Betteldorf
Encyclopedia
Betteldorf 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 Daun
, whose seat is in the like-named town
.
. To the south, Bundesstraße
410 runs by the village.
whose name was Betilo, and who ran a way station in what is now the municipal area where horses were changed on the Meuse
-Moselle Roman road.
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: Or a saltire vert surmounted by a medlar blossom gules seeded of the field, in a chief of the third a pair of tongs fesswise of the field.
The local patron saint is Saint Apollonia
, whose attribute, the tongs, stands as a charge
in the chief
. The saltire (X-shaped cross) refers to the Roman roads that crossed southwest of the Döhmberg. The early Roman settlement here is also documented by important finds of troves of coins. The red medlar blossom with the golden centre (“seeded of the field”, that is to say, “Or”, or gold) is taken from the arms borne by the Duke of Arenberg, under whose rule Betteldorf fell after the last Count of Manderscheid died. The tincture
s gules and Or (red and gold) come from the Manderscheids’ arms.
from the 18th century that was expanded about 1895 and again after 1945.
At Hauptstraße 20 stands a house with plasterwork, said to be from 1799.
Through the local youth social club’s efforts, a memorial was erected in the summer of 1922 in memory of those who fell in the First World War. On a red sandstone
block stands a figure of the Archangel Michael
.
that since 1938 has been under protection as a natural monument.
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 Daun
Daun (Verbandsgemeinde)
Daun is a collective municipality in the Vulkaneifel district of Rhineland-Palatinate. The seat of the Daun Verbandsgemeinde is in the municipality of Daun.- Constituent municipalities:# Betteldorf# Bleckhausen# Brockscheid...
, whose seat is in the like-named town
Daun, Germany
Daun is a town in the Vulkaneifel district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is the district seat and also the seat of the Verbandsgemeinde of Daun.- Location :...
.
Location
The municipality lies in the High Eifel at the foot of the Döhmberg, some 11 km northwest of the district seat of DaunDaun, Germany
Daun is a town in the Vulkaneifel district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is the district seat and also the seat of the Verbandsgemeinde of Daun.- Location :...
. To the south, Bundesstraße
Bundesstraße
Bundesstraße , abbreviated B, is the denotation for German and Austrian national highways.-Germany:...
410 runs by the village.
History
Betteldorf’s name goes back to a RomanAncient Rome
Ancient Rome was a thriving civilization that grew on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 8th century BC. Located along the Mediterranean Sea and centered on the city of Rome, it expanded to one of the largest empires in the ancient world....
whose name was Betilo, and who ran a way station in what is now the municipal area where horses were changed on the Meuse
Meuse
Meuse is a department in northeast France, named after the River Meuse.-History:Meuse is one of the original 83 departments created during the French Revolution on March 4, 1790...
-Moselle Roman road.
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: Unter rotem Schildhaupt, darin eine goldene Zange, in Gold ein grüner Leistenschragen, belegt mit einer roten Mispel mit goldenem Butzen.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: Or a saltire vert surmounted by a medlar blossom gules seeded of the field, in a chief of the third a pair of tongs fesswise of the field.
The local patron saint is Saint Apollonia
Saint Apollonia
Saint Apollonia was one of a group of virgin martyrs who suffered in Alexandria during a local uprising against the Christians prior to the persecution of Decius. According to legend, her torture included having all of her teeth violently pulled out or shattered...
, whose attribute, the tongs, stands as a 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 chief
Chief (heraldry)
In heraldic blazon, a chief is a charge on a coat of arms that takes the form of a band running horizontally across the top edge of the shield. Writers disagree in how much of the shield's surface is to be covered by the chief, ranging from one-fourth to one-third. The former is more likely if the...
. The saltire (X-shaped cross) refers to the Roman roads that crossed southwest of the Döhmberg. The early Roman settlement here is also documented by important finds of troves of coins. The red medlar blossom with the golden centre (“seeded of the field”, that is to say, “Or”, or gold) is taken from the arms borne by the Duke of Arenberg, under whose rule Betteldorf fell after the last Count of Manderscheid died. The 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...
s gules and Or (red and gold) come from the Manderscheids’ arms.
Buildings
Among the municipality’s sightseeing points of interest is Saint Apollonia’s Catholic Branch Church at Auf dem Höfchen 2. This is an aisleless churchAisleless 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...
from the 18th century that was expanded about 1895 and again after 1945.
At Hauptstraße 20 stands a house with plasterwork, said to be from 1799.
Through the local youth social club’s efforts, a memorial was erected in the summer of 1922 in memory of those who fell in the First World War. On a red sandstone
Sandstone
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,...
block stands a figure of the Archangel Michael
Michael (archangel)
Michael , Micha'el or Mîkhā'ēl; , Mikhaḗl; or Míchaël; , Mīkhā'īl) is an archangel in Jewish, Christian, and Islamic teachings. Roman Catholics, Anglicans, and Lutherans refer to him as Saint Michael the Archangel and also simply as Saint Michael...
.
Natural monuments
Some 750 m north of the village stands a menhirMenhir
A menhir is a large upright standing stone. Menhirs may be found singly as monoliths, or as part of a group of similar stones. Their size can vary considerably; but their shape is generally uneven and squared, often tapering towards the top...
that since 1938 has been under protection as a natural monument.
External links
- Municipality’s official webpage
- http://www.swr.de/landesschau-rp/hierzuland/-/id=100766/nid=100766/did=2349594/1hl2nxq/index.htmlBrief portrait of Betteldorf 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....
]