Osann-Monzel
Encyclopedia
Osann-Monzel is an Ortsgemeinde – a municipality
belonging to a Verbandsgemeinde
, a kind of collective municipality – and a winegrowing centre in the Bernkastel-Wittlich
district
in Rhineland-Palatinate
, Germany
.
. Osann-Monzel’s elevation is some 180 m above sea level
. Osann-Monzel belongs to the Verbandsgemeinde of Wittlich-Land
, whose seat is in Wittlich
, although that town is itself not in the Verbandsgemeinde.
after Julius Caesar
(100 BC – 44 BC) had absorbed the Eifel
and the Moselle into the Roman Empire
. Within Monzel’s limits, rubble was found that was interpreted as having been a Roman villa rustica
, that is, an agricultural
homestead. After the end of Roman hegemony, the municipality belonged, beginning in 510, to Francia, and after that kingdom’s division in the mid 9th century to Lotharingia
. Lotharingia, for its part, switched allegiances between the East Frankish and West Frankish kingdoms. In the end, the municipal area belonged, beginning in 925, albeit with interruptions, to Germany’s
western border area.
No direct documentary mention from this time is known. Nevertheless, it is assumed that both Osann and Monzel were founded as early as the 7th or 8th century. What is certain is that these places arose no later than 950. This is known from an inventory of holdings made at that time by Saint Martin’s Abbey in Trier
in which osanna and muncele villam are named. This first documentary mention has been dated to 1008.
Archbishop Balduin von Trier enfeoffed the Count of Saarbrücken-Nassau with Monzel and Osann in 1323; however, another important landholder in Monzel remained Himmerod Abbey
. In 1412, the fiefholder at the time, Philipp von Nassau-Saarbrücken, further enfeoffed the Count of Daun and at Bruch with Osann and Monzel as a “subfief”, leading to Osann’s and Monzel’s becoming, through a dowry, part of the possessions held by the Counts of Manderscheid.
Beginning in 1794, both Osann and Monzel lay under French
rule. In 1815 they were assigned to the Kingdom of Prussia
at the Congress of Vienna
. From 1946, they were part of the then newly founded state
of Rhineland-Palatinate
. In 1969, the two municipalities were dissolved, and out of them was formed the new municipality of Osann-Monzel on 7 June 1969.
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:
might be described thus: Per pale argent a cross gules and per fess Or a fess dancetty of the second and vert a bunch of grapes between two ears of wheat, the dexter in bend and the sinister in bend sinister and conjoined on one stem slipped in bend sinister, all of the third.
The cross on the dexter (armsbearer’s right, viewer’s left) side refers to Osann-Monzel’s centuries-long allegiance to the Electorate of Trier. The zigzag stripe (“fess dancetty”) is the arms formerly borne by another of the municipality’s old feudal lords, the Counts of Manderscheid-Blankenhein. Also on the sinister (armsbearer’s left, viewer’s right) side, the stylized bunch of grapes and the ears of wheat stand for the municipality’s traditional winegrowing and agriculture
respectively.
Osann-Monzel was granted the right to bear its own arms on 13 March 1972.
As everywhere in the Mosel-Saar-Ruwer wine region, it is mainly Riesling
, Müller-Thurgau
and Dornfelder
that are raised.
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 – and a winegrowing centre 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 on the Middle Moselle on a slope set two kilometres back from the river, between the two mountains of the Hüttenkopf and the Rosenberg in a side valley through which a bend in the Moselle flowed in the TertiaryTertiary
The Tertiary is a deprecated term for a geologic period 65 million to 2.6 million years ago. The Tertiary covered the time span between the superseded Secondary period and the Quaternary...
. Osann-Monzel’s elevation is some 180 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...
. Osann-Monzel belongs to the Verbandsgemeinde of Wittlich-Land
Wittlich-Land
Wittlich-Land is a Verbandsgemeinde in the district Bernkastel-Wittlich, in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is located around the town Wittlich, which is the seat of Wittlich-Land, but not part of the Verbandsgemeinde....
, whose seat is in 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...
, although that town is itself not in the Verbandsgemeinde.
Constituent communities
Osann-Monzel’s Ortsteile are, as the name suggests, Osann and Monzel. They were merged to form today’s municipality in 1969.History
The Osann-Monzel area is believed to have first been settled in Roman timesAncient 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....
after Julius Caesar
Julius Caesar
Gaius Julius Caesar was a Roman general and statesman and a distinguished writer of Latin prose. He played a critical role in the gradual transformation of the Roman Republic into the Roman Empire....
(100 BC – 44 BC) had absorbed 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....
and the Moselle into the Roman Empire
Roman Empire
The Roman Empire was the post-Republican period of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial holdings in Europe and around the Mediterranean....
. Within Monzel’s limits, rubble was found that was interpreted as having been a Roman villa rustica
Villa rustica
Villa rustica was the term used by the ancient Romans to denote a villa set in the open countryside, often as the hub of a large agricultural estate . The adjective rusticum was used to distinguish it from an urban or resort villa...
, that is, an agricultural
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...
homestead. After the end of Roman hegemony, the municipality belonged, beginning in 510, to Francia, and after that kingdom’s division in the mid 9th century to Lotharingia
Lotharingia
Lotharingia was a region in northwest Europe, comprising the Low Countries, the western Rhineland, the lands today on the border between France and Germany, and what is now western Switzerland. It was born of the tripartite division in 855, of the kingdom of Middle Francia, itself formed of the...
. Lotharingia, for its part, switched allegiances between the East Frankish and West Frankish kingdoms. In the end, the municipal area belonged, beginning in 925, albeit with interruptions, to Germany’s
Holy Roman Empire
The Holy Roman Empire was a realm that existed from 962 to 1806 in Central Europe.It was ruled by the Holy Roman Emperor. Its character changed during the Middle Ages and the Early Modern period, when the power of the emperor gradually weakened in favour of the princes...
western border area.
No direct documentary mention from this time is known. Nevertheless, it is assumed that both Osann and Monzel were founded as early as the 7th or 8th century. What is certain is that these places arose no later than 950. This is known from an inventory of holdings made at that time by Saint Martin’s Abbey in 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....
in which osanna and muncele villam are named. This first documentary mention has been dated to 1008.
Archbishop Balduin von Trier enfeoffed the Count of Saarbrücken-Nassau with Monzel and Osann in 1323; however, another important landholder in Monzel remained Himmerod Abbey
Himmerod 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...
. In 1412, the fiefholder at the time, Philipp von Nassau-Saarbrücken, further enfeoffed the Count of Daun and at Bruch with Osann and Monzel as a “subfief”, leading to Osann’s and Monzel’s becoming, through a dowry, part of the possessions held by the Counts of Manderscheid.
Beginning in 1794, both Osann and Monzel 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 1815 they were 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,...
. From 1946, they were 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 ....
. In 1969, the two municipalities were dissolved, and out of them was formed the new municipality of Osann-Monzel on 7 June 1969.
Municipal council
The council is made up of 16 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 Stoffel | WG Kohnz | Total | |
| 2009 | 10 | 6 | 16 seats |
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: Per pale argent a cross gules and per fess Or a fess dancetty of the second and vert a bunch of grapes between two ears of wheat, the dexter in bend and the sinister in bend sinister and conjoined on one stem slipped in bend sinister, all of the third.
The cross on the dexter (armsbearer’s right, viewer’s left) side refers to Osann-Monzel’s centuries-long allegiance to the Electorate of Trier. The zigzag stripe (“fess dancetty”) is the arms formerly borne by another of the municipality’s old feudal lords, the Counts of Manderscheid-Blankenhein. Also on the sinister (armsbearer’s left, viewer’s right) side, the stylized bunch of grapes and the ears of wheat stand for the municipality’s traditional winegrowing and 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...
respectively.
Osann-Monzel was granted the right to bear its own arms on 13 March 1972.
Vineyards in Osann-Monzel
- Osanner Kirchlay
- Osanner Rosenberg
- Monzeler Kätzchen
- Monzeler Paulinslay
As everywhere in the Mosel-Saar-Ruwer wine region, it is mainly Riesling
Riesling
Riesling is a white grape variety which originated in the Rhine region of Germany. Riesling is an aromatic grape variety displaying flowery, almost perfumed, aromas as well as high acidity. It is used to make dry, semi-sweet, sweet and sparkling white wines. Riesling wines are usually varietally...
, Müller-Thurgau
Müller-Thurgau
Müller-Thurgau is a variety of white grape which was created by Hermann Müller from the Swiss Canton of Thurgau in 1882. It is a crossing of Riesling with Madeleine Royale. It is used to make white wine in Germany, Austria, Northern Italy, Hungary, England, in Australia, Czech Republic, Slovakia,...
and Dornfelder
Dornfelder
Dornfelder is a dark-skinned variety of grape of German origin used for red wine. It was created by August Herold at the grape breeding institute in Weinsberg in the Württemberg region in 1955. Herold crossed the grape varieties Helfensteiner and Heroldrebe, the latter which bears his name, to...
that are raised.