Ellenz-Poltersdorf
Encyclopedia
Ellenz-Poltersdorf is an Ortsgemeinde – a municipality
belonging to a Verbandsgemeinde
, a kind of collective municipality – in the Cochem-Zell
district
in Rhineland-Palatinate
, Germany
. The winegrowing centre belongs to the Verbandsgemeinde of Cochem, whose seat is in the like-named town
.
, which towards the southeast flattens out as it reaches the Moselle.
is about 30 km away, and Koblenz
is 50 km away. Directly across the Moselle is the small community of Beilstein
, which is linked to Ellenz-Poltersdorf by ferry
.
s are also found, and therefore most of the winegrowing estates within the municipal area. The best known of these is Ellenzer Goldbäumchen
Vogt
ei (Reichsvogtei) of Ellenz-Poltersdorf. The overlordship held by the Electorate of Trier was swept away in 1794 with the French Revolutionary
occupation. In 1815 Ellenz-Poltersdorf was assigned to the Kingdom of Prussia
at the Congress of Vienna
, belonging until 1945 to the Rhine Province
. Since 1946, it has been part of the then newly founded state
of Rhineland-Palatinate
.
at the municipal election held on 7 June 2009, and the honorary mayor as chairman.
’s Directory of Cultural Monuments:
main control centre, from which all hydroelectric
stations at weirs on the German sections of the Moselle and the Saar are controlled.
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...
. The winegrowing centre 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 on a bow in the river Moselle in the middle of the Cochemer Krampen, a 24-kilometre-long stretch of the Moselle made up of many winding bows. Ellenz-Poltersdorf lies on a point barPoint bar
A point bar is a depositional feature of streams. Point bars are found in abundance in mature or meandering streams. They are crescent-shaped and located on the inside of a stream bend, being very similar to, though often smaller than towheads, or river islands.Point bars are composed of sediment...
, which towards the southeast flattens out as it reaches the Moselle.
Nearby municipalities
The district seat of Cochem, which is also the seat of the Verbandsgemeinde administration, lies some 7 km downstream. MayenMayen
Mayen is a town in the Mayen-Koblenz District of the Rhineland-Palatinate Federal State of Germany, in the eastern part of the Volcanic Eifel Region. As well as the main town, there are five further settlements which are part of Mayen, they are: Alzheim, Kürrenberg, Hausen-Betzing, Hausen and Nitztal...
is about 30 km away, and Koblenz
Koblenz
Koblenz 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...
is 50 km away. Directly across the Moselle is the small community of Beilstein
Beilstein, Rhineland-Palatinate
Beilstein 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.- History :Finds from Frankish graves...
, which is linked to Ellenz-Poltersdorf by ferry
Ferry
A ferry is a form of transportation, usually a boat, but sometimes a ship, used to carry primarily passengers, and sometimes vehicles and cargo as well, across a body of water. Most ferries operate on regular, frequent, return services...
.
Extent of the municipal area
While Ellenz-Poltersdorf’s municipal area stretches along both sides of the Moselle, mainly in the form of wooded land, the two constituent communities of Ellenz and Poltersdorf both lie on the river’s left bank, where most of the vineyardVineyard
A vineyard is a plantation of grape-bearing vines, grown mainly for winemaking, but also raisins, table grapes and non-alcoholic grape juice...
s are also found, and therefore most of the winegrowing estates within the municipal area. The best known of these is Ellenzer Goldbäumchen
Land use
Expressed as percentages of the total area, land use in the municipality breaks down thus (as at 31 December 2007, source: Statistisches Landesamt):- Agricultural land – 28.1
- Wooded land – 56.4
- Open water – 4.9
- Residential and transport – 9.6
- Other – 1.0
History
About 1100, Ellenz had its first documentary mention in a directory of holdings from the Karden Monastery. Poltersdorf’s first documentary mention comes from 1178. Until the early 14th century, there was an ImperialHoly Roman Empire
The Holy Roman Empire was a realm that existed from 962 to 1806 in Central Europe.It was ruled by the Holy Roman Emperor. Its character changed during the Middle Ages and the Early Modern period, when the power of the emperor gradually weakened in favour of the princes...
Vogt
Vogt
A Vogt ; plural Vögte; Dutch voogd; Danish foged; ; ultimately from Latin [ad]vocatus) in the Holy Roman Empire was the German title of a reeve or advocate, an overlord exerting guardianship or military protection as well as secular justice...
ei (Reichsvogtei) of Ellenz-Poltersdorf. The overlordship held by the Electorate of Trier was swept away in 1794 with the 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...
occupation. In 1815 Ellenz-Poltersdorf 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,...
, belonging until 1945 to the Rhine Province
Rhine Province
The Rhine Province , also known as Rhenish Prussia or synonymous to the Rhineland , was the westernmost province of the Kingdom of Prussia and the Free State of Prussia, within the German Reich, from 1822-1946. It was created from the provinces of the Lower Rhine and Jülich-Cleves-Berg...
. 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 ....
.
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.
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:
Ellenz
- Saint Martin’s Catholic Church (Kirche St. Martin), Hauptstraße 1 – two-naved Gothic RevivalGothic Revival architectureThe Gothic Revival is an architectural movement that began in the 1740s in England...
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...
, quarrystone, façade with Gothic Revival stone figures, outdoor staircase, 1905 - Brunnenstraße – fountain
- Hauptstraße – Heiligenhäuschen (a small, shrinelike structure consecrated to a saint or saints)
- Hauptstraße 6 – one-floor quarrystone building, Renaissance Revival, 1907
- Hauptstraße 14 – former schoolSchoolA school is an institution designed for the teaching of students under the direction of teachers. Most countries have systems of formal education, which is commonly compulsory. In these systems, students progress through a series of schools...
; quarrystone building, mid 19th century - Hauptstraße 16 – quarrystone building, about 1900
- Hauptstraße 24 – 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, partly solid, 16th century and later - Hauptstraße 34 – timber-frame house, partly solid, half-hipped roof, from 1622
- Hauptstraße 37 – big L-shaped building, essentially possibly from the 16th century, front building, from 1911, essentially older
- Hauptstraße 41 – town hall; timber-frame house, partly solid, from 1541
- Hauptstraße 42 – quarrystone building, about 1845; Late GothicGothic architectureGothic 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....
inscription tablet with Archbishop Johann II of Baden’s coat of armsCoat of armsA 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...
, stonemason Peter von Wederath - Hauptstraße 45 – timber-frame house, partly solid, balloon frame, possibly from as far back as the 15th century (?), three-floor timber-frame addition, partly solid, 18th century
- Warriors’ memorial; pylon with relief
- On Moselweinstraße – Saint Sebastian’s Catholic ChapelChapelA 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,...
(Sebastianuskapelle); post-Gothic aisleless church, from 1624; 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...
wayside cross, from 1816 - Moselweinstraße 1 – basalt fountain, 19th century
- Moselweinstraße 6 – Late HistoricistHistoricism (art)Historicism refers to artistic styles that draw their inspiration from copying historic styles or artisans. After neo-classicism, which could itself be considered a historicist movement, the 19th century saw a new historicist phase marked by a return to a more ancient classicism, in particular in...
plastered building, partly timber-frame, about 1900 - Moselweinstraße 15 – quarrystone building, about 1845, expansion about 1900
- Moselweinstraße 16 – former IsenburgIsenburgIsenburg was a region of Germany located in southern present-day Hesse, located in territories north and south of Frankfurt. The states of Isenburg emerged from the Niederlahngau , which partitioned in 1137 into Isenburg-Isenburg and Isenburg-Limburg-Covern...
estate; sculpted overhanging ledge, Late Gothic (?) - Moselweinstraße 22 – plastered building, partly timber-frame, possibly from the 17th century
- Neustraße 4 – plastered building, partly timber-frame, Swiss chalet styleSwiss chalet styleSwiss chalet style is an architectural style inspired by the chalets of Switzerland. The style originated in Germany in the early 19th century and was popular in parts of Europe and North America, notably in the architecture of Norway, the country house architecture of Sweden, Cincinnati, Ohio,...
, 1914 - Neustraße 7 – late mediaevalLate Middle AgesThe Late Middle Ages was the period of European history generally comprising the 14th to the 16th century . The Late Middle Ages followed the High Middle Ages and preceded the onset of the early modern era ....
vaulted cellar, hearth heating plate - Rathausstraße 3 – timber-frame house, partly solid, plastered, hipped mansard roofMansard roofA mansard or mansard roof is a four-sided gambrel-style hip roof characterized by two slopes on each of its sides with the lower slope at a steeper angle than the upper that is punctured by dormer windows. The roof creates an additional floor of habitable space, such as a garret...
, 18th century - Schulstraße 1/3 – former Burghaus Warsberg; two-floor, originally three-floor quarrystone building, two round towers, possibly from later than 1473
- St.-Sebastianus-Straße – Saint Martin’s Old Church (Alte Kirche St. Martin); Late RomanesqueRomanesque architectureRomanesque architecture is an architectural style of Medieval Europe characterised by semi-circular arches. There is no consensus for the beginning date of the Romanesque architecture, with proposals ranging from the 6th to the 10th century. It developed in the 12th century into the Gothic style,...
west tower, twin-naved, from 1494 and 1499, quire and sacristy from 1762; 15 grave crosses, 18th and 19th century; three sandstoneSandstoneSandstone is a sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized minerals or rock grains.Most sandstone is composed of quartz and/or feldspar because these are the most common minerals in the Earth's crust. Like sand, sandstone may be any colour, but the most common colours are tan, brown, yellow,...
reliefs, by Hans Ruprecht Hoffmann’s circle or successors; whole complex of buildings with graveyard: CrucifixionCrucifixionCrucifixion is an ancient method of painful execution in which the condemned person is tied or nailed to a large wooden cross and left to hang until dead...
group, from 1670; sculpted tomb, from 1892; graveyard cross, 19th century - St.-Sebastianus-Straße 11 – solid building, essentially from the 16th century (?)
Poltersdorf
- Saint AndrewSaint AndrewSaint Andrew , called in the Orthodox tradition Prōtoklētos, or the First-called, is a Christian Apostle and the brother of Saint Peter. The name "Andrew" , like other Greek names, appears to have been common among the Jews from the 3rd or 2nd century BC. No Hebrew or Aramaic name is recorded for him...
’s Catholic Church (branch church; Filialkirche St. Andreas), Kirchstraße – Late Gothic west tower with passageway through, 1509 (?), aisleless church, 1950-1952 - Goldbäumchenstraße 14 – former schoolSchoolA school is an institution designed for the teaching of students under the direction of teachers. Most countries have systems of formal education, which is commonly compulsory. In these systems, students progress through a series of schools...
; plastered building, mid 19th century - Kirchstraße 8 – Gymnicher Hof, Knights of Malta commandryCommandry (feudalism)Commandry , or commandery , was the smallest division of the European landed estate or manor under the control of a commendator, or commander, of an order of knights...
; timber-frame building, partly solid, balloon frame, essentially from the 16th century; timber-frame barn; beam pump; whole complex - Kurfürstenstraße 30 – timber-frame house, partly solid, hipped mansard roof, about 1800
- Kurfürstenstraße 32 – timber-frame house, partly solid, plastered, hipped mansard roof, about 1790
- Kurfürstenstraße 34 – timber-frame house, partly solid, plastered, hipped mansard roof, about 1810
- Beside Raiffeisenstraße 9 – timber-frame house, partly solid, half-hipped roof, 18th or 19th century
- Raiffeisenstraße 15 – estate complex; building with hipped mansard roof, from 1792, commercial wing, estate portal from 1802
- on the Moselle – ferry tower; quarrystone building, conical roof, 19th century (?)
- Mountain chapel (Bergkapelle); plastered building, about 1625
- Bracher Kapelle (chapel); octagonal building with central plan, 1866
- Basalt wayside cross from 1743
Economy and infrastructure
Within the limits of the constituent community of Ellenz, not far from the Fankel Weir, is found the RWE Power AGRWE
RWE AG , is a German electric power and natural gas public utility company based in Essen. Through its various subsidiaries, the energy company contributes electricity and gas to more than 20 million electricity customers and 10 million gas customers, principally in Europe...
main control centre, from which all hydroelectric
Hydroelectricity
Hydroelectricity is the term referring to electricity generated by hydropower; the production of electrical power through the use of the gravitational force of falling or flowing water. It is the most widely used form of renewable energy...
stations at weirs on the German sections of the Moselle and the Saar are controlled.