Oberahr
Encyclopedia
Oberahr is an Ortsgemeinde – a community belonging to a Verbandsgemeinde
– in the Westerwaldkreis
in Rhineland-Palatinate
, Germany
.
between Montabaur
and Hachenburg
. Through the community from north to south flows the Ahrbach. Oberahr belongs to the Verbandsgemeinde of Wallmerod
, a kind of collective municipality. Its seat is in the like-named town
.
and court district of Meudt under the overlordship of the Counts at Diez and Nassau. Under the 1564 Treaties of Diez, the parish of Meudt passed to the Electorate of Trier, and thereby the Oberahrers lived in the Trierschland until 1802 under the rule of the Krummstab (literally “Crooked Staff”, but meaning “crosier
”). Later, the Nassau princes took the areas on the Rhine’s right bank back into their ownership, and as of 1815, Oberahr, too, belonged to the newly formed Duchy of Nassau, after whose annexation in 1866, Oberahr found itself in the Prussia
n province of Hesse-Nassau.
in a municipal election on 13 June 2004.
the Ahrbach, and thereby also the community’s name, are symbolized by the parting per pale wavy. The former overlords of Nassau and Trier are recalled in the arms by the tincture
s blue and gold and the red “Trier Cross” in silver. For the church
and the patron saint
(Saint Blaise
) stands a bishop’s staff that ends in a flame, symbolizing the patron saint’s attribute
or Saint Blaise’s blessing. At the same time, the bishop’s staff refers to the Trier Krummstab. The mountains and the Beulstein are heraldically represented in the arms as a blue and gold three-knolled hill (Dreiberg in German heraldry
). The agriculture
and the forest
are each symbolized by a sprouting golden ear and a beech
leaf
255, linking Montabaur
and Rennerod
. The nearest Autobahn interchange
is Montabaur on the A 3 (Cologne
–Frankfurt), some 7 km away. The nearest InterCityExpress
stop is the railway station at Montabaur on the Cologne-Frankfurt high-speed rail line.
Verbandsgemeinde
A Verbandsgemeinde is an administrative unit in the German Bundesländer of Rhineland-Palatinate and Saxony-Anhalt.-Rhineland-Palatinate:...
– in the Westerwaldkreis
Westerwaldkreis
The Westerwaldkreis is a district in the east of Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany...
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...
.
Location
The community lies in the WesterwaldWesterwald
The Westerwald is a low mountain range on the right bank of the River Rhine in the German federal states of Rhineland-Palatinate, Hesse and North Rhine-Westphalia. It is a part of the Rhine Massif...
between Montabaur
Montabaur
Montabaur is a town and the district seat of the Westerwaldkreis in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. At the same time, it is also the administrative centre of the Verbandsgemeinde of Montabaur – a kind of collective municipality – to which 24 other communities belong...
and Hachenburg
Hachenburg
-Geography:The town lies in the Westerwald between Koblenz and Siegen, roughly 10 km west of Bad Marienberg on the river Nister. Hachenburg is the administrative seat of the Verbandsgemeinde of Hachenburg, a kind of collective municipality .-The castle and the town:The castle , former seat of...
. Through the community from north to south flows the Ahrbach. Oberahr belongs to the Verbandsgemeinde of Wallmerod
Wallmerod (Verbandsgemeinde)
Wallmerod is a Verbandsgemeinde in the district Westerwaldkreis, in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. The seat of the Verbandsgemeinde is in Wallmerod.- History :...
, a kind of collective municipality. Its seat is in the like-named town
Wallmerod
Wallmerod is an Ortsgemeinde – a community belonging to a Verbandsgemeinde – in the Westerwaldkreis in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany.-Location:Wallmerod lies in the Westerwald between Montabaur and Rennerod...
.
History
Oberahr, in 1490 Oberanre to use the form in its first documentary mention, lies in the headwaters of the Ahrbach, which was mentioned as early as 959 as the Anara. It is the community’s namesake and flows through the municipal area from north to south. Oberahr lay in the former Niederlahngau from its earliest times, in the parishParish
A parish is a territorial unit historically under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of one parish priest, who might be assisted in his pastoral duties by a curate or curates - also priests but not the parish priest - from a more or less central parish church with its associated organization...
and court district of Meudt under the overlordship of the Counts at Diez and Nassau. Under the 1564 Treaties of Diez, the parish of Meudt passed to the Electorate of Trier, and thereby the Oberahrers lived in the Trierschland until 1802 under the rule of the Krummstab (literally “Crooked Staff”, but meaning “crosier
Crosier
A crosier is the stylized staff of office carried by high-ranking Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, Anglican, and some Lutheran and Pentecostal prelates...
”). Later, the Nassau princes took the areas on the Rhine’s right bank back into their ownership, and as of 1815, Oberahr, too, belonged to the newly formed Duchy of Nassau, after whose annexation in 1866, Oberahr found itself in the 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 province of Hesse-Nassau.
Community council
The council is made up of 12 council members who were elected in a 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...
in a municipal election on 13 June 2004.
Coat of arms
In the community’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...
the Ahrbach, and thereby also the community’s name, are symbolized by the parting per pale wavy. The former overlords of Nassau and Trier are recalled in the arms by the tincture
Tincture (heraldry)
In heraldry, tinctures are the colours used to emblazon a coat of arms. These can be divided into several categories including light tinctures called metals, dark tinctures called colours, nonstandard colours called stains, furs, and "proper". A charge tinctured proper is coloured as it would be...
s blue and gold and the red “Trier Cross” in silver. For the church
Christian Church
The Christian Church is the assembly or association of followers of Jesus Christ. The Greek term ἐκκλησία that in its appearances in the New Testament is usually translated as "church" basically means "assembly"...
and the patron saint
Patron saint
A patron saint is a saint who is regarded as the intercessor and advocate in heaven of a nation, place, craft, activity, class, clan, family, or person...
(Saint Blaise
Saint Blaise
Saint Blaise was a physician, and bishop of Sebastea . According to his Acta Sanctorum, he was martyred by being beaten, attacked with iron carding combs, and beheaded...
) stands a bishop’s staff that ends in a flame, symbolizing the patron saint’s attribute
Emblem
An emblem is a pictorial image, abstract or representational, that epitomizes a concept — e.g., a moral truth, or an allegory — or that represents a person, such as a king or saint.-Distinction: emblem and symbol:...
or Saint Blaise’s blessing. At the same time, the bishop’s staff refers to the Trier Krummstab. The mountains and the Beulstein are heraldically represented in the arms as a blue and gold three-knolled hill (Dreiberg in German heraldry
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"...
). The 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...
and the forest
Forest
A forest, also referred to as a wood or the woods, is an area with a high density of trees. As with cities, depending where you are in the world, what is considered a forest may vary significantly in size and have various classification according to how and what of the forest is composed...
are each symbolized by a sprouting golden ear and a beech
Beech
Beech is a genus of ten species of deciduous trees in the family Fagaceae, native to temperate Europe, Asia and North America.-Habit:...
leaf
Transport
Running right through the community is BundesstraßeBundesstraße
Bundesstraße , abbreviated B, is the denotation for German and Austrian national highways.-Germany:...
255, linking Montabaur
Montabaur
Montabaur is a town and the district seat of the Westerwaldkreis in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. At the same time, it is also the administrative centre of the Verbandsgemeinde of Montabaur – a kind of collective municipality – to which 24 other communities belong...
and Rennerod
Rennerod
Rennerod is a town in the Westerwaldkreis in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is the administrative seat of the Verbandsgemeinde of Rennerod, a kind of collective municipality...
. The nearest Autobahn interchange
Interchange (road)
In the field of road transport, an interchange is a road junction that typically uses grade separation, and one or more ramps, to permit traffic on at least one highway to pass through the junction without directly crossing any other traffic stream. It differs from a standard intersection, at which...
is Montabaur on the A 3 (Cologne
Cologne
Cologne is Germany's fourth-largest city , and is the largest city both in the Germany Federal State of North Rhine-Westphalia and within the Rhine-Ruhr Metropolitan Area, one of the major European metropolitan areas with more than ten million inhabitants.Cologne is located on both sides of the...
–Frankfurt), some 7 km away. The nearest InterCityExpress
InterCityExpress
The Intercity-Express or ICE is a system of high-speed trains predominantly running in Germany and neighbouring countries. It is the highest service category offered by DB Fernverkehr and is the flagship of Deutsche Bahn...
stop is the railway station at Montabaur on the Cologne-Frankfurt high-speed rail line.