Hambuch
Encyclopedia
Hambuch 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 Kaisersesch
, whose seat is in the like-named town
.
, on the Autobahn A 48.
documented the donation of an estate in the village named Haganbahc in the Mayengau (the country around Mayen
) by his monastery
to the dowager Higilda. The donation, however, apparently did not include the village church. The mention of a church does, however, imply that the village was founded quite some time before 866, but there is no documentary evidence dating from before Abbot Ansbald’s record.
The name “Hambuch” itself could have the following origins. The root word hag refers to an enclosed piece of land, which could be of any size, ringed with pollarded
shrubs. Used for this would have been thorny shrubs such as hawthorn or dog rose, or thickly growing plants such as hornbeam, a sprig of which appears as a charge
in the municipality’s coat of arms
. The —anbach ending might simply refer to the village’s location near the brook (Bach in German
) known as the Pommerbach.
The name changed often throughout time. Another spelling was to be seen in 893 in Prüm Abbey
’s official directory of holdings, the Prümer Urbar. In 1222, Abbot Caesarius noted that the Count of Are had a valuable estate on the Mayfeld called Haynbahc. In the 12th century, the village was listed in the Carden
Foundation’s directory of holdings under the name Hagenbach. In 1395, a document from Archbishop of Trier Werner records that he enfeoffed “Johann, the Lord at Daun
” with a share of the court at Haenbach.
Other name variants recorded over time have been Hambach, Heimbach and Harnbach.
In the Middle Ages
, the lordship over the village was held jointly, with half in Electoral-Trier hands and the other half shared between the Electorate of Cologne and the Counts of Leyen. The border between the two archbishoprics ran straight through the village. The two streets, Eulgemer Straße and Brunnenstraße, are even today perceived as a boundary of sorts, setting apart the Hinnewäldtje and the Ewwewäldtje, the local names for the lower and upper village respectively.
Beginning in 1794, Hambuch lay under French
rule. In 1814 it was assigned to the Kingdom of Prussia
at the Congress of Vienna
. Since 1947, it has been part of the then newly founded state
of Rhineland-Palatinate
.
In 2005 the project Dorfakademie Hambuch, which had set itself the goal of “making life in the rural area even more attractive”, won first place in Rhineland-Palatinate’s second volunteer contest, in which outstanding community projects earn recognition.
at the municipal election held on 7 June 2009, and the honorary mayor as chairman.
might be described thus: Vert an abbot’s staff with sudarium and ensigned with a cross bottonnée bendwise Or between, in sinister chief, a hornbeam twig couped and leafed of three and, in dexter base, an urn, both argent.
’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 Kaisersesch
Kaisersesch (Verbandsgemeinde)
Kaisersesch is a Verbandsgemeinde in the district Cochem-Zell, in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. The seat of the Verbandsgemeinde is in Kaisersesch....
, whose seat is in the like-named town
Kaisersesch
Kaisersesch is a town in the Cochem-Zell district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is the administrative seat of the like-named Verbandsgemeinde, to which it also belongs.- Location :...
.
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....
, on the Autobahn A 48.
History
Hambuch’s long history makes it one of the oldest settlements in the area. It had its first documentary mention as early as 866 when Abbot Ansbald of PrümPrüm Abbey
Prüm Abbey is a former Benedictine abbey in Prüm/Lorraine, now in the diocese of Trier , founded by a Frankish widow Bertrada, and her son Charibert, count of Laon, on 23 June 720. The first abbot was Angloardus....
documented the donation of an estate in the village named Haganbahc in the Mayengau (the country around Mayen
Mayen
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...
) by his monastery
Monastery
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...
to the dowager Higilda. The donation, however, apparently did not include the village church. The mention of a church does, however, imply that the village was founded quite some time before 866, but there is no documentary evidence dating from before Abbot Ansbald’s record.
The name “Hambuch” itself could have the following origins. The root word hag refers to an enclosed piece of land, which could be of any size, ringed with pollarded
Pollarding
Pollarding is a pruning system in which the upper branches of a tree are removed, promoting a dense head of foliage and branches. It has been common in Great Britain and Europe since medieval times and is practiced today in urban areas worldwide, primarily to maintain trees at a predetermined...
shrubs. Used for this would have been thorny shrubs such as hawthorn or dog rose, or thickly growing plants such as hornbeam, a sprig of which appears as a 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...
in the municipality’s coat of arms
Coat 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...
. The —anbach ending might simply refer to the village’s location near the brook (Bach in German
German 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....
) known as the Pommerbach.
The name changed often throughout time. Another spelling was to be seen in 893 in Prüm Abbey
Prüm Abbey
Prüm Abbey is a former Benedictine abbey in Prüm/Lorraine, now in the diocese of Trier , founded by a Frankish widow Bertrada, and her son Charibert, count of Laon, on 23 June 720. The first abbot was Angloardus....
’s official directory of holdings, the Prümer Urbar. In 1222, Abbot Caesarius noted that the Count of Are had a valuable estate on the Mayfeld called Haynbahc. In the 12th century, the village was listed in the Carden
Treis-Karden
Treis-Karden is an Ortsgemeinde – a municipality belonging to a Verbandsgemeinde, a kind of collective municipality – in the Cochem-Zell district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is the seat of the like-named Verbandsgemeinde to which it also belongs...
Foundation’s directory of holdings under the name Hagenbach. In 1395, a document from Archbishop of Trier Werner records that he enfeoffed “Johann, the Lord at Daun
Daun, Germany
Daun is a town in the Vulkaneifel district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is the district seat and also the seat of the Verbandsgemeinde of Daun.- Location :...
” with a share of the court at Haenbach.
Other name variants recorded over time have been Hambach, Heimbach and Harnbach.
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 lordship over the village was held jointly, with half in Electoral-Trier hands and the other half shared between the Electorate of Cologne and the Counts of Leyen. The border between the two archbishoprics ran straight through the village. The two streets, Eulgemer Straße and Brunnenstraße, are even today perceived as a boundary of sorts, setting apart the Hinnewäldtje and the Ewwewäldtje, the local names for the lower and upper village respectively.
Beginning in 1794, Hambuch lay under 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...
rule. In 1814 it 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 1947, 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 ....
.
In 2005 the project Dorfakademie Hambuch, which had set itself the goal of “making life in the rural area even more attractive”, won first place in Rhineland-Palatinate’s second volunteer contest, in which outstanding community projects earn recognition.
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.
Mayor
Hambuch’s mayor is Franz-Josef Brengmann, and his deputies are Klaus Hoffmann and Matthias Hetger.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: Vert an abbot’s staff with sudarium and ensigned with a cross bottonnée bendwise Or between, in sinister chief, a hornbeam twig couped and leafed of three and, in dexter base, an urn, both argent.
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:
- Saint John the BaptistJohn the BaptistJohn the Baptist was an itinerant preacher and a major religious figure mentioned in the Canonical gospels. He is described in the Gospel of Luke as a relative of Jesus, who led a movement of baptism at the Jordan River...
’s Catholic Parish Church (Pfarrkirche St. Johannes der Täufer), Kirchstraße – 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...
, 1847-1848, architect may have been Johann Claudius von Lassaulx; cross, 1852; graveyard, warriors’ memorial, 20th century - Hauptstraße – 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...
fountain, from 1859 - Hauptstraße 24 – relief, Hoffmann school (?), BaroqueBaroqueThe Baroque is a period and the style that used exaggerated motion and clear, easily interpreted detail to produce drama, tension, exuberance, and grandeur in sculpture, painting, literature, dance, and music...
, from 1623 - Hauptstraße 36 – basalt cross, from 1719
- Kirchstraße – wayside cross, from 1724
- On Kreisstraße (District Road) 23 – wayside cross
- Near the Hambucher Mühle (mill) – wayside cross, 17th century