Erp (Germany)
Encyclopedia
Erp is a village in Germany
, in the Land of North Rhine-Westphalia
. It has about 2650 inhabitants (2006).
in an open and flat landscape about 125 meters above sea level. The municipal territory covers 1630 ha. The soil
is a rich loess
. The land outside the village is entirely used as agricultural land
(with sugar beets, wheat, barley and potatoes being the main products). A small brook, the Erpa rises a few hundred meters west of the village and flows through it in easterly direction.
Erp’s widely visible landmark
is the high white tower of the St. Pantaleon
’s church in the centre of the village. A large number of farm houses and buildings, many of which have been transformed into accommodation over the last years, still characterise the appearance of the village. A green band of meadows and gardens on both sides of the Erpa runs through the old centre. A lot of new buildings – mostly detached houses – built as of the 1960s around the old centre complete the picture.
Various objects from Roman times
(coins, pots, bricks) were discovered in and around the village. A visible trace of these times is the Roman road
between Cologne
and Trier
, which runs through the south of the municipal territory. In our days its straight route is still used as track across the fields.
In 1140 Erp was mentioned in a document for the first time. In the Middle Ages
Erp laid in the territory of the archbishop
and electoral prince of Cologne
. However, the Counts of Schleiden
residing in the town of the same name in the nearby mountains of the Eifel
and as of 1451 their successors, the Counts of Manderscheid
-Blankenheim
, held the power in the village. In these times almost the entire population of the village worked in the agricultural sector. During the Thirty Years’ War, in February 1642, Erp was completely destroyed (except for one house) by French and Hessian troupes. During the long reign (1644 -1684) of Count Salentin Ernst of Manderscheid-Blankenheim the village was slowly rebuilt.
The old feudal system disappeared with the arrival of French
troops in October 1794. The French made Erp a municipality (in French: “mairie”) as part of the French administration. After the official recognition of the annexation of the Rhineland in the Treaty of Lunéville
in 1801 Erp became French; a situation that should last until 1814. The French period had important consequences for the village. The big farms which had been owned for centuries by nobles, monasteries or other religious institutions were sold by auction and became property of private persons. Moreover, the legal and administrative system changed completely.
In 1815 the Prussia
ns followed the French. They retained – except for the language and some smaller modifications here and there - the legal and administrative system introduced by the French. Erp remained a municipality in the district of Lechenich, which became district of Euskirchen
in 1827. This administrative structure should stay for almost 150 years.
In the end of the 19th century the industrialisation
started to change the rhythm of life in Erp which had been determined by the agriculture for centuries. The quarrying of brown coal in the nearby area of the Ville, a low ridge west of Cologne, and around Zülpich
offered jobs for the local population outside of the agriculture. Moreover, in 1894 Erp got a rail way station, which allowed the transport of agricultural products beyond the immediate surroundings. This was also the beginning of the cultivation of sugar beet
s in Erp which is still the main pillar of its agriculture.
During a bomb attack on the 30th of November 1944 a large part of the village was severely damaged. In the beginning of March 1945 Erp was taken by American troupes. Subsequently, Erp became part of the British occupation zone
. In August 1946 Erp became part of the new Land North Rhine-Westphalia
(in German: “Nordrhein-Westfalen”).
In 1969, the municipality of Erp was integrated in the newly created town of Erftstadt
, a merger of a small town and several villages right and left of the river Erft. In 1975, Erftstadt was cut from the district of Euskirchen and attached to the newly created Erft-district, which was renamed into Rhein-Erft-district (in German: Rhein-Erft-Kreis
) in 2003.
. Erp’s biggest employer is now a gravel and recycling company. Moreover, there are a number of jobs in local businesses and some smaller workshops.
Erp has a kindergarten
and an elementary school
.
has a carnival club that organises the annual season with numerous events and - as a well known highlight - the carnival parade on Rosenmontag
. Moreover, there are sport clubs, choirs, a horticulture club and many others.
Finally, the dialect
spoken in Erp has some particularities which have been the object of linguistic research in the 1980s; the most distinct feature being the rolling “R”.
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...
, in the Land of North Rhine-Westphalia
North Rhine-Westphalia
North Rhine-Westphalia is the most populous state of Germany, with four of the country's ten largest cities. The state was formed in 1946 as a merger of the northern Rhineland and Westphalia, both formerly part of Prussia. Its capital is Düsseldorf. The state is currently run by a coalition of the...
. It has about 2650 inhabitants (2006).
Location and appearance
Erp is located 25 km south-west of CologneCologne
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...
in an open and flat landscape about 125 meters above sea level. The municipal territory covers 1630 ha. The soil
Soil
Soil is a natural body consisting of layers of mineral constituents of variable thicknesses, which differ from the parent materials in their morphological, physical, chemical, and mineralogical characteristics...
is a rich loess
Loess
Loess is an aeolian sediment formed by the accumulation of wind-blown silt, typically in the 20–50 micrometre size range, twenty percent or less clay and the balance equal parts sand and silt that are loosely cemented by calcium carbonate...
. The land outside the village is entirely used as agricultural land
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...
(with sugar beets, wheat, barley and potatoes being the main products). A small brook, the Erpa rises a few hundred meters west of the village and flows through it in easterly direction.
Erp’s widely visible landmark
Landmark
This is a list of landmarks around the world.Landmarks may be split into two categories - natural phenomena and man-made features, like buildings, bridges, statues, public squares and so forth...
is the high white tower of the St. Pantaleon
Pantaleon
Pantaleon was a Greek king who reigned some time between 190–180 BCE in Bactria and India. He was a younger contemporary or successor of the Greco-Bactrian king Demetrius, and is sometimes believed to have been his brother and/or subking...
’s church in the centre of the village. A large number of farm houses and buildings, many of which have been transformed into accommodation over the last years, still characterise the appearance of the village. A green band of meadows and gardens on both sides of the Erpa runs through the old centre. A lot of new buildings – mostly detached houses – built as of the 1960s around the old centre complete the picture.
History
The oldest traces of human settlement in the municipal territory go back to prehistoric times. The names of the village and of the brook Erp/Erpa are of pre-Germanic origin (from “Erl-Apa”, which means “running water”). They indicate that the place has been inhabited continuously for more than 2000 years.Various objects from Roman times
Roman Empire
The Roman Empire was the post-Republican period of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial holdings in Europe and around the Mediterranean....
(coins, pots, bricks) were discovered in and around the village. A visible trace of these times is the Roman road
Roman road
The Roman roads were a vital part of the development of the Roman state, from about 500 BC through the expansion during the Roman Republic and the Roman Empire. Roman roads enabled the Romans to move armies and trade goods and to communicate. The Roman road system spanned more than 400,000 km...
between 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...
and 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....
, which runs through the south of the municipal territory. In our days its straight route is still used as track across the fields.
In 1140 Erp was mentioned in a document for the first time. 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...
Erp laid in the territory of the archbishop
Archbishop
An archbishop is a bishop of higher rank, but not of higher sacramental order above that of the three orders of deacon, priest , and bishop...
and electoral prince of 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...
. However, the Counts of Schleiden
Schleiden
Schleiden is a town in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It lies in the Eifel hills, in the district of Euskirchen, and has 13,957 inhabitants...
residing in the town of the same name in the nearby mountains 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....
and as of 1451 their successors, the Counts of Manderscheid
Manderscheid
Manderscheid can refer to:*Manderscheid, Bernkastel-Wittlich, a town in the district Bernkastel-Wittlich, Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany.*Manderscheid, Bitburg-Prüm a village in the district Bitburg-Prüm, Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany, part of the Verbandsgemeinde Arzfeld.*the Counts of Manderscheid...
-Blankenheim
Blankenheim
Blankenheim can refer to:*Blankenheim, North Rhine-Westphalia, a municipality in western Germany.*Blankenheim, Saxony-Anhalt, a municipality in eastern Germany, part of the Verwaltungsgemeinschaft Allstedt-Kaltenborn....
, held the power in the village. In these times almost the entire population of the village worked in the agricultural sector. During the Thirty Years’ War, in February 1642, Erp was completely destroyed (except for one house) by French and Hessian troupes. During the long reign (1644 -1684) of Count Salentin Ernst of Manderscheid-Blankenheim the village was slowly rebuilt.
The old feudal system disappeared with the arrival of French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
troops in October 1794. The French made Erp a municipality (in French: “mairie”) as part of the French administration. After the official recognition of the annexation of the Rhineland in the Treaty of Lunéville
Treaty of Lunéville
The Treaty of Lunéville was signed on 9 February 1801 between the French Republic and the Holy Roman Emperor Francis II, negotiating both on behalf of his own domains and of the Holy Roman Empire...
in 1801 Erp became French; a situation that should last until 1814. The French period had important consequences for the village. The big farms which had been owned for centuries by nobles, monasteries or other religious institutions were sold by auction and became property of private persons. Moreover, the legal and administrative system changed completely.
In 1815 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...
ns followed the French. They retained – except for the language and some smaller modifications here and there - the legal and administrative system introduced by the French. Erp remained a municipality in the district of Lechenich, which became district of Euskirchen
Euskirchen
Euskirchen is a town in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, capital of the district Euskirchen. While Euskirchen resembles a modern shopping town, it also has a history dating back over 700 years, having been granted town-status in 1302....
in 1827. This administrative structure should stay for almost 150 years.
In the end of the 19th century the industrialisation
Industrialisation
Industrialization is the process of social and economic change that transforms a human group from an agrarian society into an industrial one...
started to change the rhythm of life in Erp which had been determined by the agriculture for centuries. The quarrying of brown coal in the nearby area of the Ville, a low ridge west of Cologne, and around Zülpich
Zülpich
Zülpich is a town in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany between Aachen and Bonn. It belongs to the district Euskirchen.The town is commonly agreed to be the site with the Latin name of Tolbiacum, famous for the Battle of Tolbiac, fought between the Franks under Clovis I and the Alamanni; the...
offered jobs for the local population outside of the agriculture. Moreover, in 1894 Erp got a rail way station, which allowed the transport of agricultural products beyond the immediate surroundings. This was also the beginning of the cultivation of sugar beet
Sugar beet
Sugar beet, a cultivated plant of Beta vulgaris, is a plant whose tuber contains a high concentration of sucrose. It is grown commercially for sugar production. Sugar beets and other B...
s in Erp which is still the main pillar of its agriculture.
During a bomb attack on the 30th of November 1944 a large part of the village was severely damaged. In the beginning of March 1945 Erp was taken by American troupes. Subsequently, Erp became part of the British occupation zone
Allied Occupation Zones in Germany
The Allied powers who defeated Nazi Germany in World War II divided the country west of the Oder-Neisse line into four occupation zones for administrative purposes during 1945–49. In the closing weeks of fighting in Europe, US forces had pushed beyond the previously agreed boundaries for the...
. In August 1946 Erp became part of the new Land North Rhine-Westphalia
North Rhine-Westphalia
North Rhine-Westphalia is the most populous state of Germany, with four of the country's ten largest cities. The state was formed in 1946 as a merger of the northern Rhineland and Westphalia, both formerly part of Prussia. Its capital is Düsseldorf. The state is currently run by a coalition of the...
(in German: “Nordrhein-Westfalen”).
In 1969, the municipality of Erp was integrated in the newly created town of Erftstadt
Erftstadt
Erftstadt is a town located about 20 km south-west of Cologne in the Rhein-Erft-Kreis, state of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. The name of the town derives from the river which flows through it, the Erft...
, a merger of a small town and several villages right and left of the river Erft. In 1975, Erftstadt was cut from the district of Euskirchen and attached to the newly created Erft-district, which was renamed into Rhein-Erft-district (in German: Rhein-Erft-Kreis
Rhein-Erft-Kreis
The Rhein-Erft-Kreis is a district in the west of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Neighboring districts are Neuss, district-free Cologne, Rhein-Sieg, Euskirchen, Düren.-History:...
) in 2003.
Economy
The agriculture, dominating factor of the economy for centuries has lost its importance as employer for the local population. Today the field work is done by the few remaining farmers themselves with bigger and bigger machines. The vast majority of the working population commutes to the nearby city of CologneCologne
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...
. Erp’s biggest employer is now a gravel and recycling company. Moreover, there are a number of jobs in local businesses and some smaller workshops.
Infrastructure
Erp is located at the federal road (in German: Bundesstrasse) B 265, which connects it with Cologne and Trier. The next highway (A1/61) is 7 km away.Erp has a kindergarten
Kindergarten
A kindergarten is a preschool educational institution for children. The term was created by Friedrich Fröbel for the play and activity institute that he created in 1837 in Bad Blankenburg as a social experience for children for their transition from home to school...
and an elementary school
Elementary school
An elementary school or primary school is an institution where children receive the first stage of compulsory education known as elementary or primary education. Elementary school is the preferred term in some countries, particularly those in North America, where the terms grade school and grammar...
.
Clubs and traditions
Erp is rich in clubs, organisations and societies. The riflemen guild which has its roots in the 17th century organises an annual fair. Erp being a traditional stronghold of the carnivalCarnival
Carnaval is a festive season which occurs immediately before Lent; the main events are usually during February. Carnaval typically involves a public celebration or parade combining some elements of a circus, mask and public street party...
has a carnival club that organises the annual season with numerous events and - as a well known highlight - the carnival parade on Rosenmontag
Rosenmontag
Rosenmontag is the highlight of the German "Karneval" , and is on the Shrove Monday before Ash Wednesday, the beginning of Lent. The "Mardi Gras," though celebrated on Tuesday, is a similar event...
. Moreover, there are sport clubs, choirs, a horticulture club and many others.
Finally, the dialect
Dialect
The term dialect is used in two distinct ways, even by linguists. One usage refers to a variety of a language that is a characteristic of a particular group of the language's speakers. The term is applied most often to regional speech patterns, but a dialect may also be defined by other factors,...
spoken in Erp has some particularities which have been the object of linguistic research in the 1980s; the most distinct feature being the rolling “R”.