Korweiler
Encyclopedia
Korweiler 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 Kastellaun
, whose seat is in the like-named town
.
on a ridge east of the Dünnbach valley.
Korweiler is a typical bunched village, which has gathered itself around its Catholic church. Built in 1907 with a single nave, the Bartholomäuskapelle (Saint Bartholomew’s Chapel) is consecrated to Bartholomew the Apostle.
. In 1939 and 1940, while cross-country paths were being built, Iron Age
settlement groups were unearthed. Going by the ceramics that were found then, the settlements are about 2,400 years old and belong to the later Hunsrück-Eifel Culture. No further investigations were undertaken at the time – it was, after all, during the Second World War – but it is quite likely that Iron Age houses once stood here.
The village that stands now had its first documentary mention in 1307 as Corwilre. According to the document, Sibodo von Schmidtberg donated his holdings in Corwilre to the Kumbd Convent, to which an estate, serfs
and income in the village belonged in the centuries that followed and on into early modern times.
While Korweiler might have belonged beginning in the Late Middle Ages
or early modern times to the Lordship of Waldeck and Waldeck Castle
, the village held a special place within the Lordship owing to the Kumbd properties and rights. Nevertheless, the family Boos zu Waldeck long held “patronage money” (German
: Schirmgeld), that is to say, the Kumbd Convent’s rights and income. The Lordship of Waldeck was by the 16th century independent of the Empire
and comprised not only the castle lands but also the villages of Dorweiler
, Mannebach
and Korweiler as well as the forsaken village of Hausen near Beltheim
. Even though the village belonged to the Lordship of Waldeck, all Korweiler’s inhabitants were said to be Willibrordskinder (“Willibrord
’s children”), meaning that originally, they belonged to a fief of Saint Willibrord’s Abbey in Echternach
. Given this tangle of allegiances and ownership rights, there were time and again disagreements with the Knights of Waldeck, leading to conflicts and compromises all the way to the Reichskammergericht
.
In 1711, most of the village, along with the Kumbd hereditary estate, burnt down and had to be built over again. This is why Korweiler has so few buildings that date any further back than the 18th century.
In 1793, the region was occupied by French Revolutionary
troops and assigned to the Department of Rhin-et-Moselle
, making it French
until the Congress of Vienna
in 1815. The Congress rearranged Europe’s post-Napoleonic political map, putting Korweiler in the Kingdom of Prussia
, and locally in the Rhine Province
. Since 1946, it has been part of the then newly founded state
of Rhineland-Palatinate
.
at the municipal election held on 7 June 2009, and the honorary mayor as chairman.
might be described thus: Gules an abbot’s staff Or, the shaft sable, bendwise sinister surmounted by three arming buckles bottony conjoined in bend sans tongues argent.
’s Directory of Cultural Monuments:
dialect is still spoken by a majority of the inhabitants, although the number of those who still actively use the dialect is shrinking.
, a typical brick building, to eat, drink and chat.
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 Kastellaun
Kastellaun (Verbandsgemeinde)
Kastellaun is a Verbandsgemeinde in the Rhein-Hunsrück district, in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. Its seat is in Kastellaun....
, whose seat is in the like-named town
Kastellaun
-Climate:Yearly precipitation in Kastellaun amounts to 755 mm, which falls into the middle third of the precipitation chart for all Germany. At 53% of the German Weather Service’s weather stations, lower figures recorded. The driest month is April. The most rainfall comes in June. In that...
.
Location
The municipality lies in the northern 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...
on a ridge east of the Dünnbach valley.
Korweiler is a typical bunched village, which has gathered itself around its Catholic church. Built in 1907 with a single nave, the Bartholomäuskapelle (Saint Bartholomew’s Chapel) is consecrated to Bartholomew the Apostle.
History
The oldest evidence of settlers in the area comes from early La Tène timesLa Tène culture
The La Tène culture was a European Iron Age culture named after the archaeological site of La Tène on the north side of Lake Neuchâtel in Switzerland, where a rich cache of artifacts was discovered by Hansli Kopp in 1857....
. In 1939 and 1940, while cross-country paths were being built, Iron Age
Iron Age
The Iron Age is the archaeological period generally occurring after the Bronze Age, marked by the prevalent use of iron. The early period of the age is characterized by the widespread use of iron or steel. The adoption of such material coincided with other changes in society, including differing...
settlement groups were unearthed. Going by the ceramics that were found then, the settlements are about 2,400 years old and belong to the later Hunsrück-Eifel Culture. No further investigations were undertaken at the time – it was, after all, during the Second World War – but it is quite likely that Iron Age houses once stood here.
The village that stands now had its first documentary mention in 1307 as Corwilre. According to the document, Sibodo von Schmidtberg donated his holdings in Corwilre to the Kumbd Convent, to which an estate, serfs
Serfdom
Serfdom is the status of peasants under feudalism, specifically relating to Manorialism. It was a condition of bondage or modified slavery which developed primarily during the High Middle Ages in Europe and lasted to the mid-19th century...
and income in the village belonged in the centuries that followed and on into early modern times.
While Korweiler might have belonged beginning in the Late Middle Ages
Late Middle Ages
The Late Middle Ages was the period of European history generally comprising the 14th to the 16th century . The Late Middle Ages followed the High Middle Ages and preceded the onset of the early modern era ....
or early modern times to the Lordship of Waldeck and Waldeck Castle
Waldeck Castle
Castle Waldeck within the limits of the village of Dorweiler in Dommershausen in the Rhein-Hunsrück-Kreis in Rhineland-Palatinate was the main seat of the Hunsrück Family Boos.The ruin lies high above the Baybach valley...
, the village held a special place within the Lordship owing to the Kumbd properties and rights. Nevertheless, the family Boos zu Waldeck long held “patronage money” (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....
: Schirmgeld), that is to say, the Kumbd Convent’s rights and income. The Lordship of Waldeck was by the 16th century independent of the Empire
Holy Roman Empire
The Holy Roman Empire was a realm that existed from 962 to 1806 in Central Europe.It was ruled by the Holy Roman Emperor. Its character changed during the Middle Ages and the Early Modern period, when the power of the emperor gradually weakened in favour of the princes...
and comprised not only the castle lands but also the villages of Dorweiler
Dommershausen
Dommershausen is an Ortsgemeinde – a municipality belonging to a Verbandsgemeinde, a kind of collective municipality – in the Rhein-Hunsrück-Kreis in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It belongs to the Verbandsgemeinde of Kastellaun, whose seat is in the like-named town.-Location:The municipality...
, Mannebach
Beltheim
-History:In 893, Beltheim had its first documentary mention in Prüm Abbey’s directory of holdings, the Prümer Urbar as Beltuom. Beltheim was the seat of the Beltheim court comprising the following places: Beltheim, Uhler, Mörsdorf, Lieg, Eveshausen, Dommershausen, Lahr, Cochem-Zell, Buch, Mörz,...
and Korweiler as well as the forsaken village of Hausen near Beltheim
Beltheim
-History:In 893, Beltheim had its first documentary mention in Prüm Abbey’s directory of holdings, the Prümer Urbar as Beltuom. Beltheim was the seat of the Beltheim court comprising the following places: Beltheim, Uhler, Mörsdorf, Lieg, Eveshausen, Dommershausen, Lahr, Cochem-Zell, Buch, Mörz,...
. Even though the village belonged to the Lordship of Waldeck, all Korweiler’s inhabitants were said to be Willibrordskinder (“Willibrord
Willibrord
__notoc__Willibrord was a Northumbrian missionary saint, known as the "Apostle to the Frisians" in the modern Netherlands...
’s children”), meaning that originally, they belonged to a fief of Saint Willibrord’s Abbey in Echternach
Echternach
Echternach is a commune with city status in the canton of Echternach, which is part of the district of Grevenmacher, in eastern Luxembourg. Echternach lies near the border with Germany, and is the oldest town in Luxembourg....
. Given this tangle of allegiances and ownership rights, there were time and again disagreements with the Knights of Waldeck, leading to conflicts and compromises all the way to the Reichskammergericht
Reichskammergericht
The Reichskammergericht or Imperial Chamber Court was one of two highest judicial institutions in the Holy Roman Empire, the other one being the Aulic Council in Vienna. It was founded in 1495 by the Imperial Diet in Worms...
.
In 1711, most of the village, along with the Kumbd hereditary estate, burnt down and had to be built over again. This is why Korweiler has so few buildings that date any further back than the 18th century.
In 1793, the region was occupied by French Revolutionary
French Revolutionary Wars
The French Revolutionary Wars were a series of major conflicts, from 1792 until 1802, fought between the French Revolutionary government and several European states...
troops and assigned to the Department of Rhin-et-Moselle
Rhin-et-Moselle
Rhin-et-Moselle is the name of a département of the First French Empire in present Germany. It is named after the rivers Rhine and Moselle. It was formed in 1798, when the left bank of the Rhine was annexed by France. Until the French occupation, its territory was divided between the Archbishopric...
, making it 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...
until 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,...
in 1815. The Congress rearranged Europe’s post-Napoleonic political map, putting Korweiler in 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...
, and locally in the Rhine Province
Rhine Province
The Rhine Province , also known as Rhenish Prussia or synonymous to the Rhineland , was the westernmost province of the Kingdom of Prussia and the Free State of Prussia, within the German Reich, from 1822-1946. It was created from the provinces of the Lower Rhine and Jülich-Cleves-Berg...
. 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 6 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.
Coat of arms
The municipality’s armsCoat 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 be described thus: Gules an abbot’s staff Or, the shaft sable, bendwise sinister surmounted by three arming buckles bottony conjoined in bend sans tongues argent.
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 Bartholomew’s Catholic Church (Kirche St. Bartholomäus or Bartholomäuskapelle), Dorfstraße 30 – Baroque Revival 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...
, 1907; before the church a 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,...
cross, marked 1914 - Dorfstraße 1 – timber-frameTimber framingTimber framing , or half-timbering, also called in North America "post-and-beam" construction, is the method of creating structures using heavy squared off and carefully fitted and joined timbers with joints secured by large wooden pegs . It is commonplace in large barns...
Quereinhaus (a combination residential and commercial house divided for these two purposes down the middle, perpendicularly to the street), partly solid, 19th century - Dorfstraße 10 – timber-frame Quereinhaus, partly solid or slated, 19th century; whole complex of buildings
- Dorfstraße 11 – timber-frame Quereinhaus, partly solid, possibly from the 18th century; whole complex of buildings with barn
Dialect
The region’s Moselle FranconianMoselle Franconian
Moselle Franconian is a group of West Central German dialects, part of the Central Franconian language area.It is spoken in the southern Rhineland and along the course of the Moselle River, from the Siegerland in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia throughout western Rhineland-Palatinate and...
dialect is still spoken by a majority of the inhabitants, although the number of those who still actively use the dialect is shrinking.
Regular events
Once each year, the municipality comes together at the Gemeindetag (“Municipal Day”) at the former schoolSchool
A school is an institution designed for the teaching of students under the direction of teachers. Most countries have systems of formal education, which is commonly compulsory. In these systems, students progress through a series of schools...
, a typical brick building, to eat, drink and chat.