Nordhofen
Encyclopedia
Nordhofen is an Ortsgemeinde – a community belonging to a Verbandsgemeinde
– in the Westerwaldkreis
in Rhineland-Palatinate
, Germany
.
and Altenkirchen in the heart of a mountainous landscape wooded with beech
es and spruce
s. The community belongs to the Verbandsgemeinde of Selters
, a kind of collective municipality. Its seat is in the like-named town.
granted Count Wilhelm of Wied the right to expand Nordhofen into a town. He received the right “to be allowed to build with stones, put together, lay out and make into a walled town the village and its layout with moat
s, walls, towers, oriels, gates, and other things as he can and likes to do, without anyone’s hindering or speaking against it”. Owing to the absence of the natural conditions for a town location, the town of Nordhofen could not be properly developed. Hence, in 1653, Emperor Ferdinand III
transferred the town rights from Nordhofen to the more favourable location of the new settlement of Neuwied
at the request of the then Count Friedrich of Wied. In 1972, in the course of municipal restructuring, the Verbandsgemeinde of Selters was founded, to which Nordhofen belongs.
parish belong the communities of Nordhofen, Mogendorf
, Vielbach
and Quirnbach. Until 1851, Selters and the surrounding villages also belonged to the parish.
in a municipal election on 13 June 2004.
is Mogendorf
on the A 3 (Cologne
–Frankfurt). The nearest InterCityExpress
stop is the railway station at Montabaur on the Cologne-Frankfurt high-speed rail line.
club.
Verbandsgemeinde
A Verbandsgemeinde is an administrative unit in the German Bundesländer of Rhineland-Palatinate and Saxony-Anhalt.-Rhineland-Palatinate:...
– in the Westerwaldkreis
Westerwaldkreis
The Westerwaldkreis is a district in the east of Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany...
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 recognized tourist community of Nordhofen lies on the abandoned stretch of the Westerwaldbahn (railway) between SiershahnSiershahn
Siershahn is an Ortsgemeinde – a community belonging to a Verbandsgemeinde – in the Westerwaldkreis in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany.-History:Clay finds from La Tène times have been unearthed here...
and Altenkirchen in the heart of a mountainous landscape wooded with beech
Beech
Beech is a genus of ten species of deciduous trees in the family Fagaceae, native to temperate Europe, Asia and North America.-Habit:...
es and spruce
Spruce
A spruce is a tree of the genus Picea , a genus of about 35 species of coniferous evergreen trees in the Family Pinaceae, found in the northern temperate and boreal regions of the earth. Spruces are large trees, from tall when mature, and can be distinguished by their whorled branches and conical...
s. The community belongs to the Verbandsgemeinde of Selters
Selters (Verbandsgemeinde)
Selters is a Verbandsgemeinde in the district Westerwaldkreis, in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. The seat of the Verbandsgemeinde is in Selters....
, a kind of collective municipality. Its seat is in the like-named town.
History
In 1259, Nordhofen had its first documentary mention. In 1357, Emperor Karl IVCharles IV, Holy Roman Emperor
Charles IV , born Wenceslaus , was the second king of Bohemia from the House of Luxembourg, and the first king of Bohemia to also become Holy Roman Emperor....
granted Count Wilhelm of Wied the right to expand Nordhofen into a town. He received the right “to be allowed to build with stones, put together, lay out and make into a walled town the village and its layout with moat
Moat
A moat is a deep, broad ditch, either dry or filled with water, that surrounds a castle, other building or town, historically to provide it with a preliminary line of defence. In some places moats evolved into more extensive water defences, including natural or artificial lakes, dams and sluices...
s, walls, towers, oriels, gates, and other things as he can and likes to do, without anyone’s hindering or speaking against it”. Owing to the absence of the natural conditions for a town location, the town of Nordhofen could not be properly developed. Hence, in 1653, Emperor Ferdinand III
Ferdinand III, Holy Roman Emperor
Ferdinand III was Holy Roman Emperor from 15 February 1637 until his death, as well as King of Hungary and Croatia, King of Bohemia and Archduke of Austria.-Life:...
transferred the town rights from Nordhofen to the more favourable location of the new settlement of Neuwied
Neuwied
Neuwied is a town in the north of the German state of Rhineland-Palatinate, capital of the District of Neuwied. Neuwied lies on the right bank of the Rhine, 12 km northwest of Koblenz, on the railway from Frankfurt am Main to Cologne...
at the request of the then Count Friedrich of Wied. In 1972, in the course of municipal restructuring, the Verbandsgemeinde of Selters was founded, to which Nordhofen belongs.
Religion
To the EvangelicalEvangelical Church in Germany
The Evangelical Church in Germany is a federation of 22 Lutheran, Unified and Reformed Protestant regional church bodies in Germany. The EKD is not a church in a theological understanding because of the denominational differences. However, the member churches share full pulpit and altar...
parish belong the communities of Nordhofen, Mogendorf
Mogendorf
Mogendorf is a municipality in Westerwaldkreis district, Rhineland-Palatinate, in western Germany....
, Vielbach
Vielbach
Vielbach is an Ortsgemeinde – a community belonging to a Verbandsgemeinde – in the Westerwaldkreis in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany.-Location:...
and Quirnbach. Until 1851, Selters and the surrounding villages also belonged to the parish.
Community council
The council is made up of 12 council members, as well as the honorary and presiding mayor (Ortsbürgermeister), who were elected in a 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...
in a municipal election on 13 June 2004.
Transport
The nearest Autobahn interchangeInterchange (road)
In the field of road transport, an interchange is a road junction that typically uses grade separation, and one or more ramps, to permit traffic on at least one highway to pass through the junction without directly crossing any other traffic stream. It differs from a standard intersection, at which...
is Mogendorf
Mogendorf
Mogendorf is a municipality in Westerwaldkreis district, Rhineland-Palatinate, in western Germany....
on the A 3 (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...
–Frankfurt). The nearest InterCityExpress
InterCityExpress
The Intercity-Express or ICE is a system of high-speed trains predominantly running in Germany and neighbouring countries. It is the highest service category offered by DB Fernverkehr and is the flagship of Deutsche Bahn...
stop is the railway station at Montabaur on the Cologne-Frankfurt high-speed rail line.
Clubs
Over the last few decades, a lively club life has developed. There are 4 community clubs: the volunteer fire brigade, Harmonie Nordhofen e.V. , the game and sport club (Spiel- und Sportverein; SSV) and the fruitgrowing and gardeningGardening
Gardening is the practice of growing and cultivating plants. Ornamental plants are normally grown for their flowers, foliage, or overall appearance; useful plants are grown for consumption , for their dyes, or for medicinal or cosmetic use...
club.