Alflen
Encyclopedia
Alflen 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 Ulmen
, whose seat is in the like-named town
.
), and may well be the older part of the village. Beyond the river Litzbach lies the Überdorf (“Upper Village”) in a hollow.
ecclesiastical foundation owned, according to the directory of holdings compiled about 1100, an estate along with lands worked by compulsory labour and rights to two thirds of the parish’s tithe
s. This holding was confirmed by Pope Alexander III
in 1178. The foundation still held the tithing rights until the late 18th century. Named in the document issued by Pope Eugene III
for the Abbey of Echternach
in 1148 was, among other things, a lesser holding near Alflue or Afflue; another such reference crops up from 1161.
The parish church, first mentioned about 1100, was listed at the turn of the 13th century in Electoral Trier’s Liber annalium; it was, along with its parochial area, subject to the collegiate church
in Karden. About 1330, it was once again mentioned, this time in the Taxa generalis (another Trier directory of holdings). Further mentions are to be found from 1475 and 1656 in the Karden and Zell
Archdeaconries’ protocols, and others came in 1592 and the 1552 register also mentioning John the Baptist
’s patronage. Saint Bartholomew is also mentioned as a secondary patron.
Beginning in 1794, Alflen lay under French
rule. In 1815 it was assigned to the Kingdom of Prussia
at the Congress of Vienna
. Since 1946, it 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: Tierced in mantle, dexter argent a bugle-horn gules, sinister argent an escallop sable, in base gules a bend dancetty Or, on a chief vert an urn of the first.
The charge
in the chief
, an urn, stands for the village’s long settlement history, dating back to prehistory
. In the cadastral area of Linderflur in 1823, various details of this were brought to light. The horn, the scallop shell and the “bend dancetty” (slanted zigzag stripe) are all drawn from the arms once borne by the Metternich-Winneburg-Beilstein noble family, and can be found in the court seals from 1477 and 1761. This family held the lordship in the village and also owned lands. The Weistum of 1494 guaranteed the Winneburg-Beilstein family the local high court jurisdiction as well as hunting and forest rights (a Weistum – cognate with English
wisdom – was a legal pronouncement issued by men learned in law in the Middle Ages
and early modern times). In 1652, the court passed to the Baron of Metternich.
In die Gemeinde gehen, meaning “Go into the Community”) at which were shown old communication methods and technology, the Alflen Local History Museum (Heimatmuseum Alflen) came into being. It was set up on the attic floor of the old school, which is now the kindergarten
and youth group building.
’s Parish Church with its Gothic
building style and its extraordinary ceiling paintings may well be one of the most noteworthy churches in the area. Even the church’s location, surrounded by three great chestnut
trees, each more than 300 years old, is a picturesque setting the year round.
The “Felser-” Haus, a timber-frame
house from 1880 below the church, stood through both World Wars although it was once the target of a grenade
attack. Formerly it housed a shop, but is now only a residential building.
The following are listed buildings or sites in Rhineland-Palatinate
’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 Ulmen
Ulmen (Verbandsgemeinde)
Ulmen is a Verbandsgemeinde in the district Cochem-Zell, in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. The seat of the Verbandsgemeinde is in Ulmen....
, whose seat is in the like-named town
Ulmen
Ulmen is a town in the Cochem-Zell district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is the seat of the like-named Verbandsgemeinde – a kind of collective municipality – to which it also belongs.-Constituent communities:...
.
Location
The raised part of the village is called Kirch-Alflen for the church there (the first syllable comes from Kirche, which means “church” in GermanGerman 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....
), and may well be the older part of the village. Beyond the river Litzbach lies the Überdorf (“Upper Village”) in a hollow.
History
In Alflona, the KardenTreis-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...
ecclesiastical foundation owned, according to the directory of holdings compiled about 1100, an estate along with lands worked by compulsory labour and rights to two thirds of the parish’s 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. This holding was confirmed by Pope Alexander III
Pope Alexander III
Pope Alexander III , born Rolando of Siena, was Pope from 1159 to 1181. He is noted in history for laying the foundation stone for the Notre Dame de Paris.-Church career:...
in 1178. The foundation still held the tithing rights until the late 18th century. Named in the document issued by Pope Eugene III
Pope Eugene III
Pope Blessed Eugene III , born Bernardo da Pisa, was Pope from 1145 to 1153. He was the first Cistercian to become Pope.-Early life:...
for the Abbey of Echternach
Abbey of Echternach
The Abbey of Echternach is a Benedictine monastery in the town of Echternach, in eastern Luxembourg. The Abbey was founded by St Willibrord, the patron saint of Luxembourg, in the seventh century...
in 1148 was, among other things, a lesser holding near Alflue or Afflue; another such reference crops up from 1161.
The parish church, first mentioned about 1100, was listed at the turn of the 13th century in Electoral Trier’s Liber annalium; it was, along with its parochial area, subject to the collegiate church
Collegiate church
In Christianity, a collegiate church is a church where the daily office of worship is maintained by a college of canons; a non-monastic, or "secular" community of clergy, organised as a self-governing corporate body, which may be presided over by a dean or provost...
in Karden. About 1330, it was once again mentioned, this time in the Taxa generalis (another Trier directory of holdings). Further mentions are to be found from 1475 and 1656 in the Karden and Zell
Zell (Mosel)
Zell is a town in the Cochem-Zell district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. Zell has roughly 4,300 inhabitants and is the seat of the like-named Verbandsgemeinde.-Location:...
Archdeaconries’ protocols, and others came in 1592 and the 1552 register also mentioning John the Baptist
John the Baptist
John 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 patronage. Saint Bartholomew is also mentioned as a secondary patron.
Beginning in 1794, Alflen lay under 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. In 1815 it 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,...
. Since 1946, it 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 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.
Mayor
Alflen’s mayor is Rudolf Schneiders, and his deputies are Hans Hilpisch and Albert Wallenborn.Coat of arms
The German blazon reads: In grünem Schildhaupt eine silberne Urne, in Silber eine eingeschweifte rote Spitze, darin ein goldener Sparrenschrägbalken, vorne ein rotes Hifthorn, hinten eine schwarze Muschel.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 argent a bugle-horn gules, sinister argent an escallop sable, in base gules a bend dancetty Or, on a chief vert an urn of the first.
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...
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...
, an urn, stands for the village’s long settlement history, dating back to prehistory
Prehistory
Prehistory is the span of time before recorded history. Prehistory can refer to the period of human existence before the availability of those written records with which recorded history begins. More broadly, it refers to all the time preceding human existence and the invention of writing...
. In the cadastral area of Linderflur in 1823, various details of this were brought to light. The horn, the scallop shell and the “bend dancetty” (slanted zigzag stripe) are all drawn from the arms once borne by the Metternich-Winneburg-Beilstein noble family, and can be found in the court seals from 1477 and 1761. This family held the lordship in the village and also owned lands. The Weistum of 1494 guaranteed the Winneburg-Beilstein family the local high court jurisdiction as well as hunting and forest rights (a Weistum – cognate with English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
wisdom – was a legal pronouncement issued by men learned in law 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...
and early modern times). In 1652, the court passed to the Baron of Metternich.
Museums
As a result of an exhibition organized by the Cochem-Zell district administration named On de Geman gien (in Standard High GermanGerman 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....
In die Gemeinde gehen, meaning “Go into the Community”) at which were shown old communication methods and technology, the Alflen Local History Museum (Heimatmuseum Alflen) came into being. It was set up on the attic floor of the old school, which is now the 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...
and youth group building.
Buildings
Saint John the BaptistJohn the Baptist
John 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 Parish Church with its Gothic
Gothic 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....
building style and its extraordinary ceiling paintings may well be one of the most noteworthy churches in the area. Even the church’s location, surrounded by three great chestnut
Chestnut
Chestnut , some species called chinkapin or chinquapin, is a genus of eight or nine species of deciduous trees and shrubs in the beech family Fagaceae, native to temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere. The name also refers to the edible nuts they produce.-Species:The chestnut belongs to the...
trees, each more than 300 years old, is a picturesque setting the year round.
The “Felser-” Haus, a timber-frame
Timber framing
Timber 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 from 1880 below the church, stood through both World Wars although it was once the target of a grenade
Grenade
A grenade is a small explosive device that is projected a safe distance away by its user. Soldiers called grenadiers specialize in the use of grenades. The term hand grenade refers any grenade designed to be hand thrown. Grenade Launchers are firearms designed to fire explosive projectile grenades...
attack. Formerly it housed a shop, but is now only a residential building.
The following are listed buildings or sites 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 ....
’s Directory of Cultural Monuments:
- 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. Johann Baptist), Pfarrweg – west tower’s lower building work 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,...
, upper floors and nave from after 1716, 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....
quire and sacristy renovated after 1716; whole complex with graveyard. - 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,...
, small 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...
with niche relief, apparently essentially 16th century, rebuilt in 1921 as a warriors’ remembrance chapel. - Way of the Cross – CrucifixionCrucifixion of JesusThe crucifixion of Jesus and his ensuing death is an event that occurred during the 1st century AD. Jesus, who Christians believe is the Son of God as well as the Messiah, was arrested, tried, and sentenced by Pontius Pilate to be scourged, and finally executed on a cross...
relief at the chapel, from 1766.
Economy and infrastructure
In the 1950s, the Fliegerhorst Büchel was built (Fliegerhorst means “airbase”). To this day, the airbase is still one of the area’s most important employers, and is also home to Jagdbombergeschwader 33 (Fighter-Bomber Squadron 33) and a few nuclear bombs.Sundry
In Alflen, film producer Stefan Dähnert shot the film Engrazia about a problem-beset girl’s youth.Further reading
- Alflen früher, ein Bildband, der auf eine Fotoausstellung anlässlich des 30-jährigen Bestehens der Grundschule zurückgreift
- Alfler Dorfgeschichte(n), eine ausführliche Chronik der Gemeinde Alflen
- 100 Jahre Freiwillige Feuerwehr Alflen, ein Buch anlässlich des 100-jährigen Bestehens der Freiwilligen Feuerwehr Alflen