Lütz
Encyclopedia
Lütz 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 Treis-Karden
, whose seat is in the like-named municipality
. Lütz is a state-recognized climatic spa (Luftkurort).
in a side valley of the river Moselle (between the Moselle centres of Burgen
and Treis-Karden
), only a few kilometres from the river. Lütz lies in the Lützbach valley, which has almost no road links. The village distinguishes itself with a row of outstanding timber-frame
houses.
(570-595) donated to the Bishopric of Verdun holdings between the Lützbach (Luceia) and the Baybach (Beia). The estate has no further mention, but it was likely traded with the Abbey of Echternach
, which crops up in the historical record as a landholder in the area in the Late Middle Ages
.
On 1 January 912, Lütz had its first documentary mention when King Karl III
donated his landholdings at Lutiaco to St. Maximin’s Abbey
. In a donation document from Heinrich von Trier about 1163, an estate on the “rivulus Luzze” is named. Also holding estates in Luzze in 1323 was the knight Heinrich von Eltz.
Saint Maximin’s
Church (Kirche St. Maximinus) was built in 1753.
Ecclesiastically, the parish of Lütz belonged to the rural chapter of Zell within the Archbishopric of Trier, although it did not lie within Electoral-Trier territory. The church was first mentioned in 1220 in the Archbishop’s directory of holdings. Parochially united with Lütz were the villages of Lahr
, Lieg
and Zilshausen
. In 1749, a fire destroyed part of the village, and Saint Maximin’s Church (with the exception of the 12th-century Romanesque
tower) and the town hall had to be newly built.
In the 14th century, Lütz lay under the lordship of the Lords of Eltz. Lütz was an Imperial Knight
ly holding and belonged until the annexation of the lands on the Rhine’s left bank in the French Revolutionary Wars
in 1794 to the Barons of Wiltberg. In 1815 Lütz 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
.
at the municipal election held on 7 June 2009, and the honorary mayor as chairman.
The municipality’s arms
might in English heraldic
language be described thus: Per fess, argent a cross gules and gules issuant from base a lion rampant Or armed and langued sable.
The red cross refers to the municipality’s former allegiance to the Archbishopric of Trier (but not the Electorate of Trier) and its continued status as part of the Diocese of Trier. As early as 1220, the parish of Lütz appeared in a directory of the archiepiscopal revenues. In 1515, patronage rights had found their way to the Archbishop of Trier. The charge
in base, the “lion rampant” comes from arms formerly borne by the Lords of Eltz. Beginning in 1323, these lords held an estate and other holdings in Lütz. In 1521, Johann von Eltz was enfeoffed with the village’s “administration of justice, lordly rights, revenues and levies”. According to a 1656 Weistum, the Lords of Eltz held the high court jurisdiction in Lütz (a Weistum – cognate with English
wisdom – was a legal pronouncement issued by men learned in law in the Middle Ages
and early modern times).
The arms were designed by A. Friderichs of Zell
and have been borne since 1 April 1987.
’s Directory of Cultural Monuments:
trail leads alongside the brook through the dale. A newly built educational path gives visitors knowledge about the slate
mining
that was formerly undertaken in the Lützbach valley. At the time, there were 11 mines with 19 galleries and also 5 trial galleries. Slate was mined here until 1953. The slate mine tailing
heaps today offer rare animal and plant species a unique biotope
.
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 Treis-Karden
Treis-Karden (Verbandsgemeinde)
Treis-Karden is a Verbandsgemeinde in the district of Cochem-Zell, in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. The seat of the Verbandsgemeinde is in Treis-Karden....
, whose seat is in the like-named municipality
Treis-Karden
Treis-Karden is an Ortsgemeinde – a municipality belonging to a Verbandsgemeinde, a kind of collective municipality – in the Cochem-Zell district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is the seat of the like-named Verbandsgemeinde to which it also belongs...
. Lütz is a state-recognized climatic spa (Luftkurort).
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...
in a side valley of the river Moselle (between the Moselle centres of Burgen
Burgen, Mayen-Koblenz
Burgen is a municipality in the district of Mayen-Koblenz in Rhineland-Palatinate, western Germany....
and Treis-Karden
Treis-Karden
Treis-Karden is an Ortsgemeinde – a municipality belonging to a Verbandsgemeinde, a kind of collective municipality – in the Cochem-Zell district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is the seat of the like-named Verbandsgemeinde to which it also belongs...
), only a few kilometres from the river. Lütz lies in the Lützbach valley, which has almost no road links. The village distinguishes itself with a row of outstanding timber-frame
Timber framing
Timber 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...
houses.
History
King Childebert IIChildebert II
.Childebert II was the Merovingian king of Austrasia, which included Provence at the time, from 575 until his death in 595, the eldest and succeeding son of Sigebert I, and the king of Burgundy from 592 to his death, as the adopted and succeeding son of his uncle Guntram.-Childhood:When his father...
(570-595) donated to the Bishopric of Verdun holdings between the Lützbach (Luceia) and the Baybach (Beia). The estate has no further mention, but it was likely traded with the Abbey of Echternach
Abbey of Echternach
The Abbey of Echternach is a Benedictine monastery in the town of Echternach, in eastern Luxembourg. The Abbey was founded by St Willibrord, the patron saint of Luxembourg, in the seventh century...
, which crops up in the historical record as a landholder in the area 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 ....
.
On 1 January 912, Lütz had its first documentary mention when King Karl III
Charles the Simple
Charles III , called the Simple or the Straightforward , was the undisputed King of France from 898 until 922 and the King of Lotharingia from 911 until 919/23...
donated his landholdings at Lutiaco to St. Maximin’s Abbey
St. Maximin's Abbey, Trier
St. Maximin's Abbey was a Benedictine monastery in Trier in the Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany.-History:The abbey, traditionally considered one of the oldest monasteries in western Europe, was held to have been founded by Saint Maximin of Trier in the 4th century. Maximin St. Maximin's Abbey was a...
. In a donation document from Heinrich von Trier about 1163, an estate on the “rivulus Luzze” is named. Also holding estates in Luzze in 1323 was the knight Heinrich von Eltz.
Saint Maximin’s
Maximin of Trier
Saint Maximin was the fifth bishop of Trier, according to the list provided by the diocese's website, taking his seat in 341/342...
Church (Kirche St. Maximinus) was built in 1753.
Ecclesiastically, the parish of Lütz belonged to the rural chapter of Zell within the Archbishopric of Trier, although it did not lie within Electoral-Trier territory. The church was first mentioned in 1220 in the Archbishop’s directory of holdings. Parochially united with Lütz were the villages of Lahr
Lahr, Cochem-Zell
Lahr in the Hunsrück is an Ortsgemeinde – a municipality belonging to a Verbandsgemeinde, a kind of collective municipality – in the Cochem-Zell district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany...
, Lieg
Lieg
Lieg is an Ortsgemeinde – a municipality belonging to a Verbandsgemeinde, a kind of collective municipality – in the Cochem-Zell district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany...
and Zilshausen
Zilshausen
Zilshausen is an Ortsgemeinde – a municipality belonging to a Verbandsgemeinde, a kind of collective municipality – in the Cochem-Zell district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany...
. In 1749, a fire destroyed part of the village, and Saint Maximin’s Church (with the exception of the 12th-century Romanesque
Romanesque architecture
Romanesque architecture is an architectural style of Medieval Europe characterised by semi-circular arches. There is no consensus for the beginning date of the Romanesque architecture, with proposals ranging from the 6th to the 10th century. It developed in the 12th century into the Gothic style,...
tower) and the town hall had to be newly built.
In the 14th century, Lütz lay under the lordship of the Lords of Eltz. Lütz was an Imperial Knight
Imperial Knight
The Free Imperial Knights, or the Knights of the Empire was an organisation of free nobles of the Holy Roman Empire, whose direct overlord was the Emperor, remnants of the medieval free nobility and the ministeriales...
ly holding and belonged until the annexation of the lands on the Rhine’s left bank in the French Revolutionary Wars
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...
in 1794 to the Barons of Wiltberg. In 1815 Lütz 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 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 German blazon reads: Im geteilten Schild, oben in Silber ein rotes Balkenkreuz, unten in Rot ein schwarzbewehrter und -gezungter wachsender goldener Löwe.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 fess, argent a cross gules and gules issuant from base a lion rampant Or armed and langued sable.
The red cross refers to the municipality’s former allegiance to the Archbishopric of Trier (but not the Electorate of Trier) and its continued status as part of the Diocese of Trier. As early as 1220, the parish of Lütz appeared in a directory of the archiepiscopal revenues. In 1515, patronage rights had found their way to the Archbishop of Trier. The 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...
in base, the “lion rampant” comes from arms formerly borne by the Lords of Eltz. Beginning in 1323, these lords held an estate and other holdings in Lütz. In 1521, Johann von Eltz was enfeoffed with the village’s “administration of justice, lordly rights, revenues and levies”. According to a 1656 Weistum, the Lords of Eltz held the high court jurisdiction in Lütz (a Weistum – cognate with English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
wisdom – was a legal pronouncement issued by men learned in law 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...
and early modern times).
The arms were designed by A. Friderichs of Zell
Zell (Mosel)
Zell is a town in the Cochem-Zell district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. Zell has roughly 4,300 inhabitants and is the seat of the like-named Verbandsgemeinde.-Location:...
and have been borne since 1 April 1987.
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 Maximin’sMaximin of TrierSaint Maximin was the fifth bishop of Trier, according to the list provided by the diocese's website, taking his seat in 341/342...
Catholic Church (Kirche St. Maximin), Kirchplatz 5 – BaroqueBaroque architectureBaroque 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...
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...
, marked 1753, RomanesqueRomanesque architectureRomanesque architecture is an architectural style of Medieval Europe characterised by semi-circular arches. There is no consensus for the beginning date of the Romanesque architecture, with proposals ranging from the 6th to the 10th century. It developed in the 12th century into the Gothic style,...
west tower; outside cross, wayside cross, two grave crosses with tomb slabs; Gothic RevivalGothic Revival architectureThe Gothic Revival is an architectural movement that began in the 1740s in England...
graveyard cross, 19th century - JewishJudaismJudaism ) is the "religion, philosophy, and way of life" of the Jewish people...
graveyard (monumental zone) – fenced area with 30 grave steles - Herrengrabenstraße, graveyard – Gothic Revival graveyard cross, 19th century
- Hollstraße 2 – 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...
house, plastered, 19th century - Kirchplatz 3 – former rectory and former schoolSchoolA 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...
; timber-frame building, partly solid, plastered and slated, mansard roofMansard roofA mansard or mansard roof is a four-sided gambrel-style hip roof characterized by two slopes on each of its sides with the lower slope at a steeper angle than the upper that is punctured by dormer windows. The roof creates an additional floor of habitable space, such as a garret...
, 1739 - Kirchplatz 4 – old town hall; timber-frame building, partly solid, half-hipped roof, third fourth of the 18th century, oven
- Mehlgasse 4 – timber-frame house, partly solid, hipped mansard roof, 18th or 19th century; whole complex with quarrystone barn
- Mehlgasse 81 – timber-frame house, hipped mansard roof, 18th century
- Schnellbachstraße 1 – timber-frame house, partly solid, 18th century
- Schnellbachstraße 3, Mehlgasse 6 – solid building, partly with windows with GothicGothic architectureGothic architecture is a style of architecture that flourished during the high and late medieval period. It evolved from Romanesque architecture and was succeeded by Renaissance architecture....
soffit, marked 1551, timber-frame spire lightSpire lightSpire light , the term given to the windows in a spire which are found in all periods of English Gothic architecture, and in French spires form a very important feature in the composition....
possibly from the 17th century - Schnellbachstraße 113 – Hakenhof, 19th century; one-floor timber-frame house, barn
- near the Gotteshäuser Hof – wayside 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,...
; quarrystone building, 19th century; grave cross - north of Lütz – wayside chapel; small vaulted aisleless church, 19th century
- south of Lütz on the Lützbach – BildstockBildstockA wayside shrine, is a religious image, usually in some sort of small shelter, placed by a road or pathway, sometimes in a settlement or at a crossroads, but often in the middle of an empty stretch of country road, or at the top of a hill or mountain. They have been a feature of many cultures,...
; Gothic Revival Christ figure
Sport and leisure
The Hunsrück-Mosel-Radweg (“Hunsrück-Moselle Cycle Path”) runs through the village. A hikingHiking
Hiking is an outdoor activity which consists of walking in natural environments, often in mountainous or other scenic terrain. People often hike on hiking trails. It is such a popular activity that there are numerous hiking organizations worldwide. The health benefits of different types of hiking...
trail leads alongside the brook through the dale. A newly built educational path gives visitors knowledge about the slate
Slate
Slate is a fine-grained, foliated, homogeneous metamorphic rock derived from an original shale-type sedimentary rock composed of clay or volcanic ash through low-grade regional metamorphism. The result is a foliated rock in which the foliation may not correspond to the original sedimentary layering...
mining
Mining
Mining is the extraction of valuable minerals or other geological materials from the earth, from an ore body, vein or seam. The term also includes the removal of soil. Materials recovered by mining include base metals, precious metals, iron, uranium, coal, diamonds, limestone, oil shale, rock...
that was formerly undertaken in the Lützbach valley. At the time, there were 11 mines with 19 galleries and also 5 trial galleries. Slate was mined here until 1953. The slate mine tailing
Tailings
Tailings, also called mine dumps, slimes, tails, leach residue, or slickens, are the materials left over after the process of separating the valuable fraction from the uneconomic fraction of an ore...
heaps today offer rare animal and plant species a unique biotope
Biotope
Biotope is an area of uniform environmental conditions providing a living place for a specific assemblage of plants and animals. Biotope is almost synonymous with the term habitat, but while the subject of a habitat is a species or a population, the subject of a biotope is a biological community.It...
.