Strohn
Encyclopedia
Strohn 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 Daun
, 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.
Strohn lies south of Gillenfeld
and the Pulvermaar, a local volcanic crater lake
, on the river Alf’s left bank.
and homesteads belong to Strohn: Altheck, Buchholz, Dornheck, Herrenbüsch, Sprink, Tannenhof and Trautzberg.
. Particularly worthy of mention is the Strohner Märchen, a small maar
that has almost dried up (Märchen here is a diminutive
of Maar, not the German
word for “fairy tale”). It came into being about 8,100 years ago through a side eruption of the Römerberg, a local cinder cone. Together with the Pulvermaar and the Römerberg, it forms a nature conservation area, which became protected in 1984.
In the village itself sits a lava bomb
, a basalt
globe formed by volcanic activity
. It has a diameter of some five metres and a weight of more than 120 metric tons. It formed not through a single expulsion from the volcanic vent, but rather by being shot upwards several times and then sliding back down into the crater, getting a new coating of lava
and cinder each time until it got stuck at the edge of the crater and cooled permanently. It came to light in 1969 during blasting
at a quarry
on the volcanic cone, and in the winter of 1980 and 1981 was towed on an iron plate over a compacted layer of snow with a bulldozer
into the village centre.
times, there was a settlement at what is now Strohn named Struhna. The view into the distance from the Wartgesberg (mountain) as far as the Altburg and the heights of the Hunsrück
was used by the Romans, who built watchtowers on its heights.
Emperor Heinrich VI
, who was the great Emperor Barbarossa’s
son, transferred lordship over Struhna and the estate of Drucksbersch (Trautzberg) to Springiersbach Abbey. This monastery maintained a monasterial estate here with huge forest and land areas. The estate buildings stood in what is today’s outlying centre of Sprink. Even today, Springiersbach’s coat of arms
can be found preserved on a house in Sprink.
Among the places named in a confirmation document issued by Heinrich VI to Abbot Absalon von Springiersbach are cropfields and meadows at Struhna. In 1297, Count Heinrich
of Luxembourg
enfeoffed the knight Richard, Lord of Daun, with the tithe
s from Stroin. In 1299, the fief was expanded to include the whole village, which hitherto had only been an allodial
holding.
A newly built house – a fortified one – was owned in 1336 by Aegidius, Lord of Daun, who, because of this house, had to assume obligations to the Archbishop. In later centuries, the monastery’s estate was forsaken. The lands and woods were sold off, and bought up by the villagers. The estate buildings in Sprink were acquired by three families. Even today, there are agricultural
businesses being run there.
In the Middle Ages
, Strohn was also the site of a high court.
In the 19th century, Strohn found itself under the lordship of the Count of Daun and thereby belonged to the County of Daun. A great fire struck the village in 1760, and it burnt down utterly. Only one house was left, the Justenhaus owned by the family Schmitz. Even the church’s nave burnt down; only the tower remained standing. From inside, the old Marien Glocke (bell
) still sounds. It bears the yeardate 1483 and this inscription, in archaic German: Maria heißen ich, alle Weder verdriffen ich Claus von Enen gos mich (“Maria is my name, all weather I drive away, Claus von Enen poured me”).
During the time of French
rule, Strohn was the seat of a mairie (“mayoralty”) in the Canton
of Manderscheid and the Arrondissement of Prüm, and even into Prussia
n times, this was still a Bürgermeisterei (also “mayoralty”). On 22 August 1841, with ministerial permission, the Bürgermeisterei of Strohn was amalgamated with that of Gillenfeld. The Bürgermeisterei of Strohn included until 1841 Brockscheid, Immerath, mit dem Heckenhofe, Mückeln mit Schutzalf, Niederwinkel, Oberwinkel, Sprink, Trautzberg and Strotzbüsch. On the road from Strohn to Mückeln
lies the Herrenbüsch where graves from Roman
times can still be found. Some officers who were here on manoeuvres in 1875 had one such grave right at the roadside opened. Inside, they found jugs still filled with ashes, old coins, swords, amulets and lance heads.
at the municipal election held on 7 June 2009, and the honorary mayor as chairman. Before this last election, Strohn’s council had eight seats.
The municipality’s arms
might in English heraldic
language be described thus: Tierced in mantle, dexter vert a lion’s head couped Or langued gules, sinister vert a millstone argent surmounted by three ears of wheat laid per pall reversed of the second, in base argent balances of the third.
The lion’s head refers to Strohn’s former status as a Springiersbach Abbey holding. The lion was a common charge
in arms borne by abbots. Lions may still be seen in the sandstone
coat of arms on a house in the outlying centre of Sprink, which was also a monasterial landholding, and on the hearth heating plate in the same house. The millstone and ears of wheat refer to Strohn’s mills, of which one is still working today. The three ears also refer to agriculture
, which is still important in the municipality. The balances are meant to stand for the high court at Strohn, belonging within whose jurisdiction were not only Strohn, but also Mückeln
and Oberscheidweiler
as well as the estates of Sprink and Trautzberg. The tincture
s gules and argent (red and silver) stand for the Electorate of Trier; Strohn for centuries belonged to the Electoral-Trier Amt of Daun. The tincture vert (green) in the two upper divisions was chosen to stand for the “Strohn Switzerland” (Strohner Schweiz) – the Strohner Märchen and its scenic charm.
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 Daun
Daun (Verbandsgemeinde)
Daun is a collective municipality in the Vulkaneifel district of Rhineland-Palatinate. The seat of the Daun Verbandsgemeinde is in the municipality of Daun.- Constituent municipalities:# Betteldorf# Bleckhausen# Brockscheid...
, whose seat is in the like-named town
Daun, Germany
Daun is a town in the Vulkaneifel district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is the district seat and also the seat of the Verbandsgemeinde of Daun.- Location :...
.
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.
Strohn lies south of Gillenfeld
Gillenfeld
Gillenfeld is an Ortsgemeinde – a municipality belonging to a Verbandsgemeinde, a kind of collective municipality – in the Vulkaneifel district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany...
and the Pulvermaar, a local volcanic crater lake
Maar
A maar is a broad, low-relief volcanic crater that is caused by a phreatomagmatic eruption, an explosion caused by groundwater coming into contact with hot lava or magma. A maar characteristically fills with water to form a relatively shallow crater lake. The name comes from the local Moselle...
, on the river Alf’s left bank.
Constituent communities
The following hamletsHamlet (place)
A hamlet is usually a rural settlement which is too small to be considered a village, though sometimes the word is used for a different sort of community. Historically, when a hamlet became large enough to justify building a church, it was then classified as a village...
and homesteads belong to Strohn: Altheck, Buchholz, Dornheck, Herrenbüsch, Sprink, Tannenhof and Trautzberg.
Vulcanism
The surrounding area is characterized by the Eifel’s vulcanismVolcanism
Volcanism is the phenomenon connected with volcanoes and volcanic activity. It includes all phenomena resulting from and causing magma within the crust or mantle of a planet to rise through the crust and form volcanic rocks on the surface....
. Particularly worthy of mention is the Strohner Märchen, a small maar
Maar
A maar is a broad, low-relief volcanic crater that is caused by a phreatomagmatic eruption, an explosion caused by groundwater coming into contact with hot lava or magma. A maar characteristically fills with water to form a relatively shallow crater lake. The name comes from the local Moselle...
that has almost dried up (Märchen here is a diminutive
Diminutive
In language structure, a diminutive, or diminutive form , is a formation of a word used to convey a slight degree of the root meaning, smallness of the object or quality named, encapsulation, intimacy, or endearment...
of Maar, not the German
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
word for “fairy tale”). It came into being about 8,100 years ago through a side eruption of the Römerberg, a local cinder cone. Together with the Pulvermaar and the Römerberg, it forms a nature conservation area, which became protected in 1984.
In the village itself sits a lava bomb
Volcanic bomb
A volcanic bomb is a mass of molten rock larger than 65 mm in diameter, formed when a volcano ejects viscous fragments of lava during an eruption. They cool into solid fragments before they reach the ground. Because volcanic bombs cool after they leave the volcano, they do not have grains...
, a basalt
Basalt
Basalt is a common extrusive volcanic rock. It is usually grey to black and fine-grained due to rapid cooling of lava at the surface of a planet. It may be porphyritic containing larger crystals in a fine matrix, or vesicular, or frothy scoria. Unweathered basalt is black or grey...
globe formed by volcanic activity
Volcano
2. Bedrock3. Conduit 4. Base5. Sill6. Dike7. Layers of ash emitted by the volcano8. Flank| 9. Layers of lava emitted by the volcano10. Throat11. Parasitic cone12. Lava flow13. Vent14. Crater15...
. It has a diameter of some five metres and a weight of more than 120 metric tons. It formed not through a single expulsion from the volcanic vent, but rather by being shot upwards several times and then sliding back down into the crater, getting a new coating of lava
Lava
Lava refers both to molten rock expelled by a volcano during an eruption and the resulting rock after solidification and cooling. This molten rock is formed in the interior of some planets, including Earth, and some of their satellites. When first erupted from a volcanic vent, lava is a liquid at...
and cinder each time until it got stuck at the edge of the crater and cooled permanently. It came to light in 1969 during blasting
Rock blasting
Rock blasting is the controlled use of explosives to excavate, break down or remove rock. It is practised most often in mining, quarrying and civil engineering such as dam or road construction...
at a quarry
Quarry
A quarry is a type of open-pit mine from which rock or minerals are extracted. Quarries are generally used for extracting building materials, such as dimension stone, construction aggregate, riprap, sand, and gravel. They are often collocated with concrete and asphalt plants due to the requirement...
on the volcanic cone, and in the winter of 1980 and 1981 was towed on an iron plate over a compacted layer of snow with a bulldozer
Bulldozer
A bulldozer is a crawler equipped with a substantial metal plate used to push large quantities of soil, sand, rubble, etc., during construction work and typically equipped at the rear with a claw-like device to loosen densely-compacted materials.Bulldozers can be found on a wide range of sites,...
into the village centre.
History
As early as RomanAncient 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....
times, there was a settlement at what is now Strohn named Struhna. The view into the distance from the Wartgesberg (mountain) as far as the Altburg and the heights of the Hunsrück
Hunsrück
The Hunsrück is a low mountain range in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is bounded by the river valleys of the Moselle , the Nahe , and the Rhine . The Hunsrück is continued by the Taunus mountains on the eastern side of the Rhine. In the north behind the Moselle it is continued by the Eifel...
was used by the Romans, who built watchtowers on its heights.
Emperor Heinrich VI
Henry VI, Holy Roman Emperor
Henry VI was King of Germany from 1190 to 1197, Holy Roman Emperor from 1191 to 1197 and King of Sicily from 1194 to 1197.-Early years:Born in Nijmegen,...
, who was the great Emperor Barbarossa’s
Frederick I, Holy Roman Emperor
Frederick I Barbarossa was a German Holy Roman Emperor. He was elected King of Germany at Frankfurt on 4 March 1152 and crowned in Aachen on 9 March, crowned King of Italy in Pavia in 1155, and finally crowned Roman Emperor by Pope Adrian IV, on 18 June 1155, and two years later in 1157 the term...
son, transferred lordship over Struhna and the estate of Drucksbersch (Trautzberg) to Springiersbach Abbey. This monastery maintained a monasterial estate here with huge forest and land areas. The estate buildings stood in what is today’s outlying centre of Sprink. Even today, Springiersbach’s coat of 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...
can be found preserved on a house in Sprink.
Among the places named in a confirmation document issued by Heinrich VI to Abbot Absalon von Springiersbach are cropfields and meadows at Struhna. In 1297, Count Heinrich
Henry VII, Holy Roman Emperor
Henry VII was the King of Germany from 1308 and Holy Roman Emperor from 1312. He was the first emperor of the House of Luxembourg...
of Luxembourg
County, Duchy and Grand Duchy of Luxembourg
The County, later Duchy of Luxembourg was a state of the Holy Roman Empire, the ancestral homeland of the noble House of Luxembourg.-History:...
enfeoffed the knight Richard, Lord of Daun, with the tithe
Tithe
A tithe is a one-tenth part of something, paid as a contribution to a religious organization or compulsory tax to government. Today, tithes are normally voluntary and paid in cash, cheques, or stocks, whereas historically tithes were required and paid in kind, such as agricultural products...
s from Stroin. In 1299, the fief was expanded to include the whole village, which hitherto had only been an allodial
Allodial title
Allodial title constitutes ownership of real property that is independent of any superior landlord, but it should not be confused with anarchy as the owner of allodial land is not independent of his sovereign...
holding.
A newly built house – a fortified one – was owned in 1336 by Aegidius, Lord of Daun, who, because of this house, had to assume obligations to the Archbishop. In later centuries, the monastery’s estate was forsaken. The lands and woods were sold off, and bought up by the villagers. The estate buildings in Sprink were acquired by three families. Even today, there are agricultural
Agriculture
Agriculture is the cultivation of animals, plants, fungi and other life forms for food, fiber, and other products used to sustain life. Agriculture was the key implement in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that nurtured the...
businesses being run there.
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...
, Strohn was also the site of a high court.
In the 19th century, Strohn found itself under the lordship of the Count of Daun and thereby belonged to the County of Daun. A great fire struck the village in 1760, and it burnt down utterly. Only one house was left, the Justenhaus owned by the family Schmitz. Even the church’s nave burnt down; only the tower remained standing. From inside, the old Marien Glocke (bell
Bell (instrument)
A bell is a simple sound-making device. The bell is a percussion instrument and an idiophone. Its form is usually a hollow, cup-shaped object, which resonates upon being struck...
) still sounds. It bears the yeardate 1483 and this inscription, in archaic German: Maria heißen ich, alle Weder verdriffen ich Claus von Enen gos mich (“Maria is my name, all weather I drive away, Claus von Enen poured me”).
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, Strohn was the seat of a mairie (“mayoralty”) in the Canton
Cantons of France
The cantons of France are territorial subdivisions of the French Republic's 342 arrondissements and 101 departments.Apart from their role as organizational units in certain aspects of the administration of public services and justice, the chief purpose of the cantons today is to serve as...
of Manderscheid and the Arrondissement of Prüm, and even into 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 times, this was still a Bürgermeisterei (also “mayoralty”). On 22 August 1841, with ministerial permission, the Bürgermeisterei of Strohn was amalgamated with that of Gillenfeld. The Bürgermeisterei of Strohn included until 1841 Brockscheid, Immerath, mit dem Heckenhofe, Mückeln mit Schutzalf, Niederwinkel, Oberwinkel, Sprink, Trautzberg and Strotzbüsch. On the road from Strohn to Mückeln
Mückeln
Mückeln is an Ortsgemeinde – a municipality belonging to a Verbandsgemeinde, a kind of collective municipality – in the Vulkaneifel district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany...
lies the Herrenbüsch where graves from Roman
Ancient 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....
times can still be found. Some officers who were here on manoeuvres in 1875 had one such grave right at the roadside opened. Inside, they found jugs still filled with ashes, old coins, swords, amulets and lance heads.
Municipal council
The council is made up of 12 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. Before this last election, Strohn’s council had eight seats.
Coat of arms
The German blazon reads: Schild, durch eingeschobene silberne Spitze gespalten, darin eine rote Waage, vorne in Grün ein rotgezungter abgeschnittener goldener Löwenkopf, hinten in Grün ein silberner Mühlstein mit drei goldenen Ähren belegt.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: Tierced in mantle, dexter vert a lion’s head couped Or langued gules, sinister vert a millstone argent surmounted by three ears of wheat laid per pall reversed of the second, in base argent balances of the third.
The lion’s head refers to Strohn’s former status as a Springiersbach Abbey holding. The lion was a common 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...
in arms borne by abbots. Lions may still be seen in the 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,...
coat of arms on a house in the outlying centre of Sprink, which was also a monasterial landholding, and on the hearth heating plate in the same house. The millstone and ears of wheat refer to Strohn’s mills, of which one is still working today. The three ears also refer to agriculture
Agriculture
Agriculture is the cultivation of animals, plants, fungi and other life forms for food, fiber, and other products used to sustain life. Agriculture was the key implement in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that nurtured the...
, which is still important in the municipality. The balances are meant to stand for the high court at Strohn, belonging within whose jurisdiction were not only Strohn, but also Mückeln
Mückeln
Mückeln is an Ortsgemeinde – a municipality belonging to a Verbandsgemeinde, a kind of collective municipality – in the Vulkaneifel district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany...
and Oberscheidweiler
Oberscheidweiler
Oberscheidweiler is an Ortsgemeinde – a municipality belonging to a Verbandsgemeinde, a kind of collective municipality – in the Bernkastel-Wittlich district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany.- Location :...
as well as the estates of Sprink and Trautzberg. 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 gules and argent (red and silver) stand for the Electorate of Trier; Strohn for centuries belonged to the Electoral-Trier Amt of Daun. The tincture vert (green) in the two upper divisions was chosen to stand for the “Strohn Switzerland” (Strohner Schweiz) – the Strohner Märchen and its scenic charm.
Buildings
- Saint John the BaptistJohn the BaptistJohn the Baptist was an itinerant preacher and a major religious figure mentioned in the Canonical gospels. He is described in the Gospel of Luke as a relative of Jesus, who led a movement of baptism at the Jordan River...
’s Catholic Parish Church (Pfarrkirche St. Johannes der Täufer), Kirchstraße 2 – west tower 1760, quire 1867, two-naved hall churchHall churchA hall church is a church with nave and side aisles of approximately equal height, often united under a single immense roof. The term was first coined in the mid-19th century by the pioneering German art historian Wilhelm Lübke....
1909; 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 1716; red sandstone Heiligenhäuschen (a small, shrinelike structure consecrated to a saint or saints) from 1791. - Hauptstraße 38 – Quereinhaus (a combination residential and commercial house divided for these two purposes down the middle, perpendicularly to the street).
- Hauptstraße 45 – estate complex; so-called Bockfachwerkhaus, a timber-frameTimber framingTimber framing , or half-timbering, also called in North America "post-and-beam" construction, is the method of creating structures using heavy squared off and carefully fitted and joined timbers with joints secured by large wooden pegs . It is commonplace in large barns...
house, early 19th century, commercial building, late 19th century. - Hauptstraße/corner of Kastanienweg – Heiligenhäuschen, enclosed with wall with segmental arches, 18th/19th century.
- Obere Mühle, Zur Schweiz 32 – former mill.
- Sprinker Hof, Sprinker Hof 2 /3 – stately timber-frame house, partly solid, 18th/19th century.