Burgen, Bernkastel-Wittlich
Encyclopedia
Burgen is an Ortsgemeinde – a municipality
belonging to a Verbandsgemeinde
, a kind of collective municipality – in the Bernkastel-Wittlich
district
in Rhineland-Palatinate
, Germany
.
’s first forests and from the point of view of transport, lies on a dead end. However, it can be reached from two directions, from Brauneberg
over Kreisstraße (District Road) 87 and from Veldenz
over Kreisstraße 89. South of the municipality is only Brauneberg
’s outlying centre of Hirzlei, where Kreisstraße 87 comes to an end. There is almost no through traffic.
Burgen belongs to the Verbandsgemeinde of Bernkastel-Kues, whose seat is in the like-named town
.
with its outlying centre of Hirzlei and Veldenz
. The nearest middle centres
are the double town of Bernkastel-Kues
some 6 km away, and Wittlich
, some 14 km away. Trier
is about 30 km away.
on 11 August 1998, a record temperature of 41.2 °C in the shade, the highest ever air temperature recorded in the Federal Republic, was confirmed. Because of its location alee of the Eifel
, precipitation
from northwest weather systems is often kept away. Ongoing evaporation of water from the Moselle regularly leads to high humidity, which, especially in summer, makes at times for heavy and muggy weather, and which also brings many storms along with it.
In nearby areas, remnants of human habitation have been found from the Bronze Age
, as have the ruins of a flight castle, the Heidenmauer (“Heathen Wall”), which is found some 1.5 km from Burgen behind Schloss Veldenz
. As early as about 500 BC there came settlement by the Treveri
, a people of mixed Celtic and Germanic
stock, from whom the Latin
name for the city of Trier
, Augusta Treverorum
, is also derived. From about 50 BC until sometime about AD 500 came the Romans
, who found the place where Burgen now stands to be strategically favourable: the nearby Hunsrück
plateau and the important Roman road from Trier
by way of Bingen
to Mainz
could be reached without much effort. The climb up to the Hunsrück was secured with the help of a fortified military base – in Latin
a burgus – which later took the folk form Burgen.
The municipal election held on 7 June 2009 yielded the following results:
might be described thus: Per fess argent a lion passant azure armed Or and langued gules, and sable a castle gules with a gateway of the field and two towers each embattled of three and with two windows of the field, the wall masoned, surmounting which and emerging from base a mount of three vert.
slate soil parallel to the famous Brauneberger Juffer
. Hasenläufer is said to be the only mountain in Europe
that is completely covered over with vineyards. There are several other wineries in the municipality; Riesling
is the customary grape
variety. Pinot noir
, Chardonnay
, Dornfelder
, Kerner
, Rivaner, Silvaner
and Pinot blanc
, among others, are also grown.
and quarrystone houses, wine parlours and wineries characterize the local scene. Also worth mentioning is the watermill
, which is under monumental protection, from late Biedermeier
times in 1845 with and overshot waterwheel and two sets of grindstones. Besides regular tours, the museum offers presentation boards and information about the epoch, a cultural-historical overview of mill development and a description of the milling process with a side tour into food sciences. Part of the watermill is a vast nature garden complex with a brook, boxwood
hedges, dry-stone walls and a herb bed.
Burgeners are also proud of their genuine Giant Sequoia
tree, a species once found only in California
but which can now be found worldwide and is no longer a peculiarity. Also, the Frohnbach flows through the village, open along its whole length. All together there are 19 stone, wooden and wrought iron bridges and footbridges crossing the brook. No other place in the region has quite so many bridges. Also found in Burgen are two churches, one Catholic and the other Evangelical
.
(Fastnacht) parade, a Maypole festival, Deutscher Mühlentag (“German Mill Day”, at Whitsun
), the music club’s Lindenfest and the obligatory Saint Martin’s Day
parade. The Burgener Bühnchen (“little stage”), a department of the Burgen local history club, stages theatrical productions. In nearby Bernkastel-Kues, with the onset of late summer each year comes the Großes Weinfest der Mittelmosel (“Great Wine Festival of the Middle Moselle”), one of the Moselle’s biggest wine festivals.
events for classic sport cars. In 2000, Trier
also became the official venue for the Rallye Deutschland
, a heat on the way to the World Rally Championship
. Since then, special stage
s have regularly been held in the area vineyards. The courses are distinguished by short, fast straightaways followed by sharp turns and switchback stretches of road in the sloped areas. Several tens of thousands of people come to the region around Burgen for this on the weekend in August when this is done.
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 Bernkastel-Wittlich
Bernkastel-Wittlich
Bernkastel-Wittlich is a district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is bounded by the districts of Vulkaneifel, Cochem-Zell, Rhein-Hunsrück, Birkenfeld, Trier-Saarburg and Bitburg-Prüm.- 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...
.
Location
The municipality lies at the outermost end of an ancient river valley of the Middle Moselle, which formed at a time when the river had not settled on the course that it now follows. Burgen is found right below the 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...
’s first forests and from the point of view of transport, lies on a dead end. However, it can be reached from two directions, from Brauneberg
Brauneberg
Brauneberg is an Ortsgemeinde – a municipality belonging to a Verbandsgemeinde, a kind of collective municipality – in the Bernkastel-Wittlich district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is known above all for its wine and its meteorological distinctions.- Location :The municipality lies on the...
over Kreisstraße (District Road) 87 and from Veldenz
Veldenz
Veldenz is an Ortsgemeinde – a municipality belonging to a Verbandsgemeinde, a kind of collective municipality – in the Bernkastel-Wittlich district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany...
over Kreisstraße 89. South of the municipality is only Brauneberg
Brauneberg
Brauneberg is an Ortsgemeinde – a municipality belonging to a Verbandsgemeinde, a kind of collective municipality – in the Bernkastel-Wittlich district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is known above all for its wine and its meteorological distinctions.- Location :The municipality lies on the...
’s outlying centre of Hirzlei, where Kreisstraße 87 comes to an end. There is almost no through traffic.
Burgen belongs to the Verbandsgemeinde of Bernkastel-Kues, whose seat is in the like-named town
Bernkastel-Kues
Bernkastel-Kues is a well-known winegrowing centre on the Middle Moselle in the Bernkastel-Wittlich district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany...
.
Nearby communities
Neighbouring municipalities are, among others, BraunebergBrauneberg
Brauneberg is an Ortsgemeinde – a municipality belonging to a Verbandsgemeinde, a kind of collective municipality – in the Bernkastel-Wittlich district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is known above all for its wine and its meteorological distinctions.- Location :The municipality lies on the...
with its outlying centre of Hirzlei and Veldenz
Veldenz
Veldenz is an Ortsgemeinde – a municipality belonging to a Verbandsgemeinde, a kind of collective municipality – in the Bernkastel-Wittlich district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany...
. The nearest middle centres
Central Place Theory
Central place theory is a geographical theory that seeks to explain the number, size and location of human settlements in an urban system. The theory was created by the German geographer Walter Christaller, who asserted that settlements simply functioned as 'central places' providing services to...
are the double town of Bernkastel-Kues
Bernkastel-Kues
Bernkastel-Kues is a well-known winegrowing centre on the Middle Moselle in the Bernkastel-Wittlich district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany...
some 6 km away, and Wittlich
Wittlich
The 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...
, some 14 km away. 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....
is about 30 km away.
Climate
Burgen lies within the temperate zone; compared to other regions in Germany, a very warm and sunny climate prevails here. In neighbouring BraunebergBrauneberg
Brauneberg is an Ortsgemeinde – a municipality belonging to a Verbandsgemeinde, a kind of collective municipality – in the Bernkastel-Wittlich district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is known above all for its wine and its meteorological distinctions.- Location :The municipality lies on the...
on 11 August 1998, a record temperature of 41.2 °C in the shade, the highest ever air temperature recorded in the Federal Republic, was confirmed. Because of its location alee 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....
, precipitation
Precipitation (meteorology)
In meteorology, precipitation In meteorology, precipitation In meteorology, precipitation (also known as one of the classes of hydrometeors, which are atmospheric water phenomena is any product of the condensation of atmospheric water vapor that falls under gravity. The main forms of precipitation...
from northwest weather systems is often kept away. Ongoing evaporation of water from the Moselle regularly leads to high humidity, which, especially in summer, makes at times for heavy and muggy weather, and which also brings many storms along with it.
History
Bronze Age
The Bronze Age is a period characterized by the use of copper and its alloy bronze as the chief hard materials in the manufacture of some implements and weapons. Chronologically, it stands between the Stone Age and Iron Age...
, as have the ruins of a flight castle, the Heidenmauer (“Heathen Wall”), which is found some 1.5 km from Burgen behind Schloss Veldenz
Schloss Veldenz
Schloss Veldenz in the Mosel Valley region is a Castle ruin about 1.5 kilometers southeast of Veldenz.-Location:The site is located in the Rhineland-Palatinate in the county of Bernkastel-Wittlich...
. As early as about 500 BC there came settlement by the Treveri
Treveri
The Treveri or Treviri were a tribe of Gauls who inhabited the lower valley of the Moselle from around 150 BCE, at the latest, until their eventual absorption into the Franks...
, a people of mixed Celtic and Germanic
Germanic peoples
The Germanic peoples are an Indo-European ethno-linguistic group of Northern European origin, identified by their use of the Indo-European Germanic languages which diversified out of Proto-Germanic during the Pre-Roman Iron Age.Originating about 1800 BCE from the Corded Ware Culture on the North...
stock, from whom the Latin
Latin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
name for the city of 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....
, Augusta Treverorum
History of Trier
Trier in Rhineland-Palatinate, whose history dates to the Roman Empire, is often claimed to be the oldest city in Germany. Traditionally it was known in English by its French name of Treves.- Prehistory :...
, is also derived. From about 50 BC until sometime about AD 500 came the Romans
Ancient Rome
Ancient Rome was a thriving civilization that grew on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 8th century BC. Located along the Mediterranean Sea and centered on the city of Rome, it expanded to one of the largest empires in the ancient world....
, who found the place where Burgen now stands to be strategically favourable: the nearby Hunsrück
Hunsrück
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...
plateau and the important Roman road from 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....
by way of 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...
to 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...
could be reached without much effort. The climb up to the Hunsrück was secured with the help of a fortified military base – in Latin
Latin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
a burgus – which later took the folk form Burgen.
Municipal council
The council is made up of 12 council members, who were elected 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:
| Figure | Percent | Seats | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Eligible voters | 487 | 100.0 | 12 |
| Voters | 316 | 64.9 | |
| Invalid ballots | 13 | 4.1 | |
| Valid ballots | 303 | 95.9 | |
| Grasnik | 141 | 46.5 | 5 |
| Schwarz | 69 | 22.8 | 3 |
| Engel | 93 | 30.7 | 4 |
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: Per fess argent a lion passant azure armed Or and langued gules, and sable a castle gules with a gateway of the field and two towers each embattled of three and with two windows of the field, the wall masoned, surmounting which and emerging from base a mount of three vert.
Winegrowing
Winegrowing is practised at the locations of Kirchberg, Hasenläufer and Römerberg. The last lies on the south slope with all-day sunshine, deep, humus-rich DevonianDevonian
The Devonian is a geologic period and system of the Paleozoic Era spanning from the end of the Silurian Period, about 416.0 ± 2.8 Mya , to the beginning of the Carboniferous Period, about 359.2 ± 2.5 Mya...
slate soil parallel to the famous Brauneberger Juffer
Brauneberg
Brauneberg is an Ortsgemeinde – a municipality belonging to a Verbandsgemeinde, a kind of collective municipality – in the Bernkastel-Wittlich district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is known above all for its wine and its meteorological distinctions.- Location :The municipality lies on the...
. Hasenläufer is said to be the only mountain in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
that is completely covered over with vineyards. There are several other wineries in the municipality; Riesling
Riesling
Riesling is a white grape variety which originated in the Rhine region of Germany. Riesling is an aromatic grape variety displaying flowery, almost perfumed, aromas as well as high acidity. It is used to make dry, semi-sweet, sweet and sparkling white wines. Riesling wines are usually varietally...
is the customary grape
Grape
A grape is a non-climacteric fruit, specifically a berry, that grows on the perennial and deciduous woody vines of the genus Vitis. Grapes can be eaten raw or they can be used for making jam, juice, jelly, vinegar, wine, grape seed extracts, raisins, molasses and grape seed oil. Grapes are also...
variety. Pinot noir
Pinot Noir
Pinot noir is a black wine grape variety of the species Vitis vinifera. The name may also refer to wines created predominantly from Pinot noir grapes...
, Chardonnay
Chardonnay
Chardonnay is a green-skinned grape variety used to make white wine. It is originated from the Burgundy wine region of eastern France but is now grown wherever wine is produced, from England to New Zealand...
, Dornfelder
Dornfelder
Dornfelder is a dark-skinned variety of grape of German origin used for red wine. It was created by August Herold at the grape breeding institute in Weinsberg in the Württemberg region in 1955. Herold crossed the grape varieties Helfensteiner and Heroldrebe, the latter which bears his name, to...
, Kerner
Kerner (grape)
The Kerner grape is an aromatic white grape variety. It was bred in 1929 by August Herold by crossing Trollinger and Riesling. Herold was working at a plant breeding station in Lauffen in the Württemberg region of Germany. This station belonged to a state breeding institute headquartered in...
, Rivaner, Silvaner
Silvaner
Sylvaner or Silvaner is a variety of white wine grape grown primarily in Alsace and Germany, where its official name is Grüner Silvaner. In Germany it is best known as a component of Liebfraumilch and production boomed in the 1970s to the detriment of quality, but it has long enjoyed a better...
and Pinot blanc
Pinot Blanc
Pinot blanc is a white wine grape. It is a point genetic mutation of Pinot noir. Pinot noir is genetically unstable and will occasionally experience a point mutation in which a vine bears all black fruit except for one cane which produced white fruit....
, among others, are also grown.
Sightseeing
Restored timber-frameTimber 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...
and quarrystone houses, wine parlours and wineries characterize the local scene. Also worth mentioning is the watermill
Watermill
A watermill is a structure that uses a water wheel or turbine to drive a mechanical process such as flour, lumber or textile production, or metal shaping .- History :...
, which is under monumental protection, from late Biedermeier
Biedermeier
In Central Europe, the Biedermeier era refers to the middle-class sensibilities of the historical period between 1815, the year of the Congress of Vienna at the end of the Napoleonic Wars, and 1848, the year of the European revolutions...
times in 1845 with and overshot waterwheel and two sets of grindstones. Besides regular tours, the museum offers presentation boards and information about the epoch, a cultural-historical overview of mill development and a description of the milling process with a side tour into food sciences. Part of the watermill is a vast nature garden complex with a brook, boxwood
Buxus sempervirens
Buxus sempervirens is a flowering plant in the genus Buxus, native to western and southern Europe, northwest Africa, and southwest Asia, from southern England south to northern Morocco, and east through the northern Mediterranean region to Turkey. Buxus colchica of western Caucasus and B...
hedges, dry-stone walls and a herb bed.
Burgeners are also proud of their genuine Giant Sequoia
Sequoiadendron
Sequoiadendron giganteum is the sole living species in the genus Sequoiadendron, and one of three species of coniferous trees known as redwoods, classified in the family Cupressaceae in the subfamily Sequoioideae, together with Sequoia sempervirens and...
tree, a species once found only in California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
but which can now be found worldwide and is no longer a peculiarity. Also, the Frohnbach flows through the village, open along its whole length. All together there are 19 stone, wooden and wrought iron bridges and footbridges crossing the brook. No other place in the region has quite so many bridges. Also found in Burgen are two churches, one Catholic and the other 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...
.
Regular events
Regularly held in Burgen are a ShrovetideShrove Tuesday
Shrove Tuesday is a term used in English-speaking countries, especially in Ireland, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Philippines, Germany, and parts of the United States for the day preceding Ash Wednesday, the first day of the season of fasting and prayer called Lent.The...
(Fastnacht) parade, a Maypole festival, Deutscher Mühlentag (“German Mill Day”, at Whitsun
Whitsun
Whitsun is the name used in the UK for the Christian festival of Pentecost, the seventh Sunday after Easter, which commemorates the descent of the Holy Spirit upon Christ's disciples...
), the music club’s Lindenfest and the obligatory Saint Martin’s Day
St. Martin's Day
St. Martin's Day, also known as the Feast of St. Martin, Martinstag or Martinmas, the Feast of St Martin of Tours or Martin le Miséricordieux, is a time for feasting celebrations. This is the time when autumn wheat seeding is completed. Historically, hiring fairs were held where farm laborers...
parade. The Burgener Bühnchen (“little stage”), a department of the Burgen local history club, stages theatrical productions. In nearby Bernkastel-Kues, with the onset of late summer each year comes the Großes Weinfest der Mittelmosel (“Great Wine Festival of the Middle Moselle”), one of the Moselle’s biggest wine festivals.
Sport
Burgen, together with the neighbouring municipality of Veldenz and the Morgan-Club Deutschland, regularly organizes Hunsrück hillclimbingHillclimbing
Hillclimbing is a branch of motorsport in which drivers compete against the clock to complete an uphill course....
events for classic sport cars. In 2000, 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....
also became the official venue for the Rallye Deutschland
Rallye Deutschland
The ADAC Rallye Deutschland is a rally event held in Germany. The event was first held in 1982 and originally hosted by e.g. Frankfurt, Mainz and Koblenz. In 2000, the rally was relocated to the region around Trier...
, a heat on the way to the World Rally Championship
World Rally Championship
The World Rally Championship is a rallying series organised by the FIA, culminating with a champion driver and manufacturer. The driver's world championship and manufacturer's world championship are separate championships, but based on the same point system. The series currently consists of 13...
. Since then, special stage
Special stage (rallying)
Special stages are the competitive sections of a stage rally event where the goal is to cover a stretch of closed road in the shortest time. On a special stage cars are set off individually at set intervals to reduce the chances of being impeded by other competitors. Each special stage is a...
s have regularly been held in the area vineyards. The courses are distinguished by short, fast straightaways followed by sharp turns and switchback stretches of road in the sloped areas. Several tens of thousands of people come to the region around Burgen for this on the weekend in August when this is done.
Economy and infrastructure
From days of yore, an important rôle has been played by winegrowing. Local demands are supplied by a village shop. The nearest small supermarket is found in neighbouring Veldenz, as is a discount store in neighbouring Brauneberg. Hiking trails lead around the village. Public transport is integrated into the Verkehrsverbund Region Trier (VRT), whose fares therefore apply.Famous people
- Johann Peter Petri (b. 1752; d. after 1812), SchinderhannesSchinderhannesJohannes Bückler , nicknamed Schinderhannes, was a German outlaw who orchestrated one of the most fascinating crime sprees in German history. He was born at Miehlen, the son of Johann and Anna Maria Bückler. He began an apprenticeship to a tanner, but turned to petty theft. At 16 he was arrested...
’s accomplice, namesake of the card game Schwarzer Peter (known in EnglishEnglish languageEnglish 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...
as old maid).