Niederbrombach
Encyclopedia
Niederbrombach is an Ortsgemeinde – a municipality
belonging to a Verbandsgemeinde
, a kind of collective municipality – in the Birkenfeld
district
in Rhineland-Palatinate
, Germany
. It belongs to the Verbandsgemeinde of Birkenfeld
, whose seat is in the like-named town
.
. Indeed, four dales meet at Niederbrombach, one each coming from north, south, east and west. Also coming down three of those dales are streams, the Hambach, the Schwollbach and the Rothenbach. All three flow together at the hollow formed by the junction of the four dales and thereafter flow as one stream, called the Schwollbach, down to Kronweiler
, where the Schwollbach empties into the river Nahe.
Set above the dales are some peaks. North of Niederbrombach are the Hömelskopf and the Heidkopf, to the east are the Pferdshöhe and the Brombacher Höhe, to the south are the Rothenbachberg, the Winnenberg and the Hochkastell and finally, to the west are the Kleb and the Bauterskopf.
.
Branbach, along with its subjects and its church, passed from Duke-Archbishop Liutwin’s ownership to Saint Paulinus’s
Foundation in Trier
about 700. Almost three centuries later, in 981, it passed to the Archiepiscopal Foundation of Trier. Brombach was the main centre of the Electoral-Trier holdings (later Sponheim
holdings) south of the Idar Forest
, and within the high court
region and the Amtsbezirk, Brombach had become and remained the main centre of its own feudal domain (Großbann), its own Pflege (literally “care”, but actually a local geopolitical unit) and its own parish. Secular and ecclesiastical holdings matched one another so fully that in the 18th century, the term “parish” was also used to designate the administrative region. As the Middle Ages
wore on, the Großbann underwent increasing disintegration due to continuing settlement. First, in the Early Middle Ages
, came a partition into two, which was then followed much later – in the 18th century – by an ecclesiastical partition along the same lines.
Under French
rule from 1797 to 1814, the former “administrative parish” became a mairie (“mayoralty”). From 1815 to 1817, the Brombach Pflege was Prussia
n, from 1817 to 1937 part of Oldenburg, and for the rest of the Third Reich’s
time in power, Prussian again. This ended with the onset of Allied
occupation after the Second World War. Since 1946, Niederbrombach 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 chairwoman.
The municipality’s arms
might in English heraldic
language be described thus: Or a double arch sable, the chief countercompony gules and argent.
The chief
is a reference to the village’s former allegiance to the “Hinder” County of Sponheim
, which bore arms chequy gules and argent. Niederbrombach was in the Sponheim Oberamt of Birkenfeld. The arches represent the village’s old parish church. This was donated by Archbishop Liutwin of Trier to Saint Paulinus’s
Foundation in Trier
, which quite likely founded the church.
The arms have been borne since 20 August 1965.
’s Directory of Cultural Monuments:
functioning as a regional school with a sport hall, a kindergarten
and an outdoor sport complex near the school, making the municipality self-sufficient in infrastructure.
41, which towards the south leads to the Autobahn A 62
(Kaiserslautern
–Trier
). Serving nearby Kronweiler
is a railway station on the Nahe Valley Railway (Bingen
–Saarbrücken
).
Johannes Lichtenberger
worked as a clergyman in Brambach, as Niederbrombach was then called, until his death about 1503.
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 Birkenfeld
Birkenfeld (district)
Birkenfeld is a district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is bounded by the districts of Sankt Wendel , Trier-Saarburg, Bernkastel-Wittlich, Rhein-Hunsrück, Bad Kreuznach and Kusel.- 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 Birkenfeld
Birkenfeld (Verbandsgemeinde)
Birkenfeld is a Verbandsgemeinde in the district of Birkenfeld, in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. The seat of the Verbandsgemeinde is in Birkenfeld....
, whose seat is in the like-named town
Birkenfeld
Birkenfeld is a town and the district seat of the Birkenfeld district in southwest Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is also the seat of the like-named Verbandsgemeinde.-Location:...
.
Location
The municipality lies on a bend in a dale on the road between Birkenfeld and Idar-ObersteinIdar-Oberstein
Idar-Oberstein is a town in the Birkenfeld district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. As a Große kreisangehörige Stadt , it assumes some of the responsibilities that for smaller municipalities in the district are assumed by the district administration...
. Indeed, four dales meet at Niederbrombach, one each coming from north, south, east and west. Also coming down three of those dales are streams, the Hambach, the Schwollbach and the Rothenbach. All three flow together at the hollow formed by the junction of the four dales and thereafter flow as one stream, called the Schwollbach, down to Kronweiler
Kronweiler
Kronweiler is an Ortsgemeinde – a municipality belonging to a Verbandsgemeinde, a kind of collective municipality – in the Birkenfeld district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It belongs to the Verbandsgemeinde of Birkenfeld, whose seat is in the like-named town.-Location:The municipality lies on...
, where the Schwollbach empties into the river Nahe.
Set above the dales are some peaks. North of Niederbrombach are the Hömelskopf and the Heidkopf, to the east are the Pferdshöhe and the Brombacher Höhe, to the south are the Rothenbachberg, the Winnenberg and the Hochkastell and finally, to the west are the Kleb and the Bauterskopf.
Constituent communities
Also belonging to Niederbrombach are the outlying homesteads of Fischerhof, Haus Manzenbach, Lärchenhof and Robinienhof.History
The oldest forms of the village’s name found in documents are Brambach and Branbach. Only in more recent times has Niederbrombach been distinguished from OberbrombachOberbrombach
Oberbrombach is an Ortsgemeinde – a municipality belonging to a Verbandsgemeinde, a kind of collective municipality – in the Birkenfeld district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany...
.
Branbach, along with its subjects and its church, passed from Duke-Archbishop Liutwin’s ownership to Saint Paulinus’s
Paulinus of Trier
Saint Paulinus of Trier was bishop of Trier and a supporter of Athanasius in the conflict with Arianism. At the Synod of Arles of 353 he was targeted by the Arians, and was exiled, to Phrygia, being effectively singled out by the Emperor Constantius II. He died in exile five years later, but his...
Foundation in Trier
Trier
Trier, historically called in English Treves is a city in Germany on the banks of the Moselle. It is the oldest city in Germany, founded in or before 16 BC....
about 700. Almost three centuries later, in 981, it passed to the Archiepiscopal Foundation of Trier. Brombach was the main centre of the Electoral-Trier holdings (later Sponheim
County of Sponheim
The County of Sponheim was an independent territory in the Holy Roman Empire which lasted from the 11th century until the early 19th century...
holdings) south of the Idar Forest
Idar Forest
The Idar Forest is part of the Hunsrück low mountain range in the German federal state of Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany.- Geography :...
, and within the high court
Blood court
Blood Court or high justice in the Holy Roman Empire referred to the right of a Vogt to hold a criminal court inflicting bodily punishment, including the death penalty.Not every Vogt held the blood court...
region and the Amtsbezirk, Brombach had become and remained the main centre of its own feudal domain (Großbann), its own Pflege (literally “care”, but actually a local geopolitical unit) and its own parish. Secular and ecclesiastical holdings matched one another so fully that in the 18th century, the term “parish” was also used to designate the administrative region. As 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...
wore on, the Großbann underwent increasing disintegration due to continuing settlement. First, in the Early Middle Ages
Early Middle Ages
The Early Middle Ages was the period of European history lasting from the 5th century to approximately 1000. The Early Middle Ages followed the decline of the Western Roman Empire and preceded the High Middle Ages...
, came a partition into two, which was then followed much later – in the 18th century – by an ecclesiastical partition along the same lines.
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 from 1797 to 1814, the former “administrative parish” became a mairie (“mayoralty”). From 1815 to 1817, the Brombach Pflege was 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...
n, from 1817 to 1937 part of Oldenburg, and for the rest of the Third Reich’s
Nazi Germany
Nazi 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...
time in power, Prussian again. This ended with the onset of Allied
Allies of World War II
The Allies of World War II were the countries that opposed the Axis powers during the Second World War . Former Axis states contributing to the Allied victory are not considered Allied states...
occupation after the Second World War. Since 1946, Niederbrombach 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 chairwoman.
Mayor
Niederbrombach’s mayor is Ina Müllenbach, and her deputies are Christoph Ruppenthal and Eberhard Schmidt.Coat of arms
The German blazon reads: Unter rot-silbern geschachtem Schildhaupt in Gold zwei rundbogige schwarze Arkaden.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: Or a double arch sable, the chief countercompony gules and argent.
The chief
Chief (heraldry)
In heraldic blazon, a chief is a charge on a coat of arms that takes the form of a band running horizontally across the top edge of the shield. Writers disagree in how much of the shield's surface is to be covered by the chief, ranging from one-fourth to one-third. The former is more likely if the...
is a reference to the village’s former allegiance to the “Hinder” County of Sponheim
County of Sponheim
The County of Sponheim was an independent territory in the Holy Roman Empire which lasted from the 11th century until the early 19th century...
, which bore arms chequy gules and argent. Niederbrombach was in the Sponheim Oberamt of Birkenfeld. The arches represent the village’s old parish church. This was donated by Archbishop Liutwin of Trier to Saint Paulinus’s
Paulinus of Trier
Saint Paulinus of Trier was bishop of Trier and a supporter of Athanasius in the conflict with Arianism. At the Synod of Arles of 353 he was targeted by the Arians, and was exiled, to Phrygia, being effectively singled out by the Emperor Constantius II. He died in exile five years later, but his...
Foundation in Trier
Trier
Trier, historically called in English Treves is a city in Germany on the banks of the Moselle. It is the oldest city in Germany, founded in or before 16 BC....
, which quite likely founded the church.
The arms have been borne since 20 August 1965.
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:
- EvangelicalEvangelical Church in GermanyThe Evangelical Church in Germany is a federation of 22 Lutheran, Unified and Reformed Protestant regional church bodies in Germany. The EKD is not a church in a theological understanding because of the denominational differences. However, the member churches share full pulpit and altar...
church, Herrengasse 12 – formerly Saint Mary MagdaleneMary MagdaleneMary Magdalene was one of Jesus' most celebrated disciples, and the most important woman disciple in the movement of Jesus. Jesus cleansed her of "seven demons", conventionally interpreted as referring to complex illnesses...
’s (Heilige Maria Magdalena), west tower, south aisle and quire from the 14th century, north aisle (partly?) 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,...
, twin nave and all vaultingVault (architecture)A Vault is an architectural term for an arched form used to provide a space with a ceiling or roof. The parts of a vault exert lateral thrust that require a counter resistance. When vaults are built underground, the ground gives all the resistance required...
from the 15th century; thorough restoration 1911, architect August Senz, DüsseldorfDüsseldorfDüsseldorf is the capital city of the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia and centre of the Rhine-Ruhr metropolitan region.Düsseldorf is an important international business and financial centre and renowned for its fashion and trade fairs. Located centrally within the European Megalopolis, the...
; renovation work 1963/1964, architect Otto Vogel, Trier; six tomb slabs, 16th and 17th centuries; seven sarcophagiSarcophagusA sarcophagus is a funeral receptacle for a corpse, most commonly carved or cut from stone. The word "sarcophagus" comes from the Greek σαρξ sarx meaning "flesh", and φαγειν phagein meaning "to eat", hence sarkophagus means "flesh-eating"; from the phrase lithos sarkophagos...
, possibly from the 11th and 12th centuries - Fels 21 – former gristmill (Brüchers Mühle); one-floor, later built higher, quarrystone building, 1876, marked 1720 (possibly spoliaSpoliaSpolia is a modern art-historical term used to describe the re-use of earlier building material or decorative sculpture on new monuments...
); technical equipment partly preserved - Hauptstraße – fountain; Renaissance Revival fountain column, cast-ironCast ironCast iron is derived from pig iron, and while it usually refers to gray iron, it also identifies a large group of ferrous alloys which solidify with a eutectic. The color of a fractured surface can be used to identify an alloy. White cast iron is named after its white surface when fractured, due...
trough (Asbach Ironworks?) with relief, marked 1888 - Herrengasse 10, 12, 14 (monumental zone) – group of buildings consisting of a church, two rectories and a parish barn above terrace walls, 18th century
- Lindenstraße 2 – Quereinhaus (a combination residential and commercial house divided for these two purposes down the middle, perpendicularly to the street), earlier half of the 19th century
- Unter Hochcastell 4 – residential and professional house, melaphyre quarrystone building with 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...
knee wallKnee wallIn architecture, a knee wall is typically a short wall, usually under three feet in height. In his book A Visual Dictionary of Architecture, Francis D. K. Ching defines a Knee Wall as "A short wall supporting rafters at some intermediate position along their length." The term is derived from the...
, round tower, Swiss chalet styleSwiss chalet styleSwiss chalet style is an architectural style inspired by the chalets of Switzerland. The style originated in Germany in the early 19th century and was popular in parts of Europe and North America, notably in the architecture of Norway, the country house architecture of Sweden, Cincinnati, Ohio,...
, 1927 - So-called Fischerhof, south of the village – prototype estate, begun 1833; formerly a four-wing complex with five-axis house, livestock stables, shed and servants’ house (this last torn down in 1976); house converted about 1900; terraced garden, staircase with fountain, relocated Catholic 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,...
- So-called Obere Auschleife, south of the village on the Schwollbach – former complex with undershot waterwheels, 1828; small timber-frame building, partly solid (former agateAgateAgate is a microcrystalline variety of silica, chiefly chalcedony, characterised by its fineness of grain and brightness of color. Although agates may be found in various kinds of rock, they are classically associated with volcanic rocks and can be common in certain metamorphic rocks.-Etymology...
-grinding workshop), pond and small reservoir
Infrastructure
Available in Niederbrombach are many shops, banks, craft workshops, inns, a medical practice, a primary school, a HauptschuleHauptschule
A Hauptschule is a secondary school in Germany and Austria, starting after 4 years of elementary schooling, which offers Lower Secondary Education according to the International Standard Classification of Education...
functioning as a regional school with a sport hall, a kindergarten
Kindergarten
A kindergarten is a preschool educational institution for children. The term was created by Friedrich Fröbel for the play and activity institute that he created in 1837 in Bad Blankenburg as a social experience for children for their transition from home to school...
and an outdoor sport complex near the school, making the municipality self-sufficient in infrastructure.
Transport
Running through the village is BundesstraßeBundesstraße
Bundesstraße , abbreviated B, is the denotation for German and Austrian national highways.-Germany:...
41, which towards the south leads to the Autobahn A 62
Bundesautobahn 62
is an autobahn in southwestern Germany, connecting the A 1 with the A 6. It also connects numerous communities throughout the central Hunsrück mountains...
(Kaiserslautern
Kaiserslautern
Kaiserslautern is a city in southwest Germany, located in the Bundesland of Rhineland-Palatinate at the edge of the Palatinate forest . The historic centre dates to the 9th century. It is from Paris, from Frankfurt am Main, and from Luxembourg.Kaiserslautern is home to 99,469 people...
–Trier
Trier
Trier, historically called in English Treves is a city in Germany on the banks of the Moselle. It is the oldest city in Germany, founded in or before 16 BC....
). Serving nearby Kronweiler
Kronweiler
Kronweiler is an Ortsgemeinde – a municipality belonging to a Verbandsgemeinde, a kind of collective municipality – in the Birkenfeld district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It belongs to the Verbandsgemeinde of Birkenfeld, whose seat is in the like-named town.-Location:The municipality lies on...
is a railway station on the Nahe Valley Railway (Bingen
Bingen am Rhein
Bingen am Rhein is a town in the Mainz-Bingen district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany.The settlement’s original name was Bingium, a Celtic word that may have meant “hole in the rock”, a description of the shoal behind the Mäuseturm, known as the Binger Loch. Bingen was the starting point for the...
–Saarbrücken
Saarbrücken
Saarbrücken is the capital of the state of Saarland in Germany. The city is situated at the heart of a metropolitan area that borders on the west on Dillingen and to the north-east on Neunkirchen, where most of the people of the Saarland live....
).
Famous people
The famous astrologerAstrology
Astrology consists of a number of belief systems which hold that there is a relationship between astronomical phenomena and events in the human world...
Johannes Lichtenberger
Johannes Lichtenberger
Johannes Lichtenberger was a noted German astrologer. He was much published, and various pseudonyms are attributed to him. His 1488 Prognosticatio in latino, published at Heidelberg, was well known and appeared in numerous subsequent editions and translations.He seems to have been, briefly in the...
worked as a clergyman in Brambach, as Niederbrombach was then called, until his death about 1503.
External links
- http://www.swr.de/landesschau-rp/-/id=122144/did=4125096/pv=video/gp1=4257500/nid=100766/slwa90/Brief portrait of Niederbrombach from 4 December 2008 with film (8 minutes) at SWR FernsehenSWR FernsehenSWR Fernsehen is a German regional television channel targeting the states of Baden-Württemberg and Rhineland-Palatinate. It is produced by Südwestrundfunk and is one of eight regional "third channels" broadcast by the ARD members....
]