Herxheim am Berg
Encyclopedia
Herxheim am Berg is an Ortsgemeinde – a municipality
belonging to a Verbandsgemeinde
, a kind of collective municipality – in the Bad Dürkheim
district in Rhineland-Palatinate
, Germany
.
, whose seat is in the like-named town
.
The municipality’s landmark is the roughly one-thousand-year-old Evangelical
church. Formerly Saint Jacob’s Church (St. Jakobskirche), the building contains the lower section of a quire tower with a groin-vaulted chancel onto which is built a semicircular apse
. The church was built about 1014, making it one of the Palatinate’s oldest ecclesiastical buildings. The nave came into being in 1729. In the chancel, wall paintings have been brought to light showing the Four Evangelists
, both in human shape with wings and with the heads of their symbols. In the apse’s vaulting there was a representation of the Last Judgement
, and on the south wall, one can see the Apostle Paul
. The paintings were done in the latter half of the 14th century.
The municipal election held on 7 June 2009 yielded the following results:
The municipality’s arms
might in English heraldic
language be described thus: Gules issuant from a mount of three vert a hoe palewise argent with handle Or, the blade to dexter.
Herxheim’s oldest village seal comes from about 1500 and already shows the hoe, whose meaning is unknown. The green mount of three – a charge
called a Dreiberg in German
heraldry – may refer to the municipality’s geographical location (the epithet “am Berg” means “at the mountain”). Some later seals had a different composition with the letter H between two roses, but when actual arms were adopted, the old composition was chosen.
The arms have been borne since 5 August 1960.
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 Bad Dürkheim
Bad Dürkheim (district)
Bad Dürkheim is a district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is bounded by the districts of Kaiserslautern, Donnersbergkreis and Alzey-Worms, the city of Worms, the Rhein-Pfalz-Kreis, the city of Neustadt/Weinstraße, the districts of Südliche Weinstraße, the city of Landau , the district...
district 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
The municipality lies in the Palatinate on the German Wine Route. Herxheim am Berg belongs to the Verbandsgemeinde of FreinsheimFreinsheim (Verbandsgemeinde)
Freinsheim is a Verbandsgemeinde in the district of Bad Dürkheim, Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. The seat of the Verbandsgemeinde is in Freinsheim....
, whose seat is in the like-named town
Freinsheim
Freinsheim is a town in the Bad Dürkheim district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. With about 5,000 inhabitants, it is among the state’s smaller towns...
.
History
In 774, the municipality had its first documentary mention as Heriesheim.The municipality’s landmark is the roughly one-thousand-year-old 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...
church. Formerly Saint Jacob’s Church (St. Jakobskirche), the building contains the lower section of a quire tower with a groin-vaulted chancel onto which is built a semicircular apse
Apse
In architecture, the apse is a semicircular recess covered with a hemispherical vault or semi-dome...
. The church was built about 1014, making it one of the Palatinate’s oldest ecclesiastical buildings. The nave came into being in 1729. In the chancel, wall paintings have been brought to light showing the Four Evangelists
Four Evangelists
In Christian tradition the Four Evangelists are Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, the authors attributed with the creation of the four Gospel accounts in the New Testament that bear the following titles:*Gospel according to Matthew*Gospel according to Mark...
, both in human shape with wings and with the heads of their symbols. In the apse’s vaulting there was a representation of the Last Judgement
Last Judgment
The Last Judgment, Final Judgment, Day of Judgment, Judgment Day, or The Day of the Lord in Christian theology, is the final and eternal judgment by God of every nation. The concept is found in all the Canonical gospels, particularly the Gospel of Matthew. It will purportedly take place after the...
, and on the south wall, one can see the Apostle Paul
Paul of Tarsus
Paul the Apostle , also known as Saul of Tarsus, is described in the Christian New Testament as one of the most influential early Christian missionaries, with the writings ascribed to him by the church forming a considerable portion of the New Testament...
. The paintings were done in the latter half of the 14th century.
Municipal council
The council is made up of 12 council members, who were elected 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 | FDP Free Democratic Party (Germany) The Free Democratic Party , abbreviated to FDP, is a centre-right classical liberal political party in Germany. It is led by Philipp Rösler and currently serves as the junior coalition partner to the Union in the German federal government... |
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 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 12 seats |
| 2004 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 12 seats |
Coat of arms
The German blazon reads: In Rot auf grünem Dreiberg eine aufgerichtete silberne Hacke mit goldenem Stiel.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: Gules issuant from a mount of three vert a hoe palewise argent with handle Or, the blade to dexter.
Herxheim’s oldest village seal comes from about 1500 and already shows the hoe, whose meaning is unknown. The green mount of three – 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...
called a Dreiberg 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....
heraldry – may refer to the municipality’s geographical location (the epithet “am Berg” means “at the mountain”). Some later seals had a different composition with the letter H between two roses, but when actual arms were adopted, the old composition was chosen.
The arms have been borne since 5 August 1960.