Sommerkahl
Encyclopedia
Sommerkahl is a community in the Aschaffenburg district
in the Regierungsbezirk
of Lower Franconia
(Unterfranken) in Bavaria
, Germany
and a member of the Verwaltungsgemeinschaft (Administrative Community) of Schöllkrippen.
(as at municipal election held on 3 March 2002)
The two tools, the hammer and pick
, stand for the miners who worked at copper
and iron
mining, industries confirmed as having existed in the municipal area by 1542. The mining works, however, were shut down in 1922, and the shutdown is symbolized by the tools being upside down (“reversed”; this charge
, quite common in German mining towns’ arms, is usually shown with the tools’ heads uppermost). The wavy fess (horizontal stripe) stands for the community’s location on the river Kahl. The oakleaf refers to the Spessart, which is thickly wooded with oaks. Sommerkahl was an Electoral Mainz
holding from 982 to 1803; the tincture
s gules and argent (red and silver) were Mainz’s colours.
The arms were conferred on 7 February 1972.
, and the German national footballer Heiko Westermann
, who currently plays for Hamburger SV
.
Aschaffenburg (district)
Aschaffenburg is a district in Bavaria, Germany. It is bounded by the districts of Darmstadt-Dieburg, Offenbach, Main-Kinzig , the districts Main-Spessart and Miltenberg, and the town of Aschaffenburg....
in the Regierungsbezirk
Regierungsbezirk
In Germany, a Government District, in German: Regierungsbezirk – is a subdivision of certain federal states .They are above the Kreise, Landkreise, and kreisfreie Städte...
of Lower Franconia
Lower Franconia
Lower Franconia is one of the three administrative regions of Franconia in Bavaria , Germany ....
(Unterfranken) in Bavaria
Bavaria
Bavaria, formally the Free State of Bavaria is a state of Germany, located in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the largest state by area, forming almost 20% of the total land area of Germany...
, 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...
and a member of the Verwaltungsgemeinschaft (Administrative Community) of Schöllkrippen.
Community council
The council is made up of 13 council members, counting the parttime mayor.| CSU Christian Social Union of Bavaria The Christian Social Union in Bavaria is a Christian democratic and conservative political party in Germany. It operates only in the state of Bavaria, while its sister party, the Christian Democratic Union , operates in the other 15 states of Germany... |
SPD Social Democratic Party of Germany The Social Democratic Party of Germany is a social-democratic political party in Germany... |
FWG | Total | |
| 2002 | 6 | 4 | 3 | 13 seats |
(as at municipal election held on 3 March 2002)
Coat of arms
The community’s code of arms might be described in the following way: Gules a fess wavy at the nombril point above which a hammer and pick in saltire reversed argent, in base an oakleaf in fess Or, the stem towards dexter.The two tools, the hammer and pick
Hammer and pick
The hammer and pick is a symbol representing the industrialised working classes, similar to the more famous hammer and sickle. It was used in the flag of the Marxist People's Republic of Congo between 1970 and 1991....
, stand for the miners who worked at copper
Copper
Copper is a chemical element with the symbol Cu and atomic number 29. It is a ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity. Pure copper is soft and malleable; an exposed surface has a reddish-orange tarnish...
and iron
Iron
Iron is a chemical element with the symbol Fe and atomic number 26. It is a metal in the first transition series. It is the most common element forming the planet Earth as a whole, forming much of Earth's outer and inner core. It is the fourth most common element in the Earth's crust...
mining, industries confirmed as having existed in the municipal area by 1542. The mining works, however, were shut down in 1922, and the shutdown is symbolized by the tools being upside down (“reversed”; this 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...
, quite common in German mining towns’ arms, is usually shown with the tools’ heads uppermost). The wavy fess (horizontal stripe) stands for the community’s location on the river Kahl. The oakleaf refers to the Spessart, which is thickly wooded with oaks. Sommerkahl was an Electoral Mainz
Archbishopric of Mainz
The Archbishopric of Mainz or Electorate of Mainz was an influential ecclesiastic and secular prince-bishopric in the Holy Roman Empire between 780–82 and 1802. In the Roman Catholic Church hierarchy, the Archbishop of Mainz was the primas Germaniae, the substitute of the Pope north of the Alps...
holding from 982 to 1803; 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 gules and argent (red and silver) were Mainz’s colours.
The arms were conferred on 7 February 1972.
Buildings
- Catholic parish church
- Town Hall
- Grube Wilhelmine, a former coppermine. From 1542 to 1922, copper was mined here, first on the surface, and then beginning in 1871 underground. The mine may be visited upon notification.
Sons and daughters of the town
From Sommerkahl come the Berglöwe (“Mountain Lion”, “Cougar”) Herbert Stenger, a champion hillclimberHillclimbing
Hillclimbing is a branch of motorsport in which drivers compete against the clock to complete an uphill course....
, and the German national footballer Heiko Westermann
Heiko Westermann
Heiko Westermann is a German footballer who plays as defender for Hamburger SV and the German national team. Westermann is known for his good all-round abilities and goal scoring...
, who currently plays for Hamburger SV
Hamburger SV
Hamburger Sport-Verein, usually referred to as HSV in Germany and Hamburg in international parlance, is a German multi-sport club based in Hamburg, its largest branch being its football department...
.