Birresborn
Encyclopedia
Birresborn 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 Gerolstein
, whose seat is in the like-named town
.
at an elevation of 350 m above sea level
in the Kyll
valley in the Vulkaneifel
, 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.
(7 km away), Michelbach (outlying centre of Gerolstein; 4 km away), Salm
(8 km away), Mürlenbach
(4 km away), Kopp
(4 km away) and Büdesheim
(9 km away).
for “spring
” – lies in the middle of the village, but has been closed since November 2003 owing to contamination. The Quelltempel (“Spring Temple”) also found here near the bridge on the Kyll
, in which one could once drink water from the Adonis Quelle and draw it for one’s own use, has likewise been closed ever since.
s and in the Fischbach valley, in the Felst and in the Hundsbach valley.
origin. It means “well” or “watering place”. Commonly, however, Birgis-burias is translated as “Good Well”.
On 15 June 1871, Birresborn was linked to the German railway network with the opening of the Eifelbahn between Gerolstein and Trier. On 14 May 1908, the Lindenquelle was acknowledged as a public utility. On 20 February 1914, the municipality’s springs were recognized by the state as health springs. On Christmas Day 1944, not long before the Second World War ended, a great part of Birresborn was destroyed in an Allied
air raid. Since 1971, Birresborn has been part of the Verbandsgemeinde of Gerolstein
, in the Daun district, which is now known as the Vulkaneifel district. On 11 November 2003, the mineral spring Birresborner Phönix Sprudel was closed owing to contamination. On 24 May 2009, the municipality celebrated an “Historic Village Festival” with more than 3,500 visitors from Germany and abroad.
at the municipal election held on 7 June 2009, and the honorary mayor as chairman.
The municipal election held on 7 June 2009 yielded the following results:
might be described thus: Azure in base a mount of three argent charged with and oakleaf in bend sinister vert, above which a spring with four streams of the second.
–Euskirchen
–Gerolstein–Trier
), which here is served by local public rail service between Gerolstein and Trier.
All local public transport is integrated into the Verkehrsverbund Region Trier (VRT), whose fares therefore apply.
The nearest Autobahnen are as follows:
, St.Lucia Mürlenbach
and Maria Magdalena Densborn
. The parish belongs to the Diocese of Trier.
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 Gerolstein
Gerolstein (Verbandsgemeinde)
Gerolstein is a Verbandsgemeinde in the district Vulkaneifel, in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. The seat of the Verbandsgemeinde is in Gerolstein....
, whose seat is in the like-named town
Gerolstein
Gerolstein is a town in the Vulkaneifel district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is the seat of the like-named Verbandsgemeinde. Gerolstein is headquarters to a large mineral water firm, Gerolsteiner Brunnen...
.
Location
The municipality lies roughly 6 km south of GerolsteinGerolstein
Gerolstein is a town in the Vulkaneifel district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is the seat of the like-named Verbandsgemeinde. Gerolstein is headquarters to a large mineral water firm, Gerolsteiner Brunnen...
at an elevation of 350 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...
in the Kyll
Kyll
The Kyll , noted by the Roman poet Ausonius as Celbis, is a 142km long river in western Germany , left tributary of the Moselle. It rises in the Eifel mountains, near the border with Belgium and flows generally south through the towns Stadtkyll, Gerolstein, Kyllburg and east of Bitburg...
valley in the Vulkaneifel
Vulkan 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.
Constituent communities
Birresborn’s Ortsteile are Sauerwasser, the hunting lodge Waldfries and the outlying centre of Rom.Neighbouring municipalities
Clockwise from the north, these are GerolsteinGerolstein
Gerolstein is a town in the Vulkaneifel district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is the seat of the like-named Verbandsgemeinde. Gerolstein is headquarters to a large mineral water firm, Gerolsteiner Brunnen...
(7 km away), Michelbach (outlying centre of Gerolstein; 4 km away), Salm
Salm, Germany
Salm is an Ortsgemeinde – a municipality belonging to a Verbandsgemeinde, a kind of collective municipality – in the Vulkaneifel district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany...
(8 km away), Mürlenbach
Mürlenbach
Mürlenbach is an Ortsgemeinde – a municipality belonging to a Verbandsgemeinde, a kind of collective municipality – in the Vulkaneifel district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany...
(4 km away), Kopp
Kopp, Germany
Kopp is an Ortsgemeinde – a municipality belonging to a Verbandsgemeinde, a kind of collective municipality – in the Vulkaneifel district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany...
(4 km away) and Büdesheim
Büdesheim
Büdesheim is a municipality in the district of Bitburg-Prüm, in Rhineland-Palatinate, western Germany....
(9 km away).
Mountains
Loftier peaks in the municipality include the Rödelkaul (592 m), the Daxberg (548 m), the Goldberg (523 m) and the Vulkan Kalem (509.4 m).Adonis Quelle
The Adonis Quelle – Quelle is 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....
for “spring
Spring (hydrosphere)
A spring—also known as a rising or resurgence—is a component of the hydrosphere. Specifically, it is any natural situation where water flows to the surface of the earth from underground...
” – lies in the middle of the village, but has been closed since November 2003 owing to contamination. The Quelltempel (“Spring Temple”) also found here near the bridge on the Kyll
Kyll
The Kyll , noted by the Roman poet Ausonius as Celbis, is a 142km long river in western Germany , left tributary of the Moselle. It rises in the Eifel mountains, near the border with Belgium and flows generally south through the towns Stadtkyll, Gerolstein, Kyllburg and east of Bitburg...
, in which one could once drink water from the Adonis Quelle and draw it for one’s own use, has likewise been closed ever since.
Lindenquelle
The Lindenquelle lies roughly 4 km north of Birresborn on the way to Gerolstein. The Quelltempel still standing here is under monumental protection, and since 3 July 2009, has been being restored. Moreover, the mineral water is once more gushing forth. The contamination that ended the Adonis Quelle’s usefulness has not affected the Lindenquelle. Here, one can drink water free of charge and also fill up on it the year round.Conservation areas
Nature conservation areas exist at the Vulkan Kalem, at the ice caveIce cave
The term ice cave refers to any type of natural cave that contains significant amounts of perennial ice...
s and in the Fischbach valley, in the Felst and in the Hundsbach valley.
History
In 721, Birresborn had its first documentary mention under the name Birgisburias. The prefix Bir— is a word of SemiticSemitic languages
The Semitic languages are a group of related languages whose living representatives are spoken by more than 270 million people across much of the Middle East, North Africa and the Horn of Africa...
origin. It means “well” or “watering place”. Commonly, however, Birgis-burias is translated as “Good Well”.
On 15 June 1871, Birresborn was linked to the German railway network with the opening of the Eifelbahn between Gerolstein and Trier. On 14 May 1908, the Lindenquelle was acknowledged as a public utility. On 20 February 1914, the municipality’s springs were recognized by the state as health springs. On Christmas Day 1944, not long before the Second World War ended, a great part of Birresborn was destroyed in an Allied
Allies of World War II
The Allies of World War II were the countries that opposed the Axis powers during the Second World War . Former Axis states contributing to the Allied victory are not considered Allied states...
air raid. Since 1971, Birresborn has been part of the Verbandsgemeinde of Gerolstein
Gerolstein (Verbandsgemeinde)
Gerolstein is a Verbandsgemeinde in the district Vulkaneifel, in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. The seat of the Verbandsgemeinde is in Gerolstein....
, in the Daun district, which is now known as the Vulkaneifel district. On 11 November 2003, the mineral spring Birresborner Phönix Sprudel was closed owing to contamination. On 24 May 2009, the municipality celebrated an “Historic Village Festival” with more than 3,500 visitors from Germany and abroad.
Municipal council
The council is made up of 16 council members, who were elected by proportional representationProportional representation
Proportional representation is a concept in voting systems used to elect an assembly or council. PR means that the number of seats won by a party or group of candidates is proportionate to the number of votes received. For example, under a PR voting system if 30% of voters support a particular...
at the municipal election held on 7 June 2009, and the honorary mayor as chairman.
The municipal election held on 7 June 2009 yielded the following results:
| CDU | WG Schmitz | WG Zander | Total | |
| 2009 | 6 | 4 | 6 | 16 seats |
Mayors
- 29 November 1952 - 9 June 1970 Josef Stadtfeld
- 10 June 1970 - 9 October 1970 Peter Wirtz (resigned)
- 9 October 1970 - 22 October 1970 Hans Heinen (as first deputy after Wirtz’s resignation)
- 23 October 1970 - 30 November 1982 Anton Karls
- 1 December 1982 - 2009 Josef Bach
- since 2009 Michael Zander
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: Azure in base a mount of three argent charged with and oakleaf in bend sinister vert, above which a spring with four streams of the second.
Natural monuments
- Ice caveIce caveThe term ice cave refers to any type of natural cave that contains significant amounts of perennial ice...
s, millstone quarries - Adam & Eva, two pinetrees over 200 years old
- Lindenquelle
Buildings
- Saint Nicholas’s Catholic Church (Kirche St. Nikolaus), Kopper Straße 2, ClassicistClassicismClassicism, in the arts, refers generally to a high regard for classical antiquity, as setting standards for taste which the classicists seek to emulate. The art of classicism typically seeks to be formal and restrained: of the Discobolus Sir Kenneth Clark observed, "if we object to his restraint...
east tower from 1828, warriors’ memorial 1860, 1870/1871, 1914/1918, pillar with figure of the Archangel MichaelMichael (archangel)Michael , Micha'el or Mîkhā'ēl; , Mikhaḗl; or Míchaël; , Mīkhā'īl) is an archangel in Jewish, Christian, and Islamic teachings. Roman Catholics, Anglicans, and Lutherans refer to him as Saint Michael the Archangel and also simply as Saint Michael...
on pedestal with relief. - Bahnhofstraße 10 – Classicist house from 1849
- Bahnhofstraße 14 – house from 1899
- Fischbachstraße 6 – estate complex, 19th century, house with knee wall, former cottage/bakehouse, somewhat more recent (?) long commercial building
- Fischbachstraße 18 – plaster building, partly faced, “oven porch”
- Gerolsteiner Straße 21 – Quereinhaus (a combination residential and commercial house divided for these two purposes down the middle, perpendicularly to the street) from 1873
- Gerolsteiner Straße 17, 19, 21 (monument zone) – an unbroken row of two estates parallel to the street and one Quereinhaus (see above), all with eaves facing the street, built in the latter half of the 19th century on the village’s northern outskirts, plain houses with right-angled wrought-stone edging, characteristic street design of a 19th-century village expansion.
- Grabenstraße 3 – house from 1846
- Mürlenbacher Straße/corner of Grabenstraße – sandstone wayside cross from 1684
- Rheinische Basalt- u. Lavawerke: Werk Birresborn, old stoneworking factory
- Salmer Straße – sandstone wayside cross from the latter half of the 18th century
- Lindenquelle spring pavilion, north of the village on the road to Lissingen, apparently from 1834
- Wayside cross northwest of the village near Kreisstraße (District Road) 77
Rail
The halt at Birresborn lies on the Eifelbahn (CologneCologne
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...
–Euskirchen
Euskirchen
Euskirchen is a town in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, capital of the district Euskirchen. While Euskirchen resembles a modern shopping town, it also has a history dating back over 700 years, having been granted town-status in 1302....
–Gerolstein–Trier
Trier
Trier, 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....
), which here is served by local public rail service between Gerolstein and Trier.
All local public transport is integrated into the Verkehrsverbund Region Trier (VRT), whose fares therefore apply.
Road
Birresborn lies right on Landesstraße (State Road) 24.The nearest Autobahnen are as follows:
- A 1 (towards CologneCologneCologne 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...
) roughly 50 km to the north; - A 48 (towards KoblenzKoblenzKoblenz is a German city situated on both banks of the Rhine at its confluence with the Moselle, where the Deutsches Eck and its monument are situated.As Koblenz was one of the military posts established by Drusus about 8 BC, the...
) roughly 30 km to the west; - A 60 (towards WittlichWittlichThe town of Wittlich is the seat of the Bernkastel-Wittlich district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany, and thereby the middle centre for a feeder area of 56 municipalities in the Eifel and Moselle area with its population of roughly 64,000...
) roughly 25 km to the south.
Education
Birresborn’s only school is the Grundschule Birresborn, a primary school for year levels 1 to 4.Church
Birresborn is a community whose inhabitants are mainly Catholic. Belonging to the parish of St. Nikolaus Birresborn are also the communities of St. Matthias KoppKopp
Prominent people with the surname Kopp include:* Carlo Kopp, Australian defence analyst* Elisabeth Kopp , Swiss politician* Emil Kopp , French chemist* Georg von Kopp , German cardinal...
, St.Lucia Mürlenbach
Mürlenbach
Mürlenbach is an Ortsgemeinde – a municipality belonging to a Verbandsgemeinde, a kind of collective municipality – in the Vulkaneifel district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany...
and Maria Magdalena Densborn
Densborn
Densborn is an Ortsgemeinde – a municipality belonging to a Verbandsgemeinde, a kind of collective municipality – in the Vulkaneifel district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany...
. The parish belongs to the Diocese of Trier.