Wöllstein
Encyclopedia
Wöllstein is an Ortsgemeinde – a municipality
belonging to a Verbandsgemeinde
, a kind of collective municipality – in the Alzey-Worms
district in Rhineland-Palatinate
, Germany
.
, and 30 km southwest of Mainz
. It is the seat of the like-named Verbandsgemeinde
.
(nowadays in Belgium
rather than the Netherlands
) by way of Rheinhausen
and Augsburg
to Innsbruck
, Trent
and Italy
. The postal station had its first documentary mention in Giovanni da l’Herba’s 1563 postal travel book as Bilstain ò Vilstain, villa (that is, village). Beginning in 1578, a branch of the Dutch Post Route led from Wöllstein to Cologne
. During the time when the postal system was insolvent
in the late 16th century and owing to the resulting postal station operators’ strike, both postal station operator Valentin Dill (Till) and his widow, the Postfrau zu Welstein Margarethen, played a decisive rôle as strike leaders, in which they refused to carry any mailbags anywhere beyond Wöllstein. After consolidation and the founding of the Imperial Post (Kaiserliche Reichspost) in 1597, the Wöllstein postal station was still open for business, but beginning in the late 17th century, owing to route changes and cities’ growing influence, it slowly lost its importance.
The municipal election held on 7 June 2009 yielded the following results:
might be described thus: Per pale gules a wheel spoked of six argent and azure semé of crosses pattée of the second a lion rampant of the second armed, langued and crowned of the first.
The wheel on the dexter (armsbearer’s right, viewer’s left) side is the Wheel of Mainz
, a reference to Wöllstein’s former allegiance to Electoral Mainz
, and the lion rampant on the sinister (armsbearer’s left, viewer’s right) side is taken from the arms once borne by the County of Nassau-Saarbrücken
, forming another reference to a former territorial allegiance.
In the late 19th century, Otto Hupp
showed in one of his Kaffee HAG
publications a different coat of arms for Wöllstein showing an abbot with a halo and a small bear springing (similar to “rampant”, but with both hindfeet on the ground). Both charge
s were predominantly black. The design was taken from old village seals dating back to the 16th century. The abbot figure stood for Saint Maximin of Trier
. This was likewise a reference to a former territorial allegiance, as Wöllstein was once held by the abbey named for this saint
. The bear is Saint Maximin’s attribute.
The current arms have been borne since 1918.
, Gironde
, France
Great Barford
, Bedfordshire
, England
, United Kingdom
.
420, coming from Nierstein
. To the east, the Justizvollzugsanstalt Rohrbach, a prison
, stands at the highway. It also leads by an industrial-commercial area. Right nearby, in Gau-Bickelheim
, is the Autobahn A 61
.
Several times daily, buses run the route from Wöllstein by way of Siefersheim
, Wonsheim
and Wendelsheim
to Alzey
, and in the opposite direction there is the odd bus to Wörrstadt
. The link to Bad Kreuznach
is by comparison to the one to Alzey somewhat better. These buses run hourly on weekdays by way of Volxheim
and Hackenheim
to Bad Kreuznach.
distribution centre.
and a primary school. There are also two kindergarten
s at the municipality’s disposal.
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 Alzey-Worms
Alzey-Worms
Alzey-Worms is a district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is bounded by the district Groß-Gerau , the city of Worms and the districts of Bad Dürkheim, Donnersbergkreis, Bad Kreuznach and Mainz-Bingen.- History :...
district 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 Rhenish Hesse roughly 8 km southeast of Bad KreuznachBad Kreuznach
Bad Kreuznach is the capital of the district of Bad Kreuznach, Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is located on the Nahe river, a tributary of the Rhine...
, and 30 km southwest 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...
. It is the seat of the like-named Verbandsgemeinde
Wöllstein (Verbandsgemeinde)
Wöllstein is a Verbandsgemeinde in the district Alzey-Worms, Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. The seat of the Verbandsgemeinde is in Wöllstein....
.
Postal station on the Dutch Post Route
From the latter half of the 16th century, there was a postal station in Wöllstein on the Dutch Post Route running from BrusselsBrussels
Brussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union...
(nowadays in 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...
rather than the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
) by way of Rheinhausen
Oberhausen-Rheinhausen
Oberhausen-Rheinhausen is a town in Northern Karlsruhe County in Baden-Württemberg, Germany.-External links:*...
and Augsburg
Augsburg
Augsburg is a city in the south-west of Bavaria, Germany. It is a university town and home of the Regierungsbezirk Schwaben and the Bezirk Schwaben. Augsburg is an urban district and home to the institutions of the Landkreis Augsburg. It is, as of 2008, the third-largest city in Bavaria with a...
to Innsbruck
Innsbruck
- Main sights :- Buildings :*Golden Roof*Kaiserliche Hofburg *Hofkirche with the cenotaph of Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor*Altes Landhaus...
, Trent
Trento
Trento is an Italian city located in the Adige River valley in Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol. It is the capital of Trentino...
and Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
. The postal station had its first documentary mention in Giovanni da l’Herba’s 1563 postal travel book as Bilstain ò Vilstain, villa (that is, village). Beginning in 1578, a branch of the Dutch Post Route led from Wöllstein to Cologne
Cologne
Cologne is Germany's fourth-largest city , and is the largest city both in the Germany Federal State of North Rhine-Westphalia and within the Rhine-Ruhr Metropolitan Area, one of the major European metropolitan areas with more than ten million inhabitants.Cologne is located on both sides of the...
. During the time when the postal system was insolvent
Insolvency
Insolvency means the inability to pay one's debts as they fall due. Usually used to refer to a business, insolvency refers to the inability of a company to pay off its debts.Business insolvency is defined in two different ways:...
in the late 16th century and owing to the resulting postal station operators’ strike, both postal station operator Valentin Dill (Till) and his widow, the Postfrau zu Welstein Margarethen, played a decisive rôle as strike leaders, in which they refused to carry any mailbags anywhere beyond Wöllstein. After consolidation and the founding of the Imperial Post (Kaiserliche Reichspost) in 1597, the Wöllstein postal station was still open for business, but beginning in the late 17th century, owing to route changes and cities’ growing influence, it slowly lost its importance.
Municipal council
The council is made up of 20 council members, who were elected at the municipal election held on 7 June 2009, and the honorary mayor as chairwoman.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 | FDP Free Democratic Party (Germany) The Free Democratic Party , abbreviated to FDP, is a centre-right classical liberal political party in Germany. It is led by Philipp Rösler and currently serves as the junior coalition partner to the Union in the German federal government... |
Grüne Alliance '90/The Greens Alliance '90/The Greens is a green political party in Germany, formed from the merger of the German Green Party and Alliance 90 in 1993. Its leaders are Claudia Roth and Cem Özdemir... |
Total | |
| 1999 | 9 | 9 | 1 | 1 | 20 seats |
| 2004 | 10 | 8 | 1 | 1 | 20 seats |
| 2009 | 9 | 8 | 2 | 1 | 20 seats |
Coat of arms
The municipality’s armsCoat 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 be described thus: Per pale gules a wheel spoked of six argent and azure semé of crosses pattée of the second a lion rampant of the second armed, langued and crowned of the first.
The wheel on the dexter (armsbearer’s right, viewer’s left) side is the Wheel of Mainz
Wheel of Mainz
thumb|150px|version until 1992thumb|150px|version from 1992 - 2008thumb|150px|version from 2008The Wheel of Mainz or Mainzer Rad, in German, was the coat of arms of the Archbishopric of Mainz and thus also of the Electorate of Mainz , in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It consists of a silver wheel...
, a reference to Wöllstein’s former allegiance to Electoral Mainz
Archbishopric of Mainz
The Archbishopric of Mainz or Electorate of Mainz was an influential ecclesiastic and secular prince-bishopric in the Holy Roman Empire between 780–82 and 1802. In the Roman Catholic Church hierarchy, the Archbishop of Mainz was the primas Germaniae, the substitute of the Pope north of the Alps...
, and the lion rampant on the sinister (armsbearer’s left, viewer’s right) side is taken from the arms once borne by the County of Nassau-Saarbrücken
Nassau-Saarbrücken
Nassau-Saarbrücken was a county of the Holy Roman Empire in the Upper Rhenish Circle. It belonged to the Walram branch of the House of Nassau.-County of Saarbrücken:...
, forming another reference to a former territorial allegiance.
In the late 19th century, Otto Hupp
Otto Hupp
Otto Hupp was a German graphical artist. His main working area was heraldry, yet he also worked as a typeface designer, creating commercial symbols and metal works....
showed in one of his Kaffee HAG
Café HAG
Café HAG is a worldwide brand of decaffeinated coffee owned by U.S. multinational Kraft Foods.The brand originated in Bremen in Germany in 1906 and took its name from the company title Kaffee Handels-Aktien-Gesellschaft, or Kaffee HAG for short....
publications a different coat of arms for Wöllstein showing an abbot with a halo and a small bear springing (similar to “rampant”, but with both hindfeet on the ground). Both 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...
s were predominantly black. The design was taken from old village seals dating back to the 16th century. The abbot figure stood for Saint Maximin of Trier
Maximin of Trier
Saint Maximin was the fifth bishop of Trier, according to the list provided by the diocese's website, taking his seat in 341/342...
. This was likewise a reference to a former territorial allegiance, as Wöllstein was once held by the abbey named for this saint
St. Maximin's Abbey, Trier
St. Maximin's Abbey was a Benedictine monastery in Trier in the Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany.-History:The abbey, traditionally considered one of the oldest monasteries in western Europe, was held to have been founded by Saint Maximin of Trier in the 4th century. Maximin St. Maximin's Abbey was a...
. The bear is Saint Maximin’s attribute.
The current arms have been borne since 1918.
Falkenstein domain
- 1625-16?? N. Seibel
- 16??-1662 N. Gutenberger
- 1663-1682 Peter Dreber
- 1682-1690 Nicel Heuß
Electoral Mainz domain
- 1689-1709 Andreas Gutenberger
- 1709-1722 Johannes Ritter
- 1722-1760 Johann Jacob Schmitt
- 1760-1762 Carl Anton Wagner
- 1762-1795 Johann Georg Wagner
Nassau domain
- 1650-1665 N. Maurer
- 1666-1691 Caspar Adam
- 1692-1729 Christian Kern
- 1729-1768 Balthar Wörth
- 1768-1772 Johannes Germani
- 1772-1797 Gerhard Wolf
Wöllstein as a whole
- 1797-1800 Nicel Klein
- 1800-1811 Johann Steinmetz
- 1811-1813 Franz Seiß
- 1813-1814 Johann Steinmetz
- 1814-1849 Jacob Jungk
- 1849-1852 Georg Glod
- 1853-1854 Philipp Jungk
- 1854-1860 Philipp Moller I.
- 1860-1877 Philipp Jungk
- 1877-1885 Johann Mattes
- 1886-1904 Johann Hofmann IV.
- 1904-1931 Julius Moller
- 1931-1945 Julius Neubrech (NSDAP)
- 1945-1969 Jacob Werle (CDU)
- 1969-1979 Johann Rathgeber (SPD)
- 1979-1989 Heinrich Frohnhöfer (CDU)
- 1989-1994 Hans Jürgen Piegacki (SPD)
- 1994-1999 Heinrich Frohnhöfer (CDU)
- 1999-2009 Hans Jürgen Piegacki (SPD)
- since 2009 Lucia Müller (CDU)
Town partnerships
BarsacBarsac, Gironde
Barsac is a commune on the left bank of the Garonne river in the Gironde department in southwestern France.-Population:-Wine:The town gives its name to a wine making appellation, Barsac AOC, that produces sweet white wines....
, Gironde
Gironde
For the Revolutionary party, see Girondists.Gironde is a common name for the Gironde estuary, where the mouths of the Garonne and Dordogne rivers merge, and for a department in the Aquitaine region situated in southwest France.-History:...
, France
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...
Great Barford
Great Barford
Great Barford is a village and civil parish in Bedfordshire, England, a few miles north-east of Bedford. It lies on the River Great Ouse at . It is twinned with Wöllstein, Germany...
, Bedfordshire
Bedfordshire
Bedfordshire is a ceremonial county of historic origin in England that forms part of the East of England region.It borders Cambridgeshire to the north-east, Northamptonshire to the north, Buckinghamshire to the west and Hertfordshire to the south-east....
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
.
Economy and infrastructure
Transport
Running through the Wöllstein municipal area is BundesstraßeBundesstraße
Bundesstraße , abbreviated B, is the denotation for German and Austrian national highways.-Germany:...
420, coming from Nierstein
Nierstein
Nierstein is an Ortsgemeinde – a municipality belonging to a Verbandsgemeinde, a kind of collective municipality – in the Mainz-Bingen district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany.- Location :...
. To the east, the Justizvollzugsanstalt Rohrbach, a prison
Prisons in Germany
The prisons in Germany are run solely by the federal states, although governed by a federal law. The aim of prison confinement in Germany is twofold: emphasis is placed on enabling prisoners to lead a life of "social responsibility free of crime" upon release, but society is also to be protected...
, stands at the highway. It also leads by an industrial-commercial area. Right nearby, in Gau-Bickelheim
Gau-Bickelheim
Gau-Bickelheim is an Ortsgemeinde – a municipality belonging to a Verbandsgemeinde, a kind of collective municipality – in the Alzey-Worms district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany.- Location :...
, is the Autobahn A 61
Bundesautobahn 61
is an autobahn in Germany that connects the border to the Netherlands near Venlo in the northwest to the interchange with A 6 near Hockenheim. In 1965, this required a re-design of the Hockenheimring....
.
Local public transport
There are links to bus routes run by Omnibusverkehr Rhein-Nahe (ORN) and the Verkehrsgesellschaft Bad Kreuznach.Several times daily, buses run the route from Wöllstein by way of Siefersheim
Siefersheim
Siefersheim is an Ortsgemeinde – a municipality belonging to a Verbandsgemeinde, a kind of collective municipality – in the Alzey-Worms district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany.- Location :...
, Wonsheim
Wonsheim
Wonsheim is an Ortsgemeinde – a municipality belonging to a Verbandsgemeinde, a kind of collective municipality – in the Alzey-Worms district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany.- Location :...
and Wendelsheim
Wendelsheim
Wendelsheim is an Ortsgemeinde – a municipality belonging to a Verbandsgemeinde, a kind of collective municipality – in the Alzey-Worms district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany.- Location :...
to Alzey
Alzey
Alzey is a Verband-free town – one belonging to no Verbandsgemeinde – in the Alzey-Worms district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is the fourth-largest town in Rhenish Hesse, after Mainz, Worms, and Bingen....
, and in the opposite direction there is the odd bus to Wörrstadt
Wörrstadt
Wörrstadt is a town in the Alzey-Worms district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany.- Location :The town lies in Rhenish Hesse on the northwest edge of the Upper Rhine Plain...
. The link to Bad Kreuznach
Bad Kreuznach
Bad Kreuznach is the capital of the district of Bad Kreuznach, Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is located on the Nahe river, a tributary of the Rhine...
is by comparison to the one to Alzey somewhat better. These buses run hourly on weekdays by way of Volxheim
Volxheim
Volxheim is a municipality in the district of Bad Kreuznach in Rhineland-Palatinate, in western Germany....
and Hackenheim
Hackenheim
Hackenheim is a municipality in the district of Bad Kreuznach in Rhineland-Palatinate, in western Germany.Hauptstrasse is the main street in hackenheim...
to Bad Kreuznach.
Established businesses
Located in Wöllstein are the JUWÖ Poroton Werke (hollow bricks), Meralux (doors and windows), the institutional kitchen supplier Jomo and a LidlLidl
Lidl is a discount supermarket chain based in Germany that operates over 7,200 stores across Europe. The company's full name is Lidl Stiftung & Co. KG...
distribution centre.
Public institutions
Since 2002, there has been the Justizvollzugsanstalt Rohrbach (prison) in Wöllstein. Moreover, there are a RealschuleRealschule
The Realschule is a type of secondary school in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, and Liechtenstein. It has also existed in Croatia , Denmark , Sweden , Hungary and in the Russian Empire .-History:The Realschule was an outgrowth of the rationalism and empiricism of the seventeenth and...
and a primary school. There are also two kindergarten
Kindergarten
A kindergarten is a preschool educational institution for children. The term was created by Friedrich Fröbel for the play and activity institute that he created in 1837 in Bad Blankenburg as a social experience for children for their transition from home to school...
s at the municipality’s disposal.
Famous people
- Georg Heinrich Baron of LangsdorffGrigori Ivanovitch LangsdorffGeorg Heinrich von Langsdorff, Baron de Langsdorff was a Prussian aristocrat, politician and naturalist. He lived in Russia and was better known by his Russian name, Grigori Ivanovitch...
, nature researcher, b. 18 April 1774 in Wöllstein, d. 9 June 1852 in Freiburg im Breisgau - Helene Fischer, hit singer, b. 5 August 1984 in KrasnoyarskKrasnoyarskKrasnoyarsk is a city and the administrative center of Krasnoyarsk Krai, Russia, located on the Yenisei River. It is the third largest city in Siberia, with the population of 973,891. Krasnoyarsk is an important junction of the Trans-Siberian Railway and one of Russia's largest producers of...
, grew up and now lives in Wöllstein