Niederöfflingen
Encyclopedia
Niederöfflingen is an Ortsgemeinde – a municipality
belonging to a Verbandsgemeinde
, a kind of collective municipality – in the Bernkastel-Wittlich
district
in Rhineland-Palatinate
, Germany
.
at an elevation of 375 m above sea level
. The nearest middle centre
is the district seat, Wittlich
. Niederöfflingen belongs to the Verbandsgemeinde of Manderscheid
, whose seat is in the like-named municipality
.
and continental climate
with its attendant mild winters and warm summers.
donated the villa … Officinus (Niederöfflingen) to the Abbey of Echternach
. As early as 1179, the Abbey of Echternach forsook its holding of Niederöfflingen in Archbishop of Trier Arnold’s favour, thus making it an Electoral-Trier holding. Niederöfflingen was assigned to the Amt of Manderscheid and was part of the high court of Obermanderscheid.
In the Nine Years' War (1688-1697; known in Germany as the Pfälzischer Erbfolgekrieg, or War of the Palatine Succession), the Sun King’s (Louis XIV of France
) soldiers laid great swathes of the Eifel country in rubble and ashes. Under the Treaty of Ryswick
, the Eifel country was for almost a hundred years freed of French
hegemony.
According to the 1702 taxation rolls, 20 families were living in 18 houses in the early 18th century. This was six fewer houses than there had been in 1563, now that the wars in the 17th century had wrought their havoc.
In the French Revolutionary Wars
(1792-1794), the French conquered the Eifel
. Established as administrative units on the French model were departments, which in turn were subdivided into arrondissements
and cantons
. On 30 July 1802, the Mayoralty (Bürgermeisterei in German
; Mairie in French
) of Niederöfflingen came into being, encompassing the centres of Niederöfflingen, Gipperath, Greimerath, Hasborn, Oberscheidweiler and Niederscheidweiler.
In 1814, French times came to an end in the Eifel, which as a result of the Congress of Vienna
was assigned to Prussia
.
The municipal structure introduced by the French, however, still lasted 30 years beyond this time, before it was swept away in 1845 by the Prussian structure. Even the civil registry (baptisms, marriages and deaths) introduced by Napoleon
was carried on by the new administration.
The Mayoralty – later Amt – of Niederöfflingen existed until 1934. In this year, the Ämter of Laufeld and Niederöfflingen were abolished and united with the Amt of Manderscheid.
When American
troops marched in in March 1945, the time of the Third Reich
in Niederöfflingen came to an end.
The last great administrative reform, which was introduced in 1968, led to the municipality being grouped into today’s Verbandsgemeinde of Manderscheid
Since the 1970s, a modern multipurpose community hall has been built as a wing on the old school, three new development areas have been laid out, a village square with a fountain has been built and Donatusstraße has been remodelled and expanded as a village thoroughfare.
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:
In 2004, the election was by majority vote
.
might be described thus: Tierced in mantle, dexter argent a cross gules, sinister argent a fleur-de-lis of the second, and in base azure a fountain with basin Or and water jets of the first.
The charge
in base is the Edeltrudis Fountain on the village’s eastern outskirts. The cross on the dexter (armsbearer’s right, viewer’s left) side refers to Niederöfflingen’s centuries-long allegiance to the Electorate of Trier. The lily on the sinister (armsbearer’s left, viewer’s right) side stands for Niederöfflingen’s history as an Abbey of Echternach
holding.
was used for doors and windows, and also a portal. When building work finished on the new church, the parish obtained a new high altar in 1826.
In 1956, the Baroque
altar was restored and “it was given as a new adornment a figure of Saint Edeltrudis, a carved work from the year 1500, that has stood in the Edeltrudis Chapel ever since …”. In the autumn of 1970, extensive renovations were begun: a new heating system was built in and a new floor laid.
On Niederöfflingen’s eastern outskirts stands the Edeltrudiskapelle (“Saint Edeltrudis’s Chapel”). A stone figure of Saint Willibrord
is reckoned to be from Romanesque
(950-1250) times. Besides a few Gothic
figures, there is a walled cross bearing the yeardate 1608. The aforementioned wooden figure of Saint Edeltrudis stems from the end of the 15th century. The chapel was built about 1850 next to a spring
. The springwater, which is said to have healing powers, can be taken through a hand-driven pump beside the sandstone basin.
On 4 February 1945, the chapel, in which the Wehrmacht
stored their munitions, was utterly destroyed in an explosion. Today’s Edeltrudiskapelle, newly built on the same spot, was consecrated on 25 July 1950.
. On the occasion of the visitation on 22 February 1657 undertaken under Carl Casper von Leyen, the ravages of the Thirty Years' War
were shown.
and Bernkastel-Kues
.
Since February 1999, a forest kindergarten has been part of the local kindergarten
, which is also attended by children from neighbouring places. The forest kindergarten’s quality feature, besides forest paedagogy, is the naturalistic, as well as holistic and nature-oriented, work with the children.
s”). Along the river Lambach, one can reach on foot the river Lieser, which one can then follow along the Lieserpfad, a hiking trail run by the Eifelverein (“Eifel Club”) to Daun
or Wittlich
. The Eifel Club’s main hiking trail 16 (east-west trails), the Mosel-Our-Weg between Alf
and Ourstausee/Bivelser Steg, leads through the middle of the village. On the Devon-Route, one of three GEO routes in the Manderscheid region, the links among natural, cultural and earth history reveal themselves.
, Honorary Citizen of Niederöfflingen since 1994, and of Lourdes
since 1994
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 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...
at an elevation of 375 m above sea level
Sea level
Mean sea level is a measure of the average height of the ocean's surface ; used as a standard in reckoning land elevation...
. The nearest middle centre
Central Place Theory
Central place theory is a geographical theory that seeks to explain the number, size and location of human settlements in an urban system. The theory was created by the German geographer Walter Christaller, who asserted that settlements simply functioned as 'central places' providing services to...
is the district seat, Wittlich
Wittlich
The town of Wittlich is the seat of the Bernkastel-Wittlich district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany, and thereby the middle centre for a feeder area of 56 municipalities in the Eifel and Moselle area with its population of roughly 64,000...
. Niederöfflingen 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 :...
.
Climate
Niederöfflingen lies in a transitional zone between temperate oceanic climateOceanic climate
An oceanic climate, also called marine west coast climate, maritime climate, Cascadian climate and British climate for Köppen climate classification Cfb and subtropical highland for Köppen Cfb or Cwb, is a type of climate typically found along the west coasts at the middle latitudes of some of the...
and continental climate
Continental climate
Continental climate is a climate characterized by important annual variation in temperature due to the lack of significant bodies of water nearby...
with its attendant mild winters and warm summers.
History
Niederöfflingen’s history reaches all the way back to 785 when CharlemagneCharlemagne
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...
donated the villa … Officinus (Niederöfflingen) to 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...
. As early as 1179, the Abbey of Echternach forsook its holding of Niederöfflingen in Archbishop of Trier Arnold’s favour, thus making it an Electoral-Trier holding. Niederöfflingen was assigned to the Amt of Manderscheid and was part of the high court of Obermanderscheid.
In the Nine Years' War (1688-1697; known in Germany as the Pfälzischer Erbfolgekrieg, or War of the Palatine Succession), the Sun King’s (Louis XIV of France
Louis XIV of France
Louis XIV , known as Louis the Great or the Sun King , was a Bourbon monarch who ruled as King of France and Navarre. His reign, from 1643 to his death in 1715, began at the age of four and lasted seventy-two years, three months, and eighteen days...
) soldiers laid great swathes of the Eifel country in rubble and ashes. Under the Treaty of Ryswick
Treaty of Ryswick
The Treaty of Ryswick or Ryswyck was signed on 20 September 1697 and named after Ryswick in the Dutch Republic. The treaty settled the Nine Years' War, which pitted France against the Grand Alliance of England, Spain, the Holy Roman Empire and the United Provinces.Negotiations started in May...
, the Eifel country was for almost a hundred years freed of 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...
hegemony.
According to the 1702 taxation rolls, 20 families were living in 18 houses in the early 18th century. This was six fewer houses than there had been in 1563, now that the wars in the 17th century had wrought their havoc.
In 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...
(1792-1794), the French conquered 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....
. Established as administrative units on the French model were departments, which in turn were subdivided into arrondissements
Arrondissements of France
The 101 French departments are divided into 342 arrondissements, which may be translated into English as districts.The capital of an arrondissement/district is called a subprefecture...
and cantons
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...
. On 30 July 1802, the Mayoralty (Bürgermeisterei 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....
; Mairie in French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
) of Niederöfflingen came into being, encompassing the centres of Niederöfflingen, Gipperath, Greimerath, Hasborn, Oberscheidweiler and Niederscheidweiler.
In 1814, French times came to an end in the Eifel, which as a result of 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,...
was assigned 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...
.
The municipal structure introduced by the French, however, still lasted 30 years beyond this time, before it was swept away in 1845 by the Prussian structure. Even the civil registry (baptisms, marriages and deaths) introduced by Napoleon
Napoleon I
Napoleon Bonaparte was a French military and political leader during the latter stages of the French Revolution.As Napoleon I, he was Emperor of the French from 1804 to 1815...
was carried on by the new administration.
The Mayoralty – later Amt – of Niederöfflingen existed until 1934. In this year, the Ämter of Laufeld and Niederöfflingen were abolished and united with the Amt of Manderscheid.
When American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
troops marched in in March 1945, 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...
in Niederöfflingen came to an end.
The last great administrative reform, which was introduced in 1968, led to the municipality being grouped into today’s 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....
Since the 1970s, a modern multipurpose community hall has been built as a wing on the old school, three new development areas have been laid out, a village square with a fountain has been built and Donatusstraße has been remodelled and expanded as a village thoroughfare.
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:
| WG Braschel | WG Theisen | Total | |
| 2009 | 2 | 6 | 8 seats |
In 2004, the election was by majority vote
Plurality 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...
.
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: Tierced in mantle, dexter argent a cross gules, sinister argent a fleur-de-lis of the second, and in base azure a fountain with basin Or and water jets of the first.
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...
in base is the Edeltrudis Fountain on the village’s eastern outskirts. The cross on the dexter (armsbearer’s right, viewer’s left) side refers to Niederöfflingen’s centuries-long allegiance to the Electorate of Trier. The lily on the sinister (armsbearer’s left, viewer’s right) side stands for Niederöfflingen’s history as an 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...
holding.
Village culture
At the district-level judging in the contest Unser Dorf soll schöner werden - unser Dorf hat Zukunft (“Our Village Should Be Lovelier – Our Village Has A Future”), Niederöfflingen scored first place in the main class in 1997.Buildings
A church consecrated to “St. Adrud” had its first documentary mention in 1197. A new building of Saint Edeltrudis’s Church was built in 1822, for which stonecarving from the destroyed Himmerod AbbeyHimmerod Abbey
Himmerod Abbey is a Cistercian monastery in the community of Großlittgen in the Verbandsgemeinde of Manderscheid in the district of Bernkastel-Wittlich, Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany, located in the Eifel, in the valley of the Salm.-First foundation:Himmerod Abbey was founded in 1134 by Saint...
was used for doors and windows, and also a portal. When building work finished on the new church, the parish obtained a new high altar in 1826.
In 1956, the Baroque
Baroque architecture
Baroque 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...
altar was restored and “it was given as a new adornment a figure of Saint Edeltrudis, a carved work from the year 1500, that has stood in the Edeltrudis Chapel ever since …”. In the autumn of 1970, extensive renovations were begun: a new heating system was built in and a new floor laid.
On Niederöfflingen’s eastern outskirts stands the Edeltrudiskapelle (“Saint Edeltrudis’s Chapel”). A stone figure of Saint Willibrord
Willibrord
__notoc__Willibrord was a Northumbrian missionary saint, known as the "Apostle to the Frisians" in the modern Netherlands...
is reckoned to be from Romanesque
Romanesque art
Romanesque art refers to the art of Western Europe from approximately 1000 AD to the rise of the Gothic style in the 13th century, or later, depending on region. The preceding period is increasingly known as the Pre-Romanesque...
(950-1250) times. Besides a few Gothic
Gothic art
Gothic art was a Medieval art movement that developed in France out of Romanesque art in the mid-12th century, led by the concurrent development of Gothic architecture. It spread to all of Western Europe, but took over art more completely north of the Alps, never quite effacing more classical...
figures, there is a walled cross bearing the yeardate 1608. The aforementioned wooden figure of Saint Edeltrudis stems from the end of the 15th century. The chapel was built about 1850 next to a spring
Spring (hydrosphere)
A spring—also known as a rising or resurgence—is a component of the hydrosphere. Specifically, it is any natural situation where water flows to the surface of the earth from underground...
. The springwater, which is said to have healing powers, can be taken through a hand-driven pump beside the sandstone basin.
On 4 February 1945, the chapel, in which the Wehrmacht
Wehrmacht
The Wehrmacht – from , to defend and , the might/power) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the Heer , the Kriegsmarine and the Luftwaffe .-Origin and use of the term:...
stored their munitions, was utterly destroyed in an explosion. Today’s Edeltrudiskapelle, newly built on the same spot, was consecrated on 25 July 1950.
Religion
As an autonomous parish, Niederöfflingen was listed as early as 1330 in the ecclesiastical taxation rolls. Then, it had to pay 24 solidiSolidus (coin)
The solidus was originally a gold coin issued by the Romans, and a weight measure for gold more generally, corresponding to 4.5 grams.-Roman and Byzantine coinage:...
. On the occasion of the visitation on 22 February 1657 undertaken under Carl Casper von Leyen, the ravages of the Thirty Years' War
Thirty Years' War
The Thirty Years' War was fought primarily in what is now Germany, and at various points involved most countries in Europe. It was one of the most destructive conflicts in European history....
were shown.
Transport
Through the northeastern part of the municipal area runs the Autobahn A 1, and right through the village itself runs Landesstraße (State Road) 64. Likewise in the northeast runs the Maare-Mosel-Radweg (cycle path) between DaunDaun
Daun may refer to:* Daun, Germany, a town* Kreis Daun, the former name of the district Vulkaneifel in Germany* Karl Daun, German theologian* Count Leopold Joseph von Daun , Austrian field marshal...
and Bernkastel-Kues
Bernkastel-Kues
Bernkastel-Kues is a well-known winegrowing centre on the Middle Moselle in the Bernkastel-Wittlich district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany...
.
Infrastructure
A new commercial area called Auf dem Soll is in planning, as are a new residential area and a solar park in the area known as Auf Heckert. Niederöfflingen has its own community hall, the Wilhelm-Hees-Halle. Along with eight other municipalities, it forms the “Öfflingen” Forest District (Forstrevier), founding its own forest administration to furnish jobs for forestry workers, to create synergical effects in cultivating the woodlands and employing the forestry workers and to have a highly mechanized wood harvest with optimal added value.Since February 1999, a forest kindergarten has been part of 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...
, which is also attended by children from neighbouring places. The forest kindergarten’s quality feature, besides forest paedagogy, is the naturalistic, as well as holistic and nature-oriented, work with the children.
Tourism
Through the municipal area run the mountainbike trails “Alfbach” (Tour 8988) and “Wittlich Landesblick” (Tour 6696), as well as VulkanBike Trailpark’s Tour 3 Manderscheid (Burgen-Schluchten-Maare – “Castles-Gorges-MaarMaar
A maar is a broad, low-relief volcanic crater that is caused by a phreatomagmatic eruption, an explosion caused by groundwater coming into contact with hot lava or magma. A maar characteristically fills with water to form a relatively shallow crater lake. The name comes from the local Moselle...
s”). Along the river Lambach, one can reach on foot the river Lieser, which one can then follow along the Lieserpfad, a hiking trail run by the Eifelverein (“Eifel Club”) to Daun
Daun
Daun may refer to:* Daun, Germany, a town* Kreis Daun, the former name of the district Vulkaneifel in Germany* Karl Daun, German theologian* Count Leopold Joseph von Daun , Austrian field marshal...
or Wittlich
Wittlich
The town of Wittlich is the seat of the Bernkastel-Wittlich district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany, and thereby the middle centre for a feeder area of 56 municipalities in the Eifel and Moselle area with its population of roughly 64,000...
. The Eifel Club’s main hiking trail 16 (east-west trails), the Mosel-Our-Weg between Alf
Alf, Rhineland-Palatinate
Alf is 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 Zell, whose seat is in the municipality of Zell an der Mosel.- Location :At Alf, the Alf,...
and Ourstausee/Bivelser Steg, leads through the middle of the village. On the Devon-Route, one of three GEO routes in the Manderscheid region, the links among natural, cultural and earth history reveal themselves.
Honorary citizens
Jakob Konrad SVD (b. 3 August 1914; d. 4 December 2006), priest with the Divine Word MissionariesDivine Word Missionaries
The Society of the Divine Word , popularly called the Divine Word Missionaries, and sometimes the Steyler Missionaries, is a missionary religious congregation in the Latin Church, one of the 23 sui iuris churches which make up the Catholic Church. As of 2006 it consisted of 6,102 members composed...
, Honorary Citizen of Niederöfflingen since 1994, and of Lourdes
Lourdes
Lourdes is a commune in the Hautes-Pyrénées department in the Midi-Pyrénées region in south-western France.Lourdes is a small market town lying in the foothills of the Pyrenees, famous for the Marian apparitions of Our Lady of Lourdes occurred in 1858 to Bernadette Soubirous...
since 1994