Brücken, Birkenfeld
Encyclopedia
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
.
. The municipal area is 62.3% wooded. Within Brücken’s limits, on the Friedrichskopf, rises the Allbach, whose upper reaches bear the name Königsbach. Six kilometres to the west of Brücken lies the Saarland
. Together with the outlying centre of Traunen, which was merged with the municipality in 1934, the population is almost 1,300.
in Brücken amounts to 1 021 mm, which is very high, falling into the highest fourth of the precipitation chart for all Germany. At 86% of the German Weather Service’s weather station
s, lower figures are recorded. The driest month is July. The most rainfall comes in December. In that month, precipitation is 1.8 times what it is in July. Precipitation varies greatly. Only at 18% of the weather stations are higher seasonal swings recorded.
in the 1st millennium BC, the so-called New Hallstatt times
, are some potsherds and parts of metal torc
s found near what is now Brücken, which suggests that there was a settlement along the Middle Traunbach at the time. Whether it was a permanent one cannot be determined. This settlement might have been built on the important trade road that crossed the Traunbach near Brücken. Such crossings – bridge
s or fords
– are well known to have been favourite locations for settlements.
Brücken grew out of a fishing village that was established right on the Traunbach. Inglinheim, as it was called, was named about 1200 in a directory of holdings from the church in Trier
when four fishermen, who fished on the Traunbach for the Bishop of Trier, settled there.
Almost as long ago was Traunen’s first documentary mention in a document from the Vögte
of Hunolstein in 1256. Traunen always belonged to the Pflege (literally “care”, but actually a local geopolitical unit) of Achtelsbach and was until its amalgamation with Brücken in 1934 a self-administering municipality. Besides Traunen, there have been other homesteads and lesser centres that stood in what is now Brücken, among others the homestead of Ruppenthal, which lay at the forks of the Laienfloß and Götzenbach, the homestead of Hinzhausen at the foot of the Schwarzwälder Hochwald (forest) and Uffhofen, whose location is now uncertain. Hinzhausen is the subject of a local legend (see below).
Brücken itself had its first documentary mention in a document from a neighbouring municipality in 1324. One of the villagers, named Henrich bei der Brucke, was named as a witness and a bondsman, but the document does not go into further details.
The village of Brücken could not have been very big, for a 1437 compilation for the County of Sponheim
listed only two people there who were subject to taxation. Even years later, in 1465, a taxation register still only listed two people who had to pay interest. Thereafter, however, the population rose steadily, reaching eight households by 1500 and swallowing up the homesteads mentioned above.
The village’s importance and size kept growing through the decades that followed, leading the villagers to put forth as early as 1584 their first Dorfordnung (“village order”), which was reviewed and expanded in 1612. This democratically governed the villagers’ coexistence, with the express approval of the authorities. The population growth can only be understood against the backdrop of the favourable economic conditions. Besides agriculture
and small craft businesses, several mills contributed to the upswing.
The Thirty Years' War
took a heavy toll on Brücken, as it did elsewhere in Germany, reducing the population, bringing the economy to a halt and tearing great gaps in all aspects of life. Only a third of the villagers survived; some neighbouring villages were depopulated completely.
The 18th and 19th centuries once more brought a certain level of economic health to the villages, although economic wealth did not come overnight. Reasons for this could be seen in improvements to agriculture and forestry, the distribution of former lordly and communally held lands to the peasants and also in an emerging handicraft industry. In 1861, for the first time, an industrial operation located in Brücken. Wood charcoal, tar, wood vinegar
and other chemicals were manufactured. Serving as raw material were the surrounding forests. While some found work at the plant, local farmers also found extra earning opportunities in transporting goods or hewing wood. Brücken grew into one of the biggest villages in the Birkenfelder Land.
Having a great number of children, as many local families did in the 18th and 19th centuries, was not always a blessing, bringing along with it economic and, not least of all, social problems. Not everyone could find a job in the village, and so some had to move away. Germany’s new industrialization needed a workforce, while settlers were what was wanted in North
and South America
and Eastern Europe. Many of the inhabitants had no choice but to seek their fortunes in faraway lands.
The First and Second World Wars ravaged families with their heavy toll. Almost every family lost somebody. Those who survived were marked for life.
The most recent decades have brought considerable economic and technical advancement in all areas of life. Nonetheless, things of value have been lost. Today, Brücken, once characterized by agriculture, is a residential community most of whose inhabitants commute to jobs elsewhere, for there are not enough jobs in the municipality itself.
Brücken is known for the legend of Hinzhausen. According to this, there was a village in the forest that was stricken with the Plague. After long pondering what should be done, the surviving villagers decided to barricade their village from the inside and burn everything to the ground, thereby sparing all villages around them the horror that they had faced. It is said that the destroyed village’s ruins can still be seen in the middle of the forest near Brücken. These ruins actually do exist, although it is unknown whether they are actually what is left of the tragic, Plague-stricken village of Hinzhausen.
– that have to be crossed to reach the village centre.
at the municipal election held on 7 June 2009, and the honorary mayor as chairman.
The municipal election held on 7 June 2009 yielded the following results:
The municipality’s arms
might in English heraldic
language be described thus: Under a chief engrailed of three Or party per bend sinister chequy of gules and argent and sable issuant from base sinister a demilion of the first armed, langued and crowned of the second.
The chief
with its lower edge “engrailed” (that is, with a “serrated” edge) is meant to resemble the bridge that joins Traunen to Brücken’s main centre, and thus is also canting
for the municipality’s name, which means “Bridges”. The charge
s in the two fields below are references to Brücken’s and Traunen’s former allegiances to the “Hinder” County of Sponheim
, represented by the “chequy” pattern on the dexter (armsbearer’s right, viewer’s left) side, and the Duchy of Palatinate-Zweibrücken
, represented by the demilion on the sinister (armsbearer’s left, viewer’s right) side, respectively.
The arms have been borne since 8 November 1963.
’s Directory of Cultural Monuments:
Brücken is also well known for its Carnival
(locally Fastnacht) events. This celebration enjoys such popularity that the events are scheduled over two evenings.
. These are also attended by children from surrounding municipalities.
Brücken also has a big fairground, a village museum
, a community centre and a gym
nasium. The football club FC Brücken has at its disposal an cinder pitch and a grass pitch, both right at the clubhouse. The municipality has a volunteer fire brigade, which contributes to youth work
by running a youth fire brigade.
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 in the Schwarzwälder Hochwald (forest) in the HunsrückHunsrück
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...
. The municipal area is 62.3% wooded. Within Brücken’s limits, on the Friedrichskopf, rises the Allbach, whose upper reaches bear the name Königsbach. Six kilometres to the west of Brücken lies 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...
. Together with the outlying centre of Traunen, which was merged with the municipality in 1934, the population is almost 1,300.
Constituent communities
The municipality’s Ortsteile are Brücken (main centre) and Traunen. Also belonging to Brücken is the outlying homestead of Friesenhof.Climate
Yearly precipitationPrecipitation (meteorology)
In meteorology, precipitation In meteorology, precipitation In meteorology, precipitation (also known as one of the classes of hydrometeors, which are atmospheric water phenomena is any product of the condensation of atmospheric water vapor that falls under gravity. The main forms of precipitation...
in Brücken amounts to 1 021 mm, which is very high, falling into the highest fourth of the precipitation chart for all Germany. At 86% of the German Weather Service’s weather station
Weather station
A weather station is a facility, either on land or sea, with instruments and equipment for observing atmospheric conditions to provide information for weather forecasts and to study the weather and climate. The measurements taken include temperature, barometric pressure, humidity, wind speed, wind...
s, lower figures are recorded. The driest month is July. The most rainfall comes in December. In that month, precipitation is 1.8 times what it is in July. Precipitation varies greatly. Only at 18% of the weather stations are higher seasonal swings recorded.
History
Dating from as early as the late Bronze AgeBronze Age
The Bronze Age is a period characterized by the use of copper and its alloy bronze as the chief hard materials in the manufacture of some implements and weapons. Chronologically, it stands between the Stone Age and Iron Age...
in the 1st millennium BC, the so-called New Hallstatt times
Hallstatt culture
The Hallstatt culture was the predominant Central European culture from the 8th to 6th centuries BC , developing out of the Urnfield culture of the 12th century BC and followed in much of Central Europe by the La Tène culture.By the 6th century BC, the Hallstatt culture extended for some...
, are some potsherds and parts of metal torc
Torc
A torc, also spelled torq or torque, is a large, usually rigid, neck ring typically made from strands of metal twisted together. The great majority are open-ended at the front, although many seem designed for near-permanent wear and would have been difficult to remove. Smaller torcs worn around...
s found near what is now Brücken, which suggests that there was a settlement along the Middle Traunbach at the time. Whether it was a permanent one cannot be determined. This settlement might have been built on the important trade road that crossed the Traunbach near Brücken. Such crossings – bridge
Bridge
A bridge is a structure built to span physical obstacles such as a body of water, valley, or road, for the purpose of providing passage over the obstacle...
s or fords
Ford (crossing)
A ford is a shallow place with good footing where a river or stream may be crossed by wading or in a vehicle. A ford is mostly a natural phenomenon, in contrast to a low water crossing, which is an artificial bridge that allows crossing a river or stream when water is low.The names of many towns...
– are well known to have been favourite locations for settlements.
Brücken grew out of a fishing village that was established right on the Traunbach. Inglinheim, as it was called, was named about 1200 in a directory of holdings from the church in 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....
when four fishermen, who fished on the Traunbach for the Bishop of Trier, settled there.
Almost as long ago was Traunen’s first documentary mention in a document from the Vögte
Vogt
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 1256. Traunen always belonged to the Pflege (literally “care”, but actually a local geopolitical unit) of Achtelsbach and was until its amalgamation with Brücken in 1934 a self-administering municipality. Besides Traunen, there have been other homesteads and lesser centres that stood in what is now Brücken, among others the homestead of Ruppenthal, which lay at the forks of the Laienfloß and Götzenbach, the homestead of Hinzhausen at the foot of the Schwarzwälder Hochwald (forest) and Uffhofen, whose location is now uncertain. Hinzhausen is the subject of a local legend (see below).
Brücken itself had its first documentary mention in a document from a neighbouring municipality in 1324. One of the villagers, named Henrich bei der Brucke, was named as a witness and a bondsman, but the document does not go into further details.
The village of Brücken could not have been very big, for a 1437 compilation for the County of Sponheim
County of Sponheim
The County of Sponheim was an independent territory in the Holy Roman Empire which lasted from the 11th century until the early 19th century...
listed only two people there who were subject to taxation. Even years later, in 1465, a taxation register still only listed two people who had to pay interest. Thereafter, however, the population rose steadily, reaching eight households by 1500 and swallowing up the homesteads mentioned above.
The village’s importance and size kept growing through the decades that followed, leading the villagers to put forth as early as 1584 their first Dorfordnung (“village order”), which was reviewed and expanded in 1612. This democratically governed the villagers’ coexistence, with the express approval of the authorities. The population growth can only be understood against the backdrop of the favourable economic conditions. Besides agriculture
Agriculture
Agriculture is the cultivation of animals, plants, fungi and other life forms for food, fiber, and other products used to sustain life. Agriculture was the key implement in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that nurtured the...
and small craft businesses, several mills contributed to the upswing.
The Thirty Years' War
Thirty Years' War
The Thirty Years' War was fought primarily in what is now Germany, and at various points involved most countries in Europe. It was one of the most destructive conflicts in European history....
took a heavy toll on Brücken, as it did elsewhere in Germany, reducing the population, bringing the economy to a halt and tearing great gaps in all aspects of life. Only a third of the villagers survived; some neighbouring villages were depopulated completely.
The 18th and 19th centuries once more brought a certain level of economic health to the villages, although economic wealth did not come overnight. Reasons for this could be seen in improvements to agriculture and forestry, the distribution of former lordly and communally held lands to the peasants and also in an emerging handicraft industry. In 1861, for the first time, an industrial operation located in Brücken. Wood charcoal, tar, wood vinegar
Pyroligneous acid
Pyroligneous acid, also called wood vinegar, is a dark liquid produced through the natural act of carbonization, which occurs when wood is heated in an airless container during charcoal production.-Chemical components:...
and other chemicals were manufactured. Serving as raw material were the surrounding forests. While some found work at the plant, local farmers also found extra earning opportunities in transporting goods or hewing wood. Brücken grew into one of the biggest villages in the Birkenfelder Land.
Having a great number of children, as many local families did in the 18th and 19th centuries, was not always a blessing, bringing along with it economic and, not least of all, social problems. Not everyone could find a job in the village, and so some had to move away. Germany’s new industrialization needed a workforce, while settlers were what was wanted in North
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
and South America
South America
South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
and Eastern Europe. Many of the inhabitants had no choice but to seek their fortunes in faraway lands.
The First and Second World Wars ravaged families with their heavy toll. Almost every family lost somebody. Those who survived were marked for life.
The most recent decades have brought considerable economic and technical advancement in all areas of life. Nonetheless, things of value have been lost. Today, Brücken, once characterized by agriculture, is a residential community most of whose inhabitants commute to jobs elsewhere, for there are not enough jobs in the municipality itself.
Brücken is known for the legend of Hinzhausen. According to this, there was a village in the forest that was stricken with the Plague. After long pondering what should be done, the surviving villagers decided to barricade their village from the inside and burn everything to the ground, thereby sparing all villages around them the horror that they had faced. It is said that the destroyed village’s ruins can still be seen in the middle of the forest near Brücken. These ruins actually do exist, although it is unknown whether they are actually what is left of the tragic, Plague-stricken village of Hinzhausen.
Village’s name
The name “Brücken” refers to the bridges – Brücken literally means “bridges” in GermanGerman language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
– that have to be crossed to reach the village centre.
Municipal council
The council is made up of 16 council members, who were elected by proportional representationProportional representation
Proportional representation is a concept in voting systems used to elect an assembly or council. PR means that the number of seats won by a party or group of candidates is proportionate to the number of votes received. For example, under a PR voting system if 30% of voters support a particular...
at the municipal election held on 7 June 2009, and the honorary mayor as chairman.
The municipal election held on 7 June 2009 yielded the following results:
| SPD Social Democratic Party of Germany The Social Democratic Party of Germany is a social-democratic political party in Germany... |
CDU | WGR | Total | |
| 2009 | 6 | 2 | 8 | 16 seats |
| 2004 | 4 | 3 | 9 | 16 seats |
Mayors
Brücken’s mayor is Karl-Otto Engel, and his deputies are Siegfried Heylmann and Rudolf Fuchs. Since 1946, there have only been three mayors:- 1946–1949: Adolf Schöpfer
- 1949–1974: Johann Mörsdorf
- 1974–: Karl-Otto Engel
Coat of arms
The German blazon reads: Unter dreifach eingebogenem goldenem Schildhaupt schräglinks geteilter Schild, vorne rot-silbernes Schach, hinten in Schwarz ein wachsender rotbewehrter, -gezungter und -gekrönter goldener Löwe.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: Under a chief engrailed of three Or party per bend sinister chequy of gules and argent and sable issuant from base sinister a demilion of the first armed, langued and crowned of the second.
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...
with its lower edge “engrailed” (that is, with a “serrated” edge) is meant to resemble the bridge that joins Traunen to Brücken’s main centre, and thus is also canting
Canting arms
Canting arms are heraldic bearings that represent the bearer's name in a visual pun or rebus. The term cant came into the English language from Anglo-Norman cant, meaning song or singing, from Latin cantāre, and English cognates include canticle, chant, accent, incantation and recant.Canting arms –...
for the municipality’s name, which means “Bridges”. 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...
s in the two fields below are references to Brücken’s and Traunen’s former allegiances to the “Hinder” County of Sponheim
County of Sponheim
The County of Sponheim was an independent territory in the Holy Roman Empire which lasted from the 11th century until the early 19th century...
, represented by the “chequy” pattern on the dexter (armsbearer’s right, viewer’s left) side, and 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...
, represented by the demilion on the sinister (armsbearer’s left, viewer’s right) side, respectively.
The arms have been borne since 8 November 1963.
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:
Brücken (main centre)
- An der Warth 2 – estate complex along the street, partly 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...
, partly slated, latter half of the 19th century, essentially possibly older - Apfelbüscherstraße 2 – estate complex along the street: one-floor dwelling wing with knee wallKnee wallIn architecture, a knee wall is typically a short wall, usually under three feet in height. In his book A Visual Dictionary of Architecture, Francis D. K. Ching defines a Knee Wall as "A short wall supporting rafters at some intermediate position along their length." The term is derived from the...
, mainly timber-frame; two-floor commercial wing, partly timber-frame, dwelling rooms possibly not as old, about 1870 - Within Apfelbüscherstraße 6 – smithy; in the west part of the former craftsman’s house, workshop room completely outfitted
- Römerweg 6 – Fettigs Mühle (mill); complex of two dwelling buildings: west one with a barn wing marked 1856, two rows of ventilation dormerDormerA dormer is a structural element of a building that protrudes from the plane of a sloping roof surface. Dormers are used, either in original construction or as later additions, to create usable space in the roof of a building by adding headroom and usually also by enabling addition of windows.Often...
s, east one with partly preserved mill installation; waterwheel - Trierer Straße 19 – Schwesternhaus, building with gable roof, typical for its time, spire lightSpire lightSpire light , the term given to the windows in a spire which are found in all periods of English Gothic architecture, and in French spires form a very important feature in the composition....
, 1913 - Trierer Straße 46 – former schoolSchoolA school is an institution designed for the teaching of students under the direction of teachers. Most countries have systems of formal education, which is commonly compulsory. In these systems, students progress through a series of schools...
; seven-axis ClassicistClassicismClassicism, in the arts, refers generally to a high regard for classical antiquity, as setting standards for taste which the classicists seek to emulate. The art of classicism typically seeks to be formal and restrained: of the Discobolus Sir Kenneth Clark observed, "if we object to his restraint...
plastered building with ridge turretRidge turretA ridge turret is a turret build on the peak of a roof....
, 1848 - Trierer Straße 53 – house with vroof with complex design, before 1914
Traunen
- Brunnenstraße – Doppelbrunnen (“Double Fountain”), two cast-ironCast ironCast iron is derived from pig iron, and while it usually refers to gray iron, it also identifies a large group of ferrous alloys which solidify with a eutectic. The color of a fractured surface can be used to identify an alloy. White cast iron is named after its white surface when fractured, due...
troughs, marked 1890, possibly from the Asbach Ironworks - Brunnenstraße 9 – Quereinhaus (a combination residential and commercial house divided for these two purposes down the middle, perpendicularly to the street), marked 1821; Classicist garden enclosure, about 1820
Regular events
Each year, two village festivals are held in Brücken. The Frühlingsfest (“Spring Festival”), attended mostly by local people, and the Glockenkirmes (“Bell Fair”), which attracts visitors from outside the municipality.Brücken is also well known for its Carnival
Carnival
Carnaval is a festive season which occurs immediately before Lent; the main events are usually during February. Carnaval typically involves a public celebration or parade combining some elements of a circus, mask and public street party...
(locally Fastnacht) events. This celebration enjoys such popularity that the events are scheduled over two evenings.
Economy and infrastructure
Brücken has a primary school and a kindergartenKindergarten
A kindergarten is a preschool educational institution for children. The term was created by Friedrich Fröbel for the play and activity institute that he created in 1837 in Bad Blankenburg as a social experience for children for their transition from home to school...
. These are also attended by children from surrounding municipalities.
Brücken also has a big fairground, a village museum
Museum
A museum is an institution that cares for a collection of artifacts and other objects of scientific, artistic, cultural, or historical importance and makes them available for public viewing through exhibits that may be permanent or temporary. Most large museums are located in major cities...
, a community centre and a gym
Gym
The word γυμνάσιον was used in Ancient Greece, that mean a locality for both physical and intellectual education of young men...
nasium. The football club FC Brücken has at its disposal an cinder pitch and a grass pitch, both right at the clubhouse. The municipality has a volunteer fire brigade, which contributes to youth work
Youth work
In the United Kingdom youth work is the process of creating an environment where young people can engage in informal educational activities. Different varieties of youth work include centre-based work, detached work, school-based work and religion based work....
by running a youth fire brigade.