Zilshausen
Encyclopedia
Zilshausen is an Ortsgemeinde – a municipality
belonging to a Verbandsgemeinde
, a kind of collective municipality – in the Cochem-Zell
district
in Rhineland-Palatinate
, Germany
. It belongs to the Verbandsgemeinde of Treis-Karden
, whose seat is in the like-named municipality
.
between the valleys of the Lützbach to the east and the Dünnbach to the west.
estate, which was mentioned in a document from 1346 as Zullinshausen. Zilshausen may well have belonged to the so-called “three-lord” territory, which was shared by three landholders, among them the Electorate of Trier and the House of Braunshorn-Metternich-Beilstein. This arrangement was brought to an end by the French Revolutionary
occupation of lands on the Rhine’s left bank in 1794. In 1814 Zilshausen was assigned to the Kingdom of Prussia
at the Congress of Vienna
.
In 1933, Nazism was welcomed in Zilshausen. That year, eight men from the village joined the Sturmabteilung
and on 9 November, the anniversary of the Beer Hall Putsch
in 1923, there was a memorial celebration for the “heroes” who fell in Munich
that day. Three days later, there was an election, which included a referendum
on Adolf Hitler
’s policies of withdrawing from the League of Nations
and the World Disarmament Conference
. Ninety-five percent of the voters – the turnout was 98% – supported Hitler. The village chronicle comments:
The anti-tank barriers put up at the ways into the village could not stave off Zilshausen’s conquest forever, and on 16 March 1945, the Second World War ended, at least for Zilshausen, when the village was overrun by American
forces, only a day after German soldiers here had fled their posts.
Since 1946, Zilshausen 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 municipality’s arms
might in English heraldic
language be described thus: Per pale Or a barrow of stones within which an urn argent and vert a garb of the first, on a chief of the second a cross gules surmounted by a fleur-de-lis of the first.
The translation “argent” as the tincture
for the barrow and the urn is based on the German blazon, and indeed the arms shown at the municipality’s own website show these charge
s in silver.
The red cross on silver borne in the chief
is Electoral Trier’s old armorial bearing. The Electorate was the village’s former overlord. The golden lily is Mary’s
attribute, thus representing the municipality’s and the church’s patron saint, which Mary has been ever since the first chapel
was built. The barrow
with the urn inside stands for early settlement in what is now the municipality, and for the barrows from prehistory and early history found in the “Linnif” district. The golden wheat sheaf (“garb” in heraldry) recalls that the village arose from an agricultural estate. Agriculture, alongside other businesses that have set up shop, is still important to Zilshausen today.
The arms have been borne since 1986.
’s Directory of Cultural Monuments:
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 Cochem-Zell
Cochem-Zell
Cochem-Zell is a district in the north-west of Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. Neighboring districts are Mayen-Koblenz, Rhein-Hunsrück, Bernkastel-Wittlich, and Vulkaneifel.- 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...
. It belongs to the Verbandsgemeinde of Treis-Karden
Treis-Karden (Verbandsgemeinde)
Treis-Karden is a Verbandsgemeinde in the district of Cochem-Zell, in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. The seat of the Verbandsgemeinde is in Treis-Karden....
, whose seat is in the like-named municipality
Treis-Karden
Treis-Karden is an Ortsgemeinde – a municipality belonging to a Verbandsgemeinde, a kind of collective municipality – in the Cochem-Zell district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is the seat of the like-named Verbandsgemeinde to which it also belongs...
.
Location
The municipality lies on a high plateau in the northern HunsrückHunsrück
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...
between the valleys of the Lützbach to the east and the Dünnbach to the west.
History
The village arose from an agriculturalAgriculture
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...
estate, which was mentioned in a document from 1346 as Zullinshausen. Zilshausen may well have belonged to the so-called “three-lord” territory, which was shared by three landholders, among them the Electorate of Trier and the House of Braunshorn-Metternich-Beilstein. This arrangement was brought to an end by the French Revolutionary
French Revolutionary Wars
The French Revolutionary Wars were a series of major conflicts, from 1792 until 1802, fought between the French Revolutionary government and several European states...
occupation of lands on the Rhine’s left bank in 1794. In 1814 Zilshausen 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,...
.
In 1933, Nazism was welcomed in Zilshausen. That year, eight men from the village joined the Sturmabteilung
Sturmabteilung
The Sturmabteilung functioned as a paramilitary organization of the National Socialist German Workers' Party . It played a key role in Adolf Hitler's rise to power in the 1920s and 1930s...
and on 9 November, the anniversary of the Beer Hall Putsch
Beer Hall Putsch
The Beer Hall Putsch was a failed attempt at revolution that occurred between the evening of 8 November and the early afternoon of 9 November 1923, when Nazi Party leader Adolf Hitler, Generalquartiermeister Erich Ludendorff, and other heads of the Kampfbund unsuccessfully tried to seize power...
in 1923, there was a memorial celebration for the “heroes” who fell in Munich
Munich
Munich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...
that day. Three days later, there was an election, which included a referendum
German referendum, 1933
Held on the same day as the November 1933 Elections, the referendum was designed to gauge public approval and support for Hitler's decision to withdraw Nazi Germany from the League of Nations and the World Disarmament Conference....
on Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler was an Austrian-born German politician and the leader of the National Socialist German Workers Party , commonly referred to as the Nazi Party). He was Chancellor of Germany from 1933 to 1945, and head of state from 1934 to 1945...
’s policies of withdrawing from the League of Nations
League of Nations
The League of Nations was an intergovernmental organization founded as a result of the Paris Peace Conference that ended the First World War. It was the first permanent international organization whose principal mission was to maintain world peace...
and the World Disarmament Conference
World Disarmament Conference
The Conference for the Reduction and Limitation of Armaments of 1932-34 was an effort by member states of the League of Nations, together with the U.S. and the Soviet Union, to actualize the ideology of disarmament...
. Ninety-five percent of the voters – the turnout was 98% – supported Hitler. The village chronicle comments:
Unfortunately, two men had even voted “no”. They were seemingly not satisfied with the Hitler régime, or had decided thus out of a lack of understanding.
The anti-tank barriers put up at the ways into the village could not stave off Zilshausen’s conquest forever, and on 16 March 1945, the Second World War ended, at least for Zilshausen, when the village was overrun by American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
forces, only a day after German soldiers here had fled their posts.
Since 1946, Zilshausen 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 8 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.
Coat of arms
The German blazon reads: Ein silbernes Schildhaupt, darin ein durchgehendes rotes Kreuz belegt mit einer goldenen Lilie, gespalten in Grün, vorne ein silberner Grabhügel mit Urne, hinten eine goldene Ährengarbe.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 pale Or a barrow of stones within which an urn argent and vert a garb of the first, on a chief of the second a cross gules surmounted by a fleur-de-lis of the first.
The translation “argent” as 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...
for the barrow and the urn is based on the German blazon, and indeed the arms shown at the municipality’s own website show these 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 in silver.
The red cross on silver borne in the chief
Chief (heraldry)
In heraldic blazon, a chief is a charge on a coat of arms that takes the form of a band running horizontally across the top edge of the shield. Writers disagree in how much of the shield's surface is to be covered by the chief, ranging from one-fourth to one-third. The former is more likely if the...
is Electoral Trier’s old armorial bearing. The Electorate was the village’s former overlord. The golden lily is Mary’s
Mary (mother of Jesus)
Mary , commonly referred to as "Saint Mary", "Mother Mary", the "Virgin Mary", the "Blessed Virgin Mary", or "Mary, Mother of God", was a Jewish woman of Nazareth in Galilee...
attribute, thus representing the municipality’s and the church’s patron saint, which Mary has been ever since the first chapel
Chapel
A 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,...
was built. The barrow
Tumulus
A tumulus is a mound of earth and stones raised over a grave or graves. Tumuli are also known as barrows, burial mounds, Hügelgrab or kurgans, and can be found throughout much of the world. A tumulus composed largely or entirely of stones is usually referred to as a cairn...
with the urn inside stands for early settlement in what is now the municipality, and for the barrows from prehistory and early history found in the “Linnif” district. The golden wheat sheaf (“garb” in heraldry) recalls that the village arose from an agricultural estate. Agriculture, alongside other businesses that have set up shop, is still important to Zilshausen today.
The arms have been borne since 1986.
Buildings
The following are listed buildings or sites in Rhineland-PalatinateRhineland-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 ....
’s Directory of Cultural Monuments:
Zilshausen (main centre)
- Catholic Chapel to Our Lady of SorrowsOur Lady of SorrowsOur Lady of Sorrows , the Sorrowful Mother or Mother of Sorrows , and Our Lady of the Seven Sorrows or Our Lady of the Seven Dolours are names by which the Blessed Virgin Mary is referred to in relation to sorrows in her life...
(Katholische Kapelle Zur Schmerzhaften Muttergottes) – aisleless churchAisleless churchAn Aisleless church is a single-nave church building that consists of a single hall-like room. While similar to the hall church, the aisleless church lacks aisles or passageways either side of the nave separated from the nave by colonnades or arcades, a row of pillars or columns...
, quarrystone, marked 1847 - Balduinseck 2 – Quereinhaus (a combination residential and commercial house divided for these two purposes down the middle, perpendicularly to the street); 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...
building, partly solid or slated, hipped 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...
, 18th century
Petershäuser Hof
- Saint Mary Magdalene’sMary MagdaleneMary Magdalene was one of Jesus' most celebrated disciples, and the most important woman disciple in the movement of Jesus. Jesus cleansed her of "seven demons", conventionally interpreted as referring to complex illnesses...
Catholic Parish Church (Pfarrkirche St. Maria Magdalena), Hauptstraße 12 – Gothic RevivalGothic Revival architectureThe Gothic Revival is an architectural movement that began in the 1740s in England...
aisleless church, quarrystone, 1903-1905, architect Peter Marx, TrierTrierTrier, 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.... - Graveyard – graveyard cross, 1857; grave cross, 1751
- Chapel to the Holy TrinityTrinityThe Christian doctrine of the Trinity defines God as three divine persons : the Father, the Son , and the Holy Spirit. The three persons are distinct yet coexist in unity, and are co-equal, co-eternal and consubstantial . Put another way, the three persons of the Trinity are of one being...
(Kapelle Zur Heiligen Dreifaltigkeit) – aisleless church, 18th and 19th centuries