Trechtingshausen
Encyclopedia
Trechtingshausen is an Ortsgemeinde – a municipality
belonging to a Verbandsgemeinde
, a kind of collective municipality – in the Mainz-Bingen
district in Rhineland-Palatinate
, Germany
.
The winegrowing centre belongs to the Verbandsgemeinde of Rhein-Nahe
, whose seat is in Bingen am Rhein
, although that town is not within its bounds. Since 2003, Trechtingshausen has been part of the Rhine Gorge
UNESCO
World Heritage Site
.
and Bingen right in the upper Rhine Gorge. It is found on the northeast slope of the Bingen Forest (Binger Wald). Near Trechtingshausen the Morgenbach empties into the Rhine.
’s Castrum
”) in Roman
times.
In Frankish
times, Trechtingshausen belonged to the lower Nahegau (a county). Row graves from this time have been unearthed by building work. At the time of the municipality’s first documentary mention in 1122, its name was given as Drodingishusen, and then in 1135 Drohtenhusen, in 1328 Dreieckshusen and in 1335 Drechlingshusen.
From the 1135 documents comes the information that Trechtingshausen in the “parish of Saint Clement” was under the ownership of Kornelimünster Abbey
near Aachen
. Because it was so far away, the monastery appointed knights (Vögte
) as bailiff
s and protectors. They had their seat at Reichenstein Castle
. Over time, though, the knights sank into turpitude, becoming nothing more than robbers.
On 6 September 1270, the Cornelimünster Monastery sold the whole parish of Saint Clement to the Cathedral Chapter at Mainz and St. Maria ad Gradus, also at Mainz. The robber knights, though, kept to their nefarious ways until Emperor Rudolph I
destroyed Reichenstein Castle in 1282 and had the robber knights put to death near Saint Clement’s Chapel (Clemenskapelle).
In 1290, Dietrich von Hohenfels unlawfully sold the rebuilt castle and Trechtingshausen to the mighty Count Palatine Louis II, Duke of Bavaria
(“Louis the Strict”). Disagreements between Mainz and the Count Palatine were not worked out until 1344; Trechtingshausen and Reichenstein Castle passed for good to Mainz. Trechtingshausen and Niederheimbach became a collective municipality and were assigned to the Amt of Bingen. Each municipality had a Schultheiß
(roughly “reeve”). The Oberschultheiß (roughly “sheriff”) had his seat in Niederheimbach
. The Dingtage – the “moots” – were held beneath Sooneck Castle
, where also stood the gallows
. The Thirty Years' War
brought much sorrow and wretchedness upon Trechtingshausen. Thirty-five houses were burnt down. The Plague beset the village for several years.
For about 500 years Trechtingshausen belonged to Mainz and had its Amt seat in Bingen. After the occupation of the Rhine’s left bank by French Revolution
ary troops, the ecclesiastical princes were stripped of their holdings and with the introduction of French
administration, Trechtingshausen was assigned to the mairie of Niederheimbach.
After the War of the Sixth Coalition
, Trechtingshausen remained with the mayoralty of Niederheimbach in St. Goar district in the Rhine Province
.
In 1938 the village passed to the Amt of Bacharach, on 1 October 1968 to the Verbandsgemeinde of Bacharach and on 8 November 1970 to the Verbandsgemeinde of Rhein-Nahe
in the Mainz-Bingen
district, to which the municipality has belonged since 9 June 1969.
Source.
(as at municipal election held on 13 June 2004)
might be described thus: Per fess in chief per pale gules a wheel spoked of six argent and argent an anchor sable per bend sinister, in base water proper, therein three open boats of the second.
.
A business known far beyond Trechtingshausen’s limits is the stoneworks, which quarries quartzitic
greywacke
from a strip mine and processes it. The strip mine’s roots go back to the 17th century. Since 1963, the quarry
has been owned by the de Beijer family. Its location near the Rhine and the railway line affords it good links to international transport routes. Among other things, the quarry’s products are used to maintain and expand coastal protection in the Netherlands
.
Moreover, tourism
is an important income earner for the municipality.
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...
.
The winegrowing centre belongs to the Verbandsgemeinde of Rhein-Nahe
Rhein-Nahe
Rhein-Nahe is a Verbandsgemeinde in the district Mainz-Bingen, in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is situated along the left bank of the Rhine, north of Bingen...
, whose seat is in Bingen am Rhein
Bingen am Rhein
Bingen am Rhein is a town in the Mainz-Bingen district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany.The settlement’s original name was Bingium, a Celtic word that may have meant “hole in the rock”, a description of the shoal behind the Mäuseturm, known as the Binger Loch. Bingen was the starting point for the...
, although that town is not within its bounds. Since 2003, Trechtingshausen has been part of the Rhine Gorge
Rhine Gorge
The Rhine Gorge is a popular name for the Upper Middle Rhine Valley, a 65 km section of the River Rhine between Koblenz and Bingen in Germany...
UNESCO
UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations...
World Heritage Site
World Heritage Site
A UNESCO World Heritage Site is a place that is listed by the UNESCO as of special cultural or physical significance...
.
Location
Trechtingshausen lies between KoblenzKoblenz
Koblenz is a German city situated on both banks of the Rhine at its confluence with the Moselle, where the Deutsches Eck and its monument are situated.As Koblenz was one of the military posts established by Drusus about 8 BC, the...
and Bingen right in the upper Rhine Gorge. It is found on the northeast slope of the Bingen Forest (Binger Wald). Near Trechtingshausen the Morgenbach empties into the Rhine.
History
The Chronicler told of the Castrum Trajani (“TrajanTrajan
Trajan , was Roman Emperor from 98 to 117 AD. Born into a non-patrician family in the province of Hispania Baetica, in Spain Trajan rose to prominence during the reign of emperor Domitian. Serving as a legatus legionis in Hispania Tarraconensis, in Spain, in 89 Trajan supported the emperor against...
’s Castrum
Castra
The Latin word castra, with its singular castrum, was used by the ancient Romans to mean buildings or plots of land reserved to or constructed for use as a military defensive position. The word appears in both Oscan and Umbrian as well as in Latin. It may have descended from Indo-European to Italic...
”) in 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.
In 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, Trechtingshausen belonged to the lower Nahegau (a county). Row graves from this time have been unearthed by building work. At the time of the municipality’s first documentary mention in 1122, its name was given as Drodingishusen, and then in 1135 Drohtenhusen, in 1328 Dreieckshusen and in 1335 Drechlingshusen.
From the 1135 documents comes the information that Trechtingshausen in the “parish of Saint Clement” was under the ownership of Kornelimünster Abbey
Kornelimünster Abbey
Kornelimünster Abbey is a Benedictine monastery in Kornelimünster, since 1972 a part of Aachen , in North Rhine-Westphalia in Germany.- First foundation :...
near Aachen
Aachen
Aachen has historically been a spa town in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Aachen was a favoured residence of Charlemagne, and the place of coronation of the Kings of Germany. Geographically, Aachen is the westernmost town of Germany, located along its borders with Belgium and the Netherlands, ...
. Because it was so far away, the monastery appointed knights (Vögte
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...
) as bailiff
Bailiff
A bailiff is a governor or custodian ; a legal officer to whom some degree of authority, care or jurisdiction is committed...
s and protectors. They had their seat at Reichenstein Castle
Burg Reichenstein (Rhein)
The Burg Reichenstein is a castle near the town of Trechtingshausen in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany.-Sources and external links:*...
. Over time, though, the knights sank into turpitude, becoming nothing more than robbers.
On 6 September 1270, the Cornelimünster Monastery sold the whole parish of Saint Clement to the Cathedral Chapter at Mainz and St. Maria ad Gradus, also at Mainz. The robber knights, though, kept to their nefarious ways until Emperor Rudolph I
Rudolph I of Germany
Rudolph I was King of the Romans from 1273 until his death. He played a vital role in raising the Habsburg dynasty to a leading position among the Imperial feudal dynasties...
destroyed Reichenstein Castle in 1282 and had the robber knights put to death near Saint Clement’s Chapel (Clemenskapelle).
In 1290, Dietrich von Hohenfels unlawfully sold the rebuilt castle and Trechtingshausen to the mighty Count Palatine Louis II, Duke of Bavaria
Louis II, Duke of Bavaria
Duke Louis II of Bavaria was Duke of Bavaria and Count Palatine of the Rhine from 1253. Born in Heidelberg, he was a son of duke Otto II and Agnes of the Palatinate...
(“Louis the Strict”). Disagreements between Mainz and the Count Palatine were not worked out until 1344; Trechtingshausen and Reichenstein Castle passed for good to Mainz. Trechtingshausen and Niederheimbach became a collective municipality and were assigned to the Amt of Bingen. Each municipality had a Schultheiß
Schultheiß
In medieval Germany, the Schultheiß was the head of a municipality , a Vogt or an executive official of the ruler.As official it was...
(roughly “reeve”). The Oberschultheiß (roughly “sheriff”) had his seat in Niederheimbach
Niederheimbach
Niederheimbach is an Ortsgemeinde – a municipality belonging to a Verbandsgemeinde, a kind of collective municipality – in the Mainz-Bingen district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany....
. The Dingtage – the “moots” – were held beneath Sooneck Castle
Burg Sooneck
Burg Sooneck is a castle in the upper middle valley of the Rhine, in the Mainz-Bingen district of Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany...
, where also stood the gallows
Gallows
A gallows is a frame, typically wooden, used for execution by hanging, or by means to torture before execution, as was used when being hanged, drawn and quartered...
. The Thirty Years' War
Thirty Years' War
The Thirty Years' War was fought primarily in what is now Germany, and at various points involved most countries in Europe. It was one of the most destructive conflicts in European history....
brought much sorrow and wretchedness upon Trechtingshausen. Thirty-five houses were burnt down. The Plague beset the village for several years.
For about 500 years Trechtingshausen belonged to Mainz and had its Amt seat in Bingen. After the occupation of the Rhine’s left bank by French Revolution
French Revolution
The French Revolution , sometimes distinguished as the 'Great French Revolution' , was a period of radical social and political upheaval in France and Europe. The absolute monarchy that had ruled France for centuries collapsed in three years...
ary troops, the ecclesiastical princes were stripped of their holdings and with the introduction of 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...
administration, Trechtingshausen was assigned to the mairie of Niederheimbach.
After the War of the Sixth Coalition
War of the Sixth Coalition
In the War of the Sixth Coalition , a coalition of Austria, Prussia, Russia, the United Kingdom, Portugal, Sweden, Spain and a number of German States finally defeated France and drove Napoleon Bonaparte into exile on Elba. After Napoleon's disastrous invasion of Russia, the continental powers...
, Trechtingshausen remained with the mayoralty of Niederheimbach in St. Goar district in the Rhine Province
Rhine Province
The Rhine Province , also known as Rhenish Prussia or synonymous to the Rhineland , was the westernmost province of the Kingdom of Prussia and the Free State of Prussia, within the German Reich, from 1822-1946. It was created from the provinces of the Lower Rhine and Jülich-Cleves-Berg...
.
In 1938 the village passed to the Amt of Bacharach, on 1 October 1968 to the Verbandsgemeinde of Bacharach and on 8 November 1970 to the Verbandsgemeinde of Rhein-Nahe
Rhein-Nahe
Rhein-Nahe is a Verbandsgemeinde in the district Mainz-Bingen, in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is situated along the left bank of the Rhine, north of Bingen...
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, to which the municipality has belonged since 9 June 1969.
Source.
Municipal 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... |
CDU | Total | |
| 2004 | 9 | 7 | 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: Per fess in chief per pale gules a wheel spoked of six argent and argent an anchor sable per bend sinister, in base water proper, therein three open boats of the second.
Buildings
- Above Trechtingshausen is found Reichenstein CastleBurg Reichenstein (Rhein)The Burg Reichenstein is a castle near the town of Trechtingshausen in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany.-Sources and external links:*...
(Burg Reichenstein).
Regular events
- Rhein in FlammenRhein in FlammenRhein in Flammen is the name of five different firework displays along the river Rhine in Germany. The displays take place annually, at various locations along the river. On the five different dates, brightly illuminated ships sail the river in an evening convoy for their passengers to see the...
on the first Saturday in July: Ship tour along the Middle Rhine from Trechtingshausen to Rüdesheim am Rhein with firework displays at Reichenstein Castle, Burg RheinsteinBurg RheinsteinThe Burg Rheinstein is a castle near the town of Trechtingshausen in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany.-History:The castle was constructed in about 1316/1317. Rheinstein Castle was important for its strategic location. By 1344, the castle was in decline. By the time of the Palatine war of succession,...
, AssmannshausenAssmannshausenAssmannshausen is, since the incorporation in 1977, a quarter of Rüdesheim am Rhein in the Rheingau, located on the Rhine in the state of Hesse, Germany. The village has a lithium spring, spa and a Kurhaus, and is famed for its red wine made from Pinot noir , which resembles red Burgundy wine...
, the Mouse TowerMouse TowerThe Mouse Tower is a stone tower on a small island in the Rhine, outside Bingen am Rhein, Germany. The Romans were the first to build a structure on this site. It later became part of Franconia, and it fell and had to be rebuilt many times....
, Ehrenfels Castle ruinsBurg Ehrenfels (Hessen)Ehrenfels Castle is a ruined castle above the Rhine Gorge near the town of Rüdesheim am Rhein in Hesse, Germany. It is located on the steep eastern bank of the river amid extended vineyards...
, Bingen am RheinBingen am RheinBingen am Rhein is a town in the Mainz-Bingen district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany.The settlement’s original name was Bingium, a Celtic word that may have meant “hole in the rock”, a description of the shoal behind the Mäuseturm, known as the Binger Loch. Bingen was the starting point for the...
with Klopp CastleKlopp CastleKlopp Castle is a castle in the town of Bingen am Rhein in the Upper Middle Rhine Valley in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. In the nineteenth century, the bergfried or keep from the original medieval fortified castle was restored and a new building added which houses the town's...
and the Brömserburg. - Feuerwehrfest (“Fire Brigade Festival”) staged by the Trechtingshausen Volunteer Fire Brigade on the last weekend in June (Friday-Sunday).
- Tal Total on the last Sunday in June; for this event, BundesstraßeBundesstraßeBundesstraße , abbreviated B, is the denotation for German and Austrian national highways.-Germany:...
9 is closed to all motorized traffic between Bingen and Koblenz.
Economy and infrastructure
Trechtingshausen is characterized economically by winegrowing and miningMining
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...
.
A business known far beyond Trechtingshausen’s limits is the stoneworks, which quarries quartzitic
Quartzite
Quartzite is a hard metamorphic rock which was originally sandstone. Sandstone is converted into quartzite through heating and pressure usually related to tectonic compression within orogenic belts. Pure quartzite is usually white to gray, though quartzites often occur in various shades of pink...
greywacke
Greywacke
Greywacke or Graywacke is a variety of sandstone generally characterized by its hardness, dark color, and poorly sorted angular grains of quartz, feldspar, and small rock fragments or lithic fragments set in a compact, clay-fine matrix. It is a texturally immature sedimentary rock generally found...
from a strip mine and processes it. The strip mine’s roots go back to the 17th century. Since 1963, the quarry
Quarry
A quarry is a type of open-pit mine from which rock or minerals are extracted. Quarries are generally used for extracting building materials, such as dimension stone, construction aggregate, riprap, sand, and gravel. They are often collocated with concrete and asphalt plants due to the requirement...
has been owned by the de Beijer family. Its location near the Rhine and the railway line affords it good links to international transport routes. Among other things, the quarry’s products are used to maintain and expand coastal protection in the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
.
Moreover, tourism
Tourism
Tourism is travel for recreational, leisure or business purposes. The World Tourism Organization defines tourists as people "traveling to and staying in places outside their usual environment for not more than one consecutive year for leisure, business and other purposes".Tourism has become a...
is an important income earner for the municipality.
Transport
- Right through the municipality runs BundesstraßeBundesstraßeBundesstraße , abbreviated B, is the denotation for German and Austrian national highways.-Germany:...
9 linking Mainz to Koblenz. - The Autobahnen A 60 and A 61Bundesautobahn 61is an autobahn in Germany that connects the border to the Netherlands near Venlo in the northwest to the interchange with A 6 near Hockenheim. In 1965, this required a re-design of the Hockenheimring....
can be reached through the Bingen Mitte interchangeInterchange (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...
about 11 km away. - Trechtingshausen railway station lies on the Mainz-Koblenz line.