Tiefenbach, Rhineland-Palatinate
Encyclopedia
History
Tiefenbach’s early history is linked with the Wildburg (castleCastle
A castle is a type of fortified structure built in Europe and the Middle East during the Middle Ages by European nobility. Scholars debate the scope of the word castle, but usually consider it to be the private fortified residence of a lord or noble...
), which had its first documentary mention in 1253. Later, Tiefenbach, which lay at the northern foot of the Soonwald, was part of Palatinate-Simmern
Palatinate-Simmern
Palatinate-Simmern was one of the collateral lines of the Palatinate line of the House of Wittelsbach.The Palatinate line of the House of Wittelsbach was divided into four lines after the death of Rupert III in 1410, including the line of Palatinate-Simmern with its capital in Simmern. This line...
, which in 1556 introduced the Reformation
Protestant Reformation
The Protestant Reformation was a 16th-century split within Western Christianity initiated by Martin Luther, John Calvin and other early Protestants. The efforts of the self-described "reformers", who objected to the doctrines, rituals and ecclesiastical structure of the Roman Catholic Church, led...
. In 1673, the village passed to Electoral Palatinate. Beginning in 1794, Tiefenbach lay 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. In 1815 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,...
. In 1912, a Catholic chapel
Chapel
A 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,...
was built. After the First World War, the village was once again occupied by the French for a time. In the 1930s, the local ore mine, “Märkerei”, was shut down. Since 1946, Tiefenbach 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 ....
. In 1961, the Evangelical
Evangelical Church in Germany
The 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 was built.
In 1921, Tiefenbach was linked to the railway network, complete with a station. This line, running between Simmern and Gemünden
Gemünden, Rhein-Hunsrück
Gemünden is an Ortsgemeinde – a municipality belonging to a Verbandsgemeinde, a kind of collective municipality – in the Rhein-Hunsrück-Kreis in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany...
, was abandoned in 1963; by 1965, all the tracks had been torn up. Until 2006, there was still a viaduct
Viaduct
A viaduct is a bridge composed of several small spans. The term viaduct is derived from the Latin via for road and ducere to lead something. However, the Ancient Romans did not use that term per se; it is a modern derivation from an analogy with aqueduct. Like the Roman aqueducts, many early...
on the former line, but this had by then fallen into such disrepair that it was decided to demolish it with explosives. The old railway embankment northeast of Tiefenbach has, however, been preserved. The last road underpass on this embankment was demolished in 2009.
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.
The municipal election held on 7 June 2009 yielded the following results:
| FWG Tiefenbach | WG Vogler | other | Total | |
| 2009 | 8 | 4 | - | 12 seats |
| 2004 | - | - | 12 | 12 seats |
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: A closet and an endorse, couped at the upper end at the closet, Or between, in dexter, sable an arming buckle argent and in sinister sable a lion rampant of the first armed and langued gules, in chief bendy lozengy of the third and azure with a hammer and pick per saltire to dexter of the second.
The top of the escutcheon bears the “bendy lozengy” pattern (that is, slanted diamonds) once also borne by Electoral Palatinate. This is 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 a 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....
, which stand for the 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
Mining
Mining is the extraction of valuable minerals or other geological materials from the earth, from an ore body, vein or seam. The term also includes the removal of soil. Materials recovered by mining include base metals, precious metals, iron, uranium, coal, diamonds, limestone, oil shale, rock...
formerly done here. The Palatine Lion on the sinister (armsbearer’s left, viewer’s right) side is likewise a reference to the village’s former allegiance to Electoral Palatinate. The silver buckle on the dexter (armsbearer’s right, viewer’s left) side stands for the Barons of Schmidtburg, waldgrave
Waldgrave
The noble family of the Waldgraves or Wildgraves descended of a division of the House of the Counts of Nahegau in the year 1113....
s who had several holdings in the village.
The arms have been borne since 22 September 1980.
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:
- Hauptstraße – bakehouse (Duhle Backes), one-floor plastered building, 19th century
- Hauptstraße 9 – 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...
house, partly solid or slated, 19th century - Hauptstraße 10 – timber-frame house, half-hipped roof, first third of the 19th century
- Hauptstraße 28 – estate complex along the street; timber-frame, partly solid or slated, latter half of the 19th century, timber-frame barn, partly solid, late 19th century
Tiefenbach also has two churches, a Madonna
Madonna (art)
Images of the Madonna and the Madonna and Child or Virgin and Child are pictorial or sculptured representations of Mary, Mother of Jesus, either alone, or more frequently, with the infant Jesus. These images are central icons of Roman Catholicism and Eastern Orthodox Christianity where Mary remains...
figure standing on the slope, an old ore mine and the Wildburg (castle
Castle
A castle is a type of fortified structure built in Europe and the Middle East during the Middle Ages by European nobility. Scholars debate the scope of the word castle, but usually consider it to be the private fortified residence of a lord or noble...
).
Village life
The Wildburghalle was built in 1988 as a multipurpose hall. Several clubs, among them the sport club, a motor sport club and the volunteer fire brigade, shape social and cultural life in the village. Also, there is an EvangelicalEvangelical Church in Germany
The 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...
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...
.
Tourism
The SchinderhannesSchinderhannes
Johannes Bückler , nicknamed Schinderhannes, was a German outlaw who orchestrated one of the most fascinating crime sprees in German history. He was born at Miehlen, the son of Johann and Anna Maria Bückler. He began an apprenticeship to a tanner, but turned to petty theft. At 16 he was arrested...
-Soonwald-Radweg (cycle path) from Gemünden to Simmern runs through the village. Farther away is the newly blazed Soonwaldsteig hiking
Hiking
Hiking is an outdoor activity which consists of walking in natural environments, often in mountainous or other scenic terrain. People often hike on hiking trails. It is such a popular activity that there are numerous hiking organizations worldwide. The health benefits of different types of hiking...
trail.
Further reading
- Fritz Schellack, „Chronik Tiefenbach“, Gerausgeber: Ortsgemeinde Tiefenbach, Böhmer Druck Service, Tiefenbach/Simmern 2007