Dohr
Encyclopedia
Dohr 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 Cochem, whose seat is in the like-named town
.
above Cochem
, which can be reached easily over either Bundesstraße
259 or Kreisstraße (District Road) 18. Dohr is one of the four municipalities in the Verbandsgemeinde of Cochem that sit up in the heights. Its area is 502 ha and it has 690 inhabitants whose main residence is in the municipality and another 52 who have a secondary residence there, for a total of 742 (as at 31 December 2009). Dohr is a commercial location.
Dunon, meaning “fortified hill”. Dohr had its first documentary mention about 1200. In 1210, Count Gerhard of Are was enfeoffed with “eine villa quae dicitur Dure juxta Cochem” (“an estate which is called Dure next to Cochem”) by Archbishop of Trier Johann I. About 1475 a chapel
, the forerunner of today’s church, was first mentioned as a branch of the Cochem parish church. In a visitation report from 1569, it was described as Capella in Doir.
The village’s name was later changed once again to Dohor. There have been two great fires in Dohr’s history. The first one struck in 1720, burning the whole village down. In 1852 came another blaze that almost led to the same fate. Little of the village was left afterwards. The two world wars, as well, took their toll on Dohr, as witnessed by the plaque near the church entrance and the warriors’ memorial before the church.
The overlordship was held by the Electorate of Trier until 1794 when the area was occupied by French Revolutionary
troops. In 1815 Dohr 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
.
What had been a small agriculturally structured place with 16 houses in 1563 underwent development in leaps and bounds in the 1950s when the Büchel Airbase (Fliegerhorst Büchel) and the Dohrer Maschinenfabrik (engine factory). Reflecting this development are the rise in population from 238 in 1960 to 761 in 2006 and the attendant land and infrastructure development, which saw the building of a parish hall and a school and sport centre.
At the now renovated village centre stood the old bakehouse. In the lower area were two ovens. Housed in the upper area next to the church entrance was the fire brigade. The order in which the villagers got to use the bakehouse was drawn on the eve of baking day, when the villagers also shared news and gossiped about village life. The bakehouse therefore not only was used for baking, but also served as a village social centre. Together with the church it formed the village centre.
at the municipal election held on 7 June 2009, and the honorary mayor as chairman.
might be described thus: Quarterly argent and gules a cross counterchanged, in dexter chief a waterwheel spoked of eight sable, in sinister chief an eagle displayed of the first, in dexter base a Celtic wall and in sinister base a Dohr church chalice motif of the third.
That last charge
, of course, is hardly a standard one in either English or German heraldry
. Nonetheless, it is a design drawn from the chalice used at Dohr’s local church. The chalice was a gift to the chapel from the Pastor at Cochem in the 16th century. The other three charges relate to the village’s history. The waterwheel stands for the old mill, which was shut down only in 1927 and now lies in ruins. It also refers to the village’s status as an almost exclusively agricultural
community until about 1960. The silver eagle is the heraldic device formerly borne by the Counts of Are, the local lords in the Middle Ages
. The stylized “Celtic wall” refers not only to the village’s beginnings, but also to its name’s Celtic origin. Indeed, even the chalice motif is held to represent the village’s history as a part of the parish of Cochem, given its history.
’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 Cochem, whose seat is in the like-named town
Cochem
Cochem is the seat of and the biggest place in the Cochem-Zell district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. With just under 5,000 inhabitants, Cochem falls just behind Kusel, in the like-named district, as Germany's second smallest district seat...
.
Location
The municipality lies in the EifelEifel
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....
above Cochem
Cochem
Cochem is the seat of and the biggest place in the Cochem-Zell district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. With just under 5,000 inhabitants, Cochem falls just behind Kusel, in the like-named district, as Germany's second smallest district seat...
, which can be reached easily over either Bundesstraße
Bundesstraße
Bundesstraße , abbreviated B, is the denotation for German and Austrian national highways.-Germany:...
259 or Kreisstraße (District Road) 18. Dohr is one of the four municipalities in the Verbandsgemeinde of Cochem that sit up in the heights. Its area is 502 ha and it has 690 inhabitants whose main residence is in the municipality and another 52 who have a secondary residence there, for a total of 742 (as at 31 December 2009). Dohr is a commercial location.
History
The name “Dohr” is derived from the CelticCeltic languages
The Celtic languages are descended from Proto-Celtic, or "Common Celtic"; a branch of the greater Indo-European language family...
Dunon, meaning “fortified hill”. Dohr had its first documentary mention about 1200. In 1210, Count Gerhard of Are was enfeoffed with “eine villa quae dicitur Dure juxta Cochem” (“an estate which is called Dure next to Cochem”) by Archbishop of Trier Johann I. About 1475 a 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,...
, the forerunner of today’s church, was first mentioned as a branch of the Cochem parish church. In a visitation report from 1569, it was described as Capella in Doir.
The village’s name was later changed once again to Dohor. There have been two great fires in Dohr’s history. The first one struck in 1720, burning the whole village down. In 1852 came another blaze that almost led to the same fate. Little of the village was left afterwards. The two world wars, as well, took their toll on Dohr, as witnessed by the plaque near the church entrance and the warriors’ memorial before the church.
The overlordship was held by the Electorate of Trier until 1794 when the area was occupied by 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...
troops. In 1815 Dohr 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 ....
.
What had been a small agriculturally structured place with 16 houses in 1563 underwent development in leaps and bounds in the 1950s when the Büchel Airbase (Fliegerhorst Büchel) and the Dohrer Maschinenfabrik (engine factory). Reflecting this development are the rise in population from 238 in 1960 to 761 in 2006 and the attendant land and infrastructure development, which saw the building of a parish hall and a school and sport centre.
At the now renovated village centre stood the old bakehouse. In the lower area were two ovens. Housed in the upper area next to the church entrance was the fire brigade. The order in which the villagers got to use the bakehouse was drawn on the eve of baking day, when the villagers also shared news and gossiped about village life. The bakehouse therefore not only was used for baking, but also served as a village social centre. Together with the church it formed the village centre.
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.
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: Quarterly argent and gules a cross counterchanged, in dexter chief a waterwheel spoked of eight sable, in sinister chief an eagle displayed of the first, in dexter base a Celtic wall and in sinister base a Dohr church chalice motif of the third.
That last 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...
, of course, is hardly a standard one in either English or German heraldry
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"...
. Nonetheless, it is a design drawn from the chalice used at Dohr’s local church. The chalice was a gift to the chapel from the Pastor at Cochem in the 16th century. The other three charges relate to the village’s history. The waterwheel stands for the old mill, which was shut down only in 1927 and now lies in ruins. It also refers to the village’s status as an almost exclusively agricultural
Agriculture
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...
community until about 1960. The silver eagle is the heraldic device formerly borne by the Counts of Are, the local lords 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...
. The stylized “Celtic wall” refers not only to the village’s beginnings, but also to its name’s Celtic origin. Indeed, even the chalice motif is held to represent the village’s history as a part of the parish of Cochem, given its history.
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:
- Kirchstraße: Saint Nicholas’s Catholic Church (branch church; Filialkirche St. Nikolaus); 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...
, 1780, west tower from 1853 - Beside Hauptstraße 41: well; quarrystone, 19th century
- Kirchstraße: basaltBasaltBasalt is a common extrusive volcanic rock. It is usually grey to black and fine-grained due to rapid cooling of lava at the surface of a planet. It may be porphyritic containing larger crystals in a fine matrix, or vesicular, or frothy scoria. Unweathered basalt is black or grey...
graveyard cross from 1844
External links
- Municipality’s official webpage
- http://www.swr.de/landesschau-rp/hierzuland/-/id=100766/nid=100766/did=2699072/6r35ks/index.htmlBrief portrait of Dohr with film 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....
]