Platten, Germany
Encyclopedia
Platten is an Ortsgemeinde – a municipality
belonging to a Verbandsgemeinde
, a kind of collective municipality – in the Bernkastel-Wittlich
district
in Rhineland-Palatinate
, Germany
.
are Wittlich
and Bernkastel-Kues
. Platten belongs to the Verbandsgemeinde of Wittlich-Land
, whose seat is in Wittlich
, although that town is itself not in the Verbandsgemeinde.
rule. In 1814 it was assigned to the Kingdom of Prussia
at the Congress of Vienna
. Since 1947, 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: Azure a bend argent charged with three roses gules seeded Or, above which a cramp palewise of the second, in a chief of the second a cross of the third.
The red cross in the chief
is the armorial bearing once borne by the Electorate of Trier, which was once the village’s landholder. The bend (slanted stripe) charge
d with the three roses is the arms borne by the noble family “von Platten”, also known as “Haich von Platten”, whose seat was Castle Neuerburg near Wittlich
. This composition is handed down through Paul von Platten’s seal (from 1390) and a colour drawing in Archbishop Balduin’s book of documents, the so-called Balduineum, for Richard von Platten, who in 1326 was enfeoffed with Castle Neuerburg by this Archbishop. The cramp (double-ended hook, called a Forsthaken, or “forest hook”, in the German blazon, but often called a Wolfsangel, or “wolf’s hook”, in blazons for other German coats of arms that bear this charge) came from the arms borne by the noble family Plait (or Platten), whose ancestral seat was in Platten and who, owing to their holdings in Longuich
sometimes called themselves “Plait von Longuich”. The family’s male line died out in the late 16th century with Gerhard Plait von Longuich’s death.
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 Bernkastel-Wittlich
Bernkastel-Wittlich
Bernkastel-Wittlich is a district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is bounded by the districts of Vulkaneifel, Cochem-Zell, Rhein-Hunsrück, Birkenfeld, Trier-Saarburg and Bitburg-Prüm.- 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...
.
Location
The municipality lies on the river Lieser in a side valley of the Moselle. The nearest middle centresCentral Place Theory
Central place theory is a geographical theory that seeks to explain the number, size and location of human settlements in an urban system. The theory was created by the German geographer Walter Christaller, who asserted that settlements simply functioned as 'central places' providing services to...
are Wittlich
Wittlich
The town of Wittlich is the seat of the Bernkastel-Wittlich district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany, and thereby the middle centre for a feeder area of 56 municipalities in the Eifel and Moselle area with its population of roughly 64,000...
and Bernkastel-Kues
Bernkastel-Kues
Bernkastel-Kues is a well-known winegrowing centre on the Middle Moselle in the Bernkastel-Wittlich district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany...
. Platten belongs to the Verbandsgemeinde of Wittlich-Land
Wittlich-Land
Wittlich-Land is a Verbandsgemeinde in the district Bernkastel-Wittlich, in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is located around the town Wittlich, which is the seat of Wittlich-Land, but not part of the Verbandsgemeinde....
, whose seat is in Wittlich
Wittlich
The town of Wittlich is the seat of the Bernkastel-Wittlich district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany, and thereby the middle centre for a feeder area of 56 municipalities in the Eifel and Moselle area with its population of roughly 64,000...
, although that town is itself not in the Verbandsgemeinde.
History
In 1084, Platten had its first documentary mention as villa Platana. Beginning in 1794, Platten lay under FrenchFrance
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 1814 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,...
. Since 1947, 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 12 council members, who were elected by proportional representationProportional representation
Proportional representation is a concept in voting systems used to elect an assembly or council. PR means that the number of seats won by a party or group of candidates is proportionate to the number of votes received. For example, under a PR voting system if 30% of voters support a particular...
at the municipal election held on 7 June 2009, and the honorary mayor as chairman:
| WG Kuhnen | WG Marx | Total | |
| 2009 | 8 | 4 | 12 seats |
Coat of arms
The German blazon reads: Im silbernen Schildhaupt ein rotes Balkenkreuz, darunter in Blau ein silberner Schrägbalken, belegt mit drei goldenbesamten, fünfblättrigen, roten Rosen. In Blau oben ein silberner Forsthaken.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: Azure a bend argent charged with three roses gules seeded Or, above which a cramp palewise of the second, in a chief of the second a cross of the third.
The red cross in 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 the armorial bearing once borne by the Electorate of Trier, which was once the village’s landholder. The bend (slanted stripe) 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...
d with the three roses is the arms borne by the noble family “von Platten”, also known as “Haich von Platten”, whose seat was Castle Neuerburg near Wittlich
Wittlich
The town of Wittlich is the seat of the Bernkastel-Wittlich district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany, and thereby the middle centre for a feeder area of 56 municipalities in the Eifel and Moselle area with its population of roughly 64,000...
. This composition is handed down through Paul von Platten’s seal (from 1390) and a colour drawing in Archbishop Balduin’s book of documents, the so-called Balduineum, for Richard von Platten, who in 1326 was enfeoffed with Castle Neuerburg by this Archbishop. The cramp (double-ended hook, called a Forsthaken, or “forest hook”, in the German blazon, but often called a Wolfsangel, or “wolf’s hook”, in blazons for other German coats of arms that bear this charge) came from the arms borne by the noble family Plait (or Platten), whose ancestral seat was in Platten and who, owing to their holdings in Longuich
Longuich
Longuich is a municipality in the Trier-Saarburg district, in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany.Longuich can be found on the banks of the Mosel river...
sometimes called themselves “Plait von Longuich”. The family’s male line died out in the late 16th century with Gerhard Plait von Longuich’s death.