Mürlenbach
Encyclopedia
Mürlenbach is an Ortsgemeinde – a municipality
belonging to a Verbandsgemeinde
, a kind of collective municipality – in the Vulkaneifel district
in Rhineland-Palatinate
, Germany
. It belongs to the Verbandsgemeinde of Gerolstein
, whose seat is in the like-named town
.
, a part of the Eifel
known for its volcanic history, geographical and geological features, and even ongoing activity today, including gases that sometimes well up from the earth.
Mürlenbach lies between the larger towns of Gerolstein
and Bitburg
on the river Kyll
, which flows into the Moselle.
, the Bertradaburg
, is said to be one of Charlemagne
’s possible birthplaces, although this cannot be confirmed. The castle’s existence is only witnessed as far back as the 13th century; however, archaeological
features suggest that there were forerunner buildings to the impressive, but undated, castle complex that still stands nowadays.
In and around Mürlenbach, a series of Roman
and mediaeval
remnants has been found (lesser temple complexes, hoards of coins); these are catalogued in the Trier Rhenish State Museum’s (Rheinisches Landesmuseum Trier) archive. A clue to the village’s importance in late antiquity and the Early Middle Ages
is its favourable location near the old Roman road from Trier
to Cologne
at the junction of a sideroad leading eastwards. These roads were in all likelihood still used at least until the High Middle Ages
.
Whether Mürlenbach belonged to Prüm Abbey
as long ago as the Early Middle Ages, which would have put it close to Carolingian royalty, is something that simply cannot be confirmed. Nonetheless, the village, and the castle, too, did indeed belong to Prüm Abbey in the High Middle Ages, when the castle enjoyed importance both as a border fortification and a safe haven for the Abbey in times of retreat.
When the Abbey was annexed to the Prince-Bishopric of Trier, the castle lost a great deal of its importance beginning in the 16th century, although at first it was further expanded and furnished with artillery bastions. After the Bishopric was secularized
in the Napoleonic Wars
, the castle, which by this time had already partly fallen into disrepair, was sold off to be used as a quarry.
On 21 April 1824, a fire wrought heavy damage. Twenty-four houses, 25 barns and stables and the church were either destroyed or damaged.
As late as the 20th century, both the parish and the municipality stood as a regional centre.
, the overwhelming majority of whom are Roman Catholic. The village has a Catholic church, St. Luzia Kirche (“Saint Lucy’s Church”).
Besides Christians, there were once also Jews
living in Mürlenbach from the mid 19th century until the late 1930s. They numbered 12 in 1885, 8 in 1895, 9 in 1905 and 4 in 1930.
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: Tierced in mantle above fess point, dexter vert a lamb carrying a banner argent, the banner charged with a cross gules, sinister vert a dagger bendwise of the second, in base argent a base wavy azure surmounted by a gatehouse with two towers gules.
The green field tincture
in the upper divisions symbolizes the almost 80% share of the municipal area that is wooded and the charming, rustic location in the Kyll
valley. The Bertradaburg, the local castle – in the local lore held to be Charlemagne
’s birthplace – stands as the main charge
in the arms, reflecting its position as the municipality’s landmark, one that for centuries has been an historically inseparable part of the village.
In the 1997 Festschrift (a celebratory publication), it says: “The castle and the village form together with the Kyll flowing through the valley a oneness.” Thus, the wavy base was included in the arms to symbolize the Kyll
, the Godesbach and the Braunebach, and also to refer to the castle’s history as a moated castle.
The silver lamb refers to the village’s and the castle’s special relationship with Prüm Abbey
. The Abbots of Prüm were, through Bertrada’s
endowment of the monastery, the lords at Mürlenbach and often lived at the castle, until the Electorate of Trier took over ownership. Prüm Abbey bore the Easter Lamb in its arms.
The village’s and the church’s patron saint is Saint Lucy. She was martyr
ed for her beliefs by being stabbed with a dagger, explaining the charge in sinister chief.
on the Kyll and cycling
on a bicycle path along the Kyll. Mürlenbach is a popular tourist destination known for its quaint mediaeval village atmosphere including an mediaeval castle (the Bertradaburg) nestled in the Kyll valley.
–Euskirchen
–Gerolstein
–Trier
. The Eifelbahn rail service between Gerolstein and Trier calls here.
Public transport is integrated into the Verkehrsverbund Region Trier (VRT), whose fares therefore apply.
has been developing and producing process pump
s and sewage
pumping stations since 1960. Among others, the whole pumping facility for the former Berlin Lehrter Stadtbahnhof (railway station) and the environmental pumping technology at the Spangdahlem Air Base
both came from Feluwa.
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 Vulkaneifel 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 Gerolstein
Gerolstein (Verbandsgemeinde)
Gerolstein is a Verbandsgemeinde in the district Vulkaneifel, in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. The seat of the Verbandsgemeinde is in Gerolstein....
, whose seat is in the like-named town
Gerolstein
Gerolstein is a town in the Vulkaneifel district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is the seat of the like-named Verbandsgemeinde. Gerolstein is headquarters to a large mineral water firm, Gerolsteiner Brunnen...
.
Location
The municipality lies in the VulkaneifelVulkan Eifel
The Vulkan Eifel is a region in the Eifel Mountains in Germany, that is defined to a large extent by its volcanic geological history. Characteristic of the Vulkan Eifel are its typical explosion crater lakes or maars, and numerous other signs of volcanic activity such as volcanic tuffs, lava...
, a part of the Eifel
Eifel
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....
known for its volcanic history, geographical and geological features, and even ongoing activity today, including gases that sometimes well up from the earth.
Mürlenbach lies between the larger towns of Gerolstein
Gerolstein
Gerolstein is a town in the Vulkaneifel district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is the seat of the like-named Verbandsgemeinde. Gerolstein is headquarters to a large mineral water firm, Gerolsteiner Brunnen...
and Bitburg
Bitburg
Bitburg It is situated approx. 25 km north-west of Trier, and 50 km north-east of Luxembourg . One American airbase, Spangdahlem Air Base, is located nearby.-History:...
on the river Kyll
Kyll
The Kyll , noted by the Roman poet Ausonius as Celbis, is a 142km long river in western Germany , left tributary of the Moselle. It rises in the Eifel mountains, near the border with Belgium and flows generally south through the towns Stadtkyll, Gerolstein, Kyllburg and east of Bitburg...
, which flows into the Moselle.
History
The castleCastle
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...
, the Bertradaburg
Bertrada of Laon
Bertrada of Laon, also called Bertha Broadfoot , was a Frankish queen.- Biography :...
, is said to be one of Charlemagne
Charlemagne
Charlemagne was King of the Franks from 768 and Emperor of the Romans from 800 to his death in 814. He expanded the Frankish kingdom into an empire that incorporated much of Western and Central Europe. During his reign, he conquered Italy and was crowned by Pope Leo III on 25 December 800...
’s possible birthplaces, although this cannot be confirmed. The castle’s existence is only witnessed as far back as the 13th century; however, archaeological
Archaeology
Archaeology, or archeology , is the study of human society, primarily through the recovery and analysis of the material culture and environmental data that they have left behind, which includes artifacts, architecture, biofacts and cultural landscapes...
features suggest that there were forerunner buildings to the impressive, but undated, castle complex that still stands nowadays.
In and around Mürlenbach, a series of Roman
Ancient Rome
Ancient Rome was a thriving civilization that grew on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 8th century BC. Located along the Mediterranean Sea and centered on the city of Rome, it expanded to one of the largest empires in the ancient world....
and mediaeval
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...
remnants has been found (lesser temple complexes, hoards of coins); these are catalogued in the Trier Rhenish State Museum’s (Rheinisches Landesmuseum Trier) archive. A clue to the village’s importance in late antiquity and the Early Middle Ages
Early Middle Ages
The Early Middle Ages was the period of European history lasting from the 5th century to approximately 1000. The Early Middle Ages followed the decline of the Western Roman Empire and preceded the High Middle Ages...
is its favourable location near the old Roman road from Trier
Trier
Trier, historically called in English Treves is a city in Germany on the banks of the Moselle. It is the oldest city in Germany, founded in or before 16 BC....
to 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...
at the junction of a sideroad leading eastwards. These roads were in all likelihood still used at least until the High Middle Ages
High Middle Ages
The High Middle Ages was the period of European history around the 11th, 12th, and 13th centuries . The High Middle Ages were preceded by the Early Middle Ages and followed by the Late Middle Ages, which by convention end around 1500....
.
Whether Mürlenbach belonged to Prüm Abbey
Prüm Abbey
Prüm Abbey is a former Benedictine abbey in Prüm/Lorraine, now in the diocese of Trier , founded by a Frankish widow Bertrada, and her son Charibert, count of Laon, on 23 June 720. The first abbot was Angloardus....
as long ago as the Early Middle Ages, which would have put it close to Carolingian royalty, is something that simply cannot be confirmed. Nonetheless, the village, and the castle, too, did indeed belong to Prüm Abbey in the High Middle Ages, when the castle enjoyed importance both as a border fortification and a safe haven for the Abbey in times of retreat.
When the Abbey was annexed to the Prince-Bishopric of Trier, the castle lost a great deal of its importance beginning in the 16th century, although at first it was further expanded and furnished with artillery bastions. After the Bishopric was secularized
Secularization
Secularization is the transformation of a society from close identification with religious values and institutions toward non-religious values and secular institutions...
in the Napoleonic Wars
Napoleonic Wars
The Napoleonic Wars were a series of wars declared against Napoleon's French Empire by opposing coalitions that ran from 1803 to 1815. As a continuation of the wars sparked by the French Revolution of 1789, they revolutionised European armies and played out on an unprecedented scale, mainly due to...
, the castle, which by this time had already partly fallen into disrepair, was sold off to be used as a quarry.
On 21 April 1824, a fire wrought heavy damage. Twenty-four houses, 25 barns and stables and the church were either destroyed or damaged.
As late as the 20th century, both the parish and the municipality stood as a regional centre.
Religion
Most of Mürlenbach’s inhabitants are ChristianChristianity
Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...
, the overwhelming majority of whom are Roman Catholic. The village has a Catholic church, St. Luzia Kirche (“Saint Lucy’s Church”).
Besides Christians, there were once also Jews
Judaism
Judaism ) is the "religion, philosophy, and way of life" of the Jewish people...
living in Mürlenbach from the mid 19th century until the late 1930s. They numbered 12 in 1885, 8 in 1895, 9 in 1905 and 4 in 1930.
Municipal council
The council is made up of 12 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:
| 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 | 8 | 4 | 12 seats |
| 2004 | 9 | 3 | 12 seats |
Mayor
Mürlenbach’s mayor is Christoph Hacken, and his deputies are Rainer Becker and Ewald Weidig.Coat of arms
The German blazon reads: In Grün eine erhöhte, eingebogene, silberne Spitze, darin ein rotes Torhaus mit zwei Türmen, einen blauen Wellenschildfuß teilweise überdeckend. Vorne ein silbernes Lamm mit Fahne, darin ein rotes Kreuz, hinten ein links gewendeter silberner Dolch.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: Tierced in mantle above fess point, dexter vert a lamb carrying a banner argent, the banner charged with a cross gules, sinister vert a dagger bendwise of the second, in base argent a base wavy azure surmounted by a gatehouse with two towers gules.
The green field tincture
Tincture (heraldry)
In heraldry, tinctures are the colours used to emblazon a coat of arms. These can be divided into several categories including light tinctures called metals, dark tinctures called colours, nonstandard colours called stains, furs, and "proper". A charge tinctured proper is coloured as it would be...
in the upper divisions symbolizes the almost 80% share of the municipal area that is wooded and the charming, rustic location in the Kyll
Kyll
The Kyll , noted by the Roman poet Ausonius as Celbis, is a 142km long river in western Germany , left tributary of the Moselle. It rises in the Eifel mountains, near the border with Belgium and flows generally south through the towns Stadtkyll, Gerolstein, Kyllburg and east of Bitburg...
valley. The Bertradaburg, the local castle – in the local lore held to be Charlemagne
Charlemagne
Charlemagne was King of the Franks from 768 and Emperor of the Romans from 800 to his death in 814. He expanded the Frankish kingdom into an empire that incorporated much of Western and Central Europe. During his reign, he conquered Italy and was crowned by Pope Leo III on 25 December 800...
’s birthplace – stands as the main 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...
in the arms, reflecting its position as the municipality’s landmark, one that for centuries has been an historically inseparable part of the village.
In the 1997 Festschrift (a celebratory publication), it says: “The castle and the village form together with the Kyll flowing through the valley a oneness.” Thus, the wavy base was included in the arms to symbolize the Kyll
Kyll
The Kyll , noted by the Roman poet Ausonius as Celbis, is a 142km long river in western Germany , left tributary of the Moselle. It rises in the Eifel mountains, near the border with Belgium and flows generally south through the towns Stadtkyll, Gerolstein, Kyllburg and east of Bitburg...
, the Godesbach and the Braunebach, and also to refer to the castle’s history as a moated castle.
The silver lamb refers to the village’s and the castle’s special relationship with Prüm Abbey
Prüm Abbey
Prüm Abbey is a former Benedictine abbey in Prüm/Lorraine, now in the diocese of Trier , founded by a Frankish widow Bertrada, and her son Charibert, count of Laon, on 23 June 720. The first abbot was Angloardus....
. The Abbots of Prüm were, through Bertrada’s
Bertrada of Laon
Bertrada of Laon, also called Bertha Broadfoot , was a Frankish queen.- Biography :...
endowment of the monastery, the lords at Mürlenbach and often lived at the castle, until the Electorate of Trier took over ownership. Prüm Abbey bore the Easter Lamb in its arms.
The village’s and the church’s patron saint is Saint Lucy. She was martyr
Martyr
A martyr is somebody who suffers persecution and death for refusing to renounce, or accept, a belief or cause, usually religious.-Meaning:...
ed for her beliefs by being stabbed with a dagger, explaining the charge in sinister chief.
Buildings
- Bertradaburg (castle) and castle wall (monumental zone), mediaevalMiddle AgesThe 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...
hilltop castle with living quarters, gatehouse and horseshoe-shaped bastions; first mentioned in the 14th century, today a ruin; gatehouse still preserved with two flanking round towers, under the modern house is the cellar of a former hall, remnants of two bastions, about 1589. - Saint Lucy’s Catholic Parish Church (Pfarrkirche St. Lucia), Birresborner Straße, BaroqueBaroque architectureBaroque architecture is a term used to describe the building style of the Baroque era, begun in late sixteenth century Italy, that took the Roman vocabulary of Renaissance architecture and used it in a new rhetorical and theatrical fashion, often to express the triumph of the Catholic Church and...
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...
integrated into a newer Baroque Revival, three-naved building, 1923–1924; shaft cross from 1756. - Alte Straße 11 – estate complex, plastered building possibly from early 19th century, commercial buildings, some built onto the main building, others freestanding, old cobbles in the yard.
- Bahnhof - Site of the main train station and now defunct world famous restaurant; Kathe Gobel's
- Burgring 8 – so-called Old Castle House (Altes Burghaus) on high basement, quarrystone, partly plastered.
- Hardter Weg 2 – three-floor house with narrow porch, from 1768, well pump from 1765.
- Im Mühlenpesch 3 – BaroqueBaroque architectureBaroque architecture is a term used to describe the building style of the Baroque era, begun in late sixteenth century Italy, that took the Roman vocabulary of Renaissance architecture and used it in a new rhetorical and theatrical fashion, often to express the triumph of the Catholic Church and...
entrance with fanlight from 1746. - Meisburger Straße 4 – former rectory (?), representative Baroque house, apparently from 1762, side building, whole complex.
- Schönecker Straße 1 – Baroque building with windows with segmental arches, outwardly altered with additions, inside some features of the architectural period preserved.
- Schönecker Straße 7 – estate along street (former mill?), 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, partly solid, mid 19th century (?). - Schönecker Straße/corner of Am Remelsbach – wayside cross, shaft cross from 1671, surmounting cross late 19th or early 20th century.
- Grindelborn, southeast of the village on the road to SalmSalm, GermanySalm is an Ortsgemeinde – a municipality belonging to a Verbandsgemeinde, a kind of collective municipality – in the Vulkaneifel district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany...
– estate complex, country house style, about 1910 or 1920. - Weißenseifen 8 – Quereinhaus (a combination residential and commercial house divided for these two purposes down the middle, perpendicularly to the street) from 1835, old cobbles in the yard.
- Wayside cross, west of the village in the woods on the way to Weißenseifen, wooden beam cross from 1882.
- Wayside cross, southeast of the village in the woods, 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,...
beam cross from 1666 - Wayside cross, southeast of the village on the road to Salm, red sandstone shaft cross from 1671.
- Wayside cross, northeast of the village on the way to Hardt, shaft cross from 1768.
- Wayside cross, west of the village on the way to Weißenseifen, on the Prümer Berg (mountain), pedestal cross from 1843.
Sport and leisure
Recreation includes flyfishing and kayakingKayaking
Kayaking is the use of a kayak for moving across water. Kayaking and canoeing are also known as paddling. Kayaking is distinguished from canoeing by the sitting position of the paddler and the number of blades on the paddle...
on the Kyll and cycling
Cycling
Cycling, also called bicycling or biking, is the use of bicycles for transport, recreation, or for sport. Persons engaged in cycling are cyclists or bicyclists...
on a bicycle path along the Kyll. Mürlenbach is a popular tourist destination known for its quaint mediaeval village atmosphere including an mediaeval castle (the Bertradaburg) nestled in the Kyll valley.
Transport
The stop Mürlenbach lies on the Eifelstrecke (railway) running the route CologneCologne
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...
–Euskirchen
Euskirchen
Euskirchen is a town in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, capital of the district Euskirchen. While Euskirchen resembles a modern shopping town, it also has a history dating back over 700 years, having been granted town-status in 1302....
–Gerolstein
Gerolstein
Gerolstein is a town in the Vulkaneifel district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is the seat of the like-named Verbandsgemeinde. Gerolstein is headquarters to a large mineral water firm, Gerolsteiner Brunnen...
–Trier
Trier
Trier, historically called in English Treves is a city in Germany on the banks of the Moselle. It is the oldest city in Germany, founded in or before 16 BC....
. The Eifelbahn rail service between Gerolstein and Trier calls here.
Public transport is integrated into the Verkehrsverbund Region Trier (VRT), whose fares therefore apply.
Established businesses
In Mürlenbach the firm Feluwa Pumpen GmbHGesellschaft mit beschränkter Haftung
Gesellschaft mit beschränkter Haftung is a type of legal entityvery common in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, and other Central European countries...
has been developing and producing process pump
Pump
A pump is a device used to move fluids, such as liquids, gases or slurries.A pump displaces a volume by physical or mechanical action. Pumps fall into three major groups: direct lift, displacement, and gravity pumps...
s and sewage
Sewage
Sewage is water-carried waste, in solution or suspension, that is intended to be removed from a community. Also known as wastewater, it is more than 99% water and is characterized by volume or rate of flow, physical condition, chemical constituents and the bacteriological organisms that it contains...
pumping stations since 1960. Among others, the whole pumping facility for the former Berlin Lehrter Stadtbahnhof (railway station) and the environmental pumping technology at the Spangdahlem Air Base
Spangdahlem Air Base
Spangdahlem Air Base is a United States Air Force base located near the small German town of Spangdahlem, approximately 30 km NNE of the city of Trier, Rhineland-Palatinate.-Units:...
both came from Feluwa.