Rivenich
Encyclopedia
Rivenich is an Ortsgemeinde – a municipality
belonging to a Verbandsgemeinde
, a kind of collective municipality – in the Bernkastel-Wittlich
district
in Rhineland-Palatinate
, Germany
.
on the river Salm. The municipal area is 33% wooded. The nearest city is Trier
, some 24 km away to the southwest. Rivenich belongs to the Verbandsgemeinde of Wittlich-Land
, whose seat is in Wittlich
, although that town is itself not in the Verbandsgemeinde.
, the village became part of the Department of Sarre. 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:
The municipality’s arms
might in English heraldic
language be described thus: Per bend sinister indented, argent a dragon segreant gules and gules three ears of wheat conjoined on one stem slipped Or.
Written history records that on 30 December 1704, Count Hugo Ernst Cratz von Scharfenstein donated all his rights to the villages of Rivenich and Erlenbach to Baron Karl Kaspar von Kesselstatt, Provost of the Trier Monastery of St. Paulin. With the family von Kesselstatt’s approval, the charge
borne by the former barons (later Imperial counts) appears on the dexter (armsbearer’s right, viewer’s left) side. The step-shaped division of the field recalls the “fess dancetty” (horizontal zigzag stripe) formerly borne as an heraldic device by the Lords of Manderscheid, and thereby also Rivenich’s time under the Manderscheid-Bruch high court. Likewise, the charge on the sinister (armsbearer’s left, viewer’s right) side recalls a composition once seen on a court seal (from 1765). These three ears of wheat stand for the parish’s patron saint, Brice of Tours.
Rivenich was granted the right to bear its own arms in 1975 by the Regierungsbezirk
administration.
is a railway station on the Koblenz-Trier railway line.
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 in the EifelEifel
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....
on the river Salm. The municipal area is 33% wooded. The nearest city is 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....
, some 24 km away to the southwest. Rivenich 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.
History
In 748, Rivenich had its first documentary mention as Riveniacus. After the French RevolutionFrench 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...
, the village became part of the Department of Sarre. 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 12 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... |
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 | 7 | 5 | 12 seats |
| 2004 | 5 | 7 | 12 seats |
Coat of arms
The German blazon reads: Schild schräglinks stufenförmig geteilt, vorne in Silber ein roter Drache, hinten in Rot drei goldene Ähren.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 bend sinister indented, argent a dragon segreant gules and gules three ears of wheat conjoined on one stem slipped Or.
Written history records that on 30 December 1704, Count Hugo Ernst Cratz von Scharfenstein donated all his rights to the villages of Rivenich and Erlenbach to Baron Karl Kaspar von Kesselstatt, Provost of the Trier Monastery of St. Paulin. With the family von Kesselstatt’s approval, the 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...
borne by the former barons (later Imperial counts) appears on the dexter (armsbearer’s right, viewer’s left) side. The step-shaped division of the field recalls the “fess dancetty” (horizontal zigzag stripe) formerly borne as an heraldic device by the Lords of Manderscheid, and thereby also Rivenich’s time under the Manderscheid-Bruch high court. Likewise, the charge on the sinister (armsbearer’s left, viewer’s right) side recalls a composition once seen on a court seal (from 1765). These three ears of wheat stand for the parish’s patron saint, Brice of Tours.
Rivenich was granted the right to bear its own arms in 1975 by the Regierungsbezirk
Regierungsbezirk
In Germany, a Government District, in German: Regierungsbezirk – is a subdivision of certain federal states .They are above the Kreise, Landkreise, and kreisfreie Städte...
administration.
Economy and infrastructure
Northwest of Rivenich runs the Autobahn A 1. In nearby HetzerathHetzerath
Hetzerath is an Ortsgemeinde – a municipality belonging to a Verbandsgemeinde, a kind of collective municipality – in the Bernkastel-Wittlich district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany.- Location :...
is a railway station on the Koblenz-Trier railway line.
Famous people
- Günter Rösch (b. 1943), politician
- Klaus ToppmöllerKlaus ToppmöllerKlaus Toppmöller is a former football player and the coach of Georgia national football team from 2006 to April 1, 2008.He earned 3 caps and scored 1 goal during his international career for Germany.-Coaching career:...
(b. 1951), footballer, football trainer and municipal councillor (SPD) - Dino ToppmöllerDino ToppmöllerDino Toppmöller is a German footballer playing for FSV Salmrohr. He is the son of Klaus Toppmöller.-External links:...
(b. 1980), footballer, Klaus Toppmöller’s son