Laufeld
Encyclopedia
Laufeld is an Ortsgemeinde – a municipality
belonging to a Verbandsgemeinde
, a kind of collective municipality – in the Bernkastel-Wittlich
district
in Rhineland-Palatinate
, Germany
.
and belongs to the Verbandsgemeinde of Manderscheid
, whose seat is in the like-named municipality
.
, about 700 BC) took its name from a great burying ground that had been found near Laufeld.
In 1344, King John of Luxembourg acquired from the Abbey of Echternach
the Hof Laufeld (“Laufeld Estate”). Shortly thereafter, this ended up in the ownership of the Counts of Manderscheid. Beginning in 1794, Laufeld lay under French
rule. In 1814 it was assigned to the Kingdom of Prussia
at the Congress of Vienna
. Since 1947, 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 municipality’s arms
might in English heraldic
language be described thus: Per pale azure a churchtower argent with conical roof, door and two windows in pale sable and argent a cross flory gules, in a base Or a fess dancetty of the fourth.
The three charge
s all come from Laufeld’s history. The churchtower on the dexter (armsbearer’s right, viewer’s left) side was part of the only parish church in the County of Manderscheid, and was important as a defensive structure as well. Given its importance, it has found its way into the municipality’s arms. The cross with lilylike ends to its arms (“cross flory”) on the sinister (armsbearer’s left, viewer’s right) side was an heraldic charge borne by the Abbey of Echternach
, once the village’s landlord in the Middle Ages
. The zigzag stripe (“fess dancetty”) in the escutcheon’s base was the heraldic device borne by the Counts of Manderscheid, who held sway here from the 14th century until the French Revolution
.
With approval from the Regierungsbezirk
government in Trier on 2 May 1983, Laufeld was granted the right to bear its own arms.
The Laufeld educational nature path teaches about the forest ecosystem.
There are two commercial areas with 20 firms and more than 500 jobs.
To the east runs the Autobahn A 1.
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 Bernkastel-Wittlich
Bernkastel-Wittlich
Bernkastel-Wittlich is a district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is bounded by the districts of Vulkaneifel, Cochem-Zell, Rhein-Hunsrück, Birkenfeld, Trier-Saarburg and Bitburg-Prüm.- 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...
.
Location
The municipality lies in the EifelEifel
The Eifel is a low mountain range in western Germany and eastern Belgium. It occupies parts of southwestern North Rhine-Westphalia, northwestern Rhineland-Palatinate and the south of the German-speaking Community of Belgium....
and belongs to the Verbandsgemeinde of Manderscheid
Manderscheid (Verbandsgemeinde)
Manderscheid is a Verbandsgemeinde in the district Bernkastel-Wittlich, in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. Its seat of administration is in Manderscheid....
, whose seat is in the like-named municipality
Manderscheid, Bernkastel-Wittlich
Manderscheid is a town in the Bernkastel-Wittlich district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is the seat of the like-named Verbandsgemeinde, and also both a climatic spa and a Kneipp spa.- Location :...
.
History
The “Laufeld Culture” (Hallstatt timesHallstatt culture
The Hallstatt culture was the predominant Central European culture from the 8th to 6th centuries BC , developing out of the Urnfield culture of the 12th century BC and followed in much of Central Europe by the La Tène culture.By the 6th century BC, the Hallstatt culture extended for some...
, about 700 BC) took its name from a great burying ground that had been found near Laufeld.
In 1344, King John of Luxembourg acquired from the Abbey of Echternach
Abbey of Echternach
The Abbey of Echternach is a Benedictine monastery in the town of Echternach, in eastern Luxembourg. The Abbey was founded by St Willibrord, the patron saint of Luxembourg, in the seventh century...
the Hof Laufeld (“Laufeld Estate”). Shortly thereafter, this ended up in the ownership of the Counts of Manderscheid. Beginning in 1794, Laufeld 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 1814 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 1947, 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 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.
Coat of arms
The German blazon reads: Über goldenem Schildfuß mit rotem Sparrenbalken gespalten, vorn in Blau ein silberner Kirchturm mit schwarzem Dach, hinten in Silber ein rotes Lilienkreuz.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 azure a churchtower argent with conical roof, door and two windows in pale sable and argent a cross flory gules, in a base Or a fess dancetty of the fourth.
The three 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 all come from Laufeld’s history. The churchtower on the dexter (armsbearer’s right, viewer’s left) side was part of the only parish church in the County of Manderscheid, and was important as a defensive structure as well. Given its importance, it has found its way into the municipality’s arms. The cross with lilylike ends to its arms (“cross flory”) on the sinister (armsbearer’s left, viewer’s right) side was an heraldic charge borne by the Abbey of Echternach
Abbey of Echternach
The Abbey of Echternach is a Benedictine monastery in the town of Echternach, in eastern Luxembourg. The Abbey was founded by St Willibrord, the patron saint of Luxembourg, in the seventh century...
, once the village’s landlord in the Middle Ages
Middle Ages
The Middle Ages is a periodization of European history from the 5th century to the 15th century. The Middle Ages follows the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 and precedes the Early Modern Era. It is the middle period of a three-period division of Western history: Classic, Medieval and Modern...
. The zigzag stripe (“fess dancetty”) in the escutcheon’s base was the heraldic device borne by the Counts of Manderscheid, who held sway here from the 14th century until the French Revolution
French Revolution
The French Revolution , sometimes distinguished as the 'Great French Revolution' , was a period of radical social and political upheaval in France and Europe. The absolute monarchy that had ruled France for centuries collapsed in three years...
.
With approval from the Regierungsbezirk
Regierungsbezirk
In Germany, a Government District, in German: Regierungsbezirk – is a subdivision of certain federal states .They are above the Kreise, Landkreise, and kreisfreie Städte...
government in Trier on 2 May 1983, Laufeld was granted the right to bear its own arms.
Culture and sightseeing
Worth seeing in Laufeld is the Doll and Toy Museum (Puppen- und Spielzeugmuseum). On display are dolls and playthings from the last 100 years as well as everyday objects from the 1950s.The Laufeld educational nature path teaches about the forest ecosystem.
Economy and infrastructure
Laufeld is a state-recognized recreational municipality (Erholungsort).There are two commercial areas with 20 firms and more than 500 jobs.
To the east runs the Autobahn A 1.