Büchel
Encyclopedia
Büchel is an Ortsgemeinde – a municipality
belonging to a Verbandsgemeinde
, a kind of collective municipality – in the Cochem-Zell
district
in Rhineland-Palatinate
, Germany
. It belongs to the Verbandsgemeinde of Ulmen
, whose seat is in the like-named town
.
in Büchel amounts to 877 mm, which is rather high, falling into the highest fourth of the precipitation chart for all Germany. At 75% of the German Weather Service’s weather station
s, lower figures are recorded. The driest month is September. The most rainfall comes in November. In that month, precipitation is 1.7 times what it is in September. Precipitation varies moderately. At 62% of the weather stations, lower seasonal swings are recorded.
. About 1238, an estate at Morschweiler was mentioned. in 1476, the Alflen
(including Georgweiler and Morschweiler) high court’s bench fell under Electoral-Trier sovereignty. In 1794 came the occupation by French Revolution
ary troops. In 1815 Büchel was assigned to the Kingdom of Prussia
at the Congress of Vienna
. In 1873, Büchel became a parish, with the outlying centres of Georgweiler and Morschweiler belonging to the municipality. Since 1946, it has been part of the then newly founded state
of Rhineland-Palatinate
.
. The rest belonged to other faiths or adhered to none.
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: Tierced in mantle, dexter vert issuant from the line of partition a tower argent, sinister gules issuant from the line of partition a post ensigned with a cross Maltese of the second, in base argent seven crosses, one, three, two and one sable.
The seven crosses in the base stood as children’s prayer and supplication places when they were visited for the village’s seriously ill. The first cross still stands in the centre of Georgsweiler at the gable wall of Matthias Braun’s house on Lindenstraße. It was the children’s starting point on their way to prayers at the seven crosses. This first cross likewise stands as the memorial site to the former Georgsweiler Vikarkirche (“curatic church”), whose ruins were removed in 1886. The other six crosses are also still preserved today and are found on Georgsweilerstraße and Alfler Weg, and in the traditional cadastral area known as Sauwasem. The silver tower on the green field stands for agriculture
and the former windmill
. In 1840, the tower was converted into a windmill. In 1923, Wilhelm Hay acquired the windmill, whereupon it was converted into a dwelling. The tall, silver cross on the red field refers to Saint Maurice
’s Chapel
(Mauritiuskapelle) in the centre of Morschweiler, which was still being named in documents in 1777. In the time of French
occupation (1794-1815), it fell into disrepair. On the spot in Morschweiler where the chapel once stood, a stone cross was first raised by Pastor Bernhard Steinmetz on 8 December 1913. The core of today’s village is formed by the two centres of Georgweiler and Morschweiler, which might have had their beginnings in the time of the Merovingian
expansion. Each of the two parts of the village had its own church or chapel, which were consecrated to Saint George
and Saint Maurice respectively.
’s Directory of Cultural Monuments:
The Büchel Airbase (Fliegerhorst Büchel) was built west of the village after the Second World War by the French occupational forces, and transferred to the Federal German administration in 1955. In the bunkers at the Büchel location, some 20 American
B61 nuclear weapons
are stored. Since July 2007, the base has therefore been the only location in Germany where nuclear weapons can be found.
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 Cochem-Zell
Cochem-Zell
Cochem-Zell is a district in the north-west of Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. Neighboring districts are Mayen-Koblenz, Rhein-Hunsrück, Bernkastel-Wittlich, and Vulkaneifel.- 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 Ulmen
Ulmen (Verbandsgemeinde)
Ulmen is a Verbandsgemeinde in the district Cochem-Zell, in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. The seat of the Verbandsgemeinde is in Ulmen....
, whose seat is in the like-named town
Ulmen
Ulmen is a town in the Cochem-Zell district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is the seat of the like-named Verbandsgemeinde – a kind of collective municipality – to which it also belongs.-Constituent communities:...
.
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 Büchel amounts to 877 mm, which is rather high, falling into the highest fourth of the precipitation chart for all Germany. At 75% 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 September. The most rainfall comes in November. In that month, precipitation is 1.7 times what it is in September. Precipitation varies moderately. At 62% of the weather stations, lower seasonal swings are recorded.
History
In 1141, the Martental, which lay within the bounds of what is now Büchel, had its first documentary mention as a monasteryMonastery
Monastery denotes the building, or complex of buildings, that houses a room reserved for prayer as well as the domestic quarters and workplace of monastics, whether monks or nuns, and whether living in community or alone .Monasteries may vary greatly in size – a small dwelling accommodating only...
. About 1238, an estate at Morschweiler was mentioned. in 1476, the Alflen
Alflen
Alflen is an Ortsgemeinde – a municipality belonging to a Verbandsgemeinde, a kind of collective municipality – in the Cochem-Zell district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany...
(including Georgweiler and Morschweiler) high court’s bench fell under Electoral-Trier sovereignty. In 1794 came the occupation by French Revolution
French Revolution
The French Revolution , sometimes distinguished as the 'Great French Revolution' , was a period of radical social and political upheaval in France and Europe. The absolute monarchy that had ruled France for centuries collapsed in three years...
ary troops. In 1815 Büchel was assigned 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...
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,...
. In 1873, Büchel became a parish, with the outlying centres of Georgweiler and Morschweiler belonging to the municipality. Since 1946, it has been part of the then newly founded state
States of Germany
Germany is made up of sixteen which are partly sovereign constituent states of the Federal Republic of Germany. Land literally translates as "country", and constitutionally speaking, they are constituent countries...
of 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 ....
.
Religion
In 2007, 84.9% of the inhabitants were Catholic and 5.3% EvangelicalEvangelical Church in Germany
The Evangelical Church in Germany is a federation of 22 Lutheran, Unified and Reformed Protestant regional church bodies in Germany. The EKD is not a church in a theological understanding because of the denominational differences. However, the member churches share full pulpit and altar...
. The rest belonged to other faiths or adhered to none.
Municipal council
The council is made up of 16 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.
Mayor
Büchel’s mayor is Willi Rademacher, and his deputies are Manfred Nehren and Rudolf Hieronimus.Coat of arms
The German blazon reads: Durch eine eingeschweifte Spitze bis zum Schildhaupt, darin in Silber sieben schwarze Kreuzchen, gespalten; vorne in Grün ein silberner Turm wachsend; hinten in Rot ein silbernes Säulenkreuz mit aus dem Rand wachsendem Sockel.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: Tierced in mantle, dexter vert issuant from the line of partition a tower argent, sinister gules issuant from the line of partition a post ensigned with a cross Maltese of the second, in base argent seven crosses, one, three, two and one sable.
The seven crosses in the base stood as children’s prayer and supplication places when they were visited for the village’s seriously ill. The first cross still stands in the centre of Georgsweiler at the gable wall of Matthias Braun’s house on Lindenstraße. It was the children’s starting point on their way to prayers at the seven crosses. This first cross likewise stands as the memorial site to the former Georgsweiler Vikarkirche (“curatic church”), whose ruins were removed in 1886. The other six crosses are also still preserved today and are found on Georgsweilerstraße and Alfler Weg, and in the traditional cadastral area known as Sauwasem. The silver tower on the green field stands for 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 the former windmill
Windmill
A windmill is a machine which converts the energy of wind into rotational energy by means of vanes called sails or blades. Originally windmills were developed for milling grain for food production. In the course of history the windmill was adapted to many other industrial uses. An important...
. In 1840, the tower was converted into a windmill. In 1923, Wilhelm Hay acquired the windmill, whereupon it was converted into a dwelling. The tall, silver cross on the red field refers to Saint Maurice
Saint Maurice
Saint Maurice was the leader of the legendary Roman Theban Legion in the 3rd century, and one of the favorite and most widely venerated saints of that group. He was the patron saint of several professions, locales, and kingdoms...
’s Chapel
Chapel
A chapel is a building used by Christians as a place of fellowship and worship. It may be part of a larger structure or complex, such as a church, college, hospital, palace, prison or funeral home, located on board a military or commercial ship, or it may be an entirely free-standing building,...
(Mauritiuskapelle) in the centre of Morschweiler, which was still being named in documents in 1777. In the time of 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...
occupation (1794-1815), it fell into disrepair. On the spot in Morschweiler where the chapel once stood, a stone cross was first raised by Pastor Bernhard Steinmetz on 8 December 1913. The core of today’s village is formed by the two centres of Georgweiler and Morschweiler, which might have had their beginnings in the time of the Merovingian
Merovingian dynasty
The Merovingians were a Salian Frankish dynasty that came to rule the Franks in a region largely corresponding to ancient Gaul from the middle of the 5th century. Their politics involved frequent civil warfare among branches of the family...
expansion. Each of the two parts of the village had its own church or chapel, which were consecrated to Saint George
Saint George
Saint George was, according to tradition, a Roman soldier from Syria Palaestina and a priest in the Guard of Diocletian, who is venerated as a Christian martyr. In hagiography Saint George is one of the most venerated saints in the Catholic , Anglican, Eastern Orthodox, and the Oriental Orthodox...
and Saint Maurice respectively.
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:
- Saint Simon’s and Saint Judas’s Catholic Parish Church (Pfarrkirche St. Simon und Judas), Hauptstraße 16 – tower 1862-1863 by building inspector F. Nebel, KoblenzKoblenzKoblenz is a German city situated on both banks of the Rhine at its confluence with the Moselle, where the Deutsches Eck and its monument are situated.As Koblenz was one of the military posts established by Drusus about 8 BC, the...
; nave 1957; outside: stele with Saint Barbara, 18th century - At Lindenstraße 6 – wooden votive cross from 1824; boundary stone
Military
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
B61 nuclear weapons
B61 nuclear bomb
The B61 nuclear bomb is the primary thermonuclear weapon in the U.S. Enduring Stockpile following the end of the Cold War. It is an intermediate yield strategic and tactical nuclear weapon featuring a two-stage radiation implosion design....
are stored. Since July 2007, the base has therefore been the only location in Germany where nuclear weapons can be found.