Pelm
Encyclopedia
Pelm 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
.
in the Vulkaneifel
, 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.
, Rockeskyll
, Berlingen
, Dohm-Lammersdorf
and Hohenfels-Essingen
.
Unearthed to the west of the village was a Gallo-Roman
sanctuary. It had already been widely destroyed by graverobbers by the time a systematic investigation was done in 1928. More recently, newer information was brought to light by a dig undertaken in 1986 by the Trier Rhenish State Museum (Rheinisches Landesmuseum Trier). The trapezoid
al wall that once bounded the hallowed grounds, whose greatest length is 65 m and whose greatest breadth is 42 m, was built of limestone
. Inside is a Gallo-Roman temple with a cella
and a passageway in which a limestone tablet was found as early as 1833 inscribed with a dedication to the goddess Caiva. The tablet mentions that a man named Marcus Victorius Polentius granted an endowment of 100,000 sestertii
for the temple to Caiva to be built. This inscription has been dated to AD 124.
There were two other temples on the grounds. At one, a fragmentary red sandstone
club, likely from a statue
of Hercules
, was found in 1986. A torso from such a statue was unearthed in 1834, but has since been lost. Other statuary has been found representing Mercury
and Venus
, for instance.
Coins, too, have been found, from a quinarius
minted in Africa in 47 or 46 BC to various coins struck about AD 400. One find, a fibula, dates from early La Tène times
.
In the Middle Ages
, the village was held by the House of Kasselburg, whose castle
seat was in the village. It gave the noble family its name, and is still known today as the Kasselburg.
On 18 May 1897, Pelm was the site of a railway disaster when a troop train crashed into some uncoupled rolling stock
causing seven of the train’s coaches to derail
. In the accident, ensuing chaos and fire, ten men – nine military personnel and one civilian – were killed. Many more were wounded.
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:
), and his deputies are Helmut Bell (FWG) and Leo Meeth (FWG).
The municipality’s arms
might in English heraldic
language be described thus: Per pale vert a fess wavy abased argent above which a wall flanked by two towers all embattled Or, gate and windows sable, and argent a fess wavy abased conjoined as one to the other azure issuant from which a processional cross gules.
The 1988 Vulkaneifel Yearbook shows different arms for Pelm with the tower-flanked gatehouse as the only charge
, issuant from base. The field tincture
s was different, too, the gatehouse still being in Or (gold), but the field in sable (black). The composition on the sinister (armsbearer’s left, viewer’s right) side did not appear at all.
Nonetheless, in both forms of the arms, the gatehouse represents the local mediaeval
landmark, the Kasselburg (castle
).
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 on the river KyllKyll
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...
in the Vulkaneifel
Vulkan 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.
Neighbouring municipalities
Pelm’s neighbours are GerolsteinGerolstein
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...
, Rockeskyll
Rockeskyll
Rockeskyll is an Ortsgemeinde – a municipality belonging to a Verbandsgemeinde, a kind of collective municipality – in the Vulkaneifel district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany...
, Berlingen
Berlingen, Germany
Berlingen is an Ortsgemeinde – a municipality belonging to a Verbandsgemeinde, a kind of collective municipality – in the Vulkaneifel district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany...
, Dohm-Lammersdorf
Dohm-Lammersdorf
Dohm-Lammersdorf is an Ortsgemeinde – a municipality belonging to a Verbandsgemeinde, a kind of collective municipality – in the Vulkaneifel district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany...
and Hohenfels-Essingen
Hohenfels-Essingen
Hohenfels-Essingen is an Ortsgemeinde – a municipality belonging to a Verbandsgemeinde, a kind of collective municipality – in the Vulkaneifel district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany...
.
History
Pelm is notable for its connection with ancient history.Unearthed to the west of the village was a Gallo-Roman
Gallo-Roman culture
The term Gallo-Roman describes the Romanized culture of Gaul under the rule of the Roman Empire. This was characterized by the Gaulish adoption or adaptation of Roman mores and way of life in a uniquely Gaulish context...
sanctuary. It had already been widely destroyed by graverobbers by the time a systematic investigation was done in 1928. More recently, newer information was brought to light by a dig undertaken in 1986 by the Trier Rhenish State Museum (Rheinisches Landesmuseum Trier). The trapezoid
Trapezoid
In Euclidean geometry, a convex quadrilateral with one pair of parallel sides is referred to as a trapezoid in American English and as a trapezium in English outside North America. A trapezoid with vertices ABCD is denoted...
al wall that once bounded the hallowed grounds, whose greatest length is 65 m and whose greatest breadth is 42 m, was built of limestone
Limestone
Limestone is a sedimentary rock composed largely of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of calcium carbonate . Many limestones are composed from skeletal fragments of marine organisms such as coral or foraminifera....
. Inside is a Gallo-Roman temple with a cella
Cella
A cella or naos , is the inner chamber of a temple in classical architecture, or a shop facing the street in domestic Roman architecture...
and a passageway in which a limestone tablet was found as early as 1833 inscribed with a dedication to the goddess Caiva. The tablet mentions that a man named Marcus Victorius Polentius granted an endowment of 100,000 sestertii
Sestertius
The sestertius, or sesterce, was an ancient Roman coin. During the Roman Republic it was a small, silver coin issued only on rare occasions...
for the temple to Caiva to be built. This inscription has been dated to AD 124.
There were two other temples on the grounds. At one, a fragmentary red 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,...
club, likely from a statue
Statue
A statue is a sculpture in the round representing a person or persons, an animal, an idea or an event, normally full-length, as opposed to a bust, and at least close to life-size, or larger...
of Hercules
Hercules
Hercules is the Roman name for Greek demigod Heracles, son of Zeus , and the mortal Alcmene...
, was found in 1986. A torso from such a statue was unearthed in 1834, but has since been lost. Other statuary has been found representing Mercury
Mercury (mythology)
Mercury was a messenger who wore winged sandals, and a god of trade, the son of Maia Maiestas and Jupiter in Roman mythology. His name is related to the Latin word merx , mercari , and merces...
and Venus
Venus (mythology)
Venus is a Roman goddess principally associated with love, beauty, sex,sexual seduction and fertility, who played a key role in many Roman religious festivals and myths...
, for instance.
Coins, too, have been found, from a quinarius
Quinarius
thumb|right|A quinariusThe quinarius was a small silver Roman coin valued at half a denarius.The quinarius was struck for a few years, along with the silver sestertius, following the introduction of the denarius in 211 BC. At this time the quinarius was valued at 5 asses...
minted in Africa in 47 or 46 BC to various coins struck about AD 400. One find, a fibula, dates from early La Tène times
La Tène culture
The La Tène culture was a European Iron Age culture named after the archaeological site of La Tène on the north side of Lake Neuchâtel in Switzerland, where a rich cache of artifacts was discovered by Hansli Kopp in 1857....
.
In the Middle Ages
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...
, the village was held by the House of Kasselburg, whose castle
Castle
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...
seat was in the village. It gave the noble family its name, and is still known today as the Kasselburg.
On 18 May 1897, Pelm was the site of a railway disaster when a troop train crashed into some uncoupled rolling stock
Rolling stock
Rolling stock comprises all the vehicles that move on a railway. It usually includes both powered and unpowered vehicles, for example locomotives, railroad cars, coaches and wagons...
causing seven of the train’s coaches to derail
Derailment
A derailment is an accident on a railway or tramway in which a rail vehicle, or part or all of a train, leaves the tracks on which it is travelling, with consequent damage and in many cases injury and/or death....
. In the accident, ensuing chaos and fire, ten men – nine military personnel and one civilian – were killed. Many more were wounded.
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:
| 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 | 4 | 12 | 16 seats |
| 2004 | 6 | 10 | 16 seats |
Mayor
Pelm’s mayor is Wolfgang Zaeper (FWGFree 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...
), and his deputies are Helmut Bell (FWG) and Leo Meeth (FWG).
Coat of arms
The German blazon reads: Gespalten von Grün und Silber, über einem von Silber und Blau gespaltenen Wellenbalken zwei goldene Zinnentürme, eine goldene Zinnenmauer flankierend, Tor und Fenster betagleuchtet, hinten ein rotes Vortragkreuz.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: Per pale vert a fess wavy abased argent above which a wall flanked by two towers all embattled Or, gate and windows sable, and argent a fess wavy abased conjoined as one to the other azure issuant from which a processional cross gules.
The 1988 Vulkaneifel Yearbook shows different arms for Pelm with the tower-flanked gatehouse as the only 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...
, issuant from base. 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...
s was different, too, the gatehouse still being in Or (gold), but the field in sable (black). The composition on the sinister (armsbearer’s left, viewer’s right) side did not appear at all.
Nonetheless, in both forms of the arms, the gatehouse represents the local 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...
landmark, the Kasselburg (castle
Castle
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...
).
Buildings
- Saint Willibrord’sWillibrord__notoc__Willibrord was a Northumbrian missionary saint, known as the "Apostle to the Frisians" in the modern Netherlands...
Catholic Church (branch church; Filialkirche St. Willibrord), Hauptstraße – RomanesqueRomanesque architectureRomanesque architecture is an architectural style of Medieval Europe characterised by semi-circular arches. There is no consensus for the beginning date of the Romanesque architecture, with proposals ranging from the 6th to the 10th century. It developed in the 12th century into the Gothic style,...
west tower, nave from 1746, expanded in 1965. - Bahnhofstraße 14 – Quereinhaus (a combination residential and commercial house divided for these two purposes down the middle, perpendicularly to the street) from 1878.
- Bahnhofstraße 1 – small 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 (?). - Gerolsteiner Straße 6 – building with half-hipped roof, about 1800.
- Gerolsteiner Straße 7 – two-floor solid building with small windows.
- Before Hauptstraße 2 – warriors’ memorial 1914-1918, crucifixCrucifixA crucifix is an independent image of Jesus on the cross with a representation of Jesus' body, referred to in English as the corpus , as distinct from a cross with no body....
1850, on base built in 1919. - Across the street from Hauptstraße 8 – wayside cross, red 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,...
shaft cross from the earlier half of the 18th century. - Hauptstraße 18 – stately house from an old estate along the street, early 19th century.
- Hauptstraße 19 – small Quereinhaus apparently from 1742, Baroque entrance, appearance largely 19th century.
- Between Hauptstraße 19 and 23 – wayside cross, red sandstone beam cross from 1762.
- Hauptstraße 46 – Quereinhaus about 1800 (?), ClassicistClassicismClassicism, in the arts, refers generally to a high regard for classical antiquity, as setting standards for taste which the classicists seek to emulate. The art of classicism typically seeks to be formal and restrained: of the Discobolus Sir Kenneth Clark observed, "if we object to his restraint...
doorframe, late 19th century. - Memorial, north of the village on the railway right-of-way – to those who lost their lives in the accident on 18 May 1897, possibly from shortly thereafter.
- Former Gerolstein railway works yard, southwest of the village on the way to GerolsteinGerolsteinGerolstein 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...
(Kasselburger Weg) – monumental zone, roundhouseRoundhouseA roundhouse is a building used by railroads for servicing locomotives. Roundhouses are large, circular or semicircular structures that were traditionally located surrounding or adjacent to turntables...
, depot/administration building/workshop, 1928-1930, rebuilt in 1949/1950 after wartime destruction. - Heiligenhäuschen (a small, shrinelike structure consecrated to a saint or saints), south of the village on the road from Gees to Gerolstein – red sandstone from 1768.
- Kasselburg – monumental zone, castleCastleA 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...
founded in the 12th century, among EifelEifelThe 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....
castles one of the stateliest and best preserved, parts from 13th, 14th and 15th centuries, eight-floor dwelling tower, three-floor hall building with built-on chapelChapelA chapel is a building used by Christians as a place of fellowship and worship. It may be part of a larger structure or complex, such as a church, college, hospital, palace, prison or funeral home, located on board a military or commercial ship, or it may be an entirely free-standing building,...
, mid 14th century, keepKeepA keep is a type of fortified tower built within castles during the Middle Ages by European nobility. Scholars have debated the scope of the word keep, but usually consider it to refer to large towers in castles that were fortified residences, used as a refuge of last resort should the rest of the...
, lower part of which is RomanesqueRomanesque architectureRomanesque architecture is an architectural style of Medieval Europe characterised by semi-circular arches. There is no consensus for the beginning date of the Romanesque architecture, with proposals ranging from the 6th to the 10th century. It developed in the 12th century into the Gothic style,...
, remnants of dwelling and commercial buildings, square gatetower, 15th century; complex includes broad area. - So-called Judenkirchhof (“Jewish Churchyard”), west of the village on the hill – Gallo-RomanGallo-Roman cultureThe term Gallo-Roman describes the Romanized culture of Gaul under the rule of the Roman Empire. This was characterized by the Gaulish adoption or adaptation of Roman mores and way of life in a uniquely Gaulish context...
temple complex, AD 124.