Zehnhausen bei Rennerod
Encyclopedia
Zehnhausen bei Rennerod is an Ortsgemeinde – a community belonging to a Verbandsgemeinde
– in the Westerwaldkreis
in Rhineland-Palatinate
, Germany
. It is one of two communities named Zehnhausen in the Westerwaldkreis, the other being Zehnhausen bei Wallmerod
.
knoll of the High Westerwald on an average elevation of more than 530 m above sea level
. The community lies right on Bundesstraße
54, the “Mainz Road”, a mediaeval
trade road. It comes from Mainz
and leads to Siegen
. The road, however, had hardly any influence on the community’s development. Zehnhausen bei Rennerod belongs to the Verbandsgemeinde of Rennerod
, a kind of collective municipality. Its seat is in the like-named town
.
settlement in the Westerwald from the 6th century to the 11th.
Zehnhausen has for uncounted years belonged to the parish
of Emmerichenhain, which since the Reformation
has been Evangelical
.
For centuries the community belonged to the House of Nassau
.
In 1335, Zehnhausen had its first documentary mention, when the community was called Zhenhusen. It is believed that in the field known as Altzehnhausen – alt is German
for “old” – which lies roughly 1.2 km southwest of today’s community, is where the community’s core was once to be found. Wall remains unearthed there, however, might have been field walls. The place once known as Königshub – or about 1440 Konigshuse – roughly 1 km to the north, formed along with Zehnhausen one community until 1738. The field name Kindschue still shows today where the now forsaken village lay.
In 1635 there were only two utterly impoverished households left in Zehnhausen, and in 1643 there were 16 inhabitants. In the summer of 1658, sixteen houses burnt to the ground within one hour. In 1660, 36 people in 6 families were counted in the community; in 1782 it was 169, and in 1807, 33 families with all together 168 people lived in the community. In 1736, a branch school was first mentioned and in 1784, the first schoolhouse of the community’s own was built. This schoolhouse was used until the late 1960s. All eight grades were taught in one classroom.
In June 1796, the inhabitants fled Zehnhausen for Nenderoth into the Kreuzberg Forest by way of Johannisburg before advancing French
soldiers, who were moving forth from Hachenburg into the Westerwald to Emmerichenhain. There, a few children were even born.
in a municipal election on 13 June 2004.
offer only a handful of jobs. Agriculture
is nowadays only practised as a sideline. As always, most working people commute
to jobs in the surrounding area.
. For children, a playground was built back in the 1960s. In the Dorfgemeinschaftshaus (“village community house”), the former bakehouse, is also found the fire brigade house. Yearly, a village and well festival is held. Newly laid out hiking
paths enhance the community’s attractiveness.
with Siegen
, and 414, leading from Hohenroth
to Hachenburg
, cross each other. The nearest Autobahn interchange
is Herborn
on the A 45
(Dortmund
–Aschaffenburg
), some 18 km away. The nearest InterCityExpress
stop is the railway station at Montabaur on the Cologne-Frankfurt high-speed rail line.
Verbandsgemeinde
A Verbandsgemeinde is an administrative unit in the German Bundesländer of Rhineland-Palatinate and Saxony-Anhalt.-Rhineland-Palatinate:...
– in the Westerwaldkreis
Westerwaldkreis
The Westerwaldkreis is a district in the east of Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany...
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 is one of two communities named Zehnhausen in the Westerwaldkreis, the other being Zehnhausen bei Wallmerod
Zehnhausen bei Wallmerod
Zehnhausen bei Wallmerod is an Ortsgemeinde – a community part of a Verbandsgemeinde – in the Westerwaldkreis in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is one of two communities named Zehnhausen in the Westerwaldkreis, the other being Zehnhausen bei Rennerod.-Location:The community lies in the...
.
Location
Zehnhausen lies on the basaltBasalt
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...
knoll of the High Westerwald on an average elevation of more than 530 m above sea level
Sea level
Mean sea level is a measure of the average height of the ocean's surface ; used as a standard in reckoning land elevation...
. The community lies right on Bundesstraße
Bundesstraße
Bundesstraße , abbreviated B, is the denotation for German and Austrian national highways.-Germany:...
54, the “Mainz Road”, a mediaeval
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...
trade road. It comes from 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...
and leads to Siegen
Siegen
Siegen is a city in Germany, in the south Westphalian part of North Rhine-Westphalia.It is located in the district of Siegen-Wittgenstein in the Arnsberg region...
. The road, however, had hardly any influence on the community’s development. Zehnhausen bei Rennerod belongs to the Verbandsgemeinde of Rennerod
Rennerod (Verbandsgemeinde)
Rennerod is a Verbandsgemeinde in the district , in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. The seat of the is in .The Rennerod consists of the following :...
, a kind of collective municipality. Its seat is in the like-named town
Rennerod
Rennerod is a town in the Westerwaldkreis in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is the administrative seat of the Verbandsgemeinde of Rennerod, a kind of collective municipality...
.
History
The placename with the ending –hausen would seem to indicate that the community arose at the time of the greatest wave of FrankishFranks
The Franks were a confederation of Germanic tribes first attested in the third century AD as living north and east of the Lower Rhine River. From the third to fifth centuries some Franks raided Roman territory while other Franks joined the Roman troops in Gaul. Only the Salian Franks formed a...
settlement in the Westerwald from the 6th century to the 11th.
Zehnhausen has for uncounted years belonged to the parish
Parish
A parish is a territorial unit historically under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of one parish priest, who might be assisted in his pastoral duties by a curate or curates - also priests but not the parish priest - from a more or less central parish church with its associated organization...
of Emmerichenhain, which since the Reformation
Protestant Reformation
The Protestant Reformation was a 16th-century split within Western Christianity initiated by Martin Luther, John Calvin and other early Protestants. The efforts of the self-described "reformers", who objected to the doctrines, rituals and ecclesiastical structure of the Roman Catholic Church, led...
has been Evangelical
Evangelical Church in Germany
The Evangelical Church in Germany is a federation of 22 Lutheran, Unified and Reformed Protestant regional church bodies in Germany. The EKD is not a church in a theological understanding because of the denominational differences. However, the member churches share full pulpit and altar...
.
For centuries the community belonged to the House of Nassau
House of Nassau
The House of Nassau is a diversified aristocratic dynasty in Europe. It is named after the lordship associated with Nassau Castle, located in present-day Nassau, Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. The lords of Nassau were originally titled Count of Nassau, then elevated to the princely class as...
.
In 1335, Zehnhausen had its first documentary mention, when the community was called Zhenhusen. It is believed that in the field known as Altzehnhausen – alt is 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....
for “old” – which lies roughly 1.2 km southwest of today’s community, is where the community’s core was once to be found. Wall remains unearthed there, however, might have been field walls. The place once known as Königshub – or about 1440 Konigshuse – roughly 1 km to the north, formed along with Zehnhausen one community until 1738. The field name Kindschue still shows today where the now forsaken village lay.
In 1635 there were only two utterly impoverished households left in Zehnhausen, and in 1643 there were 16 inhabitants. In the summer of 1658, sixteen houses burnt to the ground within one hour. In 1660, 36 people in 6 families were counted in the community; in 1782 it was 169, and in 1807, 33 families with all together 168 people lived in the community. In 1736, a branch school was first mentioned and in 1784, the first schoolhouse of the community’s own was built. This schoolhouse was used until the late 1960s. All eight grades were taught in one classroom.
In June 1796, the inhabitants fled Zehnhausen for Nenderoth into the Kreuzberg Forest by way of Johannisburg before advancing 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...
soldiers, who were moving forth from Hachenburg into the Westerwald to Emmerichenhain. There, a few children were even born.
Community council
The council is made up of 8 council members who were elected in a 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...
in a municipal election on 13 June 2004.
Economy and infrastructure
Trade and tourismTourism
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...
offer only a handful of jobs. 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...
is nowadays only practised as a sideline. As always, most working people commute
Commuting
Commuting is regular travel between one's place of residence and place of work or full time study. It sometimes refers to any regular or often repeated traveling between locations when not work related.- History :...
to jobs in the surrounding area.
Village life
In 1964, the community won a silver medal in the special class in the contest Unser Dorf soll schöner werden (“Our village ought to be lovelier”). The community has a singing club and a sport club (SV Adler) with its own sporting ground and sport hallGym
The word γυμνάσιον was used in Ancient Greece, that mean a locality for both physical and intellectual education of young men...
. For children, a playground was built back in the 1960s. In the Dorfgemeinschaftshaus (“village community house”), the former bakehouse, is also found the fire brigade house. Yearly, a village and well festival is held. Newly laid out hiking
Hiking
Hiking is an outdoor activity which consists of walking in natural environments, often in mountainous or other scenic terrain. People often hike on hiking trails. It is such a popular activity that there are numerous hiking organizations worldwide. The health benefits of different types of hiking...
paths enhance the community’s attractiveness.
Transport
Right near the community, Bundesstraßen 54, linking Limburg an der LahnLimburg an der Lahn
Limburg an der Lahn is the district seat of Limburg-Weilburg in Hesse, Germany.-Location:Limburg lies in western Hesse between the Taunus and the Westerwald on the river Lahn....
with Siegen
Siegen
Siegen is a city in Germany, in the south Westphalian part of North Rhine-Westphalia.It is located in the district of Siegen-Wittgenstein in the Arnsberg region...
, and 414, leading from Hohenroth
Hohenroth
Hohenroth is a municipality in the district of Rhön-Grabfeld in Bavaria in Germany....
to Hachenburg
Hachenburg
-Geography:The town lies in the Westerwald between Koblenz and Siegen, roughly 10 km west of Bad Marienberg on the river Nister. Hachenburg is the administrative seat of the Verbandsgemeinde of Hachenburg, a kind of collective municipality .-The castle and the town:The castle , former seat of...
, cross each other. The nearest Autobahn interchange
Interchange (road)
In the field of road transport, an interchange is a road junction that typically uses grade separation, and one or more ramps, to permit traffic on at least one highway to pass through the junction without directly crossing any other traffic stream. It differs from a standard intersection, at which...
is Herborn
Herborn
Herborn is a historic town on the Dill in the Lahn-Dill district of Hesse in Germany. Before World War I, it was granted its own title as Nassauisches Rothenburg. The symbol or mascot of this town is a bear. Scenic attractions include its half-timbered houses; Herborn is located on the German...
on the A 45
Bundesautobahn 45
is an autobahn in Germany, connecting Dortmund in the west with Aschaffenburg in the southwest. It is colloquially known by its byname Sauerlandlinie, which derives from the Sauerland, the landscape which said autobahn is running through between the cities of Hagen and Siegen. Many people think of...
(Dortmund
Dortmund
Dortmund is a city in Germany. It is located in the Bundesland of North Rhine-Westphalia, in the Ruhr area. Its population of 585,045 makes it the 7th largest city in Germany and the 34th largest in the European Union....
–Aschaffenburg
Aschaffenburg
Aschaffenburg is a city in northwest Bavaria, Germany. The town of Aschaffenburg is not considered part of the district of Aschaffenburg, but is the administrative seat.Aschaffenburg is known as the Tor zum Spessart or "gate to the Spessart"...
), some 18 km away. The nearest InterCityExpress
InterCityExpress
The Intercity-Express or ICE is a system of high-speed trains predominantly running in Germany and neighbouring countries. It is the highest service category offered by DB Fernverkehr and is the flagship of Deutsche Bahn...
stop is the railway station at Montabaur on the Cologne-Frankfurt high-speed rail line.