorf belonged to the Bürgermeisterei (“Mayoralty”) of Kerpen in the district of Daun, itself newly created in 1816.
In the course of administrative restructuring 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 ....
, the municipality passed in 1970 to the Verbandsgemeinde of Hillesheim
Hillesheim (Verbandsgemeinde)
Hillesheim is a Verbandsgemeinde in the district Vulkaneifel, in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. The seat of the Verbandsgemeinde is in Hillesheim....
.
Municipal council
The council is made up of 12 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: In silbern vor rot gespaltenem Schilde vorn ein rotes Balkenkreuz, hinten ein goldener Schlüssel mit abgewendetem Bart.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 pale, argent a cross gules and gules a key palewise, the wards to chief and sinister, Or.
The cross on the dexter (armsbearer’s right, viewer’s left) side stands for the old Electorate of Trier, while the key on the sinister (armsbearer’s left, viewer’s right) side stands for the parish’s patron saint, Peter
Saint Peter
Saint Peter or Simon Peter was an early Christian leader, who is featured prominently in the New Testament Gospels and the Acts of the Apostles. The son of John or of Jonah and from the village of Bethsaida in the province of Galilee, his brother Andrew was also an apostle...
.
The arms have been borne since 7 August 1961, when they were approved by the 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 ....
Ministry of the Interior.
Buildings
The village’s character centres on the RomanesqueRomanesque architecture
Romanesque architecture is an architectural style of Medieval Europe characterised by semi-circular arches. There is no consensus for the beginning date of the Romanesque architecture, with proposals ranging from the 6th to the 10th century. It developed in the 12th century into the Gothic style,...
fortress church at Kiefernstraße 4, which today serves as a graveyard chapel. It is a small, aisleless structure from between 1513 and 1515 with a walled churchyard. The west tower is from 1545. It has 14 Stations of the Cross, and also a warriors’ memorial from the First World War. Saint Peter’s Parish Church (Pfarrkirche St. Peter; indeed, both churches are consecrated to Saint Peter), built right next to it at Kirchstraße 1, comes from 1927 and is an aisleless church
Aisleless church
An 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...
with Expressionistic
Expressionism
Expressionism was a modernist movement, initially in poetry and painting, originating in Germany at the beginning of the 20th century. Its typical trait is to present the world solely from a subjective perspective, distorting it radically for emotional effect in order to evoke moods or ideas...
influences.
Other cultural heritage buildings include:
- Beulerstraße 10 – a small stable-house (with former on the ground floor) with an “oven porch” from 1875;
- Beulerstraße 16 – a house, apparently from 1892;
- Hillesheimer Straße 20 – Quereinhaus (a combination residential and commercial house divided for these two purposes down the middle, perpendicularly to the street) from 1866 with an “oven porch”;
- Kirchstraße 4 – former school or rectory (?), five-axis solid construction, middle or latter half of 19th century;
- Pastor-Fuhrmann-Straße 17 – stately Quereinhaus, roof with half-hipped gable, latter half of 19th century;
- Niche cross – the so-called Ablaßkreuz (“Indulgence Cross”), sandstone, possibly from the 16th century.
Famous people
Anton SchützAnton Schutz
Anton Friedrich Josef Schütz was a German-American artist and founder of the New York Graphic Society. Examples of his work can be found in the Smithsonian and the Uffizi.-Sources:...
(born 19 April 1894 in Berndorf, died 6 October 1977), well-known artist in New York