Bollenbach
Encyclopedia
Bollenbach is an Ortsgemeinde – a municipality
belonging to a Verbandsgemeinde
, a kind of collective municipality – in the Birkenfeld
district
in Rhineland-Palatinate
, Germany
. It belongs to the Verbandsgemeinde of Rhaunen
, whose seat is in the like-named municipality
.
, in the east on Bundenbach
and in the southwest on Sulzbach
.
, Bollenbach was made up of two parts, the Hochgericht (“High Court
”) and the Ingericht, which belonged respectively to the two lordly houses of Schmidtburg and Wildenburg. The “boundary” between these two parts of the village is unaccountably still visible today as a bare strip on which nothing has been built, running through the middle of the village.
The villagers earned their livelihood not only from farming small plots, but also, as late as the 1960s, by mining slate
at six pits.
Within Bollenbach’s limits lie several former villages, now in sparse ruins. These were wiped out either by massacre
s in the Thirty Years' War
or by the Plague shortly thereafter, and were never repopulated.
Until administrative restructuring in Rhineland-Palatinate
in 1969, Bollenbach belonged to the now abolished Bernkastel district.
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 fess Or a beast with a wolf’s head and an eagle’s body displayed gules, its breast surmounted by a crampon palewise sable, and vert three trees of the first.
The German blazon does not mention what tincture
the trees are to be shown in; the English rendering uses the one – Or, or gold – shown in the image accompanying this article. Nor does the German blazon mention what kind of trees must be shown.
The upper field is a reference to the village’s former allegiance to the “Wild and Rhine” County (ruled by the Waldgrave
s and Rhinegraves) and shows the court seal used by those counts’ high court
at Rhaunen
. The three trees symbolize the municipality’s wealth of woodland. The Viergemeindewald (the parochial forest) was mentioned as early as 29 August 1680.
’s Directory of Cultural Monuments:
The Gemeinschaftsmühle had one of the first electric gristmills in the Hunsrück.
is a railway station on the Nahe Valley Railway (Bingen
–Saarbrücken
). To the north lie Bundesstraße
50 and Frankfurt-Hahn Airport
.
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 Birkenfeld
Birkenfeld (district)
Birkenfeld is a district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is bounded by the districts of Sankt Wendel , Trier-Saarburg, Bernkastel-Wittlich, Rhein-Hunsrück, Bad Kreuznach and Kusel.- 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 Rhaunen
Rhaunen (Verbandsgemeinde)
Rhaunen is a Verbandsgemeinde in the district of Birkenfeld, in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. The seat of the Verbandsgemeinde is in Rhaunen....
, whose seat is in the like-named municipality
Rhaunen
Rhaunen is an Ortsgemeinde – a municipality belonging to a Verbandsgemeinde, a kind of collective municipality – in the Birkenfeld district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is the seat of the like-named Verbandsgemeinde.-Location:...
.
Neighbouring municipalities
Bollenbach borders in the north on RhaunenRhaunen
Rhaunen is an Ortsgemeinde – a municipality belonging to a Verbandsgemeinde, a kind of collective municipality – in the Birkenfeld district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is the seat of the like-named Verbandsgemeinde.-Location:...
, in the east on Bundenbach
Bundenbach
Bundenbach is an Ortsgemeinde – a municipality belonging to a Verbandsgemeinde, a kind of collective municipality – in the Birkenfeld district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany...
and in the southwest on Sulzbach
Sulzbach, Birkenfeld
Sulzbach is a municipality in the district of Birkenfeld, in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany....
.
History
In the Middle AgesMiddle 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...
, Bollenbach was made up of two parts, the Hochgericht (“High Court
Blood court
Blood Court or high justice in the Holy Roman Empire referred to the right of a Vogt to hold a criminal court inflicting bodily punishment, including the death penalty.Not every Vogt held the blood court...
”) and the Ingericht, which belonged respectively to the two lordly houses of Schmidtburg and Wildenburg. The “boundary” between these two parts of the village is unaccountably still visible today as a bare strip on which nothing has been built, running through the middle of the village.
The villagers earned their livelihood not only from farming small plots, but also, as late as the 1960s, by mining slate
Slate
Slate is a fine-grained, foliated, homogeneous metamorphic rock derived from an original shale-type sedimentary rock composed of clay or volcanic ash through low-grade regional metamorphism. The result is a foliated rock in which the foliation may not correspond to the original sedimentary layering...
at six pits.
Within Bollenbach’s limits lie several former villages, now in sparse ruins. These were wiped out either by massacre
Massacre
A massacre is an event with a heavy death toll.Massacre may also refer to:-Entertainment:*Massacre , a DC Comics villain*Massacre , a 1932 drama film starring Richard Barthelmess*Massacre, a 1956 Western starring Dane Clark...
s in the Thirty Years' War
Thirty Years' War
The Thirty Years' War was fought primarily in what is now Germany, and at various points involved most countries in Europe. It was one of the most destructive conflicts in European history....
or by the Plague shortly thereafter, and were never repopulated.
Until administrative restructuring 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 ....
in 1969, Bollenbach belonged to the now abolished Bernkastel district.
Municipal council
The council is made up of 6 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: In geteiltem Schild oben in Gold ein rotes Fabeltier mit einem Wolfskopf und weit geöffneten Schwingen belegt mit einem schwarzen Wolfshaken. Unten in Grün drei Bäume.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 fess Or a beast with a wolf’s head and an eagle’s body displayed gules, its breast surmounted by a crampon palewise sable, and vert three trees of the first.
The German blazon does not mention what 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...
the trees are to be shown in; the English rendering uses the one – Or, or gold – shown in the image accompanying this article. Nor does the German blazon mention what kind of trees must be shown.
The upper field is a reference to the village’s former allegiance to the “Wild and Rhine” County (ruled by the Waldgrave
Waldgrave
The noble family of the Waldgraves or Wildgraves descended of a division of the House of the Counts of Nahegau in the year 1113....
s and Rhinegraves) and shows the court seal used by those counts’ high court
Blood court
Blood Court or high justice in the Holy Roman Empire referred to the right of a Vogt to hold a criminal court inflicting bodily punishment, including the death penalty.Not every Vogt held the blood court...
at Rhaunen
Rhaunen
Rhaunen is an Ortsgemeinde – a municipality belonging to a Verbandsgemeinde, a kind of collective municipality – in the Birkenfeld district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is the seat of the like-named Verbandsgemeinde.-Location:...
. The three trees symbolize the municipality’s wealth of woodland. The Viergemeindewald (the parochial forest) was mentioned as early as 29 August 1680.
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:
- EvangelicalEvangelical Church in GermanyThe 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...
church, Hauptstraße 18 – 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 ridge turretRidge turretA ridge turret is a turret build on the peak of a roof....
, marked 1719 - Hauptstraße 12 – scattered estate; 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...
house, plastered and sided, marked 1766 (possibly with spolia), conversion about 1860, timber-frame commercial building about 1860 - Mühlenweg 1 – Gemeinschaftsmühle (“Community Mill”); plain timber-frame building, technical equipment, 1926
The Gemeinschaftsmühle had one of the first electric gristmills in the Hunsrück.
Natural monuments
The 500-year-old Dicke Eiche (“Fat Oak”) is protected as a natural monument.Transport
Available in nearby KirnKirn
Kirn is a town in the district of Bad Kreuznach, in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is situated on the river Nahe, roughly 10 km north-east of Idar-Oberstein and 30 km west of Bad Kreuznach....
is a railway station on the Nahe Valley Railway (Bingen
Bingen am Rhein
Bingen am Rhein is a town in the Mainz-Bingen district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany.The settlement’s original name was Bingium, a Celtic word that may have meant “hole in the rock”, a description of the shoal behind the Mäuseturm, known as the Binger Loch. Bingen was the starting point for the...
–Saarbrücken
Saarbrücken
Saarbrücken is the capital of the state of Saarland in Germany. The city is situated at the heart of a metropolitan area that borders on the west on Dillingen and to the north-east on Neunkirchen, where most of the people of the Saarland live....
). To the north lie Bundesstraße
Bundesstraße
Bundesstraße , abbreviated B, is the denotation for German and Austrian national highways.-Germany:...
50 and Frankfurt-Hahn Airport
Frankfurt-Hahn Airport
-Cargo airlines:-Other facilities:AirIT Services AG, a subsidiary of Fraport, has its head office in Building 663 at Hahn Airport.-References:*Active Air Force Bases Within the United States of America on 17 September 1982 USAF Reference Series, Office of Air Force History, United States Air Force,...
.
External links
- Bollenbach in the collective municipality’s webpages
- Hunsrückreise Bollenbach
- http://www.swr.de/landesschau-rp/hierzuland/-/id=100766/nid=100766/did=5123944/5tzx6u/Brief portrait of Bollenbach at SWR FernsehenSWR FernsehenSWR Fernsehen is a German regional television channel targeting the states of Baden-Württemberg and Rhineland-Palatinate. It is produced by Südwestrundfunk and is one of eight regional "third channels" broadcast by the ARD members....
]