Heimbach, Rhineland-Palatinate
Encyclopedia
Heimbach is an Ortsgemeinde – a municipality
belonging to a Verbandsgemeinde
, a kind of collective municipality – in the Birkenfeld
district
in Rhineland-Palatinate
, Germany
. It belongs to the Verbandsgemeinde of Baumholder
, whose seat is in the like-named town
.
, on the like-named brook, the Heimbach, in the Nahe valley between the towns of Idar-Oberstein
, Baumholder
and the district seat, Birkenfeld
. Heimbach is at the western edge of the Verbandsgemeinde of Baumholder.
and Reichenbach
, in the east on the municipality of Ruschberg
, in the south on the municipalities of Berglangenbach
and Leitzweiler
and in the west on the municipality of Hoppstädten-Weiersbach
.
by the Saxe-Coburg
government. It was ruled by the French
from 1798 to 1814. During this time it was in the Department of Sarre. After the Napoleonic Wars, it became part of the Principality of Lichtenburg, which belonged to Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld
(1814–1825), Saxe-Coburg-Gotha (1825–1834), and Prussia
(1834–1871). Under Prussian rule, it was part of the District of Sankt Wendel. After German Unification in 1871
, it remained part of Prussia until the Second World War. After the war, it was part of the District of Baumholder until 1970 when it became part of the District of Birkenfeld.
at the municipal election held on 7 June 2009, and the honorary mayor as chairman.
The municipal election held on 7 June 2009 yielded the following results:
The municipality’s arms
might in English heraldic
language be described thus: Per fess sable issuant from the line of partition a demilion Or armed, langued and crowned gules and vert a pall reversed wavy above which the Cross of Lorraine, both argent.
The lion refers to the parts of the municipal area once held by Palatinate-Zweibrücken
. The cross with two crossbars recalls the time when the Duchy of Lorraine held sway in Heimbach. The “pall reversed” (that is, upside-down Y shape) symbolizes the coming together of the Reichenbach and the Unnerbach to form the Heimbach.
’s Directory of Cultural Monuments:
In the Catholic church, Way of the Cross paintings by Gottwald have been uncovered. The Catholic church belongs to the parochial community of Baumholder, Hoppstädten-Weiersbach, Heimbach and Rückweiler.
(Kaiserslautern
–Trier
). The nearest interchange
s are Birkenfeld
(Exit 4, 7 km to the west) and Freisen
(Exit 5, 10 km to the east). Bundesstraße
41 runs to the northwest of Heimbach and there is access at Idar-Oberstein
and near Birkenfeld
.
The following highways run through Heimbach:
–Saarbrücken
), which was built through this region in 1859, is used. However, there are plans to reactivate the Heimbach (Nahe)–Baumholder stretch of line. This spur
is 9 km long and enters the village at the Scheidwald Tunnel. It was built in 1912. Today, it is used strictly for freight.
is to be found. Until 1971, there were a Catholic Volksschule
and an Evangelical
school at both of which the ninth-class Hauptschulabschluss
could be earned. The Catholic Volksschule was then converted into a non-denominational primary school and the Evangelical school was dropped altogether. Beginning with the fifth class, the village’s children must go to school in Baumholder or Birkenfeld, or less often Freisen
.
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 Birkenfeld
Birkenfeld (district)
Birkenfeld is a district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is bounded by the districts of Sankt Wendel , Trier-Saarburg, Bernkastel-Wittlich, Rhein-Hunsrück, Bad Kreuznach and Kusel.- 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 Baumholder
Baumholder (Verbandsgemeinde)
Baumholder is a Verbandsgemeinde in the district of Birkenfeld, in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. The seat of the Verbandsgemeinde is in Baumholder....
, whose seat is in the like-named town
Baumholder
Baumholder is a town in the Birkenfeld district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany, in the Westrich, an historic region that encompasses areas in both Germany and France...
.
Location
The municipality lies in the Westrich, an historic region that encompasses areas in both Germany and FranceFrance
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...
, on the like-named brook, the Heimbach, in the Nahe valley between the towns of Idar-Oberstein
Idar-Oberstein
Idar-Oberstein is a town in the Birkenfeld district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. As a Große kreisangehörige Stadt , it assumes some of the responsibilities that for smaller municipalities in the district are assumed by the district administration...
, Baumholder
Baumholder
Baumholder is a town in the Birkenfeld district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany, in the Westrich, an historic region that encompasses areas in both Germany and France...
and the district seat, Birkenfeld
Birkenfeld
Birkenfeld is a town and the district seat of the Birkenfeld district in southwest Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is also the seat of the like-named Verbandsgemeinde.-Location:...
. Heimbach is at the western edge of the Verbandsgemeinde of Baumholder.
Neighbouring municipalities
Heimbach borders in the north on the municipalities of NohenNohen
Nohen is an Ortsgemeinde – a municipality belonging to a Verbandsgemeinde, a kind of collective municipality – in the Birkenfeld district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany...
and Reichenbach
Reichenbach, Birkenfeld
Reichenbach is an Ortsgemeinde – a municipality belonging to a Verbandsgemeinde, a kind of collective municipality – in the Birkenfeld district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It belongs to the Verbandsgemeinde of Baumholder, whose seat is in the like-named town.-Location:The municipality lies on...
, in the east on the municipality of Ruschberg
Ruschberg
Ruschberg is an Ortsgemeinde – a municipality belonging to a Verbandsgemeinde, a kind of collective municipality – in the Birkenfeld district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It belongs to the Verbandsgemeinde of Baumholder, whose seat is in the like-named town.-Location:Ruschberg lies on the...
, in the south on the municipalities of Berglangenbach
Berglangenbach
Berglangenbach is an Ortsgemeinde – a municipality belonging to a Verbandsgemeinde, a kind of collective municipality – in the Birkenfeld district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany...
and Leitzweiler
Leitzweiler
Leitzweiler is an Ortsgemeinde – a municipality belonging to a Verbandsgemeinde, a kind of collective municipality – in the Birkenfeld district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany...
and in the west on the municipality of Hoppstädten-Weiersbach
Hoppstädten-Weiersbach
Hoppstädten-Weiersbach is an Ortsgemeinde – a municipality belonging to a Verbandsgemeinde, a kind of collective municipality – in the Birkenfeld district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany...
.
Constituent communities
Also belonging to Heimbach are the outlying homesteads of Altwieserhof, Bahnhof Heimbach (Nahe), Gladerbacherhof, Heimbacherhof and Steibericherhof.History
In 1268, Heymbach had its first documentary mention. It had been previously thought to be one from 1494. For centuries, Heimbach belonged to Lorraine. In 1783 Heimbach was sold to Palatinate-ZweibrückenPalatinate-Zweibrücken
Palatinate-Zweibrücken is a former state of the Holy Roman Empire. Its capital was Zweibrücken.-Overview:→ History before 1394 see main article County of Zweibrücken→ History before 1444 see main article County of Veldenz...
by the Saxe-Coburg
Saxe-Coburg
Saxe-Coburg was a duchy held by the Ernestine branch of the Wettin dynasty in today's Bavaria, Germany.After the Division of Erfurt in 1572, Coburg was part of the Duchy of Saxe-Coburg-Eisenach, ruled by the Ernestine duke John Casimir jointly with his brother John Ernest. In 1596...
government. It was ruled by the French
First French Empire
The First French Empire , also known as the Greater French Empire or Napoleonic Empire, was the empire of Napoleon I of France...
from 1798 to 1814. During this time it was in the Department of Sarre. After the Napoleonic Wars, it became part of the Principality of Lichtenburg, which belonged to Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld
Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld
The Duchy of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld was one of the Saxon Duchies held by the Ernestine line of the Wettin Dynasty. Established in the 17th century, the Saxe-Coburg-Saalfield line lasted until the reshuffle of Ernestine territories that occurred following the extinction of the Saxe-Gotha line in...
(1814–1825), Saxe-Coburg-Gotha (1825–1834), and 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...
(1834–1871). Under Prussian rule, it was part of the District of Sankt Wendel. After German Unification in 1871
Unification of Germany
The formal unification of Germany into a politically and administratively integrated nation state officially occurred on 18 January 1871 at the Versailles Palace's Hall of Mirrors in France. Princes of the German states gathered there to proclaim Wilhelm of Prussia as Emperor Wilhelm of the German...
, it remained part of Prussia until the Second World War. After the war, it was part of the District of Baumholder until 1970 when it became part of the District of Birkenfeld.
Population development
| Year | Population |
|---|---|
| 1871 | 679 |
| 1905 | 794 |
| 1939 | 1332 |
| 1950 | 1427 |
| 1961 | 1645 |
| 1970 | 1773 |
| 1981 | 1401 |
| 1985 | 1437 |
| 1990 | 1434 |
| 1995 | 1394 |
| 2000 | 1351 |
| 2005 | 1270 |
| 2009 | 1234 |
Municipal council
The council is made up of 16 council members, who were elected by proportional representationProportional representation
Proportional representation is a concept in voting systems used to elect an assembly or council. PR means that the number of seats won by a party or group of candidates is proportionate to the number of votes received. For example, under a PR voting system if 30% of voters support a particular...
at the municipal election held on 7 June 2009, and the honorary mayor as chairman.
The municipal election held on 7 June 2009 yielded the following results:
| SPD Social Democratic Party of Germany The Social Democratic Party of Germany is a social-democratic political party in Germany... |
CDU | FWG Free Voters Free Voters is a German concept in which an association of persons participates in an election without having the status of a registered political party. Usually it is a locally organized group of voters in the form of a registered association . In most cases, Free Voters are active only at the... |
Total | |
| 2009 | 3 | 7 | 6 | 16 seats |
| 2004 | 3 | 6 | 7 | 16 seats |
Mayor
Heimbach’s mayor is Bernd Alsfasser (FWG). He belonged to the SPD before switching allegiance.Coat of arms
The German blazon reads: Oberer Teil der Schildhälfte: Auf schwarzem Grunde befindet sich ein rotbewehrter gezungter und gekrönter wachsender (halber) goldener Löwe. – Unterer Teil der Schildhälfte: Auf grünem Grunde befindet sich ein dreigeteilter silberner Wellenbalken. Darüber ein silbernes Zweibalken- oder Deichselkreuz.The municipality’s 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...
might in English 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"...
language be described thus: Per fess sable issuant from the line of partition a demilion Or armed, langued and crowned gules and vert a pall reversed wavy above which the Cross of Lorraine, both argent.
The lion refers to the parts of the municipal area once held by Palatinate-Zweibrücken
Palatinate-Zweibrücken
Palatinate-Zweibrücken is a former state of the Holy Roman Empire. Its capital was Zweibrücken.-Overview:→ History before 1394 see main article County of Zweibrücken→ History before 1444 see main article County of Veldenz...
. The cross with two crossbars recalls the time when the Duchy of Lorraine held sway in Heimbach. The “pall reversed” (that is, upside-down Y shape) symbolizes the coming together of the Reichenbach and the Unnerbach to form the Heimbach.
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:
- Hauptstraße – two single-arch 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,...
-block bridges built at right angles onto each other (Heimbach-Brücke and Unnerbach-Brücke) - Bridge, west of the village at Heimbach (Nahe) railway station – three-arch sandstone-block bridge across the Nahe, before 1860
In the Catholic church, Way of the Cross paintings by Gottwald have been uncovered. The Catholic church belongs to the parochial community of Baumholder, Hoppstädten-Weiersbach, Heimbach and Rückweiler.
Road
To the south runs the Autobahn A 62Bundesautobahn 62
is an autobahn in southwestern Germany, connecting the A 1 with the A 6. It also connects numerous communities throughout the central Hunsrück mountains...
(Kaiserslautern
Kaiserslautern
Kaiserslautern is a city in southwest Germany, located in the Bundesland of Rhineland-Palatinate at the edge of the Palatinate forest . The historic centre dates to the 9th century. It is from Paris, from Frankfurt am Main, and from Luxembourg.Kaiserslautern is home to 99,469 people...
–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....
). The nearest 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...
s are Birkenfeld
Birkenfeld
Birkenfeld is a town and the district seat of the Birkenfeld district in southwest Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is also the seat of the like-named Verbandsgemeinde.-Location:...
(Exit 4, 7 km to the west) and Freisen
Freisen
Freisen is a municipality in the district of Sankt Wendel , in Saarland, Germany. It is situated approx. 12 km northeast of Sankt Wendel, and 20 km southwest of Idar-Oberstein. The greater Freisen/Oberkirchen area is noted for its Turkish Cuisine, particularly the Donner Kebab...
(Exit 5, 10 km to the east). Bundesstraße
Bundesstraße
Bundesstraße , abbreviated B, is the denotation for German and Austrian national highways.-Germany:...
41 runs to the northwest of Heimbach and there is access at Idar-Oberstein
Idar-Oberstein
Idar-Oberstein is a town in the Birkenfeld district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. As a Große kreisangehörige Stadt , it assumes some of the responsibilities that for smaller municipalities in the district are assumed by the district administration...
and near Birkenfeld
Birkenfeld
Birkenfeld is a town and the district seat of the Birkenfeld district in southwest Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is also the seat of the like-named Verbandsgemeinde.-Location:...
.
The following highways run through Heimbach:
- Landesstraße (State Road) 169 (Hauptstraße)
- East to RuschbergRuschbergRuschberg is an Ortsgemeinde – a municipality belonging to a Verbandsgemeinde, a kind of collective municipality – in the Birkenfeld district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It belongs to the Verbandsgemeinde of Baumholder, whose seat is in the like-named town.-Location:Ruschberg lies on the...
and BaumholderBaumholderBaumholder is a town in the Birkenfeld district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany, in the Westrich, an historic region that encompasses areas in both Germany and France... - West to Hoppstädten-WeiersbachHoppstädten-WeiersbachHoppstädten-Weiersbach is an Ortsgemeinde – a municipality belonging to a Verbandsgemeinde, a kind of collective municipality – in the Birkenfeld district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany...
- East to Ruschberg
- Landesstraße 347 (Unnerstraße)
- Southeast to Fohren-LindenFohren-LindenFohren-Linden is an Ortsgemeinde – a municipality belonging to a Verbandsgemeinde, a kind of collective municipality – in the Birkenfeld district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany...
- Southeast to Fohren-Linden
- Kreisstraße (District Road) 60 (Am Lindenhübel and In der Ihlsbach)
- Southwest to LeitzweilerLeitzweilerLeitzweiler is an Ortsgemeinde – a municipality belonging to a Verbandsgemeinde, a kind of collective municipality – in the Birkenfeld district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany...
- Southwest to Leitzweiler
Rail
At the former railway station in Heimbach itself, there has been no passenger service since 1981. For that, the station Heimbach (Nahe), lying 2 km west of the main centre on the river Nahe, on the Nahe Valley Railway (BingenBingen am Rhein
Bingen am Rhein is a town in the Mainz-Bingen district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany.The settlement’s original name was Bingium, a Celtic word that may have meant “hole in the rock”, a description of the shoal behind the Mäuseturm, known as the Binger Loch. Bingen was the starting point for the...
–Saarbrücken
Saarbrücken
Saarbrücken is the capital of the state of Saarland in Germany. The city is situated at the heart of a metropolitan area that borders on the west on Dillingen and to the north-east on Neunkirchen, where most of the people of the Saarland live....
), which was built through this region in 1859, is used. However, there are plans to reactivate the Heimbach (Nahe)–Baumholder stretch of line. This spur
Branch line
A branch line is a secondary railway line which branches off a more important through route, usually a main line. A very short branch line may be called a spur line...
is 9 km long and enters the village at the Scheidwald Tunnel. It was built in 1912. Today, it is used strictly for freight.
Education
In Heimbach, one kindergartenKindergarten
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...
is to be found. Until 1971, there were a Catholic Volksschule
Volksschule
A Volksschule was an 18th century system of state-supported primary schools established in the Habsburg Austrian Empire and Prussia . Attendance was supposedly compulsory, but a 1781 census reveals that only one fourth of school-age children attended. At the time, this was one of the few examples...
and an Evangelical
Evangelical 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...
school at both of which the ninth-class Hauptschulabschluss
Hauptschulabschluss
The Hauptschulabschluss is a school leaving certificate in Germany. The Hauptschulabschluss may be awarded to students who graduate from a Hauptschule or Abendhauptschule...
could be earned. The Catholic Volksschule was then converted into a non-denominational primary school and the Evangelical school was dropped altogether. Beginning with the fifth class, the village’s children must go to school in Baumholder or Birkenfeld, or less often Freisen
Freisen
Freisen is a municipality in the district of Sankt Wendel , in Saarland, Germany. It is situated approx. 12 km northeast of Sankt Wendel, and 20 km southwest of Idar-Oberstein. The greater Freisen/Oberkirchen area is noted for its Turkish Cuisine, particularly the Donner Kebab...
.
Famous people
- Otto WitteOtto WitteOtto Witte was a circus acrobat and fantasist who said that he managed to be crowned King of Albania.In 1913, when Albania broke away from the Ottoman Empire, some Albanian Muslims invited Halim Eddine, a nephew of the Sultan, to come and be crowned king...
(b. 16 October, 1872; d. 13 August, 1958) was once a resident of Heimbach. When AlbaniaAlbaniaAlbania , officially known as the Republic of Albania , is a country in Southeastern Europe, in the Balkans region. It is bordered by Montenegro to the northwest, Kosovo to the northeast, the Republic of Macedonia to the east and Greece to the south and southeast. It has a coast on the Adriatic Sea...
gained its independence from the Ottoman EmpireOttoman EmpireThe Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
, Witte claimed to have passed himself off as the “King of Albania” for five days and that he had actually been crowned.