Dreikirchen
Encyclopedia
Dreikirchen is an Ortsgemeinde – a community belonging to a Verbandsgemeinde
– in the Westerwaldkreis
in Rhineland-Palatinate
, Germany
.
, a kind of collective municipality.
).
in a municipal election on 7 June 2009.
symbolize both former communities’ quintessential traditional features as well as Oberhausen’s and Pütschbach’s fusion into the new community of Dreikirchen in April 1969.
The silver pale and chevron combination represents the Häuserbach in Oberhausen’s municipal area and the former watercourse in Pütschbach’s municipal area, which symbolically flow together forming a new unity for the united community.
Until 1564, Dreikirchen belonged to the Nassau
Counts’ domain, after which it passed to the Electorate of Trier. In the 19th century, it belonged to the Duchy of Nassau and thereafter to the Prussia
n province of Hesse-Nassau. Each of these is documented by an heraldic
tincture
, namely blue for the community’s main membership in Nassau, and red for the Electorate of Trier. Here is also found the community’s name in the three stylized silver churchtowers. The middle and predominant tower refers to the fortress church from the 12th century, the one on the left stands for the chapel in Oberhausen, and the one on the right once again symbolizes unity in depicting the parish church, which was meant to serve both former communities.
The dexter (ie on the armsbearer’s right and therefore the viewer’s left) field shows an oak sprig with two acorns representing the centuries-old oak
forest in Pütschbach and nature in general, while the sinister (ie on the armsbearer’s left and therefore the viewer’s right) field shows some basalt
columns referring to the basalt deposits in Oberhausen and the basalt mining
there that goes back generations.
style. The rest of the building has its roots in the 13th century. In 1970 the building was renovated.
Also worth seeing is a timber-frame
farmhouse built about 1700 that was brought back into use as a dwelling after renovation.
is Diez on the A 3 (Cologne
–Frankfurt), some 5 km away. The nearest InterCityExpress
stop is the railway station at Montabaur
on the Cologne-Frankfurt high-speed rail line. There are bus links towards Hadamar
, Montabaur
and Limburg an der Lahn
. Rail connections are available to Montabaur and Limburg through connecting trains, among them the ICE.
Verbandsgemeinde
A Verbandsgemeinde is an administrative unit in the German Bundesländer of Rhineland-Palatinate and Saxony-Anhalt.-Rhineland-Palatinate:...
– in the Westerwaldkreis
Westerwaldkreis
The Westerwaldkreis is a district in the east of Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany...
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
Dreikirchen is a residential community with some industry. Since 1994, Dreikirchen has been a stronghold in the realm of village renewal. Many improvement measures have already been undertaken; some are in the planning stages, and others have been realized. The community lies in the southern Verbandsgemeinde of WallmerodWallmerod (Verbandsgemeinde)
Wallmerod is a Verbandsgemeinde in the district Westerwaldkreis, in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. The seat of the Verbandsgemeinde is in Wallmerod.- History :...
, a kind of collective municipality.
Amalgamations
Dreikirchen came into being through the amalgamation of the formerly autonomous Ortsgemeinden of Pütschbach and Oberhausen. In the course of administrative reform – namely the formation of the Verbandsgemeinden in Rhineland-Palatinate – the two former communities’ councils came up with the new placename Dreikirchen. The grounds for this choice were the fortress church in the middle of Pütschbach, first mentioned in 1292, the chapel in Oberhausen and the parish church serving both places and newly built in 1957, in other words, the “three churches” (drei Kirchen 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....
).
Community council
The council is made up of 16 council members who were elected in a 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...
in a municipal election on 7 June 2009.
Coat of arms
The community’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...
symbolize both former communities’ quintessential traditional features as well as Oberhausen’s and Pütschbach’s fusion into the new community of Dreikirchen in April 1969.
The silver pale and chevron combination represents the Häuserbach in Oberhausen’s municipal area and the former watercourse in Pütschbach’s municipal area, which symbolically flow together forming a new unity for the united community.
Until 1564, Dreikirchen belonged to the Nassau
Nassau (state)
Nassau was a German state within the Holy Roman Empire and later in the German Confederation. Its ruling dynasty, now extinct in male line, was the House of Nassau.-Origins:...
Counts’ domain, after which it passed to the Electorate of Trier. In the 19th century, it belonged to the Duchy of Nassau and thereafter to the 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...
n province of Hesse-Nassau. Each of these is documented by an 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"...
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...
, namely blue for the community’s main membership in Nassau, and red for the Electorate of Trier. Here is also found the community’s name in the three stylized silver churchtowers. The middle and predominant tower refers to the fortress church from the 12th century, the one on the left stands for the chapel in Oberhausen, and the one on the right once again symbolizes unity in depicting the parish church, which was meant to serve both former communities.
The dexter (ie on the armsbearer’s right and therefore the viewer’s left) field shows an oak sprig with two acorns representing the centuries-old oak
Oak
An oak is a tree or shrub in the genus Quercus , of which about 600 species exist. "Oak" may also appear in the names of species in related genera, notably Lithocarpus...
forest in Pütschbach and nature in general, while the sinister (ie on the armsbearer’s left and therefore the viewer’s right) field shows some basalt
Basalt
Basalt 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...
columns referring to the basalt deposits in Oberhausen and the basalt mining
Mining
Mining is the extraction of valuable minerals or other geological materials from the earth, from an ore body, vein or seam. The term also includes the removal of soil. Materials recovered by mining include base metals, precious metals, iron, uranium, coal, diamonds, limestone, oil shale, rock...
there that goes back generations.
Buildings
Pütschbach’s fortress church has a tower from the 12th century built in the GothicGothic 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....
style. The rest of the building has its roots in the 13th century. In 1970 the building was renovated.
Also worth seeing is 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...
farmhouse built about 1700 that was brought back into use as a dwelling after renovation.
Transport
The nearest Autobahn interchangeInterchange (road)
In the field of road transport, an interchange is a road junction that typically uses grade separation, and one or more ramps, to permit traffic on at least one highway to pass through the junction without directly crossing any other traffic stream. It differs from a standard intersection, at which...
is Diez on the A 3 (Cologne
Cologne
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...
–Frankfurt), some 5 km away. The nearest InterCityExpress
InterCityExpress
The Intercity-Express or ICE is a system of high-speed trains predominantly running in Germany and neighbouring countries. It is the highest service category offered by DB Fernverkehr and is the flagship of Deutsche Bahn...
stop is the railway station at Montabaur
Montabaur
Montabaur is a town and the district seat of the Westerwaldkreis in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. At the same time, it is also the administrative centre of the Verbandsgemeinde of Montabaur – a kind of collective municipality – to which 24 other communities belong...
on the Cologne-Frankfurt high-speed rail line. There are bus links towards Hadamar
Hadamar
Hadamar is a small town in Limburg-Weilburg district in Hesse, Germany.Hadamar is known for its Clinic for Forensic Psychiatry/Centre for Social Psychiatry, lying at the edge of town, in whose outlying buildings is also found the Hadamar Memorial...
, Montabaur
Montabaur
Montabaur is a town and the district seat of the Westerwaldkreis in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. At the same time, it is also the administrative centre of the Verbandsgemeinde of Montabaur – a kind of collective municipality – to which 24 other communities belong...
and Limburg an der Lahn
Limburg an der Lahn
Limburg an der Lahn is the district seat of Limburg-Weilburg in Hesse, Germany.-Location:Limburg lies in western Hesse between the Taunus and the Westerwald on the river Lahn....
. Rail connections are available to Montabaur and Limburg through connecting trains, among them the ICE.