Gehlweiler
Encyclopedia
Gehlweiler is an Ortsgemeinde – a municipality
belonging to a Verbandsgemeinde
, a kind of collective municipality – in the Rhein-Hunsrück-Kreis (district
) in Rhineland-Palatinate
, Germany
. It belongs to the Verbandsgemeinde of Kirchberg
, whose seat is in the like-named town
.
. Through the village flows the Kellenbach, on whose other side lies the Lützelsoon (mountain). Gehlweiler’s population is 254 and its area is 450 ha, of which 249 ha is wooded.
’s Church near Auen
”) from the Church’s Sobernheim rural chapter. Its history is also tightly bound with the former Castle
Koppenstein. This castle was under the ownership of the formerly powerful Sponheim
dynasty, and as the outlying village, Gehlweiler belonged to the “Koppenstein”, and was thereby itself a Sponheim holding. In 1317, Gehlweiler had its first documentary mention as Gelwilre.
Until 1575, Gehlweiler was assigned to the parish of Getzbach (nowadays Seesbach
) and thereafter belonged to the area of the Amt of Gemünden. In 1707, Gehlweiler passed into Baden
’s ownership, without bringing about any appreciable change in the villagers’ lives, however.
Beginning in 1794, Gehlweiler lay under French
rule. In 1815 it was assigned to the Kingdom of Prussia
at the Congress of Vienna
. Since 1946, it has been part of the then newly founded state
of Rhineland-Palatinate
. Furthermore, since 1970, the Ortsgemeinde of Gehlweiler has lain under the authority of the Verbandsgemeinde of Kirchberg, which was put together in that year in the course of administrative restructuring in Rhineland-Palatinate from 40 municipalities from the former Ämter of Büchenbeuren, Gemünden and Kirchberg along with two Ortsgemeinden from the Amt of Rhaunen, and eventually also the town of Kirchberg, which had originally not been part of any Verbandsgemeinde.
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: The base per fess invected of three Or and azure, above which chequy of twenty-four of the same a pale gules charged with a raven sable.
The “chequy” pattern and the raven charge
are drawn from the arms formerly borne by the Knights of Koppenstein. Gehlweiler belonged to the Sponheim Amt of Koppenstein, which for a while was pledged to the Knights. After Castle Koppenstein had fallen into disrepair, the Koppenstein Amtsschultheiß
lived in Gehlweiler. He also bore the “chequy” pattern and the raven in his 18th-century seal. The base refers to the quarrystone bridge over the Simmerbach, a three-arched structure from the 18th century.
’s Directory of Cultural Monuments:
, Rohrbach
and Henau
).
At the Alte Schmiede (“Old Smithy”) and its accompanying house, nowadays in private ownership, parts of the film Heimat
by Edgar Reitz
were made, which made the Hunsrück well known to the world beyond.
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 Rhein-Hunsrück-Kreis (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 Kirchberg
Kirchberg (Verbandsgemeinde)
Kirchberg is a Verbandsgemeinde in the Rhein-Hunsrück district, in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. Its seat is in Kirchberg.The Verbandsgemeinde Kirchberg consists of the following Ortsgemeinden :...
, whose seat is in the like-named town
Kirchberg, Rhein-Hunsrück
-History:Archaeological finds make it clear that by 400 BC, the Treveri, a people of mixed Celtic and Germanic stock, from whom the Latin name for the city of Trier, Augusta Treverorum, is also derived, had settled here...
.
Location
The municipality lies on the western slope of the Soonwald, a heavily wooded section of the west-central 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...
. Through the village flows the Kellenbach, on whose other side lies the Lützelsoon (mountain). Gehlweiler’s population is 254 and its area is 450 ha, of which 249 ha is wooded.
History
Gehlweiler’s history goes back to the 9th and 10th centuries, with the first descriptive mention being found in the Urkunden zur Willigskirche bei Auen (“Documents at Saint WilligisWilligis
Saint Willigis was Archbishop of Mainz from 975 until his death as well as a statesman of the Holy Roman Empire.-Life:...
’s Church near Auen
Auen, Germany
Auen is a municipality in the district of Bad Kreuznach in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany.-External links:*...
”) from the Church’s Sobernheim rural chapter. Its history is also tightly bound with the former Castle
Castle
A castle is a type of fortified structure built in Europe and the Middle East during the Middle Ages by European nobility. Scholars debate the scope of the word castle, but usually consider it to be the private fortified residence of a lord or noble...
Koppenstein. This castle was under the ownership of the formerly powerful 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...
dynasty, and as the outlying village, Gehlweiler belonged to the “Koppenstein”, and was thereby itself a Sponheim holding. In 1317, Gehlweiler had its first documentary mention as Gelwilre.
Until 1575, Gehlweiler was assigned to the parish of Getzbach (nowadays Seesbach
Seesbach
Seesbach is a municipality in the district of Bad Kreuznach in Rhineland-Palatinate, in western Germany....
) and thereafter belonged to the area of the Amt of Gemünden. In 1707, Gehlweiler passed into Baden
Baden
Baden is a historical state on the east bank of the Rhine in the southwest of Germany, now the western part of the Baden-Württemberg of Germany....
’s ownership, without bringing about any appreciable change in the villagers’ lives, however.
Beginning in 1794, Gehlweiler lay under 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...
rule. In 1815 it 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,...
. 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 ....
. Furthermore, since 1970, the Ortsgemeinde of Gehlweiler has lain under the authority of the Verbandsgemeinde of Kirchberg, which was put together in that year in the course of administrative restructuring in Rhineland-Palatinate from 40 municipalities from the former Ämter of Büchenbeuren, Gemünden and Kirchberg along with two Ortsgemeinden from the Amt of Rhaunen, and eventually also the town of Kirchberg, which had originally not been part of any Verbandsgemeinde.
Municipal council
The council is made up of 6 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.
Coat of arms
The German blazon reads: Über einem von Gold und Blau mit drei Bogen geteilten Schildfuß in blaugoldenem Schach ein roter Pfahl, belegt mit einem schwarzen Raben.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: The base per fess invected of three Or and azure, above which chequy of twenty-four of the same a pale gules charged with a raven sable.
The “chequy” pattern and the raven 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...
are drawn from the arms formerly borne by the Knights of Koppenstein. Gehlweiler belonged to the Sponheim Amt of Koppenstein, which for a while was pledged to the Knights. After Castle Koppenstein had fallen into disrepair, the Koppenstein Amtsschultheiß
Schultheiß
In medieval Germany, the Schultheiß was the head of a municipality , a Vogt or an executive official of the ruler.As official it was...
lived in Gehlweiler. He also bore the “chequy” pattern and the raven in his 18th-century seal. The base refers to the quarrystone bridge over the Simmerbach, a three-arched structure from the 18th century.
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:
- Hauptstraße – three-arched bridge over the Simmerbach, 17th or 18th century
- Hauptstraße 16 – former tithe house; 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...
house, partly solid, EternitEternitEternit is the registered trademark for fibre cement. This has caused fibre cement to be known under the "Eternit" brand. Though, this is not to be confused, "Eternit" is only a trademark for fibre cement....
-slated, half-hipped roof, marked 1769 and 1869, timber-frame barn; whole complex of buildings - Hauptstraße 19 – bakehouse; one-floor plastered building, partly timber-frame, 19th century
- Hauptstraße 26 – estate complex; building with half-hipped roof, timber framing plastered, 1821, timber-frame commercial wings, 19th century, timber-frame smithy
- Hauptstraße 43 – timber-frame house, 18th or 19th century
- Beside Hauptstraße 46 – former bakehouse; one-floor timber-frame building, 17th or 18th century
- Franzenmühle (mill), north of the village, on the millrace/Simmerbach – timber-frame house, partly slated, half-hipped roof, marked 1822, timber-frame shed; whole complex of buildings with millrace
Other buildings
Also of interest is the Castle Koppenstein ruin, from which there is a good view of all the nearby villages (among others, GemündenGemünden, Rhein-Hunsrück
Gemünden is an Ortsgemeinde – a municipality belonging to a Verbandsgemeinde, a kind of collective municipality – in the Rhein-Hunsrück-Kreis in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany...
, Rohrbach
Rohrbach, Rhein-Hunsrück
Rohrbach is an Ortsgemeinde – a municipality belonging to a Verbandsgemeinde, a kind of collective municipality – in the Rhein-Hunsrück-Kreis in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany...
and Henau
Henau
Henau is an Ortsgemeinde – a municipality belonging to a Verbandsgemeinde, a kind of collective municipality – in the Rhein-Hunsrück-Kreis in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany...
).
At the Alte Schmiede (“Old Smithy”) and its accompanying house, nowadays in private ownership, parts of the film Heimat
Heimat (film)
Heimat is the overall title of three series of films in 30 episodes written and directed by Edgar Reitz which view life in Germany between 1919 and 2000 through the eyes of a family from the Hunsrück area of the Rhineland. Personal and domestic life is set against glimpses of wider social and...
by Edgar Reitz
Edgar Reitz
Edgar Reitz is a German filmmaker and Professor of Film at the Staatliche Hochschule für Gestaltung in Karlsruhe.- Early life and education :...
were made, which made the Hunsrück well known to the world beyond.
External links
- Municipality’s official webpage
- http://www.swr.de/landesschau-rp/hierzuland/-/id=100766/nid=100766/did=2688382/6r1n0f/index.htmlBrief portrait of Gehlweiler with film at SWR FernsehenSWR FernsehenSWR Fernsehen is a German regional television channel targeting the states of Baden-Württemberg and Rhineland-Palatinate. It is produced by Südwestrundfunk and is one of eight regional "third channels" broadcast by the ARD members....
]