Niederhambach
Encyclopedia
Niederhambach 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 Birkenfeld
, whose seat is in the like-named town
.
, roughly 6 km northeast of Birkenfeld.
finds from pre-Roman times have been made. In another area, the “Beel”, two sandstone
lions from a Roman
tomb were unearthed. They can now be found at the Birkenfeld Museum. On the path over the Böschweiler Höhe (heights) on the way to Wilzenberg
, bronze
rings from about 1000-500 BC were found in two barrows
.
Standing in Böschweiler was a complex known as the Widdemhof, which belonged to the Brombach priest. It was made up of two buildings. Before the Reformation
, the estate had to make payments to the priest. The local lore has it that the Widdemhof was once a monastery
. Whether this is true or not, the Widdem, as it is called, is under church ownership to this day.
In 1338, Burbach had its first documentary mention. Count Johann III
of Sponheim
enfeoffed Prince-Archbishop-Elector Baldwin of Trier with his holdings at Burbach, whereupon he accepted from Baldwin the whole village as a fief. Johann III was the audacious Countess Lauretta’s son.
In the 14th century, the Oberstein church owned a farm within Burbach’s limits. Böschweiler’s first documentary mention came in 1438.
The Salingshof was built by Lord Saling from Oberstein
after he had earned money from building the Nahe Valley Railway and had bought land from what was then the self-administering municipality of Burbach. Lord Saling later sold this estate to Lord Scherer from Brücken
who, having just come back from the United States
, was used to a life of solitude. The family later gave this up and moved to Rimsberg
.
Downstream from Burbach, on the Hambach’s left bank, once lay a village called Klaffweiler, which is believed to have been devoid of any inhabitants by 1438. Its land was divided between Burbach and Brombach. At the turn of the 20th century, a bark mill stood downstream from Heupweiler, while in Böschweiler, a thriving tannery
supplied the local farmers with sole leather.
The current municipality of Niederhambach came into being on 1 October 1933 through the merger of Böschweiler and Heupweiler. This was a result of a bill passed by the Free State of Oldenburg for the purpose of simplifying administration.
Flurbereinigung
began even before Oldenburg was merged with Prussia
in 1937, but the new Prussian administration delayed the project, and then the outbreak of the Second World War brought the whole endeavour to an end, at least for a while. The project was finally completed in 1955. A steady rise in the number of workers moving into other sectors of the economy, however, has led to a shift in Niederhambach’s economy away from agriculture
.
In 2000, a new building area was opened up in Böschweiler, and nine new houses have been built there.
Niederhambach participates in the project Unser Dorf hat Zukunft (“Our village has a future”), and has placed first in the main class.
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: Vert an image of the sculpture of a lion, the head turned to sinister and a ram’s head between his forepaws, all Or, the chief countercompony gules and argent.
The chief
is a reference to the villages’ former allegiance to the “Hinder” County of Sponheim
, which bore arms chequy gules and argent. Böschweiler, Burbach and Heupweiler were in the Sponheim Oberamt of Birkenfeld. The field tincture
, vert (green), stands for the agriculture in the municipality. The charge
on the green field refers to two such sandstone sculptures unearthed within the municipality’s limits on the “Beel”.
The arms have been borne since 1965.
, Vosges
, France
, a commune
in Lorraine
’s Directory of Cultural Monuments:
41, which towards the south leads to the Autobahn A 62
(Kaiserslautern
–Trier
). Serving nearby Kronweiler
is a railway station on the Nahe Valley Railway (Bingen
–Saarbrücken
).
to jobs in nearby towns and villages.
s.
in Idar-Oberstein or the modern-languages Gymnasium
in Birkenfeld. The local kindergarten
is in Niederbrombach
, and offers all-day care.
speciality and beekeeping
business, an energy system and solar technology business and a health food store
.
There are two inn
s in Niederhambach.
The number of agricultural operations, including those run as secondary businesses, is 5, although there are also 6 hobby farm
ers.
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 Birkenfeld
Birkenfeld (Verbandsgemeinde)
Birkenfeld is a Verbandsgemeinde in the district of Birkenfeld, in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. The seat of the Verbandsgemeinde is in Birkenfeld....
, whose seat is in the like-named town
Birkenfeld
Birkenfeld is a town and the district seat of the Birkenfeld district in southwest Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is also the seat of the like-named Verbandsgemeinde.-Location:...
.
Location
The municipality lies on the Hambach in the 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...
, roughly 6 km northeast of Birkenfeld.
Constituent communities
Niederhambach’s Ortsteile are Böschweiler, Burbach and Heupweiler. The municipality also includes an outlying centre known as the Burbacher Siedlung. This is three farms established in 1936.History
In the Heupweiler cadastral areas known as “Geiershübel” and “Heiligenhübel”, archaeologicalArchaeology
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...
finds from pre-Roman times have been made. In another area, the “Beel”, two sandstone
Sandstone
Sandstone 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,...
lions from a 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....
tomb were unearthed. They can now be found at the Birkenfeld Museum. On the path over the Böschweiler Höhe (heights) on the way to Wilzenberg
Wilzenberg-Hußweiler
Wilzenberg-Hußweiler is a municipality in the district of Birkenfeld, in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany....
, bronze
Bronze
Bronze is a metal alloy consisting primarily of copper, usually with tin as the main additive. It is hard and brittle, and it was particularly significant in antiquity, so much so that the Bronze Age was named after the metal...
rings from about 1000-500 BC were found in two barrows
Tumulus
A tumulus is a mound of earth and stones raised over a grave or graves. Tumuli are also known as barrows, burial mounds, Hügelgrab or kurgans, and can be found throughout much of the world. A tumulus composed largely or entirely of stones is usually referred to as a cairn...
.
Standing in Böschweiler was a complex known as the Widdemhof, which belonged to the Brombach priest. It was made up of two buildings. Before the Reformation
Protestant Reformation
The Protestant Reformation was a 16th-century split within Western Christianity initiated by Martin Luther, John Calvin and other early Protestants. The efforts of the self-described "reformers", who objected to the doctrines, rituals and ecclesiastical structure of the Roman Catholic Church, led...
, the estate had to make payments to the priest. The local lore has it that the Widdemhof was once a monastery
Monastery
Monastery denotes the building, or complex of buildings, that houses a room reserved for prayer as well as the domestic quarters and workplace of monastics, whether monks or nuns, and whether living in community or alone .Monasteries may vary greatly in size – a small dwelling accommodating only...
. Whether this is true or not, the Widdem, as it is called, is under church ownership to this day.
In 1338, Burbach had its first documentary mention. Count Johann III
Johann III, Count of Sponheim-Starkenburg
Johann III, Count of Sponheim-Starkenburg, the Older , reigned over the County of Sponheim for 67 years. He also received many epithets such as "the Noble" and, because of his declining vision, "the Blind".- Life and work :...
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...
enfeoffed Prince-Archbishop-Elector Baldwin of Trier with his holdings at Burbach, whereupon he accepted from Baldwin the whole village as a fief. Johann III was the audacious Countess Lauretta’s son.
In the 14th century, the Oberstein church owned a farm within Burbach’s limits. Böschweiler’s first documentary mention came in 1438.
The Salingshof was built by Lord Saling from 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...
after he had earned money from building the Nahe Valley Railway and had bought land from what was then the self-administering municipality of Burbach. Lord Saling later sold this estate to Lord Scherer from Brücken
Brücken, Birkenfeld
Brücken 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 Birkenfeld, whose seat is in the like-named town.-Location:The municipality lies on the...
who, having just come back from the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, was used to a life of solitude. The family later gave this up and moved to Rimsberg
Rimsberg
Rimsberg 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 Birkenfeld, whose seat is in the like-named town.-Location:The municipality lies...
.
Downstream from Burbach, on the Hambach’s left bank, once lay a village called Klaffweiler, which is believed to have been devoid of any inhabitants by 1438. Its land was divided between Burbach and Brombach. At the turn of the 20th century, a bark mill stood downstream from Heupweiler, while in Böschweiler, a thriving tannery
Tanning
Tanning is the making of leather from the skins of animals which does not easily decompose. Traditionally, tanning used tannin, an acidic chemical compound from which the tanning process draws its name . Coloring may occur during tanning...
supplied the local farmers with sole leather.
The current municipality of Niederhambach came into being on 1 October 1933 through the merger of Böschweiler and Heupweiler. This was a result of a bill passed by the Free State of Oldenburg for the purpose of simplifying administration.
Flurbereinigung
Flurbereinigung
Flurbereinigung is the German word used to describe land reforms in various countries, especially Germany and Austria. The term can best be translated as land consolidation. Another European country where those land reforms have been carried out is France...
began even before Oldenburg was merged with 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...
in 1937, but the new Prussian administration delayed the project, and then the outbreak of the Second World War brought the whole endeavour to an end, at least for a while. The project was finally completed in 1955. A steady rise in the number of workers moving into other sectors of the economy, however, has led to a shift in Niederhambach’s economy away from 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...
.
In 2000, a new building area was opened up in Böschweiler, and nine new houses have been built there.
Niederhambach participates in the project Unser Dorf hat Zukunft (“Our village has a future”), and has placed first in the main class.
Municipal council
The council is made up of 8 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 | WG 1 | WG 2 | Total | |
| 2009 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 8 seats |
| 2004 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 8 seats |
Coat of arms
The German blazon reads: Unter rot-silbern geschachteltem Schildhaupt in grün die Darstellung der goldenen Skulptur eines links schauenden Löwen, der einen Widderkopf zwischen den Vorderpranken hält.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: Vert an image of the sculpture of a lion, the head turned to sinister and a ram’s head between his forepaws, all Or, the chief countercompony gules and argent.
The chief
Chief (heraldry)
In heraldic blazon, a chief is a charge on a coat of arms that takes the form of a band running horizontally across the top edge of the shield. Writers disagree in how much of the shield's surface is to be covered by the chief, ranging from one-fourth to one-third. The former is more likely if the...
is a reference to the villages’ 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...
, which bore arms chequy gules and argent. Böschweiler, Burbach and Heupweiler were in the Sponheim Oberamt of Birkenfeld. The 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...
, vert (green), stands for the agriculture in the municipality. The 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...
on the green field refers to two such sandstone sculptures unearthed within the municipality’s limits on the “Beel”.
The arms have been borne since 1965.
Town partnerships
Niederhambach fosters partnerships with the following places: BulgnévilleBulgnéville
Bulgnéville is a commune in the Vosges department in Lorraine in northeastern France.-History:The Battle of Bulgnéville took place there on 2 July 1431.A major employer is the cheese factory of the Hermitage, which makes Le Brouère.-External links:*...
, Vosges
Vosges
Vosges is a French department, named after the local mountain range. It contains the hometown of Joan of Arc, Domrémy.-History:The Vosges department is one of the original 83 departments of France, created on February 9, 1790 during the French Revolution. It was made of territories that had been...
, 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...
, a commune
Communes of France
The commune is the lowest level of administrative division in the French Republic. French communes are roughly equivalent to incorporated municipalities or villages in the United States or Gemeinden in Germany...
in Lorraine
Lorraine (région)
Lorraine is one of the 27 régions of France. The administrative region has two cities of equal importance, Metz and Nancy. Metz is considered to be the official capital since that is where the regional parliament is situated...
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:
Böschweiler
- Am Kissel 3 – so-called “Kloster” (“Monastery”); house, window walling possibly from about 1600, roof frame 1725, commercial building less old
- Mühlenweg 1 – so-called Fettigsmühle; 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...
Quereinhaus (a combination residential and commercial house divided for these two purposes down the middle, perpendicularly to the street), about 1800; technical equipment
Heupweiler
- At Hochwaldstraße 1 – door lintel with inscription, 18th century
- Hochwaldstraße 8 – former Schneidersfranzenmühle; former gristmill with three-floor mill tower, essentially possibly from the 18th century (timber framingTimber 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...
dendrochronologicallyDendrochronologyDendrochronology or tree-ring dating is the scientific method of dating based on the analysis of patterns of tree-rings. Dendrochronology can date the time at which tree rings were formed, in many types of wood, to the exact calendar year...
dated to 1725)
Transport
Running east of the municipality is BundesstraßeBundesstraße
Bundesstraße , abbreviated B, is the denotation for German and Austrian national highways.-Germany:...
41, which towards the south leads to the Autobahn A 62
Bundesautobahn 62
is an autobahn in southwestern Germany, connecting the A 1 with the A 6. It also connects numerous communities throughout the central Hunsrück mountains...
(Kaiserslautern
Kaiserslautern
Kaiserslautern is a city in southwest Germany, located in the Bundesland of Rhineland-Palatinate at the edge of the Palatinate forest . The historic centre dates to the 9th century. It is from Paris, from Frankfurt am Main, and from Luxembourg.Kaiserslautern is home to 99,469 people...
–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....
). Serving nearby Kronweiler
Kronweiler
Kronweiler 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 Birkenfeld, whose seat is in the like-named town.-Location:The municipality lies on...
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....
).
Economy
In recent years there has been a considerable shift in the municipality’s economic structure. Many agricultural businesses have simply been forsaken because they did not have the financial wherewithal to modernize and expand. Furthermore, agriculture is not attracting much new blood. It would seem that few young people nowadays want to become farmers. Most workers today commuteCommuting
Commuting is regular travel between one's place of residence and place of work or full time study. It sometimes refers to any regular or often repeated traveling between locations when not work related.- History :...
to jobs in nearby towns and villages.
Public institutions
In Niederhambach, an important part of the community is the fire brigade. The Freiwillige Feuerwehr Niederhambach (“Niederhambach Volunteer Fire Brigade”) was founded in January 1966 out of the compulsory fire brigade that had hitherto existed. The Volunteer Fire Brigade’s thirtieth anniversary was celebrated from 4 to 7 July 1997 in conjunction with the Fire Brigade Day held in the Verbandsgemeinde of Birkenfeld. The fire brigade also has a promotional association, which actively supports the firefighterFirefighter
Firefighters are rescuers extensively trained primarily to put out hazardous fires that threaten civilian populations and property, to rescue people from car incidents, collapsed and burning buildings and other such situations...
s.
Education
Niederhambach schoolchildren attend the Birkenfeld/Niederbrombach Regional School, the RealschuleRealschule
The Realschule is a type of secondary school in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, and Liechtenstein. It has also existed in Croatia , Denmark , Sweden , Hungary and in the Russian Empire .-History:The Realschule was an outgrowth of the rationalism and empiricism of the seventeenth and...
in Idar-Oberstein or the modern-languages Gymnasium
Gymnasium (school)
A gymnasium is a type of school providing secondary education in some parts of Europe, comparable to English grammar schools or sixth form colleges and U.S. college preparatory high schools. The word γυμνάσιον was used in Ancient Greece, meaning a locality for both physical and intellectual...
in Birkenfeld. The local kindergarten
Kindergarten
A kindergarten is a preschool educational institution for children. The term was created by Friedrich Fröbel for the play and activity institute that he created in 1837 in Bad Blankenburg as a social experience for children for their transition from home to school...
is in Niederbrombach
Niederbrombach
Niederbrombach 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 Birkenfeld, whose seat is in the like-named town.-Location:The municipality lies...
, and offers all-day care.
Established businesses
Among the crafts and skilled occupations in Niederhambach are a roofing business, an automotive workshop, a below-ground construction firm, a tile-laying business, a goldsmith’s workshop, an automotive parts and repair shop, a gameGame (food)
Game is any animal hunted for food or not normally domesticated. Game animals are also hunted for sport.The type and range of animals hunted for food varies in different parts of the world. This will be influenced by climate, animal diversity, local taste and locally accepted view about what can or...
speciality and beekeeping
Beekeeping
Beekeeping is the maintenance of honey bee colonies, commonly in hives, by humans. A beekeeper keeps bees in order to collect honey and other products of the hive , to pollinate crops, or to produce bees for sale to other beekeepers...
business, an energy system and solar technology business and a health food store
Health food store
A health food store is a type of grocery store that primarily sells health food, organic foods, local produce, and often nutritional supplements...
.
There are two inn
INN
InterNetNews is a Usenet news server package, originally released by Rich Salz in 1991, and presented at the Summer 1992 USENIX conference in San Antonio, Texas...
s in Niederhambach.
The number of agricultural operations, including those run as secondary businesses, is 5, although there are also 6 hobby farm
Hobby farm
A hobby farm is a smallholding or small farm that is maintained without expectation of being a primary source of income. Some are merely to provide some recreational land, and perhaps a few horses for the family's children...
ers.
Famous people
- Christina Jaworek, football referee