Hettenleidelheim
Encyclopedia
Hettenleidelheim is an Ortsgemeinde – a municipality
belonging to a Verbandsgemeinde
, a kind of collective municipality – in the Bad Dürkheim
district in Rhineland-Palatinate
, Germany
. It is the seat of the like-named Verbandsgemeinde
.
(Naturpark Pfälzerwald) in the vicinity of the watershed between the Eisbach and the Eckbach, which flow by the municipality to the north and the south respectively. To the town of Eisenberg
to the north, it is 2 km.
, passing to the Bishopric of Worms in 1485 after the monastery’s dissolution. Municipal union under a common village court goes back to 1556. In the time of the Reformation
, Hettenheim and Leidelheim, along with the outlying Protestant
parishes of Eisenberg
and Wattenheim
, became Lutheran
. However, already by about 1634, when the Catholic party got the upper hand in the Thirty Years' War
, the two municipalities were first reassigned to the Catholic parish of Neuleiningen
, and then in 1705 and 1707, the united municipality was raised to a Catholic parish in its own right. From the mid 19th century, and increasingly as of about 1870, the quarrying of the local highly fireproof clays grew into the municipality’s main branch of industry, expanding to industrialized recovery in 1901. After the Second World War, though, this industry was disrupted. Until 1969, the municipality belonged to the now abolished district of Frankenthal. In 2005, Hettenleidelheim celebrated its 850-year jubilee.
Christians
, each group with its own parish, and a few Muslims. The Protestants moved to the community mainly in the latter half of the 20th century. The Catholic parish of St. Peter with its branch St. Georg, Tiefenthal, today form with Wattenheim and Altleiningen
a parish community. The Protestant parish is an autonomous branch of Wattenheim.
The Jewish community that once existed in the municipality (synagogue
in Wattenheim) is still witnessed by two old hidden graveyards that were used from the 18th to the 20th century, and where there are some gravestones worth seeing.
The municipal election held on 7 June 2009 yielded the following results:
The municipality’s arms
might in English heraldic
language be described thus: Sable a key bendwise argent, the wards in chief and turned to dexter, in base dexter a saltire Or.
The arms were approved by the now abolished Regierungsbezirk
government in Neustadt in 1979 and go back to a seal from 1758. The key symbolizes the High Foundation of Worms
whose patron was Saint Peter
.
, Saône-et-Loire
, France
since 1978
altars from the time of its building.
Railway station – The old railway station is a work in dark sandstone
from the late 19th century.
Kriegerhain – The Kriegerhain, or “Warriors’ Grove”, in Hettenheim’s lower village harbours various monuments and noteworthy gravestones from the 17th century. The lands once served as the churchyard for Hettenheim’s mediaeval
Saint Stephen’s Chapel (Stephanus-Kapelle), which between 1720 and 1724 was forsaken in favour of the then newly built parish church in Leidelheim.
Jewish graveyards – Next to the Warriors’ Grove lies the older of the municipality’s two Jewish graveyards (18th century); the newer one was laid out in the 19th century on the boulevard that leads to Tiefenthal.
Alte Schule – Unusual is the Alte Schule, or “Old School”, built in the late 19th century with a crenellated tower; it now serves as the “house of clubs”.
Municipal festival hall – The spacious Gemeindefesthalle came into being in the 1920s and was renovated about 2000. It was built by the gymnastic club Gut Heil using prestressed concrete
.
Local history museum – The Heimatmuseum with its Karl Blum Archive tells the municipality’s history and also the history of quarrying clay.
and can be reached through the Wattenheim
interchange
(1 km). From 1895 to 1990, there was a railway link to Ebertsheim
connecting with the Eistalbahn (another railway between Grünstadt
and Enkenbach); passenger service was ended as early as 1954, and until the line was permanently closed, it was used only for goods transport. The railway to Grünstadt can nowadays be reached by bus, which goes to Eisenberg station.
, Hettenleidelheim is home to this body’s administration.
s are available in neighbouring places.
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...
. It is the seat of the like-named Verbandsgemeinde
Hettenleidelheim (Verbandsgemeinde)
Hettenleidelheim is a Verbandsgemeinde in the district of Bad Dürkheim, Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. The seat of the Verbandsgemeinde is in Hettenleidelheim....
.
Location
The municipality lies in the north of the Palatinate Forest Nature ParkPalatinate Forest Nature Park
The Palatinate Forest Nature Park lies in the south of Rhineland-Palatinate in Germany and borders on France. The nature park covers an area of and some 76 % of its area is under the woods of the Palatinate Forest, the largest contiguous forest region in Germany...
(Naturpark Pfälzerwald) in the vicinity of the watershed between the Eisbach and the Eckbach, which flow by the municipality to the north and the south respectively. To the town of Eisenberg
Eisenberg, Rhineland-Palatinate
Eisenberg is a municipality in the Donnersbergkreis, in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is situated on the north-eastern edge of the Palatinate forest, approx. 20 km south-west of Worms....
to the north, it is 2 km.
History
In 1155, Hettenleidelheim had its first documentary mention and was originally made up of two centres: Hitenheim (later Hettenheim) and Luttelheim (later Leidelheim). Both fell under the Ramsen Monastery’s lordship in the Middle AgesMiddle 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...
, passing to the Bishopric of Worms in 1485 after the monastery’s dissolution. Municipal union under a common village court goes back to 1556. In the time 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...
, Hettenheim and Leidelheim, along with the outlying Protestant
Protestantism
Protestantism is one of the three major groupings within Christianity. It is a movement that began in Germany in the early 16th century as a reaction against medieval Roman Catholic doctrines and practices, especially in regards to salvation, justification, and ecclesiology.The doctrines of the...
parishes of Eisenberg
Eisenberg, Rhineland-Palatinate
Eisenberg is a municipality in the Donnersbergkreis, in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is situated on the north-eastern edge of the Palatinate forest, approx. 20 km south-west of Worms....
and Wattenheim
Wattenheim
Wattenheim is an Ortsgemeinde – a municipality belonging to a Verbandsgemeinde, a kind of collective municipality – in the Bad Dürkheim district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany.- Location :Wattenheim lies on a cone-shaped hill with a gentle slope...
, became Lutheran
Lutheranism
Lutheranism is a major branch of Western Christianity that identifies with the theology of Martin Luther, a German reformer. Luther's efforts to reform the theology and practice of the church launched the Protestant Reformation...
. However, already by about 1634, when the Catholic party got the upper hand in the Thirty Years' War
Thirty Years' War
The Thirty Years' War was fought primarily in what is now Germany, and at various points involved most countries in Europe. It was one of the most destructive conflicts in European history....
, the two municipalities were first reassigned to the Catholic parish of Neuleiningen
Neuleiningen
Neuleiningen is an Ortsgemeinde – a municipality belonging to a Verbandsgemeinde, a kind of collective municipality – in the Bad Dürkheim district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany.- Location :...
, and then in 1705 and 1707, the united municipality was raised to a Catholic parish in its own right. From the mid 19th century, and increasingly as of about 1870, the quarrying of the local highly fireproof clays grew into the municipality’s main branch of industry, expanding to industrialized recovery in 1901. After the Second World War, though, this industry was disrupted. Until 1969, the municipality belonged to the now abolished district of Frankenthal. In 2005, Hettenleidelheim celebrated its 850-year jubilee.
Religion
Represented in the municipality are some 1,500 Catholic and 1,000 ProtestantProtestantism
Protestantism is one of the three major groupings within Christianity. It is a movement that began in Germany in the early 16th century as a reaction against medieval Roman Catholic doctrines and practices, especially in regards to salvation, justification, and ecclesiology.The doctrines of the...
Christians
Christianity
Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...
, each group with its own parish, and a few Muslims. The Protestants moved to the community mainly in the latter half of the 20th century. The Catholic parish of St. Peter with its branch St. Georg, Tiefenthal, today form with Wattenheim and Altleiningen
Altleiningen
Altleiningen is an Ortsgemeinde – a municipality belonging to a Verbandsgemeinde, a kind of collective municipality – in the Bad Dürkheim district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany.- Location :...
a parish community. The Protestant parish is an autonomous branch of Wattenheim.
The Jewish community that once existed in the municipality (synagogue
Synagogue
A synagogue is a Jewish house of prayer. This use of the Greek term synagogue originates in the Septuagint where it sometimes translates the Hebrew word for assembly, kahal...
in Wattenheim) is still witnessed by two old hidden graveyards that were used from the 18th to the 20th century, and where there are some gravestones worth seeing.
Municipal council
The council is made up of 20 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 | 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 | 9 | 8 | 3 | 20 seats |
| 2004 | 9 | 9 | 2 | 20 seats |
Coat of arms
The German blazon reads: In Schwarz ein schrägrechtsgestellter silberner Schlüssel mit abwärtsgekehrtem Bart, unten rechts begleitet von einem schwebenden goldenen Andreaskreuz.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: Sable a key bendwise argent, the wards in chief and turned to dexter, in base dexter a saltire Or.
The arms were approved by the now abolished Regierungsbezirk
Regierungsbezirk
In Germany, a Government District, in German: Regierungsbezirk – is a subdivision of certain federal states .They are above the Kreise, Landkreise, and kreisfreie Städte...
government in Neustadt in 1979 and go back to a seal from 1758. The key symbolizes the High Foundation of Worms
Worms, Germany
Worms is a city in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany, on the Rhine River. At the end of 2004, it had 85,829 inhabitants.Established by the Celts, who called it Borbetomagus, Worms today remains embattled with the cities Trier and Cologne over the title of "Oldest City in Germany." Worms is the only...
whose patron was Saint Peter
Saint Peter
Saint Peter or Simon Peter was an early Christian leader, who is featured prominently in the New Testament Gospels and the Acts of the Apostles. The son of John or of Jonah and from the village of Bethsaida in the province of Galilee, his brother Andrew was also an apostle...
.
Town partnerships
Hettenleidelheim fosters partnerships with the following places: BlanzyBlanzy
Blanzy is a commune in the Saône-et-Loire department in the region of Bourgogne in eastern France.-Geography:The Bourbince forms part of the commune's north-eastern border, then flows southwestward through the middle of the commune.-References:*...
, Saône-et-Loire
Saône-et-Loire
Saône-et-Loire is a French department, named after the Saône and the Loire rivers between which it lies.-History:When it was formed during the French Revolution, as of March 4, 1790 in fulfillment of the law of December 22, 1789, the new department combined parts of the provinces of southern...
, France
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...
since 1978
Buildings
Catholic church – The Catholic Church stands in the constituent community of Leidelheim and was built from 1720 to 1724; from 1898 to 1901 it was expanded. It possesses two noteworthy stone BaroqueBaroque architecture
Baroque architecture is a term used to describe the building style of the Baroque era, begun in late sixteenth century Italy, that took the Roman vocabulary of Renaissance architecture and used it in a new rhetorical and theatrical fashion, often to express the triumph of the Catholic Church and...
altars from the time of its building.
Railway station – The old railway station is a work in dark sandstone
Sandstone
Sandstone 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,...
from the late 19th century.
Kriegerhain – The Kriegerhain, or “Warriors’ Grove”, in Hettenheim’s lower village harbours various monuments and noteworthy gravestones from the 17th century. The lands once served as the churchyard for Hettenheim’s mediaeval
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...
Saint Stephen’s Chapel (Stephanus-Kapelle), which between 1720 and 1724 was forsaken in favour of the then newly built parish church in Leidelheim.
Jewish graveyards – Next to the Warriors’ Grove lies the older of the municipality’s two Jewish graveyards (18th century); the newer one was laid out in the 19th century on the boulevard that leads to Tiefenthal.
Alte Schule – Unusual is the Alte Schule, or “Old School”, built in the late 19th century with a crenellated tower; it now serves as the “house of clubs”.
Municipal festival hall – The spacious Gemeindefesthalle came into being in the 1920s and was renovated about 2000. It was built by the gymnastic club Gut Heil using prestressed concrete
Prestressed concrete
Prestressed concrete is a method for overcoming concrete's natural weakness in tension. It can be used to produce beams, floors or bridges with a longer span than is practical with ordinary reinforced concrete...
.
Local history museum – The Heimatmuseum with its Karl Blum Archive tells the municipality’s history and also the history of quarrying clay.
Music
Concerning themselves with performing music are Saint Peter’s Catholic Church Choir (Katholischer Kirchenchor St. Peter), the Sängerbund Frohsinn (“singers’ league”) and the Miner’s Wind Orchestra (Bergmannsblasorchester).Regular events
- Waldfest, or Forest Festival (in the Birkenschlag): Whit MondayWhit MondayWhit Monday or Pentecost Monday is the holiday celebrated the day after Pentecost, a movable feast in the Christian calendar. It is movable because it is determined by the date of Easter....
- Kermis (church consecration festival, locally known as the Kerwe): last weekend in August
- BarbaraSaint BarbaraSaint Barbara, , Feast Day December 4, known in the Eastern Orthodox Church as the Great Martyr Barbara, was an early Christian saint and martyr....
markt: early December
Economy
Hettenleidelheim once earned its livelihood from quarrying clay. This economic activity has since been given up.Transport
The municipality lies near the Autobahn Autobahn 6Bundesautobahn 6
, also known as Via Carolina is a 477 km long German autobahn. It starts at the French border near Saarbrücken in the west and end at the Czech border near Waidhaus in the east....
and can be reached through the Wattenheim
Wattenheim
Wattenheim is an Ortsgemeinde – a municipality belonging to a Verbandsgemeinde, a kind of collective municipality – in the Bad Dürkheim district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany.- Location :Wattenheim lies on a cone-shaped hill with a gentle slope...
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...
(1 km). From 1895 to 1990, there was a railway link to Ebertsheim
Ebertsheim
Ebertsheim is an Ortsgemeinde – a municipality belonging to a Verbandsgemeinde, a kind of collective municipality – in the Bad Dürkheim district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany.- Location :...
connecting with the Eistalbahn (another railway between Grünstadt
Grünstadt
Grünstadt is a town in the Bad Dürkheim district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany with roughly 13,200 inhabitants. It does not belong to any Verbandsgemeinde – a kind of collective municipality – but is nonetheless the administrative seat of the Verbandsgemeinde of Grünstadt-Land.- Location :The...
and Enkenbach); passenger service was ended as early as 1954, and until the line was permanently closed, it was used only for goods transport. The railway to Grünstadt can nowadays be reached by bus, which goes to Eisenberg station.
Public institutions
As seat of the VerbandsgemeindeVerbandsgemeinde
A Verbandsgemeinde is an administrative unit in the German Bundesländer of Rhineland-Palatinate and Saxony-Anhalt.-Rhineland-Palatinate:...
, Hettenleidelheim is home to this body’s administration.
Education
Hettenleidelheim has its own primary school; secondary schoolSecondary school
Secondary school is a term used to describe an educational institution where the final stage of schooling, known as secondary education and usually compulsory up to a specified age, takes place...
s are available in neighbouring places.
Sons and daughters of the town
- Jakob Schwalb (1872–1934), Catholic priest, deacon in Göllheim, NaziNazi GermanyNazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...
victim. - Nikolaus Osterroth (1875–1933), politician (SPD), member of the Weimar National Assembly
- Georg Schmidt (1902–1962), politician (Zentrum), Member of the North Rhine-WestphaliaNorth Rhine-WestphaliaNorth Rhine-Westphalia is the most populous state of Germany, with four of the country's ten largest cities. The state was formed in 1946 as a merger of the northern Rhineland and Westphalia, both formerly part of Prussia. Its capital is Düsseldorf. The state is currently run by a coalition of the...
n Landtag.
Famous people associated with the municipality
- Werner Holz, painter and graphic artist
- Theo Rörig, sculptor
- Dr. Heinrich Schwalb, physician and patron
- Hans and Wiltrud Werner, landscape painters