Gemünden, Rhein-Hunsrück
Encyclopedia
Gemünden 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
.
. The village is found between Kirchberg
to the northwest and Simmertal
to the southeast. In Gemünden, the Lametbach empties into the Simmerbach, whereupon the combined stream is known down to its mouth into the river Nahe as the Kellenbach.
was granted town rights along with its trappings, namely fortifications, a court and a market. Beginning in 1794, Gemünden 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
.
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: Per pale chequy of eight azure and Or and gules an arming buckle argent.
The “chequy” pattern above the line of partition refers to the village’s former allegiance to the “Further” County of Sponheim. The lower half of the escutcheon is a reference to the Schmidtburg
.
’s Directory of Cultural Monuments:
teaching path begins and ends in Gemünden. Twenty-three mineral groups from the Hunsrück-Nahe region are shown and explained on display boards. On the way, the path comes into contact with the Kaisergrube, the mine opened in 1873, where until 1969 slate
was mined. Slate mining began in Gemünden in the early 19th century. On average, 600 t of slate was mined each year, and up to 35 miners were employed.
Gemünden is the starting point of the Schinderhannes
-Soonwald-Radweg (cycle path) to Simmern
.
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 at the southwest edge 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...
. The village is found between Kirchberg
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...
to the northwest and Simmertal
Simmertal
Simmertal is a municipality in the district of Bad Kreuznach in Rhineland-Palatinate, in western Germany....
to the southeast. In Gemünden, the Lametbach empties into the Simmerbach, whereupon the combined stream is known down to its mouth into the river Nahe as the Kellenbach.
History
In 1304, Gemünden had its first documentary mention. This holding of the Counts of SponheimCounty 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...
was granted town rights along with its trappings, namely fortifications, a court and a market. Beginning in 1794, Gemünden 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 ....
.
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 | FWG Gemünden | WG Jung | other voters’ groups | Total | |
| 2009 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 4 | – | 16 seats |
| 2004 | 4 | 6 | – | – | 6 | 16 seats |
Mayor
Gemünden’s mayor is Dieter Kaiser, and his deputies are Dieter Bajohr, Didacus Kühnreich and Wolfgang Jonda.Coat of arms
The German blazon reads: Schild geteilt, oben blau/gold geschacht, unten in Rot eine silberne Gewandschließe.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: Per pale chequy of eight azure and Or and gules an arming buckle argent.
The “chequy” pattern above the line of partition refers to the village’s former allegiance to the “Further” County of Sponheim. The lower half of the escutcheon is a reference to the Schmidtburg
Schmidtburg
Schmidtburg is a ruin of a former castle next to Schneppenbach in Germany. The castle was built up in 926, and was destroyed during the War of the Grand Alliance by French troops in 1688.-External links:**...
.
Culture and sightseeing
For its historic village centre and its valley location, locals call Gemünden the “Pearl of the Hunsrück” (Perle des Hunsrücks). Standing above the Simmerbach is Schloss Gemünden, a residential castle still used as a private home today. A good two kilometres south of Gemünden stands the Castle Koppenstein ruin on the Koppensteiner Höhe, a 555 m-high mountaintop in the Soonwald. Five kilometres to the east is the Alteburgturm, a lookout tower on the Alteburg (mountain). Southwest of Gemünden is the Lützelsoon (mountain).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:
- 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...
church, Schloßstraße – tower’s lower floors Late 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,...
, earlier half of the 13th century; Late GothicGothic architectureGothic architecture is a style of architecture that flourished during the high and late medieval period. It evolved from Romanesque architecture and was succeeded by Renaissance architecture....
quire, about 1450; nave and – tower’s upper floors 1905/1906; 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...
monument, after 1822 - Saint PeterSaint PeterSaint Peter or Simon Peter was an early Christian leader, who is featured prominently in the New Testament Gospels and the Acts of the Apostles. The son of John or of Jonah and from the village of Bethsaida in the province of Galilee, his brother Andrew was also an apostle...
’s and Saint Paul’s Catholic Parish Church (Pfarrkirche St. Peter und Paul), Hauptstraße – two-naved hall churchHall churchA hall church is a church with nave and side aisles of approximately equal height, often united under a single immense roof. The term was first coined in the mid-19th century by the pioneering German art historian Wilhelm Lübke....
, mixed Romanesque RevivalRomanesque Revival architectureRomanesque Revival is a style of building employed beginning in the mid 19th century inspired by the 11th and 12th century Romanesque architecture...
and Gothic RevivalGothic Revival architectureThe Gothic Revival is an architectural movement that began in the 1740s in England...
forms, 1899, architect Lambert von Fisenne, GelsenkirchenGelsenkirchenGelsenkirchen is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located in the northern part of the Ruhr area. Its population in 2006 was c. 267,000....
, tower 1900/1901 - Schloss Gemünden, Schloßstraße 20 – older castle house, about 1300 (?), partly in ruins, arcade gallery “new building” mentioned about 1417, extensively restored in 1520, rectangular building with corner towers, after 1689 destruction rebuilt as three-floor building, 1718-1728, Electoral-Trier Court master builder Hans Georg Judas; commercial estate, early 18th century; whole complex of buildings with the Schlossberg (mountain)
- Auf der Hohl – electrical substationElectrical substationA substation is a part of an electrical generation, transmission, and distribution system. Substations transform voltage from high to low, or the reverse, or perform any of several other important functions...
tower; three-floor quarrystone building, marked 1927 - Burgweg 1 – one-floor plastered villa, about 1930
- Hauptstraße 13 – 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...
building house, partly solid, half-hipped roof, about 1700 - Hauptstraße 19/21 – Forellenhof (“Trout Estate”); timber-frame house, partly solid, earlier half of the 18th century
- Hauptstraße 54 – timber-frame house, partly solid, about 1700
- Kaisergrube (monumental zone) – slate mine, in terraces and galleries; site protected by law against digging (Grabungsschutzgebiet)
- Kirchberger Straße 3 – timber-frame house, plastered, partly slated, marked 1721
- Kirchberger Straße 4 – narrow timber-frame house, about 1700, timber-frame addition from the 19th century
- Kirchberger Straße 5 – former inn; timber-frame house, partly solid, half-hipped roof, late 17th or early 18th century
- Kirchberger Straße 7 – timber-frame house, partly solid, about 1700
- Kirchberger Straße 12 – timber-frame house, partly solid, first third of the 18th century
- Kirchberger Straße 13 – timber-frame house, partly solid, hipped mansard roofMansard roofA mansard or mansard roof is a four-sided gambrel-style hip roof characterized by two slopes on each of its sides with the lower slope at a steeper angle than the upper that is punctured by dormer windows. The roof creates an additional floor of habitable space, such as a garret...
, marked 1721 - Kirchberger Straße 15 – timber-frame house, partly solid, plastered, 17th century
- At Kirchberger Straße 17/19 – wooden smithy coat of arms
- Kirchberger Straße 23 – town hall; timber-frame house, partly solid, apparently from 1692/1694, more likely from earlier half of the 18th century
- Kirchberger Straße 25 – timber-frame house, partly solid, plastered, essentially from the 17th century
- Kirchberger Straße 31 – timber-frame house, partly solid, plastered, gatehouse, 18th century; Schüler tomb slab, about 1753
- Raiffeisenstraße 6/8 – 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...
; quarrystone building, mid 19th century, expansion in the latter half of the 19th century - Schloßstraße 4/6 – former BadishBadenBaden 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....
tollhouse; double house, timber-frame bungalow, mansard roof, marked 1719 - JewishJudaismJudaism ) is the "religion, philosophy, and way of life" of the Jewish people...
graveyard (monumental zone) – possibly opened in 1815/1820, 92 grave steles beginning from 1814; 14 gravestones from the early 19th century, last burial in 1970
Regular events
By longstanding tradition, the kermis is held on the last weekend in July and the fire brigade festival on the last weekend in August.Tourism
A 4 km-long geologicalGeology
Geology is the science comprising the study of solid Earth, the rocks of which it is composed, and the processes by which it evolves. Geology gives insight into the history of the Earth, as it provides the primary evidence for plate tectonics, the evolutionary history of life, and past climates...
teaching path begins and ends in Gemünden. Twenty-three mineral groups from the Hunsrück-Nahe region are shown and explained on display boards. On the way, the path comes into contact with the Kaisergrube, the mine opened in 1873, where until 1969 slate
Slate
Slate is a fine-grained, foliated, homogeneous metamorphic rock derived from an original shale-type sedimentary rock composed of clay or volcanic ash through low-grade regional metamorphism. The result is a foliated rock in which the foliation may not correspond to the original sedimentary layering...
was mined. Slate mining began in Gemünden in the early 19th century. On average, 600 t of slate was mined each year, and up to 35 miners were employed.
Gemünden is the starting point of the Schinderhannes
Schinderhannes
Johannes Bückler , nicknamed Schinderhannes, was a German outlaw who orchestrated one of the most fascinating crime sprees in German history. He was born at Miehlen, the son of Johann and Anna Maria Bückler. He began an apprenticeship to a tanner, but turned to petty theft. At 16 he was arrested...
-Soonwald-Radweg (cycle path) to Simmern
Simmern
Simmern is a town of 8,000 inhabitants in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany, the district seat of the Rhein-Hunsrück-Kreis, and the seat of the like-named Verbandsgemeinde...
.
Famous people
- Louis WirthLouis WirthLouis Wirth was an American sociologist and member of the Chicago school of sociology.-Life:Louis Wirth was born in the small village of Gemünden in the Hunsrück, Germany. He was one of seven children born to Rosalie Lorig and Joseph Wirth. Gemünden was a pastoral community, and Joseph Wirth...
(1897-1952), AmericanUnited StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
sociologistSociologySociology is the study of society. It is a social science—a term with which it is sometimes synonymous—which uses various methods of empirical investigation and critical analysis to develop a body of knowledge about human social activity...
(Chicago schoolChicago school (sociology)In sociology and later criminology, the Chicago School was the first major body of works emerging during the 1920s and 1930s specialising in urban sociology, and the research into the urban environment by combining theory and ethnographic fieldwork in Chicago, now applied elsewhere...
) of German-JewishHistory of the Jews in GermanyThe presence of Jews in Germany has been established since the early 4th century. The community prospered under Charlemagne, but suffered during the Crusades...
heritage - Joseph Grohé (1902-1988), Nazi GauleiterGauleiterA Gauleiter was the party leader of a regional branch of the NSDAP or the head of a Gau or of a Reichsgau.-Creation and Early Usage:...
Further reading
- Zwiebelberg, Werner: Das alte Gemünden; Veröffentlichung der landeskundlichen Arbeitsgemeinschaft im Regierungsbezirk Koblenz e. V.; Boppard: Harald Boldt, 1970
- Zwiebelberg, Werner: Die Bürger und Einwohner von Gemünden im Hunsrück: 1360–1800; Hunsrücker Geschichtsverein, Schriftenreihe Nr. 10; 1975