Rockeskyll
Encyclopedia
Rockeskyll 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
.
, 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.
The municipality’s landmark is the Rockeskyller Kopf, a stratovolcano
in the heart of the Vulkaneifel, which stretches from the Belgian
border to the Moselle. Southwest of Rockeskyll flows the river Kyll
, a tributary to the Moselle and the longest river in the Eifel.
church with columnar supports was built. This church is a highly ranked cultural monument
and stands as a protected cultural property according to the Hague Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict
. Until the end of feudal
times, Rockeskyll belonged to the Electorate of Trier. In 1795, the tithing domain of Rockeskyll became a mairie (“mayoralty”) during the time of French
rule. Besides Rockeskyll itself, this mairie included Berlingen
, Betteldorf
, Bewingen
, Essingen
, Gees
, Hinterweiler
, Hohenfels
, Pelm
and Roth. In 1815, Rockeskyll became the seat of a Prussia
n Bürgermeisterei (“mayoralty”). In 1858, the Bürgermeistereien of Gerolstein and Rockeskyll were merged into the Amt of Gerolstein. Since 1970, Rockeskyll has been part of the Verbandsgemeinde of Gerolstein
in the Vulkaneifel district
.
at the municipal election held on 7 June 2009, and the honorary mayor as chairman.
The municipality’s arms
might in English heraldic
language be described thus: Per fess azure balances Or and argent a cross triple parted gules.
Rockeskyll’s location between Hillesheim
and Gerolstein
ensured its importance through the ages as a market centre. This is symbolized in the arms by the charge
above the line of partition, balances such as those traditionally used at markets. The other charge is a cross meant to resemble those on the capital
s of some of the columns in Rockeskyll’s old church. The tincture
s below the line of partition are those once borne by the Electorate of Trier, and are thus yet another historical reference.
410. Landesstraße (State Road) 27 runs through the village. In Rockeskyll, a distillery, the Rockeskyller Brennerei, has been in operation since 1842 making liqueur
s and spirits
such as Eifel-Vulkan 50%, Eifel-Zwerg 42%, Eifel-Hexe 30%, Eifel-Schlehwittchen 25% and others.
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 in the VulkaneifelVulkan 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.
The municipality’s landmark is the Rockeskyller Kopf, a stratovolcano
Stratovolcano
A stratovolcano, also known as a composite volcano, is a tall, conical volcano built up by many layers of hardened lava, tephra, pumice, and volcanic ash. Unlike shield volcanoes, stratovolcanoes are characterized by a steep profile and periodic, explosive eruptions...
in the heart of the Vulkaneifel, which stretches from the Belgian
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...
border to the Moselle. Southwest of Rockeskyll flows the river Kyll
Kyll
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...
, a tributary to the Moselle and the longest river in the Eifel.
History
In 1098, Kila had its first documentary mention in a donation document. In 1511, a GothicGothic 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....
church with columnar supports was built. This church is a highly ranked cultural monument
Cultural Heritage Management
Cultural heritage management is the vocation and practice of managing cultural heritage. It is a branch of cultural resources management , although it also draws on the practices of conservation, restoration, museology, archaeology, history and architecture...
and stands as a protected cultural property according to the Hague Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict
Hague Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict
The Hague Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict is an international treaty that requires its signatories to protect cultural property in war. It was signed at The Hague, Netherlands, on May 14, 1954, and entered into force August 7, 1956...
. Until the end of feudal
Feudalism
Feudalism was a set of legal and military customs in medieval Europe that flourished between the 9th and 15th centuries, which, broadly defined, was a system for ordering society around relationships derived from the holding of land in exchange for service or labour.Although derived from the...
times, Rockeskyll belonged to the Electorate of Trier. In 1795, the tithing domain of Rockeskyll became a mairie (“mayoralty”) during the time of 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. Besides Rockeskyll itself, this mairie included 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...
, Betteldorf
Betteldorf
Betteldorf is an Ortsgemeinde – a municipality belonging to a Verbandsgemeinde, a kind of collective municipality – in the Vulkaneifel district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany...
, Bewingen
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...
, 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...
, Gees
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...
, Hinterweiler
Hinterweiler
Hinterweiler is an Ortsgemeinde – a municipality belonging to a Verbandsgemeinde, a kind of collective municipality – in the Vulkaneifel district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany...
, Hohenfels
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...
, Pelm
Pelm
Pelm is an Ortsgemeinde – a municipality belonging to a Verbandsgemeinde, a kind of collective municipality – in the Vulkaneifel district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany...
and Roth. In 1815, Rockeskyll became the seat of a 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...
n Bürgermeisterei (“mayoralty”). In 1858, the Bürgermeistereien of Gerolstein and Rockeskyll were merged into the Amt of Gerolstein. Since 1970, Rockeskyll has been part of 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....
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 ....
.
Municipal council
The council is made up of 6 council members, who were elected by majority votePlurality voting system
The plurality voting system is a single-winner voting system often used to elect executive officers or to elect members of a legislative assembly which is based on single-member constituencies...
at the municipal election held on 7 June 2009, and the honorary mayor as chairman.
Mayor
Rockeskyll’s mayor is Volker Oos, and his deputies are Stephan Schmitz and Anita Mahlberg.Coat of arms
The German blazon reads: Von Blau über Silber geteilt, oben eine goldene Waage, unten ein aus je drei roten Fäden gebildetes Gitterkreuz.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 fess azure balances Or and argent a cross triple parted gules.
Rockeskyll’s location between Hillesheim
Hillesheim
Hillesheim is the third largest town in the Vulkaneifel district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is the seat of the like-named Verbandsgemeinde, to which it also belongs.- Location :...
and Gerolstein
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...
ensured its importance through the ages as a market centre. This is symbolized in the arms by 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...
above the line of partition, balances such as those traditionally used at markets. The other charge is a cross meant to resemble those on the capital
Capital (architecture)
In architecture the capital forms the topmost member of a column . It mediates between the column and the load thrusting down upon it, broadening the area of the column's supporting surface...
s of some of the columns in Rockeskyll’s old church. The 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 below the line of partition are those once borne by the Electorate of Trier, and are thus yet another historical reference.
Buildings
- Saint Bartholomew’s Catholic Parish Church (Pfarrkirche St. Bartholomäus), Hauptstraße 41 – 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, original Late GothicGothic architectureGothic 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....
columned hall, 1511, expanded in 1840, new vaulting built above two middle columns in 1891, missionary cross from 1736. - Dorfstraße 39 – representative 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...
building with mansard roofMansard roofA mansard or mansard roof is a four-sided gambrel-style hip roof characterized by two slopes on each of its sides with the lower slope at a steeper angle than the upper that is punctured by dormer windows. The roof creates an additional floor of habitable space, such as a garret...
, about 1800, second dwelling wing, stately commercial building, yard, gardenGardenA garden is a planned space, usually outdoors, set aside for the display, cultivation, and enjoyment of plants and other forms of nature. The garden can incorporate both natural and man-made materials. The most common form today is known as a residential garden, but the term garden has...
with quarrystone retaining wallRetaining wallRetaining walls are built in order to hold back earth which would otherwise move downwards. Their purpose is to stabilize slopes and provide useful areas at different elevations, e.g...
, whole complex. - Hauptstraße – wayside 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,...
, plastered building, 18th/19th century. - Hauptstraße – Stations of the CrossStations of the CrossStations of the Cross refers to the depiction of the final hours of Jesus, and the devotion commemorating the Passion. The tradition as chapel devotion began with St...
, seven stations of a Way of the Cross with 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,...
reliefs, about 1750 or 1760. - Hauptstraße 29 – upper part of a former Station of the Cross, mid-18th century.
- Hauptstraße 31 – estate along the street, elders’ residence/bakehouse (?), from 1786.
- Hauptstraße 43 – five-axis house of an estate along the street, about 1800.
- Hauptstraße 44 – Quereinhaus (a combination residential and commercial house divided for these two purposes down the middle, perpendicularly to the street) with broad frontage.
- Im Überecken 7 – former rectory (?), building with half-hipped roof, angularly designed commercial buildings
- Im Überecken 17 – corner estate, about 1800.
- Graveyard, northeast of the village – cross, altarlike base, Gothic RevivalGothic Revival architectureThe Gothic Revival is an architectural movement that began in the 1740s in England...
finial cross, about 1900. - Heiligenhäuschen (a small, shrinelike structure consecrated to a saint or saints) north of the village on the edge of a wooded mountain knoll – base with RococoRococoRococo , also referred to as "Late Baroque", is an 18th-century style which developed as Baroque artists gave up their symmetry and became increasingly ornate, florid, and playful...
leafwork, from 1774, niche upper part, remnant of a finial cross. - Wayside cross, west of the village on the edge of the woods – 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 1738. - Wayside cross, east of the village near the way to EssingenHohenfels-EssingenHohenfels-Essingen is an Ortsgemeinde – a municipality belonging to a Verbandsgemeinde, a kind of collective municipality – in the Vulkaneifel district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany...
– niche cross from 1616. - Wayside cross, on a farm lane southwest of the village – red sandstone shaft cross from 1775.
Transport
Rockeskyll lies right on BundesstraßeBundesstraße
Bundesstraße , abbreviated B, is the denotation for German and Austrian national highways.-Germany:...
410. Landesstraße (State Road) 27 runs through the village. In Rockeskyll, a distillery, the Rockeskyller Brennerei, has been in operation since 1842 making liqueur
Liqueur
A liqueur is an alcoholic beverage that has been flavored with fruit, herbs, nuts, spices, flowers, or cream and bottled with added sugar. Liqueurs are typically quite sweet; they are usually not aged for long but may have resting periods during their production to allow flavors to marry.The...
s and spirits
Distilled beverage
A distilled beverage, liquor, or spirit is an alcoholic beverage containing ethanol that is produced by distilling ethanol produced by means of fermenting grain, fruit, or vegetables...
such as Eifel-Vulkan 50%, Eifel-Zwerg 42%, Eifel-Hexe 30%, Eifel-Schlehwittchen 25% and others.