Kaifenheim
Encyclopedia
Kaifenheim 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
.
”), more or less halfway between Mayen
and Cochem
in the northern part of the district. The Autobahn A 48 runs nearby, affording a quick link to Kaisersesch
, Mayen and Koblenz
. The municipality’s population is 853.
The countryside here is characterized by fields and meadows mostly used for agriculture
. There are streams, both big and small, the biggest of which is the Elzbach
. This is spanned near Kaifenheim by an Autobahn bridge that is more than 100 m high.
, among other things, KIVENHEIM in the Gau of Meinvelt of the County of Bechelius.” More than three centuries later, in 1334, Kaifenheim became a parish seat.
As can be seen in the first documentary mention, the village’s name has not always had its current form. Over the centuries, history has recorded the following forms: CAUPONIACUM, Kievenheim (in the Middle Ages
), Kavenheim, Kevenheim, Kewenheim, Keyfenheim, Keiffenheim.
The last variant – with two Fs – is also a surname found in the Mayen area.
A 1745 Visitation report from the Rural Chapter of Ochtendung, Archdeaconry of Carden, states: Keyfenheim, Item nullum cathedratium; 3 ½ schilling Koltsche secundum antigum registrum Item communitas in ultima sinode novem summeren avence, et campanator unum pullum et summerum avence et manipulum luminis, et inde habet expensas . Item casta una in Aclesia 3 hall. Item officium 1 1/1 hall, or “Keyfenheim, no cathedraticum
, the municipality must give 9 Simmer of oats
for the horses; 1 Simmer of oats, 1 chicken and one bundle of candles are to be given by the sexton; craftsmen pay 1½ Heller.” According to documents kept at the Archdeaconry, Kaifenheim received visitations in 1563, 1569, 1620, 1728, 1778 and 1832.
On 26 October 1755, strong earthquake
s were reported to have shaken the Eifel
-Moselle region. There was heavy damage in some places: trees were uprooted and walls fell down. Further earthquakes were reported until 1759.
In 1780, the rectory
was built.
About 1790, Kaifenheim was stricken with another disaster when the local livestock came down with anthrax
. Among the human population, meanwhile, there was cholera
. All livestock was driven out of the village to a meadow, nowadays known as Altenstall, while the people, who had stopped burying their dead because it led to the spread of the illness, turned to Saint Wendelin
for help in their time of need. They promised him that, if he could help them, they would build a chapel
in his honour. Wendelin apparently helped, but the people reneged on their promise and built no chapel, whereupon Kaifenheim was stricken with an even worse livestock disease, which all but killed off all the village’s cattle. The people once more turned to Saint Wendelin, and repeated their promise of a chapel. Wendelin helped once more, and in 1798, a chapel consecrated to him was built. The toll taken by the later epidemic was considered rather light at the time – only six children died.
Beginning in 1794, Kaifenheim lay under French
rule. In 1815 it was assigned to the Kingdom of Prussia
at the Congress of Vienna
.
It was also in 1815, on the night of 17 February, that Father Jakob Weber was beset by a band of marauding robbers at the rectory who smothered him with a pillow. His housekeeper and maid were “earwitnesses” to this grisly event. Out of fear of the robbers, they did not call for help until morning. By that time, the robbers had long fled and were far away with the clergyman’s money. What was left of Father Weber’s estate, to a total of 216 Thaler, was bequeathed to the local schoolchildren.
By 1825, the church had fallen into such disrepair that celebration of the Eucharist
had to be transferred to the nearby Schwanenkirche (“Swan Church”), and in 1839, the police closed the old church for safety’s sake, for fear that it would collapse.
On 14 April 1841 (Easter Tuesday
), the foundation stone was laid for the building of the parish church that still stands today. Tragically, during construction, on 30 May 1841, at about 11 o’clock in the morning, four building workers on the project were killed in an accident when a scaffold
collapsed, sending five men to the ground 50 Fuß (local feet – about 17 m) below. There was only one survivor.
In April 1843, 13 families from Kaifenheim and Brachtendorf
emigrated to the United States
. Three more families followed them on 11 June 1844.
On 3 August 1844, Father Nalbach celebrated Mass for the first time in the new church, whose building costs had amounted to somewhere between 12,000 and 13,000 Thaler. Despite the church’s own relative youth, one of the bells hanging there is quite old, dating from 1450.
It was then the old school’s turn to be shut down by the police, but a new schoolhouse was built by 1846 for 3,000 Thaler.
In 1863 and 1864, a bridge was built over the Elz to improve the road link with Mayen. This cost 1,700 Thaler.
On 6 June 1865 (Whit Monday
) at 10 o’clock in the evening, almost a fourth of the village burnt down in a devastating fire that saw 17 houses and 18 barns destroyed. Most of the younger villagers were away at a dancing event in Brachtendorf when the fire struck, leaving those in the village with rather little immediate help. Brachtendorf itself later lost 18 houses in a fire on 1 August 1872.
Modern communications came to Kaifenheim on 1 September 1901 when a telephone post opened in the village. A new financial institution, the Raiffeisen
In 1912, Josef Fuhrmann, who had emigrated to Iowa
with his family in 1868, came back to visit friends and kin in Kaifenheim and Gamlen
. He had the great fortune to have the plans for his return trip to the United States ruined. Owing to the great demand, he could not get a ticket for the ship on which he had wanted to sail – the Titanic.
This was also lucky for Kaifenheim, for years after Josef Fuhrmann’s return to Iowa, he helped greatly with the installation of a new High Altar at the local church. The cost for this was 40,000 Marks, fully half of which came from Mr. Fuhrmann, allowing the altar’s cost to be covered in cash. The other half of the cost was covered by others’ donations.
In the spring of 1923, electric lighting came to Kaifenheim. Other infrastructure improvements included upgrades to all village streets in 1926 and the beginning of a postal bus service to Kaifenheim in 1930. Even during the Second World War, the trend continued, with a watermain being installed in 1940.
The war also brought disaster for one RAF
bomber
at Kaifenheim, but spared everyone on the ground. It crashed on 26 September 1944, killing all seven aboard. According to eyewitnesses, the burning aircraft circled over Kaifenheim, losing an engine, which fell down into a garden on Bachstraße after bouncing off a roof. Had it broken through the roof, it might well have killed the woman who was sleeping in the house at the time. A gunner came down, too, complete with his machine gun
and turret
, falling onto Hauptstraße (the village’s main street). The bomber then crashed in a meadow near the outlying centre of Besch, bursting into flames easily owing to the load of white phosphorus incendiary
bombs that it had been carrying. Nobody on the ground was injured, and even buildings were spared any significant damage. The recently gathered harvest was left unscathed. As a memorial, and to give thanks for deliverance from what might have been a much worse disaster, a Heiligenhäuschen (a small, shrinelike structure consecrated to a saint or saints) with a Madonna was built.
Since 1946, Kaifenheim has been part of the then newly founded state
of Rhineland-Palatinate
. In that same year, a volunteer fire brigade was established.
In 1952, the local drum corps, Wanderlust, for the first time produced Passion play
s. The proceeds went to help with the fund for the restoration of the Schwanenkirche (“Swan Church”) in Roes
, which had been destroyed in 1944 in an air raid
.
On 11 July 1952, a fire claimed two barns. In November of the same year, the first passenger car made its appearance in Kaifenheim. By 1954, there were seven in the village.
A new school was dedicated on 17 October 1964. That year also saw work begin on the Autobahn bridge over the Elz valley. Its height above the valley floor would reach 108 m and its length 384 m. It was finished in September 1966. This was followed in 1968 by the opening of Autobahn A 48, which crosses the bridge.
In 1984, the parish of Kaifenheim marked its 650th anniversary. In 2001, the village was expanded with three new streets: Bergstraße, Neustraße and Ringstraße.
From 10 to 12 June 2005, Kaifenheim celebrated one thousand years of existence. One of the highlights was an appearance by Bläck Fööss
.
at the municipal election held on 7 June 2009, and the honorary mayor as chairman.
’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
Kaifenheim lies in the Vordereifel (“Further 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....
”), more or less halfway between 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...
and Cochem
Cochem
Cochem is the seat of and the biggest place in the Cochem-Zell district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. With just under 5,000 inhabitants, Cochem falls just behind Kusel, in the like-named district, as Germany's second smallest district seat...
in the northern part of the district. The Autobahn A 48 runs nearby, affording a quick link to Kaisersesch
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 :...
, Mayen and Koblenz
Koblenz
Koblenz is a German city situated on both banks of the Rhine at its confluence with the Moselle, where the Deutsches Eck and its monument are situated.As Koblenz was one of the military posts established by Drusus about 8 BC, the...
. The municipality’s population is 853.
The countryside here is characterized by fields and meadows mostly used for agriculture
Agriculture
Agriculture is the cultivation of animals, plants, fungi and other life forms for food, fiber, and other products used to sustain life. Agriculture was the key implement in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that nurtured the...
. There are streams, both big and small, the biggest of which is the Elzbach
Elzbach
The Elzbach is a small river in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany, a left tributary of the Moselle. It rises in the Eifel, near Kelberg. The Elz flows through Monreal and along the castle Burg Eltz. It flows into the Moselle in Moselkern, in the Verbandsgemeinde of Treis-Karden....
. This is spanned near Kaifenheim by an Autobahn bridge that is more than 100 m high.
History
In 1005, Kaifenheim had its first documentary mention. The document reads: “1005 Aug 13 King Henry II donated to the Adalbert Foundation in AachenAachen
Aachen has historically been a spa town in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Aachen was a favoured residence of Charlemagne, and the place of coronation of the Kings of Germany. Geographically, Aachen is the westernmost town of Germany, located along its borders with Belgium and the Netherlands, ...
, among other things, KIVENHEIM in the Gau of Meinvelt of the County of Bechelius.” More than three centuries later, in 1334, Kaifenheim became a parish seat.
As can be seen in the first documentary mention, the village’s name has not always had its current form. Over the centuries, history has recorded the following forms: CAUPONIACUM, Kievenheim (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...
), Kavenheim, Kevenheim, Kewenheim, Keyfenheim, Keiffenheim.
The last variant – with two Fs – is also a surname found in the Mayen area.
A 1745 Visitation report from the Rural Chapter of Ochtendung, Archdeaconry of Carden, states: Keyfenheim, Item nullum cathedratium; 3 ½ schilling Koltsche secundum antigum registrum Item communitas in ultima sinode novem summeren avence, et campanator unum pullum et summerum avence et manipulum luminis, et inde habet expensas . Item casta una in Aclesia 3 hall. Item officium 1 1/1 hall, or “Keyfenheim, no cathedraticum
Cathedraticum
Cathedraticum is a specified sum of money to be contributed annually for the support of the bishop, as a mark of honour and in sign of subjection to the cathedral church, hence its name.-History:...
, the municipality must give 9 Simmer of oats
OATS
OATS - Open Source Assistive Technology Software - is a source code repository or "forge" for assistive technology software. It was launched in 2006 with the goal to provide a one-stop “shop” for end users, clinicians and open-source developers to promote and develop open source assistive...
for the horses; 1 Simmer of oats, 1 chicken and one bundle of candles are to be given by the sexton; craftsmen pay 1½ Heller.” According to documents kept at the Archdeaconry, Kaifenheim received visitations in 1563, 1569, 1620, 1728, 1778 and 1832.
On 26 October 1755, strong earthquake
Earthquake
An earthquake is the result of a sudden release of energy in the Earth's crust that creates seismic waves. The seismicity, seismism or seismic activity of an area refers to the frequency, type and size of earthquakes experienced over a period of time...
s were reported to have shaken the Eifel
Eifel
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....
-Moselle region. There was heavy damage in some places: trees were uprooted and walls fell down. Further earthquakes were reported until 1759.
In 1780, the rectory
Rectory
A rectory is the residence, or former residence, of a rector, most often a Christian cleric, but in some cases an academic rector or other person with that title...
was built.
About 1790, Kaifenheim was stricken with another disaster when the local livestock came down with anthrax
Anthrax
Anthrax is an acute disease caused by the bacterium Bacillus anthracis. Most forms of the disease are lethal, and it affects both humans and other animals...
. Among the human population, meanwhile, there was cholera
Cholera
Cholera is an infection of the small intestine that is caused by the bacterium Vibrio cholerae. The main symptoms are profuse watery diarrhea and vomiting. Transmission occurs primarily by drinking or eating water or food that has been contaminated by the diarrhea of an infected person or the feces...
. All livestock was driven out of the village to a meadow, nowadays known as Altenstall, while the people, who had stopped burying their dead because it led to the spread of the illness, turned to Saint Wendelin
Wendelin of Trier
Saint Wendelin or Wendelin of Trier was a hermit and abbot.-Life:There is very little definite information about this saint. His earliest biographies , did not appear until after 1417. The story as told there is that Wendelin was the son of a Scottish king...
for help in their time of need. They promised him that, if he could help them, they would build a chapel
Chapel
A chapel is a building used by Christians as a place of fellowship and worship. It may be part of a larger structure or complex, such as a church, college, hospital, palace, prison or funeral home, located on board a military or commercial ship, or it may be an entirely free-standing building,...
in his honour. Wendelin apparently helped, but the people reneged on their promise and built no chapel, whereupon Kaifenheim was stricken with an even worse livestock disease, which all but killed off all the village’s cattle. The people once more turned to Saint Wendelin, and repeated their promise of a chapel. Wendelin helped once more, and in 1798, a chapel consecrated to him was built. The toll taken by the later epidemic was considered rather light at the time – only six children died.
Beginning in 1794, Kaifenheim 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,...
.
It was also in 1815, on the night of 17 February, that Father Jakob Weber was beset by a band of marauding robbers at the rectory who smothered him with a pillow. His housekeeper and maid were “earwitnesses” to this grisly event. Out of fear of the robbers, they did not call for help until morning. By that time, the robbers had long fled and were far away with the clergyman’s money. What was left of Father Weber’s estate, to a total of 216 Thaler, was bequeathed to the local schoolchildren.
By 1825, the church had fallen into such disrepair that celebration of the Eucharist
Eucharist
The Eucharist , also called Holy Communion, the Sacrament of the Altar, the Blessed Sacrament, the Lord's Supper, and other names, is a Christian sacrament or ordinance...
had to be transferred to the nearby Schwanenkirche (“Swan Church”), and in 1839, the police closed the old church for safety’s sake, for fear that it would collapse.
On 14 April 1841 (Easter Tuesday
Easter Week
Easter Week is the period of seven days from Easter Sunday through the Saturday following.-Western Church:In the Latin Rite of Roman Catholicism, Anglican and other Western churches, Easter Week is the week beginning with the Christian feast of Easter and ending a week later on Easter Saturday...
), the foundation stone was laid for the building of the parish church that still stands today. Tragically, during construction, on 30 May 1841, at about 11 o’clock in the morning, four building workers on the project were killed in an accident when a scaffold
Scaffolding
Scaffolding is a temporary structure used to support people and material in the construction or repair of buildings and other large structures. It is usually a modular system of metal pipes or tubes, although it can be from other materials...
collapsed, sending five men to the ground 50 Fuß (local feet – about 17 m) below. There was only one survivor.
In April 1843, 13 families from Kaifenheim and Brachtendorf
Brachtendorf
Brachtendorf is an Ortsgemeinde – a municipality belonging to a Verbandsgemeinde, a kind of collective municipality – in the Cochem-Zell district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany...
emigrated to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. Three more families followed them on 11 June 1844.
On 3 August 1844, Father Nalbach celebrated Mass for the first time in the new church, whose building costs had amounted to somewhere between 12,000 and 13,000 Thaler. Despite the church’s own relative youth, one of the bells hanging there is quite old, dating from 1450.
It was then the old school’s turn to be shut down by the police, but a new schoolhouse was built by 1846 for 3,000 Thaler.
In 1863 and 1864, a bridge was built over the Elz to improve the road link with Mayen. This cost 1,700 Thaler.
On 6 June 1865 (Whit Monday
Whit Monday
Whit 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....
) at 10 o’clock in the evening, almost a fourth of the village burnt down in a devastating fire that saw 17 houses and 18 barns destroyed. Most of the younger villagers were away at a dancing event in Brachtendorf when the fire struck, leaving those in the village with rather little immediate help. Brachtendorf itself later lost 18 houses in a fire on 1 August 1872.
Modern communications came to Kaifenheim on 1 September 1901 when a telephone post opened in the village. A new financial institution, the Raiffeisen
Raiffeisen
Raiffeisen Zentralbank is a co-operative bank based and founded in Austria and operating throughout central and eastern Europe. The bank has been led by Walter Rothensteiner since 2003.-Overview:...
In 1912, Josef Fuhrmann, who had emigrated to Iowa
Iowa
Iowa is a state located in the Midwestern United States, an area often referred to as the "American Heartland". It derives its name from the Ioway people, one of the many American Indian tribes that occupied the state at the time of European exploration. Iowa was a part of the French colony of New...
with his family in 1868, came back to visit friends and kin in Kaifenheim and Gamlen
Gamlen
Gamlen is an Ortsgemeinde – a municipality belonging to a Verbandsgemeinde, a kind of collective municipality – in the Cochem-Zell district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany...
. He had the great fortune to have the plans for his return trip to the United States ruined. Owing to the great demand, he could not get a ticket for the ship on which he had wanted to sail – the Titanic.
This was also lucky for Kaifenheim, for years after Josef Fuhrmann’s return to Iowa, he helped greatly with the installation of a new High Altar at the local church. The cost for this was 40,000 Marks, fully half of which came from Mr. Fuhrmann, allowing the altar’s cost to be covered in cash. The other half of the cost was covered by others’ donations.
In the spring of 1923, electric lighting came to Kaifenheim. Other infrastructure improvements included upgrades to all village streets in 1926 and the beginning of a postal bus service to Kaifenheim in 1930. Even during the Second World War, the trend continued, with a watermain being installed in 1940.
The war also brought disaster for one RAF
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
bomber
Bomber
A bomber is a military aircraft designed to attack ground and sea targets, by dropping bombs on them, or – in recent years – by launching cruise missiles at them.-Classifications of bombers:...
at Kaifenheim, but spared everyone on the ground. It crashed on 26 September 1944, killing all seven aboard. According to eyewitnesses, the burning aircraft circled over Kaifenheim, losing an engine, which fell down into a garden on Bachstraße after bouncing off a roof. Had it broken through the roof, it might well have killed the woman who was sleeping in the house at the time. A gunner came down, too, complete with his machine gun
Machine gun
A machine gun is a fully automatic mounted or portable firearm, usually designed to fire rounds in quick succession from an ammunition belt or large-capacity magazine, typically at a rate of several hundred rounds per minute....
and turret
Gun turret
A gun turret is a weapon mount that protects the crew or mechanism of a projectile-firing weapon and at the same time lets the weapon be aimed and fired in many directions.The turret is also a rotating weapon platform...
, falling onto Hauptstraße (the village’s main street). The bomber then crashed in a meadow near the outlying centre of Besch, bursting into flames easily owing to the load of white phosphorus incendiary
Incendiary device
Incendiary weapons, incendiary devices or incendiary bombs are bombs designed to start fires or destroy sensitive equipment using materials such as napalm, thermite, chlorine trifluoride, or white phosphorus....
bombs that it had been carrying. Nobody on the ground was injured, and even buildings were spared any significant damage. The recently gathered harvest was left unscathed. As a memorial, and to give thanks for deliverance from what might have been a much worse disaster, a Heiligenhäuschen (a small, shrinelike structure consecrated to a saint or saints) with a Madonna was built.
Since 1946, Kaifenheim 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 that same year, a volunteer fire brigade was established.
In 1952, the local drum corps, Wanderlust, for the first time produced Passion play
Passion play
A Passion play is a dramatic presentation depicting the Passion of Jesus Christ: his trial, suffering and death. It is a traditional part of Lent in several Christian denominations, particularly in Catholic tradition....
s. The proceeds went to help with the fund for the restoration of the Schwanenkirche (“Swan Church”) in Roes
Roes
Roes is an Ortsgemeinde – a municipality belonging to a Verbandsgemeinde, a kind of collective municipality – in the Cochem-Zell district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany...
, which had been destroyed in 1944 in an air raid
Air raid
Air raid refers to an attack by aircraft. See strategic bombing or the smaller-scale airstrike.Air raid may also refer to:*Air Raid , by the improvisational collective Air...
.
On 11 July 1952, a fire claimed two barns. In November of the same year, the first passenger car made its appearance in Kaifenheim. By 1954, there were seven in the village.
A new school was dedicated on 17 October 1964. That year also saw work begin on the Autobahn bridge over the Elz valley. Its height above the valley floor would reach 108 m and its length 384 m. It was finished in September 1966. This was followed in 1968 by the opening of Autobahn A 48, which crosses the bridge.
In 1984, the parish of Kaifenheim marked its 650th anniversary. In 2001, the village was expanded with three new streets: Bergstraße, Neustraße and Ringstraße.
From 10 to 12 June 2005, Kaifenheim celebrated one thousand years of existence. One of the highlights was an appearance by Bläck Fööss
Bläck Fööss
The Bläck Fööss are a music group from Cologne, Germany, started in 1970.- Name of the band :The band's name in Kölsch, a local dialect of Ripuarian, in which the group predominantly sings, means barefoot.It is pronounced ....
.
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
Kaifenheim’s mayor is Gerhard Mieden, and his deputies are Waldemar Klünder and Herbert Irmiter.Regular events
- Waschhäuschenfest: The “Little Washing House Festival” is held on the second weekend in August at the village fountain on Kapellenstraße. It is organized and staged by local clubs.
- Kirmes: The traditional kermis is held on the second weekend in September at the municipal hall. It is organized and staged by local clubs.
- Theatre: The Kaifenheim Theatre Club puts on a comedy on several weekends in November. This is performed in local dialect.
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 NicholasSaint NicholasSaint Nicholas , also called Nikolaos of Myra, was a historic 4th-century saint and Greek Bishop of Myra . Because of the many miracles attributed to his intercession, he is also known as Nikolaos the Wonderworker...
’s Catholic Parish Church (Pfarrkirche St. Nikolaus), Kirchweg 5 – three-naved hall churchHall churchA hall church is a church with nave and side aisles of approximately equal height, often united under a single immense roof. The term was first coined in the mid-19th century by the pioneering German art historian Wilhelm Lübke....
, 1841–1842, building inspector Ferdinand Nebel - Hauptstraße 17 – rectory, building with hipped roof, 1778; in the garden grave crosses, 18th century, cross, 20th century; whole complex with Saint Wendelin’s ChapelChapelA chapel is a building used by Christians as a place of fellowship and worship. It may be part of a larger structure or complex, such as a church, college, hospital, palace, prison or funeral home, located on board a military or commercial ship, or it may be an entirely free-standing building,...
and former graveyard - Saint Wendelin’sWendelin of TrierSaint Wendelin or Wendelin of Trier was a hermit and abbot.-Life:There is very little definite information about this saint. His earliest biographies , did not appear until after 1417. The story as told there is that Wendelin was the son of a Scottish king...
Catholic Chapel – 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...
, from 1798; grave cross, from 1551; whole complex with former graveyard and rectory - On Landesstraße (State Road) 109 – wayside cross, from 1614
- Kaifenheimer Mühle (mill) – chapel; aisleless church, from 1895
- North of Kaifenheim – 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...
wayside cross with CrucifixionCrucifixion of JesusThe crucifixion of Jesus and his ensuing death is an event that occurred during the 1st century AD. Jesus, who Christians believe is the Son of God as well as the Messiah, was arrested, tried, and sentenced by Pontius Pilate to be scourged, and finally executed on a cross...
group, from 1672 - Northeast of Kaifenheim – wayside cross, from 1646