Elmstein
Encyclopedia
Elmstein 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 the like-named town
.
and Wolfsgrube.
, Weidenthal
, Esthal
, an exclave of Kirrweiler
, an exclave of Venningen
, an exclave of Rhodt unter Rietburg
, an exclave of Edesheim
, an exclave of Landau in der Pfalz, Wilgartswiesen
, Trippstadt
and Kaiserslautern
.
On 1 January 1976, a centre with 207 inhabitants was transferred from the municipality of Wilgartswiesen to Elmstein.
and 30.3% were Catholic. One peculiarity is the Free Religious Community founded in 1921, which with a roughly 5% share of the population stands as the Palatinate’s second biggest Free Religious Community. The rest practised other faiths or none.
The municipal election held on 7 June 2009 yielded the following results:
The municipality’s arms
might in English heraldic
language be described thus: Argent two cramps per cross gules, the one per fess surmounting the one per pale, between four mullets Or.
The arms were approved by the Reich
governor
in Bavaria (of which the Palatinate was an outlying part until after the Second World War) and go back to a seal from 1772. The “forest hooks” refer to Elmstein’s location in the middle of the forest (this charge
is generally known as a “cramp” or “crampoon” in English heraldry
, and is held to be a kind of brace for strengthening a building). It is unknown, however, what the mullets (stars) mean.
to Elmstein is the heritage railway
known as the Kuckucksbähnel (“Little Cuckoo Railway”).
The municipality can be reached on Landesstraße (State Road) 499 from either Johanniskreuz or Frankeneck
Moreover, there is a bus link with route 517 (Neustadt an der Weinstraße
to Iggelbach). The travel time on the bus is roughly an hour.
Owing to the many motorcycle accidents in the past, the road through the Elmstein valley (Johanniskreuz–Elmstein–Lambrecht) is closed to motorcycles on weekends from April to October; only residents – not even other locals – may drive motorcycles on this stretch of highway at these times.
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
Elmstein lies in the Palatinate Forest. The municipality belongs to the Verbandsgemeinde of LambrechtLambrecht (Verbandsgemeinde)
Lambrecht is a Verbandsgemeinde in the district of Bad Dürkheim, Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. The seat of the Verbandsgemeinde is in Lambrecht....
, whose seat is in the like-named town
Lambrecht
Lambrecht is a town in the Bad Dürkheim district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany lying roughly 6 km northwest of Neustadt an der Weinstraße. It is the seat of the like-named Verbandsgemeinde.- Location :...
.
Constituent communities
Elmstein’s Ortsteile are, besides the namesake one, Appenthal, Erlenbach, Harzofen, Helmbach, Iggelbach, Mückenwiese, Röderthal, Schafhof, Schwabenbach, Schwarzbach, Stilles Tal, SpeyerbrunnSpeyerbrunn
Speyerbrunn is a community of the municipality Elmstein in the Landkreis of Bad Dürkheim in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany- History :Speyerbrunn was founded in 1754. Until 1975 the town belonged to the municipality Wilgartswiesen, which was merged with the neighboring towns Schwarzenbach, Erlenbach...
and Wolfsgrube.
Neighbouring municipalities
Clockwise from the northwest, these are WaldleiningenWaldleiningen
Waldleiningen is a municipality in the district of Kaiserslautern, in Rhineland-Palatinate, western Germany....
, Weidenthal
Weidenthal
Weidenthal is an Ortsgemeinde – a municipality belonging to a Verbandsgemeinde, a kind of collective municipality – in the Bad Dürkheim district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany.- Location :...
, Esthal
Esthal
Esthal is an Ortsgemeinde – a municipality belonging to a Verbandsgemeinde, a kind of collective municipality – in the Bad Dürkheim district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany.- Location :The municipality lies on a plateau in the Palatinate Forest...
, an exclave of Kirrweiler
Kirrweiler
Kirrweiler is a municipality in the Südliche Weinstraße district, in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany....
, an exclave of Venningen
Venningen
Venningen is a municipality in Südliche Weinstraße district, in Rhineland-Palatinate, western Germany....
, an exclave of Rhodt unter Rietburg
Rhodt unter Rietburg
Rhodt unter Rietburg is a municipality in Südliche Weinstraße district, in Rhineland-Palatinate, western Germany....
, an exclave of Edesheim
Edesheim
Edesheim is a municipality in the Südliche Weinstraße district, in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. Paul Henri Thiry d’Holbach was born here....
, an exclave of Landau in der Pfalz, Wilgartswiesen
Wilgartswiesen
Wilgartswiesen is a municipality in Südwestpfalz district, in Rhineland-Palatinate, western Germany....
, Trippstadt
Trippstadt
Trippstadt is a municipality in the district of Kaiserslautern, in Rhineland-Palatinate, western Germany....
and Kaiserslautern
Kaiserslautern
Kaiserslautern is a city in southwest Germany, located in the Bundesland of Rhineland-Palatinate at the edge of the Palatinate forest . The historic centre dates to the 9th century. It is from Paris, from Frankfurt am Main, and from Luxembourg.Kaiserslautern is home to 99,469 people...
.
History
Elmstein arose from the Castle Elmstein, which itself was built in the 12th century by the Counts Palatine of the Rhine. The outlying centres arose later, mostly as extension settlements for lumberjacks, as a location of a sawmill or, like Röderthal, as a mining settlement.On 1 January 1976, a centre with 207 inhabitants was transferred from the municipality of Wilgartswiesen to Elmstein.
Religion
In 2007, 51.5% of the inhabitants were 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...
and 30.3% were Catholic. One peculiarity is the Free Religious Community founded in 1921, which with a roughly 5% share of the population stands as the Palatinate’s second biggest Free Religious Community. The rest practised other faiths or none.
Municipal council
The council is made up of 20 council members, who were elected 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 | Independent | WG Herter | Total | |
| 2009 | 5 | 8 | 1 | 6 | 20 seats |
| 2004 | 9 | 9 | 2 | - | 20 seats |
Coat of arms
The German blazon reads: In Silber zwei gekreuzte rote Doppelhaken, bewinkelt von vier sechsstrahligen goldenen Sternen.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: Argent two cramps per cross gules, the one per fess surmounting the one per pale, between four mullets Or.
The arms were approved by the Reich
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...
governor
Reichsstatthalter
The term Reichsstatthalter was used twice for different offices, in the imperial Hohenzollern dynasty's German Empire and the single-party Nazi Third Reich.- "Statthalter des Reiches" 1879-1918 in Alsace-Lorraine :...
in Bavaria (of which the Palatinate was an outlying part until after the Second World War) and go back to a seal from 1772. The “forest hooks” refer to Elmstein’s location in the middle of the forest (this 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...
is generally known as a “cramp” or “crampoon” in English heraldry
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"...
, and is held to be a kind of brace for strengthening a building). It is unknown, however, what the mullets (stars) mean.
Buildings
- Wappenschmiede Elmstein (historic, water-powered smithy)
- Water-powered sawmill in the Elmsteiner valley
- Geisskopf estate ruins near the Geisswiese (meadow, near Helmbach)
- Electoral Palatinate hunting lodge (Elmstein’s oldest house) with:
- Wine cellar building from 1754 (the Verbandsgemeinde’s oldest such building)
- Katholische Kirche Herz Mariä (“Catholic Church of Mary’s Heart”) in Elmstein (architect Albert Boßlet, built 1950-52)
- Katholische Kirche Mariä Heimsuchung (“Catholic Church of the Visitation, built 1765) with historical Schlimbach organOrgan (music)The organ , is a keyboard instrument of one or more divisions, each played with its own keyboard operated either with the hands or with the feet. The organ is a relatively old musical instrument in the Western musical tradition, dating from the time of Ctesibius of Alexandria who is credited with...
(1887) - Elmstein Protestant Church
- Elmstein CastleElmstein CastleElmstein Castle is a castle ruin built in the High Middle Ages overlooking Elmstein in the Palatinate Forest in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It was built in the 12th century.- Location :...
ruins - Appenthal churchtower ruins, once part of the Pilgrimage Church of Mary, built in 1488.
- Katholische Kirche St. Wendelinus und St. Hubertus (“Saint Wendelin’sWendelin of TrierSaint Wendelin or Wendelin of Trier was a hermit and abbot.-Life:There is very little definite information about this saint. His earliest biographies , did not appear until after 1417. The story as told there is that Wendelin was the son of a Scottish king...
and Saint HubertusHubertusSaint Hubertus or Hubert , called the "Apostle of the Ardennes" was the first Bishop of Liège...
’s Catholic Church”) in Speyerbrunn, built in 1931/1932 - Historical timber raftingTimber raftingTimber rafting is a log transportation method in which logs are tied together into rafts and drifted or pulled across a water body or down a flatter river. It is arguably the second cheapest method of transportation of timber, next after log driving...
sites near Erlenbach and in the Legelbach valley between Mückenwiese and Elmstein - Belltower in Iggelbach, built in 1889
- Belltower in Appenthal with historical set of bells
Transport
Running from Neustadt an der WeinstraßeNeustadt an der Weinstraße
Neustadt an der Weinstraße is a town located in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. With 53,892 inhabitants as of 2002, it is the largest town called Neustadt.-Etymology:...
to Elmstein is the heritage railway
Heritage railway
thumb|right|the Historical [[Khyber train safari|Khyber Railway]] goes through the [[Khyber Pass]], [[Pakistan]]A heritage railway , preserved railway , tourist railway , or tourist railroad is a railway that is run as a tourist attraction, in some cases by volunteers, and...
known as the Kuckucksbähnel (“Little Cuckoo Railway”).
The municipality can be reached on Landesstraße (State Road) 499 from either Johanniskreuz or Frankeneck
Frankeneck
Frankeneck is an Ortsgemeinde – a municipality belonging to a Verbandsgemeinde, a kind of collective municipality – in the Bad Dürkheim district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany.- Location :...
Moreover, there is a bus link with route 517 (Neustadt an der Weinstraße
Neustadt an der Weinstraße
Neustadt an der Weinstraße is a town located in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. With 53,892 inhabitants as of 2002, it is the largest town called Neustadt.-Etymology:...
to Iggelbach). The travel time on the bus is roughly an hour.
Owing to the many motorcycle accidents in the past, the road through the Elmstein valley (Johanniskreuz–Elmstein–Lambrecht) is closed to motorcycles on weekends from April to October; only residents – not even other locals – may drive motorcycles on this stretch of highway at these times.
Sons and daughters of the town
- Heinrich Seibert (1910–1951), politician (NSDAP)
- Rudolf Kühner (1952– ), politician
- Peter Marx (1956– ), politician (NPDNational Democratic Party of GermanyThe National Democratic Party of Germany – The People's Union , is a far right German nationalist party. It was founded in 1964 a successor to the German Reich Party . Party statements self-identify as Germany's "only significant patriotic force"...
)
Sources
- Elmsteiner Heimatschriften Nr.1 Februar 2000
- Elmsteiner Heimatschriften Nr.2 Juni 2000