Gau-Heppenheim
Encyclopedia
Gau-Heppenheim is an Ortsgemeinde – a municipality
belonging to a Verbandsgemeinde
, a kind of collective municipality – in the Alzey-Worms
district in Rhineland-Palatinate
, Germany
.
, whose seat is in Alzey
. It has about 550 inhabitants.
. The former castle complex, mentioned about 1500, was utterly destroyed in 1766 by a lightning strike and the ensuing fire. Until the late 18th century, the place belonged to the Counts Palatine of the Rhine. Until that time, the village also called itself Heppenheim im Loch (“Heppenheim in the Hole”). In 1903, it was given the name Gau-Heppenheim to distinguish it from other places called Heppenheim.
Anton Spiehler was a Catholic priest
in Gau-Heppenheim, and later a bishop’s secretary, a spiritual adviser and a cathedral capitulary of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Speyer, as well as the deputy head of the diocesan seminary
and Summus Custos (“Highest Keeper”) of Speyer Cathedral
. He belonged to the so-called Mainz Circle (Mainzer Kreis).
at the municipal election held on 7 June 2009, and the honorary mayor as chairman.
might be described thus: Per pale azure a fess between three lozenges argent, and argent a vine leafed of one vert with two bunches of grapes of the first.
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 Alzey-Worms
Alzey-Worms
Alzey-Worms is a district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is bounded by the district Groß-Gerau , the city of Worms and the districts of Bad Dürkheim, Donnersbergkreis, Bad Kreuznach and Mainz-Bingen.- History :...
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
The municipality lies in Rhenish Hesse and belongs to the Verbandsgemeinde of Alzey-LandAlzey-Land
Alzey-Land is a Verbandsgemeinde in the district Alzey-Worms, Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is located around the town Alzey, which is the seat of Alzey-Land, but not part of the Verbandsgemeinde....
, whose seat is in Alzey
Alzey
Alzey is a Verband-free town – one belonging to no Verbandsgemeinde – in the Alzey-Worms district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is the fourth-largest town in Rhenish Hesse, after Mainz, Worms, and Bingen....
. It has about 550 inhabitants.
History
In 790, Gau-Heppenheim had its first documentary mention as Hepfanheim when several holdings were granted to Lorsch AbbeyLorsch Abbey
The Abbey of Lorsch is a former Imperial Abbey in Lorsch, Germany, about 10 km east of Worms, one of the most renowned monasteries of the Carolingian Empire. Even in its ruined state, its remains are among the most important pre-Romanesque–Carolingian style buildings in Germany...
. The former castle complex, mentioned about 1500, was utterly destroyed in 1766 by a lightning strike and the ensuing fire. Until the late 18th century, the place belonged to the Counts Palatine of the Rhine. Until that time, the village also called itself Heppenheim im Loch (“Heppenheim in the Hole”). In 1903, it was given the name Gau-Heppenheim to distinguish it from other places called Heppenheim.
Religion
- The Catholic parish in Gau-Heppenheim, St. Urban, is bound to the branch parish of FramersheimFramersheimFramersheim is an Ortsgemeinde – a municipality belonging to a Verbandsgemeinde, a kind of collective municipality – in the Alzey-Worms district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany.- Location :The municipality lies in Rhenish Hesse...
. The Catholic share of the population is only some 20% of the whole and its members see themselves as living in a kind of diaspora. Services are not held in the original Gau-Heppenheim parish church, but rather in the “branch” churchChapel of easeA chapel of ease is a church building other than the parish church, built within the bounds of a parish for the attendance of those who cannot reach the parish church conveniently....
Sieben Schmerzen Mariens (“Seven Sorrows of MaryOur Lady of SorrowsOur Lady of Sorrows , the Sorrowful Mother or Mother of Sorrows , and Our Lady of the Seven Sorrows or Our Lady of the Seven Dolours are names by which the Blessed Virgin Mary is referred to in relation to sorrows in her life...
”) in Framersheim.
Anton Spiehler was a Catholic priest
Priesthood (Catholic Church)
The ministerial orders of the Catholic Church include the orders of bishops, deacons and presbyters, which in Latin is sacerdos. The ordained priesthood and common priesthood are different in function and essence....
in Gau-Heppenheim, and later a bishop’s secretary, a spiritual adviser and a cathedral capitulary of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Speyer, as well as the deputy head of the diocesan seminary
Seminary
A seminary, theological college, or divinity school is an institution of secondary or post-secondary education for educating students in theology, generally to prepare them for ordination as clergy or for other ministry...
and Summus Custos (“Highest Keeper”) of Speyer Cathedral
Speyer Cathedral
The Speyer Cathedral, officially the Imperial Cathedral Basilica of the Assumption and St Stephen, in Latin: Domus sanctae Mariae Spirae in Speyer, Germany, is the seat of the Roman Catholic Bishop of Speyer and is suffragan to the Archdiocese of Bamberg. The cathedral, which is dedicated to St...
. He belonged to the so-called Mainz Circle (Mainzer Kreis).
Municipal council
The council is made up of 12 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.
Mayors
- Manfred Becker – FWGFree VotersFree Voters is a German concept in which an association of persons participates in an election without having the status of a registered political party. Usually it is a locally organized group of voters in the form of a registered association . In most cases, Free Voters are active only at the...
(until 2007) - Klaus Krieger – FWG (since 2007)
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: Per pale azure a fess between three lozenges argent, and argent a vine leafed of one vert with two bunches of grapes of the first.
Buildings
- The original RomanesqueRomanesque architectureRomanesque architecture is an architectural style of Medieval Europe characterised by semi-circular arches. There is no consensus for the beginning date of the Romanesque architecture, with proposals ranging from the 6th to the 10th century. It developed in the 12th century into the Gothic style,...
Catholic church, St. Urban, still has a sacristy from 1505. On the unsupported ceiling from 1726 are restored paintings. Only an archway in the sacristy, the north wall and the gabled wall in the west are left of the original Romanesque architecture. - The EvangelicalEvangelical Church in GermanyThe 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...
parish church’s nave was built in 1726. Inside is a pulpit from 1730. - The rectory dates from the late 16th century.
Further reading
- Scholl, Herrmann: Chronik von Gau-Heppenheim, Rheinhessische Druckwerkstätte, 2004, ISBN 978-3-87854-185-1