Gemünden, Westerwaldkreis
Encyclopedia
Gemünden is an Ortsgemeinde – a community belonging to a Verbandsgemeinde
– in the Westerwaldkreis
in Rhineland-Palatinate
, Germany
.
, in a valley setting shielded by mountains to the north and east but wide open to the south. In the community, the three brooks Holzbach, Elbbach and Schafbach flow together. Since 1972 it has belonged to what was then the newly founded Verbandsgemeinde of Westerburg
, a kind of collective municipality.
in the north, Westerburg
in the northwest, Willmenrod
and Berzhahn
in the southwest, Langendernbach
in the southeast and Seck
and Irmtraut
in the east. The closest bigger cities are Limburg
in the south and Montabaur
in the north.
of St. Severus, built by Count Gebhard
, was consecrated. Unfortunately, the endowment document has been lost. Only a copy from 1333 still exists. An idea of the event’s great political importance was shown by King Ludwig III
, Charlemagne
’s great-grandson, who was on hand for the occasion.
The monastery owned great estates, which are said to have reached all the way to the Rhine. In the endowment document, some of the surrounding communities were furthermore transferred to the monastery. Until the end of the 12th century, the monastery’s and its estates’ importance grew. Only with the rise in power of the Vögte
(sing. Vogt – secular protectors) in the 13th century did the monastery’s power begin to wane.
In 1336, Emperor Ludwig the Bavarian
empowered the monastery Vögte, whose seat was in Westerburg, by appointing them to hold the office of Vogt at Gemünden. The monastery thereby virtually lost its independence.
In 1430 and 1440, fires are said to have badly damaged the monastery church. In 1566, the monastery Vogt Reinhard II ordered the introduction of the Reformation
into Gemünden. In 1580 came the first parson to Gemünden. Owing, however, to disagreements between the Lords of Westerburg and the Lords of Wied-Runkel, the latter’s armed forces attacked Gemünden later in the same year. Before this disagreement could be settled for good in 1599, there was a further attack in 1597. The institution of the monastery was swept away before 1600.
in a municipal election on 7 June 2009.
monastery church came into being most likely about the year 1100 and offers visitors, among other things, remnants of Romanesque
painting from the 12th century.
, a yearly kermis is held.
On 30 April and 1 May, a “Dance into May” is held at the Gemünden fire station
.
54, leading from Limburg an der Lahn
to Siegen
. The nearest Autobahn interchange
is Montabaur
on the A 3 (Cologne
–Frankfurt). The nearest InterCityExpress
stop is the railway station at Montabaur on the Cologne-Frankfurt high-speed rail line.
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
Gemünden lies east of WesterburgWesterburg
Westerburg is a small town of roughly 6,000 inhabitants in the Westerwaldkreis in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. The town is named after the castle built on a hill above the mediaeval town centre -Location:...
, in a valley setting shielded by mountains to the north and east but wide open to the south. In the community, the three brooks Holzbach, Elbbach and Schafbach flow together. Since 1972 it has belonged to what was then the newly founded Verbandsgemeinde of Westerburg
Westerburg (Verbandsgemeinde)
Westerburg is a Verbandsgemeinde in the district Westerwaldkreis, in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. The seat of the Verbandsgemeinde is in Westerburg....
, a kind of collective municipality.
Neighbouring communities
Gemünden is surrounded by WinnenWinnen
Winnen is an Ortsgemeinde – a community belonging to a Verbandsgemeinde – in the Westerwaldkreis in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany.-Location:...
in the north, Westerburg
Westerburg
Westerburg is a small town of roughly 6,000 inhabitants in the Westerwaldkreis in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. The town is named after the castle built on a hill above the mediaeval town centre -Location:...
in the northwest, Willmenrod
Willmenrod
Willmenrod is an Ortsgemeinde – a community belonging to a Verbandsgemeinde – in the Westerwaldkreis in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany.-Location:...
and Berzhahn
Berzhahn
Berzhahn is an Ortsgemeinde – a community belonging to a Verbandsgemeinde – in the Westerwaldkreis in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany.-Location:Berzhahn lies on the north slope of the broad woodland 4 km southeast of Westerburg...
in the southwest, Langendernbach
Langendernbach
Langendernbach is a village in the municipality Dornburg, Limburg-Weilburg district, Hesse, in western Germany....
in the southeast and Seck
Seck
Seck is an Ortsgemeinde – a community belonging to a Verbandsgemeinde – in the Westerwaldkreis in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany.-Location:...
and Irmtraut
Irmtraut
Irmtraut is an Ortsgemeinde – a community belonging to a Verbandsgemeinde – in the Westerwaldkreis in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany.-Location:The community lies in the Westerwald between Siegen and Limburg at the boundary with Hesse...
in the east. The closest bigger cities are Limburg
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....
in the south and 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...
in the north.
History
In 879, Gemünden had its first documentary mention. In this year, the MonasteryMonastery
Monastery denotes the building, or complex of buildings, that houses a room reserved for prayer as well as the domestic quarters and workplace of monastics, whether monks or nuns, and whether living in community or alone .Monasteries may vary greatly in size – a small dwelling accommodating only...
of St. Severus, built by Count Gebhard
Gebhard, Count of the Lahngau
Gebhard was a mid-9th-century count in the Lahngau and the first documented ancestor of the dynasty later known as the Conradines. He was a "leading man of the [East] Franks" and a brother-in-law of Ernest, margrave of the Bavarian Nordgau...
, was consecrated. Unfortunately, the endowment document has been lost. Only a copy from 1333 still exists. An idea of the event’s great political importance was shown by King Ludwig III
Louis the Younger
Louis the Younger , sometimes Louis III, was the second eldest of the three sons of Louis the German and Emma. He succeeded his father as the King of Saxony on 28 August 876 and his elder brother Carloman as King of Bavaria from 880...
, Charlemagne
Charlemagne
Charlemagne was King of the Franks from 768 and Emperor of the Romans from 800 to his death in 814. He expanded the Frankish kingdom into an empire that incorporated much of Western and Central Europe. During his reign, he conquered Italy and was crowned by Pope Leo III on 25 December 800...
’s great-grandson, who was on hand for the occasion.
The monastery owned great estates, which are said to have reached all the way to the Rhine. In the endowment document, some of the surrounding communities were furthermore transferred to the monastery. Until the end of the 12th century, the monastery’s and its estates’ importance grew. Only with the rise in power of the Vögte
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...
(sing. Vogt – secular protectors) in the 13th century did the monastery’s power begin to wane.
In 1336, Emperor Ludwig the Bavarian
Louis IV, Holy Roman Emperor
Louis IV , called the Bavarian, of the house of Wittelsbach, was the King of Germany from 1314, the King of Italy from 1327 and the Holy Roman Emperor from 1328....
empowered the monastery Vögte, whose seat was in Westerburg, by appointing them to hold the office of Vogt at Gemünden. The monastery thereby virtually lost its independence.
In 1430 and 1440, fires are said to have badly damaged the monastery church. In 1566, the monastery Vogt Reinhard II ordered the introduction of the Reformation
Protestant Reformation
The Protestant Reformation was a 16th-century split within Western Christianity initiated by Martin Luther, John Calvin and other early Protestants. The efforts of the self-described "reformers", who objected to the doctrines, rituals and ecclesiastical structure of the Roman Catholic Church, led...
into Gemünden. In 1580 came the first parson to Gemünden. Owing, however, to disagreements between the Lords of Westerburg and the Lords of Wied-Runkel, the latter’s armed forces attacked Gemünden later in the same year. Before this disagreement could be settled for good in 1599, there was a further attack in 1597. The institution of the monastery was swept away before 1600.
Community council
The council is made up of 17 council members, including the extraofficial mayor (Bürgermeister), 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.
Buildings
The EvangelicalEvangelical 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...
monastery church came into being most likely about the year 1100 and offers visitors, among other things, remnants of Romanesque
Romanesque art
Romanesque art refers to the art of Western Europe from approximately 1000 AD to the rise of the Gothic style in the 13th century, or later, depending on region. The preceding period is increasingly known as the Pre-Romanesque...
painting from the 12th century.
Regular events
On the second weekend after WhitsunWhitsun
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...
, a yearly kermis is held.
On 30 April and 1 May, a “Dance into May” is held at the Gemünden fire station
Fire station
A fire station is a structure or other area set aside for storage of firefighting apparatus , personal protective equipment, fire hose, fire extinguishers, and other fire extinguishing equipment...
.
Transport
East of the community runs BundesstraßeBundesstraße
Bundesstraße , abbreviated B, is the denotation for German and Austrian national highways.-Germany:...
54, leading from 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....
to Siegen
Siegen
Siegen is a city in Germany, in the south Westphalian part of North Rhine-Westphalia.It is located in the district of Siegen-Wittgenstein in the Arnsberg region...
. The nearest Autobahn interchange
Interchange (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 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 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). 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 on the Cologne-Frankfurt high-speed rail line.
Famous people
- Prof.Dr.Ing.habil Dieter Fritsch
- Prof. Dr. Gerik Scheuermann (University of Leipzig, Institute for Computer Studies)