Piesport
Encyclopedia
Piesport is an Ortsgemeinde – a municipality
belonging to a Verbandsgemeinde
, a kind of collective municipality – in the Bernkastel-Wittlich
district
in Rhineland-Palatinate
, Germany
.
s, meadows and woods in the Moselle valley between Bernkastel-Kues
and Trier
. It is the biggest winegrowing centre in the Mosel wine region. Piesport is found on the river’s right bank where the valley begins to broaden out into country marked by utterly flat riverbank slopes. On the other side of the river, steep slopes lead up to the Eifel
.
Piesport belongs to the Verbandsgemeinde of Neumagen-Dhron
, whose seat is in the like-named municipality
.
in Piesport amounts to 737 mm, falling into the middle third of the precipitation chart for all Germany. At 49% of the German Weather Service’s weather station
s, lower figures are recorded. The driest month is February. The most rainfall comes in June. In that month, precipitation is twice what it is in February. Precipitation varies only minimally and is extremely evenly spread throughout the year. At only 3% of the weather stations are lower seasonal swings recorded.
by the Romans. “Like an amphitheatre’s rows”, wrote the poet Ausonius
, the vineyards framed the place. Between the centres of Alt-Piesport and Ferres, the biggest Roman wine press
ing facility north of the Alps
was unearthed in 1985, and partly reconstructed. It is the focus of the yearly Römisches Kelterfest (“Roman Wine Press Festival”) held on the second weekend in October. Other Roman finds have led to the conclusion that the village was once an important port. It was dedicated to Bigontius, a local deity, whence the name Porto Pigonto was derived, which eventually mutated into “Piesport”.
In the Middle Ages
and early modern times, Piesport belonged to the Electorate of Trier. Beginning in 1794, Piesport lay under French
rule. In 1815 it was assigned to the Kingdom of Prussia
at the Congress of Vienna
. Since 1946, it has been part of the then newly founded state
of Rhineland-Palatinate
.
Today’s municipality was newly formed on 7 June 1969 from the dissolved municipalities of (503 inhabitants) and Niederemmel (1,633 inhabitants).
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:
on the Rhine. The craggy massif that rises steeply out of the Moselle allows no transport links downstream, nor is there even any room for a footpath. Nevertheless, here and there on its steep slopes are found vineyard
s. For a decade in the 1930s, there was mining here. Above the Moselloreley runs a hiking trail.
grapes that are grown here. The municipality is part of the wine area of Bernkastel. The vineyards are part of the winemaking appellation – Großlage – of Michelsberg. A distinction is made among the following ten vineyards:
Theo Haart from the Haart Wine Estate in Piesport was chosen in November 2006 by the magazine Gault Millau
as “Winemaker of the Year 2007”.
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 surrounded by vineyardVineyard
A vineyard is a plantation of grape-bearing vines, grown mainly for winemaking, but also raisins, table grapes and non-alcoholic grape juice...
s, meadows and woods in the Moselle valley between 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...
and 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....
. It is the biggest winegrowing centre in the Mosel wine region. Piesport is found on the river’s right bank where the valley begins to broaden out into country marked by utterly flat riverbank slopes. On the other side of the river, steep slopes lead up to 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....
.
Piesport belongs to the Verbandsgemeinde of Neumagen-Dhron
Neumagen-Dhron (Verbandsgemeinde)
Neumagen-Dhron is a Verbandsgemeinde in the district Bernkastel-Wittlich, in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. Its seat of administration is in Neumagen-Dhron....
, whose seat is in the like-named municipality
Neumagen-Dhron
Neumagen-Dhron is an Ortsgemeinde – a municipality belonging to a Verbandsgemeinde, a kind of collective municipality – in the Bernkastel-Wittlich district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is also the seat of the Verbandsgemeinde of Neumagen-Dhron and a state-recognized tourism community...
.
Constituent communities
Piesport’s Ortsteile are Piesport, Niederemmel (Emmel, Reinsport and Müstert) and Ferres.Climate
Yearly precipitationPrecipitation (meteorology)
In meteorology, precipitation In meteorology, precipitation In meteorology, precipitation (also known as one of the classes of hydrometeors, which are atmospheric water phenomena is any product of the condensation of atmospheric water vapor that falls under gravity. The main forms of precipitation...
in Piesport amounts to 737 mm, falling into the middle third of the precipitation chart for all Germany. At 49% of the German Weather Service’s weather station
Weather station
A weather station is a facility, either on land or sea, with instruments and equipment for observing atmospheric conditions to provide information for weather forecasts and to study the weather and climate. The measurements taken include temperature, barometric pressure, humidity, wind speed, wind...
s, lower figures are recorded. The driest month is February. The most rainfall comes in June. In that month, precipitation is twice what it is in February. Precipitation varies only minimally and is extremely evenly spread throughout the year. At only 3% of the weather stations are lower seasonal swings recorded.
History
The region around Piesport was settled as early as 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....
by the Romans. “Like an amphitheatre’s rows”, wrote the poet Ausonius
Ausonius
Decimius Magnus Ausonius was a Latin poet and rhetorician, born at Burdigala .-Biography:Decimius Magnus Ausonius was born in Bordeaux in ca. 310. His father was a noted physician of Greek ancestry and his mother was descended on both sides from long-established aristocratic Gallo-Roman families...
, the vineyards framed the place. Between the centres of Alt-Piesport and Ferres, the biggest Roman wine press
Wine press
A wine press is a device used to extract juice from crushed grapes during wine making. There are a number of different styles of presses that are used by wine makers but their overall functionality is the same. Each style of press exerts controlled pressure in order to free the juice from the fruit...
ing facility north of the Alps
Alps
The Alps is one of the great mountain range systems of Europe, stretching from Austria and Slovenia in the east through Italy, Switzerland, Liechtenstein and Germany to France in the west....
was unearthed in 1985, and partly reconstructed. It is the focus of the yearly Römisches Kelterfest (“Roman Wine Press Festival”) held on the second weekend in October. Other Roman finds have led to the conclusion that the village was once an important port. It was dedicated to Bigontius, a local deity, whence the name Porto Pigonto was derived, which eventually mutated into “Piesport”.
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...
and early modern times, Piesport belonged to the Electorate of Trier. Beginning in 1794, Piesport 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 it was 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,...
. Since 1946, it has been 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 ....
.
Today’s municipality was newly formed on 7 June 1969 from the dissolved municipalities of (503 inhabitants) and Niederemmel (1,633 inhabitants).
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:
| SPD Social Democratic Party of Germany The Social Democratic Party of Germany is a social-democratic political party in Germany... |
CDU | WGR | Total | |
| 2009 | 2 | 9 | 5 | 16 seats |
| 2004 | 3 | 5 | 8 | 16 seats |
Moselloreley
Near Piesport lies the Moselloreley, a similar formation to the LoreleyLorelei
The Lorelei is a rock on the eastern bank of the Rhine near St. Goarshausen, Germany, which soars some 120 metres above the waterline. It marks the narrowest part of the river between Switzerland and the North Sea. A very strong current and rocks below the waterline have caused many boat...
on the Rhine. The craggy massif that rises steeply out of the Moselle allows no transport links downstream, nor is there even any room for a footpath. Nevertheless, here and there on its steep slopes are found vineyard
Vineyard
A vineyard is a plantation of grape-bearing vines, grown mainly for winemaking, but also raisins, table grapes and non-alcoholic grape juice...
s. For a decade in the 1930s, there was mining here. Above the Moselloreley runs a hiking trail.
Winegrowing
Piesport is to a considerable extent characterized by winegrowing, and with 413 ha of vineyard area under cultivation is by far the biggest winegrowing centre in the Mosel wine region. Traditionally it is mainly RieslingRiesling
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...
grapes that are grown here. The municipality is part of the wine area of Bernkastel. The vineyards are part of the winemaking appellation – Großlage – of Michelsberg. A distinction is made among the following ten vineyards:
|
|
Theo Haart from the Haart Wine Estate in Piesport was chosen in November 2006 by the magazine Gault Millau
Gault Millau
Gault et Millau is one of the most influential French restaurant guides founded by two restaurant critics, Henri Gault and Christian Millau in 1965. Gault Millau is most famous for its rating system, on a scale of 1 to 20. Restaurants below 10 points are almost never listed...
as “Winemaker of the Year 2007”.