Reil, Germany
Encyclopedia
Reil is an Ortsgemeinde – a municipality
belonging to a Verbandsgemeinde
, a kind of collective municipality – in the Bernkastel-Wittlich
district
in Rhineland-Palatinate
, Germany
. Reil is strongly characterized by winegrowing and tourism
. It was the second capital of the Kröver Reich, a Carolingian crown estate that existed until the French Revolution
.
, whose seat is in the municipality of Kröv
.
, is dated 18 May 1008 and documents an exchange agreement under which Archbishop Willigis
of Mainz
traded to Saint Stephen’s Church at Mainz
an estate in Reil (then known as Rigula) for another estate in Büchenbach
(then known as Buochinbah). During the Middle Ages
, an important pilgrimage
centre, called Reilkirch, stood across the Moselle from Reil, whose Romanesque
tower and Early Gothic
nave were completely demolished in the 19th century.
Since Reil was also known in the Middle Ages as Rile or Ryle, it is often claimed that Cologne Cathedral
’s first master builder, Gerhard von Rile, came from the village. A noble family from which “Meister Gerhard” could have come, however, is first named in documents only in 1285, roughly fourteen years after Gerhard’s death. Its last representative, David von Reil, died penniless in 1610.
Beginning in 1794, Reil lay under French
rule. In 1814 it was assigned to the Kingdom of Prussia
at the Congress of Vienna
. Since 1947, it has been part of the then newly founded state
of Rhineland-Palatinate
.
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:
, West Flanders, Belgium
since 2007
In Reil are one kindergarten and one primary school. Running by on the other side of the Moselle is Bundesstraße
53. In the village itself is a station on the Pünderich–Traben-Trarbach railway, which came into service in 1883.
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...
. Reil is strongly characterized by winegrowing and tourism
Tourism
Tourism is travel for recreational, leisure or business purposes. The World Tourism Organization defines tourists as people "traveling to and staying in places outside their usual environment for not more than one consecutive year for leisure, business and other purposes".Tourism has become a...
. It was the second capital of the Kröver Reich, a Carolingian crown estate that existed until the French Revolution
French Revolution
The French Revolution , sometimes distinguished as the 'Great French Revolution' , was a period of radical social and political upheaval in France and Europe. The absolute monarchy that had ruled France for centuries collapsed in three years...
.
Location
The municipality lies on the Moselle and belongs to the Verbandsgemeinde of Kröv-BausendorfKröv-Bausendorf
Kröv-Bausendorf is a Verbandsgemeinde in the district Bernkastel-Wittlich, in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. Its seat of administration is in the village Kröv, which is situated on the river Moselle, approx...
, whose seat is in the municipality of Kröv
Kröv
Kröv is an Ortsgemeinde – a municipality belonging to a Verbandsgemeinde, a kind of collective municipality – in the Bernkastel-Wittlich district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany.- Location :...
.
History
In 1008, Reil had its first documentary mention. The document in question, from King Heinrich IIHenry II, Holy Roman Emperor
Henry II , also referred to as Saint Henry, Obl.S.B., was the fifth and last Holy Roman Emperor of the Ottonian dynasty, from his coronation in Rome in 1014 until his death a decade later. He was crowned King of the Germans in 1002 and King of Italy in 1004...
, is dated 18 May 1008 and documents an exchange agreement under which Archbishop Willigis
Willigis
Saint Willigis was Archbishop of Mainz from 975 until his death as well as a statesman of the Holy Roman Empire.-Life:...
of Mainz
Mainz
Mainz under the Holy Roman Empire, and previously was a Roman fort city which commanded the west bank of the Rhine and formed part of the northernmost frontier of the Roman Empire...
traded to Saint Stephen’s Church at Mainz
St. Stephen's Church, Mainz
|right|300 px|thumb|St. Stephan at Mainz. View of the great belfry, the highest spot in the city for centuries, and the nave.The Collegiate Church of St. Stephan, known in German as St. Stephan zu Mainz, is a Gothic hall collegiate church located in the German city of Mainz.-History:St...
an estate in Reil (then known as Rigula) for another estate in Büchenbach
Büchenbach
Büchenbach is a municipality in the district of Roth, in Bavaria, Germany....
(then known as Buochinbah). During 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...
, an important pilgrimage
Pilgrimage
A pilgrimage is a journey or search of great moral or spiritual significance. Typically, it is a journey to a shrine or other location of importance to a person's beliefs and faith...
centre, called Reilkirch, stood across the Moselle from Reil, whose Romanesque
Romanesque architecture
Romanesque 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,...
tower and Early Gothic
Gothic architecture
Gothic architecture is a style of architecture that flourished during the high and late medieval period. It evolved from Romanesque architecture and was succeeded by Renaissance architecture....
nave were completely demolished in the 19th century.
Since Reil was also known in the Middle Ages as Rile or Ryle, it is often claimed that Cologne Cathedral
Cologne Cathedral
Cologne Cathedral is a Roman Catholic church in Cologne, Germany. It is the seat of the Archbishop of Cologne and the administration of the Archdiocese of Cologne. It is renowned monument of German Catholicism and Gothic architecture and is a World Heritage Site...
’s first master builder, Gerhard von Rile, came from the village. A noble family from which “Meister Gerhard” could have come, however, is first named in documents only in 1285, roughly fourteen years after Gerhard’s death. Its last representative, David von Reil, died penniless in 1610.
Beginning in 1794, Reil lay under French
Rhin-et-Moselle
Rhin-et-Moselle is the name of a département of the First French Empire in present Germany. It is named after the rivers Rhine and Moselle. It was formed in 1798, when the left bank of the Rhine was annexed by France. Until the French occupation, its territory was divided between the Archbishopric...
rule. In 1814 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 1947, 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 ....
.
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 | Total | |
| 2009 | 9 | 7 | 16 seats |
| 2004 | 9 | 7 | 16 seats |
Town partnerships
Reil fosters partnerships with the following places: ZedelgemZedelgem
Zedelgem is a municipality located in the Belgian province of West Flanders. The municipality comprises the villages of Aartrijke, Loppem, Veldegem and Zedelgem proper. On January 1, 2006 Zedelgem had a total population of 21,835...
, West Flanders, Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
since 2007
Culture and sightseeing
The sport club TuS Reil, with some 550 members, is the biggest club in Reil.Economy and infrastructure
In the 19th and 20th centuries, Reil, with more than 200 ha of vineyards under cultivation, was one of the biggest winegrowing centres on the Moselle. The vineyards of Goldlay, Falklay, Moullay-Hofberg and Sorentberg belong to the winemaking appellation – Großlage – of Vom Heißen Stein (“From The Hot Stone”) and to the Mosel wine region’s Bernkastel area. In years since, the cultivated area has shrunk by almost half to 120 ha. Tourism, especially “enotourism” – wine harvest holidaymaking – is playing an ever more important rôle.In Reil are one kindergarten and one primary school. Running by on the other side of the Moselle is Bundesstraße
Bundesstraße
Bundesstraße , abbreviated B, is the denotation for German and Austrian national highways.-Germany:...
53. In the village itself is a station on the Pünderich–Traben-Trarbach railway, which came into service in 1883.
Further reading
- Joachim Schiffhauer: Reil. Die Geschichte eines Moseldorfes; Koblenz 1954
- Erwin Schaaf und Johannes Mötsch: Beiträge zur Geschichte des Kröver Reiches; Bernkastel-Kues 1998