Heinzenbach
Encyclopedia
Heinzenbach is an Ortsgemeinde – a municipality
belonging to a Verbandsgemeinde
, a kind of collective municipality – in the Rhein-Hunsrück-Kreis (district
) in Rhineland-Palatinate
, Germany
. It belongs to the Verbandsgemeinde of Kirchberg
, whose seat is in the like-named town
.
roughly halfway between Reckershausen
and Unzenberg
, about 3 km north of Kirchberg
and about 6 km west of Simmern
.
in District 6 of “In der Küch”, the municipal forest, and a trove of Roman
coins from some time between AD 276 and 282.
In 1310, Heinzenbach had its first documentary mention in the Sponheimisches Gefälleregister, a taxation register kept by the County of Sponheim
. In the Middle Ages
, the village was held by the Ravengiersburg Monastery, but most of the inhabitants were subjects of the Counts of Sponheim. Beginning in 1794, Heinzenbach lay under French
rule. In 1815 it was assigned to the Kingdom of Prussia
at the Congress of Vienna
. Since 1946, it has been part of the then newly founded state
of Rhineland-Palatinate
.
The municipality’s arms
might in English heraldic
language be described thus: Per pale sable a lion rampant sinister Or armed and langued gules, and Or a fess wavy azure between in chief a hammer and sledge per saltire and in base two waterwheels spoked of eight in fess, all of the first.
Heinzenbach passed after the dissolution of the Ravengiersburg Monastery in 1566 to the Wittelsbach line of Palatinate-Simmern, before which the Wittelsbachs had already held the Vogt
ei rights since 1408. The lion rampant is found in both the Wittelsbach and Palatinate-Simmern arms, although there he faces dexter (armsbearer’s right, viewer’s left), whereas here he faces sinister (armsbearer’s left, viewer’s right). This charge
nonetheless stands for the former Palatinate-Simmern lordship in Heinzenbach. The wavy blue fess (horizontal stripe) is canting
, for it stands for the local brook (Bach in German
), thus referring to the last syllable in the village’s name. The crossed hammers stand for the former Neuglück ore mine, which was within the municipality’s limits. The two waterwheels recall the two watermills that once stood on the aforesaid brook, also called the Heinzenbach.
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 Rhein-Hunsrück-Kreis (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 Kirchberg
Kirchberg (Verbandsgemeinde)
Kirchberg is a Verbandsgemeinde in the Rhein-Hunsrück district, in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. Its seat is in Kirchberg.The Verbandsgemeinde Kirchberg consists of the following Ortsgemeinden :...
, whose seat is in the like-named town
Kirchberg, Rhein-Hunsrück
-History:Archaeological finds make it clear that by 400 BC, the Treveri, a people of mixed Celtic and Germanic stock, from whom the Latin name for the city of Trier, Augusta Treverorum, is also derived, had settled here...
.
Location
The municipality lies in the HunsrückHunsrück
The Hunsrück is a low mountain range in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is bounded by the river valleys of the Moselle , the Nahe , and the Rhine . The Hunsrück is continued by the Taunus mountains on the eastern side of the Rhine. In the north behind the Moselle it is continued by the Eifel...
roughly halfway between Reckershausen
Reckershausen
Reckershausen is an Ortsgemeinde – a municipality belonging to a Verbandsgemeinde, a kind of collective municipality – in the Rhein-Hunsrück-Kreis in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany...
and Unzenberg
Unzenberg
Unzenberg is an Ortsgemeinde – a municipality belonging to a Verbandsgemeinde, a kind of collective municipality – in the Rhein-Hunsrück-Kreis in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany...
, about 3 km north of Kirchberg
Kirchberg, Rhein-Hunsrück
-History:Archaeological finds make it clear that by 400 BC, the Treveri, a people of mixed Celtic and Germanic stock, from whom the Latin name for the city of Trier, Augusta Treverorum, is also derived, had settled here...
and about 6 km west of Simmern
Simmern
Simmern is a town of 8,000 inhabitants in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany, the district seat of the Rhein-Hunsrück-Kreis, and the seat of the like-named Verbandsgemeinde...
.
History
Bearing witness to Heinzenbach’s very early history are a great barrowTumulus
A tumulus is a mound of earth and stones raised over a grave or graves. Tumuli are also known as barrows, burial mounds, Hügelgrab or kurgans, and can be found throughout much of the world. A tumulus composed largely or entirely of stones is usually referred to as a cairn...
in District 6 of “In der Küch”, the municipal forest, and a trove of Roman
Ancient Rome
Ancient Rome was a thriving civilization that grew on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 8th century BC. Located along the Mediterranean Sea and centered on the city of Rome, it expanded to one of the largest empires in the ancient world....
coins from some time between AD 276 and 282.
In 1310, Heinzenbach had its first documentary mention in the Sponheimisches Gefälleregister, a taxation register kept by the County of Sponheim
County of Sponheim
The County of Sponheim was an independent territory in the Holy Roman Empire which lasted from the 11th century until the early 19th century...
. 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 village was held by the Ravengiersburg Monastery, but most of the inhabitants were subjects of the Counts of Sponheim. Beginning in 1794, Heinzenbach 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 1815 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 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 8 council members, who were elected at the municipal election held on 7 June 2009, and the honorary mayor as chairman.Coat of arms
The German blazon reads: Gespalten von schwarz und gold, vorn ein linksgewendeter und rotgezungter und -bewehrter goldener Löwe, hinten geteilt durch einen blauen Wellenbalken, oben zwei gekreuzte schwarze Berghämmer, unten zwei schwarze Mühlräder, balkenweise.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 pale sable a lion rampant sinister Or armed and langued gules, and Or a fess wavy azure between in chief a hammer and sledge per saltire and in base two waterwheels spoked of eight in fess, all of the first.
Heinzenbach passed after the dissolution of the Ravengiersburg Monastery in 1566 to the Wittelsbach line of Palatinate-Simmern, before which the Wittelsbachs had already held the 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 rights since 1408. The lion rampant is found in both the Wittelsbach and Palatinate-Simmern arms, although there he faces dexter (armsbearer’s right, viewer’s left), whereas here he faces sinister (armsbearer’s left, viewer’s right). This 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...
nonetheless stands for the former Palatinate-Simmern lordship in Heinzenbach. The wavy blue fess (horizontal stripe) is canting
Canting arms
Canting arms are heraldic bearings that represent the bearer's name in a visual pun or rebus. The term cant came into the English language from Anglo-Norman cant, meaning song or singing, from Latin cantāre, and English cognates include canticle, chant, accent, incantation and recant.Canting arms –...
, for it stands for the local 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....
), thus referring to the last syllable in the village’s name. The crossed hammers stand for the former Neuglück ore mine, which was within the municipality’s limits. The two waterwheels recall the two watermills that once stood on the aforesaid brook, also called the Heinzenbach.