Selzen
Encyclopedia
Selzen is an Ortsgemeinde – a municipality
belonging to a Verbandsgemeinde
, a kind of collective municipality – in the Mainz-Bingen
district in Rhineland-Palatinate
, Germany
.
and Worms
in Rhenish Hesse on the Selz
. The winegrowing centre belongs to the Verbandsgemeinde of Nierstein-Oppenheim
, whose seat is in Oppenheim
.
. Grave finds from the New Stone Age (2000 BC), from Roman
times (AD 100) and from Frankish
times in the 6th and 7th century document an historic place.
From the Early Middle Ages
until the 16th century, Selzen belonged to the Worms Cathedral Foundation. The Cathedral Court was the Foundation’s tithe court. In the 15th century, Electoral Palatinate acquired the chapel court and ousted the Worms Cathedral Foundation.
This action is reflected in the then court seal (and in the current coat of arms
), with the blazon reading in part “the Palatine lion holds in the right paw the robbed Worms key”.
In 1792, the Worms Cathedral Foundation’s ecclesiastical landlordship ended, and along with that, so did the tithes payable to Worms. Such joy was brought by this that the elm at Selzen’s southeast corner was felled and the community had a bonfire.
In 1797, Selzen passed to France
. In 1816, however, French rule ended and it thereafter belonged to the newly formed province of Rhenish Hesse (Rheinhessen), which in turn belonged to the Grand Duchy of Hesse
.
Since 1945, Selzen has belonged to the state
of Rhineland-Palatinate
(Rheinland-Pfalz). With the administrative reform that came into force in 1972, the municipality became part of the Verbandsgemeinde of Nierstein-Oppenheim
.
According to a legend, in the Middle Ages
, the villagers were obliged to keep the frogs in the Selz or in the pond quiet by striking the water with staves. The lordly household wanted to sleep undisturbed by any croaking. From this comes the villagers’ nickname Selzer Frösche – Selzen Frogs.
The Lords of Bolanden owned a castle here in the 12th century. Beginning in 1294, the Worms Cathedral Foundation held the Vogt
ei. After 1453 when the Foundation had to yield a half of this to Electoral Palatinate, the stronger of the two partners bit by bit usurped the whole lordship over the village.
Selzen, as witnessed by the Frankish
grave finds, grew together from three cores of settlement, the church in the east, the Worms tithe court in the northwest and the mill in the south, near which a stone path (1617) takes the footpath to Undenheim over the Selz. As early as 1413, Electoral Palatinate owned three estates, among which was the still extant Kapellenhof (“Chapel Estate”), where very often exhibitions are held or plays staged during the summer months. In 1572, the Romanesque
church was torn down, all but the tower, which still stands today. The new Gothic
building was then, in 1740 and 1741, replaced with a Baroque
church which houses a Stumm organ
from 1787. East of the main thoroughfare, in the sidestreets, are found several timber-frame
buildings. At the end of Ostergasse are remnants of pillars from the old fortifications, the Oppenheimer Pforte (gate).
(as at municipal election held on 13 June 2004)
might be described thus: Sable, issuant from base sinister a demi-lion Or armed, langued and crowned gules, holding in his gambe dexter a key argent reversed palewise.
The village’s oldest known seal dates from 1537 and shows this same composition.
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 Mainz-Bingen
Mainz-Bingen
Mainz-Bingen is a district in the east of Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. Neighboring districts are Rheingau-Taunus, the district-free cities Wiesbaden and Mainz, the districts Groß-Gerau, Alzey-Worms, Bad Kreuznach, Rhein-Hunsrück.-History:During the French occupation under Napoleon the district...
district 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
Selzen lies between MainzMainz
Mainz under the Holy Roman Empire, and previously was a Roman fort city which commanded the west bank of the Rhine and formed part of the northernmost frontier of the Roman Empire...
and Worms
Worms, Germany
Worms is a city in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany, on the Rhine River. At the end of 2004, it had 85,829 inhabitants.Established by the Celts, who called it Borbetomagus, Worms today remains embattled with the cities Trier and Cologne over the title of "Oldest City in Germany." Worms is the only...
in Rhenish Hesse on the Selz
Selz
The Selz is a river in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany, a left tributary to the Rhine. It flows through the biggest German wine region, which is called Rheinhessen....
. The winegrowing centre belongs to the Verbandsgemeinde of Nierstein-Oppenheim
Nierstein-Oppenheim
Nierstein-Oppenheim is a Verbandsgemeinde in the district Mainz-Bingen in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is situated on the left bank of the Rhine, approx...
, whose seat is in Oppenheim
Oppenheim
Oppenheim is a town in the Mainz-Bingen district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. The town is well known as a wine town, the site of the German Winegrowing Museum and particularly for the wines from the Oppenheimer Krötenbrunnen vineyards.- Location :...
.
History
In 782, Selzen had its first documentary mention under the name Salzen in the Lorsch codexLorsch codex
The Lorsch Codex is an important historical document created between about 1175 to 1195 AD in the Monastery of Saint Nazarius in Lorsch, Germany. It consists of 460 pages in large format containing more than 3800 entries...
. Grave finds from the New Stone Age (2000 BC), from Roman
Ancient Rome
Ancient Rome was a thriving civilization that grew on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 8th century BC. Located along the Mediterranean Sea and centered on the city of Rome, it expanded to one of the largest empires in the ancient world....
times (AD 100) and from Frankish
Franks
The Franks were a confederation of Germanic tribes first attested in the third century AD as living north and east of the Lower Rhine River. From the third to fifth centuries some Franks raided Roman territory while other Franks joined the Roman troops in Gaul. Only the Salian Franks formed a...
times in the 6th and 7th century document an historic place.
From the Early 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...
until the 16th century, Selzen belonged to the Worms Cathedral Foundation. The Cathedral Court was the Foundation’s tithe court. In the 15th century, Electoral Palatinate acquired the chapel court and ousted the Worms Cathedral Foundation.
This action is reflected in the then court seal (and in the current coat of 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...
), with the blazon reading in part “the Palatine lion holds in the right paw the robbed Worms key”.
In 1792, the Worms Cathedral Foundation’s ecclesiastical landlordship ended, and along with that, so did the tithes payable to Worms. Such joy was brought by this that the elm at Selzen’s southeast corner was felled and the community had a bonfire.
In 1797, Selzen passed to France
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...
. In 1816, however, French rule ended and it thereafter belonged to the newly formed province of Rhenish Hesse (Rheinhessen), which in turn belonged to the Grand Duchy of Hesse
Grand Duchy of Hesse
The Grand Duchy of Hesse and by Rhine , or, between 1806 and 1816, Grand Duchy of Hesse —as it was also known after 1816—was a member state of the German Confederation from 1806, when the Landgraviate of Hesse-Darmstadt was elevated to a Grand Duchy, until 1918, when all the German...
.
Since 1945, Selzen has belonged to the 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 ....
(Rheinland-Pfalz). With the administrative reform that came into force in 1972, the municipality became part of the Verbandsgemeinde of Nierstein-Oppenheim
Nierstein-Oppenheim
Nierstein-Oppenheim is a Verbandsgemeinde in the district Mainz-Bingen in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is situated on the left bank of the Rhine, approx...
.
According to a legend, 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...
, the villagers were obliged to keep the frogs in the Selz or in the pond quiet by striking the water with staves. The lordly household wanted to sleep undisturbed by any croaking. From this comes the villagers’ nickname Selzer Frösche – Selzen Frogs.
The Lords of Bolanden owned a castle here in the 12th century. Beginning in 1294, the Worms Cathedral Foundation held the Vogt
Vogt
A Vogt ; plural Vögte; Dutch voogd; Danish foged; ; ultimately from Latin [ad]vocatus) in the Holy Roman Empire was the German title of a reeve or advocate, an overlord exerting guardianship or military protection as well as secular justice...
ei. After 1453 when the Foundation had to yield a half of this to Electoral Palatinate, the stronger of the two partners bit by bit usurped the whole lordship over the village.
Selzen, as witnessed by the Frankish
Franks
The Franks were a confederation of Germanic tribes first attested in the third century AD as living north and east of the Lower Rhine River. From the third to fifth centuries some Franks raided Roman territory while other Franks joined the Roman troops in Gaul. Only the Salian Franks formed a...
grave finds, grew together from three cores of settlement, the church in the east, the Worms tithe court in the northwest and the mill in the south, near which a stone path (1617) takes the footpath to Undenheim over the Selz. As early as 1413, Electoral Palatinate owned three estates, among which was the still extant Kapellenhof (“Chapel Estate”), where very often exhibitions are held or plays staged during the summer months. In 1572, the 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,...
church was torn down, all but the tower, which still stands today. The new Gothic
Gothic architecture
Gothic 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....
building was then, in 1740 and 1741, replaced with a Baroque
Baroque architecture
Baroque 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...
church which houses a Stumm organ
Organ (music)
The organ , is a keyboard instrument of one or more divisions, each played with its own keyboard operated either with the hands or with the feet. The organ is a relatively old musical instrument in the Western musical tradition, dating from the time of Ctesibius of Alexandria who is credited with...
from 1787. East of the main thoroughfare, in the sidestreets, are found several 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...
buildings. At the end of Ostergasse are remnants of pillars from the old fortifications, the Oppenheimer Pforte (gate).
Town council
The council is made up of 17 council members, counting the parttime mayor, with seats apportioned thus:| SPD Social Democratic Party of Germany The Social Democratic Party of Germany is a social-democratic political party in Germany... |
Liste Selzen | FWG | WG Heimlich | Total | |
| 2004 | 6 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 16 seats |
(as at municipal election held on 13 June 2004)
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: Sable, issuant from base sinister a demi-lion Or armed, langued and crowned gules, holding in his gambe dexter a key argent reversed palewise.
The village’s oldest known seal dates from 1537 and shows this same composition.
Regular events
- On Ascension Day or Father's DayFather's DayFather's Day is a celebration honoring fathers and celebrating fatherhood, paternal bonds, and the influence of fathers in society. Many countries celebrate it on the third Sunday of June but it is also celebrated widely on other days...
, the Cycle Path Festival (Radwegefest) is held. - The Wine Festival is held in Selzen in mid June.
- On the second weekend in September, the kermis (church consecration festival, locally known as the Kerb) is held.
- Every year on the 4th day in Advent, the men’s singing club and the band perform under the Christmas tree in the community core.
- Every December, the church parishes together with the neighbouring municipality of HahnheimHahnheimHahnheim is an Ortsgemeinde – a municipality belonging to a Verbandsgemeinde, a kind of collective municipality – in the Mainz-Bingen district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany.-Location:Hahnheim lies between Mainz and Worms on the river Selz...
stage the activity Unser Dorf, ein Adventskalender (“Our Village, an Advent Calendar”). Within its framework, a symbolic window opening takes place each evening along with the reading of a Christmas story, a singalong and a drink.
Transport
- The municipality is crossed by the L 425LandesstraßeLandesstraßen are roads in Germany and Austria that are, as a rule, the responsibility of the respective German or Austrian federal state. The term may therefore be translated as "state road". They are roads that cross the boundary of a rural or urban district...
state road. BundesstraßeBundesstraßeBundesstraße , abbreviated B, is the denotation for German and Austrian national highways.-Germany:...
420 lies 2 km to the south. The Autobahn A 63Bundesautobahn 63is an autobahn in southwestern Germany. It connects the Mainz area to Kaiserslautern and the A 6 and is therefore an important connection between the Rhine/Main and the Saar areas...
can be reached by car in roughly 10 minutes. - There are bus links to Mainz, AlzeyAlzeyAlzey is a Verband-free town – one belonging to no Verbandsgemeinde – in the Alzey-Worms district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is the fourth-largest town in Rhenish Hesse, after Mainz, Worms, and Bingen....
and OppenheimOppenheimOppenheim is a town in the Mainz-Bingen district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. The town is well known as a wine town, the site of the German Winegrowing Museum and particularly for the wines from the Oppenheimer Krötenbrunnen vineyards.- Location :...
.