Hintertiefenbach
Encyclopedia
Hintertiefenbach is an Ortsgemeinde – a municipality
belonging to a Verbandsgemeinde
, a kind of collective municipality – in the Birkenfeld
district
in Rhineland-Palatinate
, Germany
. It belongs to the Verbandsgemeinde of Herrstein
, whose seat is in the like-named municipality
.
.
, Göttschied, and Regulshausen (Höhweiler and Ritzenberg) – the last two of which are now outlying centres of Idar-Oberstein
– to the Mettlach Monastery. On 14 October 1560, the monastery sold the four villages to the “Hinder” County of Sponheim
. The village’s name changed over time from the original form to Heredifenbach, Niederdiffenbach, Unterdefenbach and Underdiffenbach.
By 1776, the village belonged to the Margraviate
of Baden
, and in 1783, serfdom
was abolished. Shortly thereafter came the French Revolutionary Wars
and then Napoleonic times, when Hintertiefenbach was grouped into the Mairie (“Mayoralty”) of Fischbach in the canton
of Herrstein under French
rule. After Napoleon’s downfall, the Congress of Vienna
assigned Hintertiefenbach to the Principality of Birkenfeld, an exclave of the Grand Duchy of Oldenburg, most of whose territory was in what is now northwest Germany, with a coastline on the North Sea
.
In 1824, a school system was introduced in the four “abbey municipalities”. In 1879, after the Bürgermeisterei (“Mayoralty”) of Fischbach was dissolved, the village once again belonged to the Amt of Herrstein. A new school was built in 1880. In 1908, watermains
were laid, and in 1913 came electricity
.
In the time of the Third Reich
, after the Reich Law was enacted on 26 January 1937, Hintertiefenbach was transferred from Oldenburg (which then still existed as a territorial unit) to Prussia
(which likewise still existed within Germany) with effect from 1 April 1937.
On 19 March 1945, the village was occupied
by the United States Army
, although by July of the same year, they had yielded their authority to the French
. Since 1946, Hintertiefenbach 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.
might be described thus: Per bend sinister sable an ear of wheat bendwise sinister surmounted by a miner’s lamp, both Or, and chequy gules and argent issuant from base an abbot’s staff of the first.
The two charge
s on the dexter (armsbearer’s right, viewer’s left) side, the miner’s lamp and the ear of wheat, stand for traditional or historical economic mainstays, namely mining and agriculture
respectively. The abbot’s staff recalls Hintertiefenbach’s former membership as one of the “abbey municipalities”, while the “chequy” pattern on the sinister (armsbearer’s left, viewer’s right) side is a reference to the village’s former allegiance to the “Hinder” County of Sponheim
.
41 runs by to the southeast. Serving nearby Weierbach
is a railway station on the Nahe Valley Railway (Bingen
–Saarbrücken
).
mines were opened right near the village at a place that came to be known as the Pulverloch. However, because the copper yield from these mines was not very great, they were eventually shut down. It could be that the name – which means “Powder Hole” in German
– arose from the common practice of calling mineral deposits such a thing, after the gunpowder
used to blast galleries into the rock.
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 Birkenfeld
Birkenfeld (district)
Birkenfeld is a district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is bounded by the districts of Sankt Wendel , Trier-Saarburg, Bernkastel-Wittlich, Rhein-Hunsrück, Bad Kreuznach and Kusel.- 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 Herrstein
Herrstein (Verbandsgemeinde)
Herrstein is a Verbandsgemeinde in the district of Birkenfeld, in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. The seat of the Verbandsgemeinde is in Herrstein....
, whose seat is in the like-named municipality
Herrstein
Herrstein is an Ortsgemeinde – a municipality belonging to a Verbandsgemeinde, a kind of collective municipality – in the Birkenfeld district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany...
.
Location
The municipality lies north of the river Nahe in a basin. Through it flows the like-named river, the Hintertiefenbach, among whose local tributaries are the Gilzbach, the Bach an der Bismarckeiche, the Waldbach and the Edemisbach. The municipal area measures 4.68 km², of which 54.3% is wooded. The municipality’s elevation is 338 m above sea levelSea level
Mean sea level is a measure of the average height of the ocean's surface ; used as a standard in reckoning land elevation...
.
History
In 1338, Hintertiefenbach had its first documentary mention under the name Inredyfinenbach. The village then belonged, along with the other “abbey municipalities”, GerachGerach, Rhineland-Palatinate
Gerach is an Ortsgemeinde – a municipality belonging to a Verbandsgemeinde, a kind of collective municipality – in the Birkenfeld district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany...
, Göttschied, and Regulshausen (Höhweiler and Ritzenberg) – the last two of which are now outlying centres of Idar-Oberstein
Idar-Oberstein
Idar-Oberstein is a town in the Birkenfeld district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. As a Große kreisangehörige Stadt , it assumes some of the responsibilities that for smaller municipalities in the district are assumed by the district administration...
– to the Mettlach Monastery. On 14 October 1560, the monastery sold the four villages to the “Hinder” County of 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...
. The village’s name changed over time from the original form to Heredifenbach, Niederdiffenbach, Unterdefenbach and Underdiffenbach.
By 1776, the village belonged to the Margraviate
Margrave
A margrave or margravine was a medieval hereditary nobleman with military responsibilities in a border province of a kingdom. Border provinces usually had more exposure to military incursions from the outside, compared to interior provinces, and thus a margrave usually had larger and more active...
of 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....
, and in 1783, serfdom
Serfdom
Serfdom is the status of peasants under feudalism, specifically relating to Manorialism. It was a condition of bondage or modified slavery which developed primarily during the High Middle Ages in Europe and lasted to the mid-19th century...
was abolished. Shortly thereafter came the French Revolutionary Wars
French Revolutionary Wars
The French Revolutionary Wars were a series of major conflicts, from 1792 until 1802, fought between the French Revolutionary government and several European states...
and then Napoleonic times, when Hintertiefenbach was grouped into the Mairie (“Mayoralty”) of Fischbach in the canton
Cantons of France
The cantons of France are territorial subdivisions of the French Republic's 342 arrondissements and 101 departments.Apart from their role as organizational units in certain aspects of the administration of public services and justice, the chief purpose of the cantons today is to serve as...
of Herrstein 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. After Napoleon’s downfall, 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,...
assigned Hintertiefenbach to the Principality of Birkenfeld, an exclave of the Grand Duchy of Oldenburg, most of whose territory was in what is now northwest Germany, with a coastline on the North Sea
North Sea
In the southwest, beyond the Straits of Dover, the North Sea becomes the English Channel connecting to the Atlantic Ocean. In the east, it connects to the Baltic Sea via the Skagerrak and Kattegat, narrow straits that separate Denmark from Norway and Sweden respectively...
.
In 1824, a school system was introduced in the four “abbey municipalities”. In 1879, after the Bürgermeisterei (“Mayoralty”) of Fischbach was dissolved, the village once again belonged to the Amt of Herrstein. A new school was built in 1880. In 1908, watermains
Water supply network
A water supply system or water supply network is a system of engineered hydrologic and hydraulic components which provide water supply. A water supply system typically includes:# A drainage basin ;...
were laid, and in 1913 came electricity
Electricity
Electricity is a general term encompassing a variety of phenomena resulting from the presence and flow of electric charge. These include many easily recognizable phenomena, such as lightning, static electricity, and the flow of electrical current in an electrical wire...
.
In the time of the Third 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...
, after the Reich Law was enacted on 26 January 1937, Hintertiefenbach was transferred from Oldenburg (which then still existed as a territorial unit) to 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...
(which likewise still existed within Germany) with effect from 1 April 1937.
On 19 March 1945, the village was occupied
Military occupation
Military occupation occurs when the control and authority over a territory passes to a hostile army. The territory then becomes occupied territory.-Military occupation and the laws of war:...
by the United States Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
, although by July of the same year, they had yielded their authority to the 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...
. Since 1946, Hintertiefenbach 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 8 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
Hintertiefenbach’s mayor since 14 July 1999 has been Alexander Ebels, and his deputies are Gerd Conzelmann and Peter Brust. The mayoralty has since 1949 been held by the following persons:- 1949–1952 Albert Brust
- 1952–1964 Paul Mayer
- 1964–1965 Otto Bernhard
- 1966–1969 Albert Brust
- 1969–1979 Jakob Franzmann
- 1979–1999 Ewald Brust
- 1999– Alexander Ebels
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 bend sinister sable an ear of wheat bendwise sinister surmounted by a miner’s lamp, both Or, and chequy gules and argent issuant from base an abbot’s staff of the first.
The two 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...
s on the dexter (armsbearer’s right, viewer’s left) side, the miner’s lamp and the ear of wheat, stand for traditional or historical economic mainstays, namely mining and 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...
respectively. The abbot’s staff recalls Hintertiefenbach’s former membership as one of the “abbey municipalities”, while the “chequy” pattern on the sinister (armsbearer’s left, viewer’s right) side is a reference to the village’s former allegiance to the “Hinder” County of 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...
.
Clubs
- Fußballverein TUS Hintertiefenbach (football)
- Verschönerungsverein Hintertiefenbach (beautification)
- Gemischter Chor Hintertiefenbach (mixed choirChoirA choir, chorale or chorus is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform.A body of singers who perform together as a group is called a choir or chorus...
) - Freiwillige Feuerwehr Hintertiefenbach (volunteer fire brigade)
Transport
Kreisstraße (District Road) 37 runs through Hintertiefenbach, while BundesstraßeBundesstraße
Bundesstraße , abbreviated B, is the denotation for German and Austrian national highways.-Germany:...
41 runs by to the southeast. Serving nearby Weierbach
Idar-Oberstein
Idar-Oberstein is a town in the Birkenfeld district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. As a Große kreisangehörige Stadt , it assumes some of the responsibilities that for smaller municipalities in the district are assumed by the district administration...
is a railway station on the Nahe Valley Railway (Bingen
Bingen am Rhein
Bingen am Rhein is a town in the Mainz-Bingen district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany.The settlement’s original name was Bingium, a Celtic word that may have meant “hole in the rock”, a description of the shoal behind the Mäuseturm, known as the Binger Loch. Bingen was the starting point for the...
–Saarbrücken
Saarbrücken
Saarbrücken is the capital of the state of Saarland in Germany. The city is situated at the heart of a metropolitan area that borders on the west on Dillingen and to the north-east on Neunkirchen, where most of the people of the Saarland live....
).
Pulverloch
In earlier times, three copperCopper
Copper is a chemical element with the symbol Cu and atomic number 29. It is a ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity. Pure copper is soft and malleable; an exposed surface has a reddish-orange tarnish...
mines were opened right near the village at a place that came to be known as the Pulverloch. However, because the copper yield from these mines was not very great, they were eventually shut down. It could be that the name – which means “Powder Hole” in German
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
– arose from the common practice of calling mineral deposits such a thing, after the gunpowder
Gunpowder
Gunpowder, also known since in the late 19th century as black powder, was the first chemical explosive and the only one known until the mid 1800s. It is a mixture of sulfur, charcoal, and potassium nitrate - with the sulfur and charcoal acting as fuels, while the saltpeter works as an oxidizer...
used to blast galleries into the rock.
Sons and daughters of the town
- Hugo Mayer (1899–1968), CDU politician and Member of the Bundestag
- Kurt Bohr (1947– ), politician in the SaarlandSaarlandSaarland is one of the sixteen states of Germany. The capital is Saarbrücken. It has an area of 2570 km² and 1,045,000 inhabitants. In both area and population, it is the smallest state in Germany other than the city-states...
, sport official