Bissersheim
Encyclopedia
Bissersheim is an Ortsgemeinde – a municipality
belonging to a Verbandsgemeinde
, a kind of collective municipality – in the Bad Dürkheim
district in Rhineland-Palatinate
, Germany
.
, whose seat is in Grünstadt
, although that town is itself not in the Verbandsgemeinde. It sits at an elevation of 141 m above sea level
near the northern end of the German Wine Route. To the west rises the Haardt, the Palatinate Forest’s eastern edge, and in the east stretches the Upper Rhine Plain
. Flowing through the municipality from west to east is the river Eckbach, also regionally known as die Eck.
After the Second World War, it belonged to the district of Frankenthal (Landkreis Frankenthal), until this was abolished in 1969. After the transfer to the new district of Bad Dürkheim
had been made the following year, Bissersheim was likewise grouped into the newly formed Verbandsgemeinde of Grünstadt-Land
in 1972.
at the municipal election held on 7 June 2009, and the honorary mayor as chairwoman
might be described thus: Argent, in base a dragon slain sans wings and hindlegs vert standing on which Saint Margaret of Antioch vested gules, robed of the first, booted, crined and crowned Or, in her dexter hand a cross-staff bottonny, the lower arm in the dragon’s chest.
Saint Margaret of Antioch
appears in the coat of arms as one of the local church’s patron saints. The church, Pfarrkirche St. Blasius und St. Margaretha (“Parish Church of Saint Margaret and Saint Blaise”), also has Saint Blaise
as a patron.
wine region and looks back on a long winegrowing tradition.
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 Bad Dürkheim
Bad Dürkheim (district)
Bad Dürkheim is a district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is bounded by the districts of Kaiserslautern, Donnersbergkreis and Alzey-Worms, the city of Worms, the Rhein-Pfalz-Kreis, the city of Neustadt/Weinstraße, the districts of Südliche Weinstraße, the city of Landau , the district...
district 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
Bissersheim lies in the northwest of the Rhine-Neckar urban agglomeration. It belongs to the Verbandsgemeinde of Grünstadt-LandGrünstadt-Land
Grünstadt-Land is a Verbandsgemeinde in the district of Bad Dürkheim, in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is situated on the north-eastern edge of the Palatinate forest...
, whose seat is in Grünstadt
Grünstadt
Grünstadt is a town in the Bad Dürkheim district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany with roughly 13,200 inhabitants. It does not belong to any Verbandsgemeinde – a kind of collective municipality – but is nonetheless the administrative seat of the Verbandsgemeinde of Grünstadt-Land.- Location :The...
, although that town is itself not in the Verbandsgemeinde. It sits at an elevation of 141 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...
near the northern end of the German Wine Route. To the west rises the Haardt, the Palatinate Forest’s eastern edge, and in the east stretches the Upper Rhine Plain
Upper Rhine Plain
The Upper Rhine Plain, Rhine Rift Valley or Upper Rhine Graben is a major rift, straddling the border between France and Germany. It forms part of the European Cenozoic Rift System, which extends across central Europe...
. Flowing through the municipality from west to east is the river Eckbach, also regionally known as die Eck.
History
In 774, Bissersheim had its first documentary mention as Bizziricheshaim.After the Second World War, it belonged to the district of Frankenthal (Landkreis Frankenthal), until this was abolished in 1969. After the transfer to the new district of Bad Dürkheim
Bad Dürkheim (district)
Bad Dürkheim is a district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is bounded by the districts of Kaiserslautern, Donnersbergkreis and Alzey-Worms, the city of Worms, the Rhein-Pfalz-Kreis, the city of Neustadt/Weinstraße, the districts of Südliche Weinstraße, the city of Landau , the district...
had been made the following year, Bissersheim was likewise grouped into the newly formed Verbandsgemeinde of Grünstadt-Land
Grünstadt-Land
Grünstadt-Land is a Verbandsgemeinde in the district of Bad Dürkheim, in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is situated on the north-eastern edge of the Palatinate forest...
in 1972.
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 chairwoman
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: Argent, in base a dragon slain sans wings and hindlegs vert standing on which Saint Margaret of Antioch vested gules, robed of the first, booted, crined and crowned Or, in her dexter hand a cross-staff bottonny, the lower arm in the dragon’s chest.
Saint Margaret of Antioch
Margaret the Virgin
Margaret the Virgin, also known as Margaret of Antioch , virgin and martyr, is celebrated as a saint by the Roman Catholic and Anglican Churches on July 20; and on July 17 in the Orthodox Church. Her historical existence has been questioned; she was declared apocryphal by Pope Gelasius I in 494,...
appears in the coat of arms as one of the local church’s patron saints. The church, Pfarrkirche St. Blasius und St. Margaretha (“Parish Church of Saint Margaret and Saint Blaise”), also has Saint Blaise
Saint Blaise
Saint Blaise was a physician, and bishop of Sebastea . According to his Acta Sanctorum, he was martyred by being beaten, attacked with iron carding combs, and beheaded...
as a patron.
Regular events
The Bissersheimer Weinkerwe (“Bissersheim Wine Fair”) is held each year on the second weekend in August.Economy and infrastructure
The municipality is a winegrowing centre in the PalatinatePalatinate (wine region)
Palatinate is a German wine-growing region in the area of Bad Dürkheim, Neustadt an der Weinstraße, and Landau in Rhineland-Palatinate. Before 1993, it was known as Rhine Palatinate . With under cultivation in 2008, the region is the second largest wine region in Germany after Rheinhessen...
wine region and looks back on a long winegrowing tradition.
Sons and daughters of the town
- Abraham KuhnAbraham KuhnAbraham Kuhn was an Alsatian otolarynologist born in Bissersheim, Rhineland-Palatinate.He studied under Anton von Tröltsch at the University of Würzburg, then continued his education at the École de Médecine in Strasbourg...
(1838–1900), professor of medicine at the University of Strasbourg (then Straßburg).