Klotten
Encyclopedia
Klotten is a winemaking centre and an Ortsgemeinde – a municipality
belonging to a Verbandsgemeinde
, a kind of collective municipality – in the Cochem-Zell
district
in Rhineland-Palatinate
, Germany
. It belongs to the Verbandsgemeinde of Cochem, whose seat is in the like-named town
.
slopes. Vineyards in Klotten include Burg Coraidelstein, Brauneberg and Rosenberg.
queen Richeza, Count Palatine Ezzo’s daughter and Emperor Otto II’s
granddaughter, quite probably stayed with her three children between 1040 and 1049 in Klotten, where she had herself built a chapel
(Nikolauskirche, or Saint Nicholas
’s Church) and a dwelling tower, which was linked by a bridge to the chapel. Upon her death on 21 March 1063, she bequeathed all that she owned to the Brauweiler Benedictine
Abbey near Cologne
. Her sarcophagus
stands today in Cologne Cathedral
, to the left below the High Altar, the “Epiphany Shrine”.
Electoral-Trier overlordship ended with the French Revolutionary occupation
of the Rhine’s left bank between 1794 and 1796. In 1814 Klotten 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
.
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 argent issuant from base a gate tower embattled of three gules with three windows and gate of the field, and azure issuant from base a bishop’s staff sinister Or surmounted in base by a bendlet sinister wavy of the first.
The arms were designed by Decku of Sankt Wendel
and A. Friderichs of Zell
.
, Nord, France
since 1972
’s Directory of Cultural Monuments:
Since 2002, Saint Maximin’s Church has housed a reliquary
of Polish queen Richeza.
Auflage, Heft 120, 1980.
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 Cochem-Zell
Cochem-Zell
Cochem-Zell is a district in the north-west of Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. Neighboring districts are Mayen-Koblenz, Rhein-Hunsrück, Bernkastel-Wittlich, and Vulkaneifel.- 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 Cochem, whose seat is in the like-named town
Cochem
Cochem is the seat of and the biggest place in the Cochem-Zell district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. With just under 5,000 inhabitants, Cochem falls just behind Kusel, in the like-named district, as Germany's second smallest district seat...
.
Location
The municipality lies on the river Moselle and is surrounded by steep slateSlate
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...
slopes. Vineyards in Klotten include Burg Coraidelstein, Brauneberg and Rosenberg.
History
In 698, Klotten had its first documentary mention. The PolishPoland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
queen Richeza, Count Palatine Ezzo’s daughter and Emperor Otto II’s
Otto II, Holy Roman Emperor
Otto II , called the Red, was the third ruler of the Saxon or Ottonian dynasty, the son of Otto the Great and Adelaide of Italy.-Early years and co-ruler with Otto I:...
granddaughter, quite probably stayed with her three children between 1040 and 1049 in Klotten, where she had herself built a chapel
Chapel
A chapel is a building used by Christians as a place of fellowship and worship. It may be part of a larger structure or complex, such as a church, college, hospital, palace, prison or funeral home, located on board a military or commercial ship, or it may be an entirely free-standing building,...
(Nikolauskirche, or Saint Nicholas
Saint Nicholas
Saint Nicholas , also called Nikolaos of Myra, was a historic 4th-century saint and Greek Bishop of Myra . Because of the many miracles attributed to his intercession, he is also known as Nikolaos the Wonderworker...
’s Church) and a dwelling tower, which was linked by a bridge to the chapel. Upon her death on 21 March 1063, she bequeathed all that she owned to the Brauweiler Benedictine
Benedictine
Benedictine refers to the spirituality and consecrated life in accordance with the Rule of St Benedict, written by Benedict of Nursia in the sixth century for the cenobitic communities he founded in central Italy. The most notable of these is Monte Cassino, the first monastery founded by Benedict...
Abbey near Cologne
Cologne
Cologne is Germany's fourth-largest city , and is the largest city both in the Germany Federal State of North Rhine-Westphalia and within the Rhine-Ruhr Metropolitan Area, one of the major European metropolitan areas with more than ten million inhabitants.Cologne is located on both sides of the...
. Her sarcophagus
Sarcophagus
A sarcophagus is a funeral receptacle for a corpse, most commonly carved or cut from stone. The word "sarcophagus" comes from the Greek σαρξ sarx meaning "flesh", and φαγειν phagein meaning "to eat", hence sarkophagus means "flesh-eating"; from the phrase lithos sarkophagos...
stands today in Cologne Cathedral
Cologne Cathedral
Cologne Cathedral is a Roman Catholic church in Cologne, Germany. It is the seat of the Archbishop of Cologne and the administration of the Archdiocese of Cologne. It is renowned monument of German Catholicism and Gothic architecture and is a World Heritage Site...
, to the left below the High Altar, the “Epiphany Shrine”.
Electoral-Trier overlordship ended with the French Revolutionary occupation
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...
of the Rhine’s left bank between 1794 and 1796. In 1814 Klotten 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 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 Free Voters Free 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... |
Total | |
| 2009 | 1 | 6 | 9 | 16 seats |
| 2004 | 2 | 5 | 9 | 16 seats |
Mayor
Klotten’s mayor is Hans Gerd Loosen, and his deputies are Hubert Blümmert and Dieter Lürtzener.Coat of arms
The German blazon reads: Von Silber und Blau gespalten. Vorn in Silber ein roter Torturm mit 3 Zinnen, offenem Tor und 3 (2:1) offenen Fenstern. In Blau ein aus dem Schildfuß wachsender goldener Bischofsstab mit Krümme nach außen, darunter im Schildfuß ein schräglinkes, silbernes Wellenbad.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 argent issuant from base a gate tower embattled of three gules with three windows and gate of the field, and azure issuant from base a bishop’s staff sinister Or surmounted in base by a bendlet sinister wavy of the first.
The arms were designed by Decku of Sankt Wendel
Sankt Wendel
St. Wendel is a municipality in northeastern Saarland. It is situated on the river Blies 36 km northeast of Saarbrücken, the capital of Saarland, and is named after Saint Wendelin of Trier.- Geography :...
and A. Friderichs of Zell
Zell (Mosel)
Zell is a town in the Cochem-Zell district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. Zell has roughly 4,300 inhabitants and is the seat of the like-named Verbandsgemeinde.-Location:...
.
Town partnerships
Klotten fosters partnerships with the following places: BerlaimontBerlaimont
Berlaimont is a commune in the Nord department in northern France.-Heraldry:-References:*...
, Nord, France
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 1972
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:
- Burg Coraidelstein (monumental zone) – castleCastleA 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...
apparently founded by Count Palatine Herman I (last mentioned in 996), important expansion in 1338, “new structure on the fortifications at Klotten” built in 1545, never destroyed, sold for demolition in 1830; still preserved: essentially 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,...
keepKeepA keep is a type of fortified tower built within castles during the Middle Ages by European nobility. Scholars have debated the scope of the word keep, but usually consider it to refer to large towers in castles that were fortified residences, used as a refuge of last resort should the rest of the...
with 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....
casing, castle house with round tower, side building (in the southeast a manor house built in 1543-1547 with remnants of three round towers), villa from the 1950s - Am Mühlenberg – wayside chapelChapelA chapel is a building used by Christians as a place of fellowship and worship. It may be part of a larger structure or complex, such as a church, college, hospital, palace, prison or funeral home, located on board a military or commercial ship, or it may be an entirely free-standing building,...
, 17th century; niche cross, 17th century; basaltBasaltBasalt is a common extrusive volcanic rock. It is usually grey to black and fine-grained due to rapid cooling of lava at the surface of a planet. It may be porphyritic containing larger crystals in a fine matrix, or vesicular, or frothy scoria. Unweathered basalt is black or grey...
wayside cross, from 1683 - Bahnhofstraße – railway station; one-floor quarrystone building, partly timber-frame, early 20th century
- Bahnhofstraße 6 – 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, plastered and slated, half-hipped roof, 16th century - Bahnhofstraße 9 – timber-frame house, partly solid, balloon frame, 16th century
- Bahnhoftstraße 13 – wayside cross; niche cross, from 1646
- Brauweiler Platz – stone with abbot’s staff
- Across the street from Fahrstraße 8 – relief, stone with abbot’s staff
- Fahrstraße 8 – Gothic solid building, 16th century, back wall partly timber-frame
- Hauptstraße 19 – Gothic RevivalGothic Revival architectureThe Gothic Revival is an architectural movement that began in the 1740s in England...
chapel, 19th century - Hauptstraße 26 – 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, from 1907 - Hauptstraße 56 – sculpture of Saint Nicholas, 19th century
- Hauptstraße 69 – three-floor timber-frame house, partly solid, from 1588
- Hauptstraße 72 – timber-frame house, partly solid, plastered, about 1600
- Hauptstraße 75 – former Malmedyer Hof, manor of Brauweiler Abbey; three-floor timber-frame house, partly solid, 16th century, spire lightSpire lightSpire light , the term given to the windows in a spire which are found in all periods of English Gothic architecture, and in French spires form a very important feature in the composition....
from the 19th century - Hauptstraße 80 – timber-frame house, partly solid, from 1632; hearth heating plate, 18th century
- Hauptstraße 89/91 – quarrystone double house, from 1896
- Hauptstraße 101 – three-floor timber-frame house, from 1545
- Hauptstraße 102/103 – three-floor timber-frame house, partly solid, from 1545; fountain, from 1463 (or 1863 – inscription unclear)
- Hauptstraße 104 – three-floor timber-frame house, partly solid, plastered, half-hipped roof, from 1583, 1585 and 1664
- Hohlstraße 4 – timber-frame house, partly solid or sided, possibly from the 16th or 17th century
- Hohlstraße 20 – Moselle winemaker’s house; quarrystone building, 19th century
- Hohlstraße/corner of Schulstraße – handpump, 19th century
- Kernstraße/corner of Hauptstraße – wayside cross, from 1772
- Martinstraße 3 – portal, from 1776
- Mittelstraße – BildstockBildstockA wayside shrine, is a religious image, usually in some sort of small shelter, placed by a road or pathway, sometimes in a settlement or at a crossroads, but often in the middle of an empty stretch of country road, or at the top of a hill or mountain. They have been a feature of many cultures,...
; solid, plastered, roughly 2.5 m tall, big niche, about 1800 - Mittelstraße 48 – timber-frame house, plastered, 17th century
- Mittelstraße 52 – Moselle winemaker’s house; big quarrystone building, from 1871
- Mittelstraße 57 – three-floor timber-frame house, partly solid, plastered and slated, from 1621
- Mittelstraße 58 – timber-frame house, partly solid, half-hipped roof, 16th or 17th century
- Moselstraße – wayside chapel; grave cross fragment; wayside cross, from 1698
- Moselstraße 6 – quarrystone Moselle winemaker’s house, about 1850
- Moselstraße 11 – winemaker’s villa; three-floor quarrystone building with half-hipped roof
- Moselstraße 16 – winemaking estate; big quarrystone building, 19th century
- Obere Kirchstraße – wayside cross, from 1809
- Obere Kirchstraße – sandstoneSandstoneSandstone is a sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized minerals or rock grains.Most sandstone is composed of quartz and/or feldspar because these are the most common minerals in the Earth's crust. Like sand, sandstone may be any colour, but the most common colours are tan, brown, yellow,...
wayside cross; 17th/18th century - Obere Kirchstraße 6 – two-winged timber-frame house; three-floor part, balloon frame, from 1524, two-floor part, 17th century
- Obere Kirchstraße 15 – former rectory; three-floor timber-frame house, partly solid, 17th century; plastered building, partly timber-frame, built onto it, 1901
- Obere Kirchstraße 16 – Alte Post; Late HistoricistHistoricism (art)Historicism refers to artistic styles that draw their inspiration from copying historic styles or artisans. After neo-classicism, which could itself be considered a historicist movement, the 19th century saw a new historicist phase marked by a return to a more ancient classicism, in particular in...
plastered building, sided, about 1900 - Obere Kirchstraße/corner of Brühlstraße – wayside chapel, 19th century; niche cross, from 1599
- Reuschelstraße 6/7 – two timber-frame houses, partly solid, about 1700, shed; whole complex
- Schulstraße – Saint Maximin’sMaximin of TrierSaint Maximin was the fifth bishop of Trier, according to the list provided by the diocese's website, taking his seat in 341/342...
Catholic Parish Church (Pfarrkirche St. Maximin); Romanesque west tower, built higher in 1564, originally twin-naved, south chapel from the 16th century, in 1868 remodelled into an entrance hall while nave was expanded into a three-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....
; bronze door boss, 12th century; at the graveyard 42 grave crosses, earliest from 1507; tomb, 19th century; Late Gothic stone cross, earlier half of the 15th century; warriors’ memorial; CrucifixionCrucifixion of JesusThe crucifixion of Jesus and his ensuing death is an event that occurred during the 1st century AD. Jesus, who Christians believe is the Son of God as well as the Messiah, was arrested, tried, and sentenced by Pontius Pilate to be scourged, and finally executed on a cross...
group, 19th century; whole complex with old graveyard and rectory - Schulstraße – wayside cross, from 1657
- Schulstraße 3 – former tithing house; quarrystone building, partly timber-frame, 18th century
- Schulstraße 4 – door lintel with engravings, about 1050
- JewishJudaismJudaism ) is the "religion, philosophy, and way of life" of the Jewish people...
graveyard – 14 gravestones, oldest from 1878 - Chapel with Way of the Cross – aisleless churchAisleless churchAn Aisleless church is a single-nave church building that consists of a single hall-like room. While similar to the hall church, the aisleless church lacks aisles or passageways either side of the nave separated from the nave by colonnades or arcades, a row of pillars or columns...
with timber-frame porch; two crosses, from 1637 and 1679; grave cross, 18th century; Way of the Cross, steles with reliefs, late 19th or early 20th century - Kavelocherhof – chapel with relief, TrinityTrinityThe Christian doctrine of the Trinity defines God as three divine persons : the Father, the Son , and the Holy Spirit. The three persons are distinct yet coexist in unity, and are co-equal, co-eternal and consubstantial . Put another way, the three persons of the Trinity are of one being...
relief, 18th century - Way of the Cross – steles with reliefs
- Northwest of Klotten – wayside crosses, niche cross, from 1652; two cross fragments
- Above Klotten – Seitskapelle; vineyard chapel, two-part building; Gothic Revival Christ figure
- Below the castle – Way of the Cross, reliefs, 20th century
Since 2002, Saint Maximin’s Church has housed a reliquary
Reliquary
A reliquary is a container for relics. These may be the physical remains of saints, such as bones, pieces of clothing, or some object associated with saints or other religious figures...
of Polish queen Richeza.
Other sites
Nearby on the Moselle heights is found the Klotten Wilderness and Leisure Park (Wild- und Freizeitpark Klotten). Also worth seeing is the Dortebachtal Nature Conservation Area (Naturschutzgebiet Dortebachtal).Further reading
- Alfons Friderichs: Auf den Spuren der Polenköniging Richeza in Klotten, in: Begegnung mit Polen, Düsseldorf 1968, 9/12.
- Alfons Friderichs, Karl Josef Gilles: Klotten und Burg Coraidelstein. In: Rheinische Kunststätten, Heft 8, 1969, veränderte
Auflage, Heft 120, 1980.
- Alfons Friderichs: Klotten und seine Geschichte. In: Schriftreihe der Ortchroniken des Trierer Landes, Bd. 29, Briedel 1997.
- Alfons Friderichs, Wappenbuch des Kreises Cochem-Zell, Darmstadt 2001, Ortsgemeinde Klotten 50/1.
- Alfons Friderichs, Persönlichkeiten des Kreises Cochem-Zell, Trier 2004, "von Clotten" 71/76.
- Alfons Friderichs, Urkundenbuch des Kreises Cochem-Zell, Trier 2008, Klotten 237/73.