Urbar, Rhein-Hunsrück
Encyclopedia
Urbar is an Ortsgemeinde – a municipality
belonging to a Verbandsgemeinde
, a kind of collective municipality – in the Rhein-Hunsrück-Kreis (district
) in Rhineland-Palatinate
, Germany
. It belongs to the Verbandsgemeinde of Sankt Goar-Oberwesel
, whose seat is in the town of Oberwesel
. From 1974 to 1999, Urbar was a Stadtteil of Oberwesel
; however, with effect from 13 June 1999, it once more became a self-administering municipality.
, where it faces the Rhine, between Sankt Goar
and Oberwesel
, and across the river from the Loreley
, a prominent rock on the Rhine that figures in German legend.
’s Church in Oberwesel, and thereafter to Saint Martin’s
Church. In 1246, Urbar had its first documentary mention. Beginning in 1312, the administrative region of Oberwesel passed to the Electorate of Trier, which kept Urbar’s then current relationship with Saint Martin’s Church. The municipality acted independently – as did the region’s other municipalities – but nevertheless had to be mindful of its duties within the region of Oberwesel. In 1336, the villagers managed to finish a chapel
, and a vicar was assigned as a curate. The agreements laid down in writing between Urbar and Oberwesel (Saint Martin’s) show that the partner municipality of Urbar had independence that was exercised under a policy of quid pro quo
. It is, however, worth pointing out that from Oberwesel’s point of view there was then hardly any interest in amalgamating the much smaller Urbar, for such a merger would have been a very uneven one.
Beginning in 1794, Urbar lay under French
rule. In 1798, it was assigned to the canton of St. Goar. In 1815 it was assigned to the Kingdom of Prussia
at the Congress of Vienna
and in 1816 to the Bürgermeisterei (“Mayoralty”) of Sankt Goar-Land. With administrative restructuring in 1945, Urbar’s ties with Sankt Goar remained in place and the municipality was grouped into the Amtsverband of Sankt Goar.
Efforts to bring about a reorientation of Urbar’s municipal administration towards Oberwesel rather than Sankt Goar led on 21 December 1973 to a written endorsement by the regulatory body. The resolution from the government of the now defunct Regierungsbezirk
of Koblenz set forth the amalgamation of Urbar with the town of Oberwesel. This decision provoked controversy among the inhabitants, and sometimes even within families. This centred around worries that the town might assume a paternalistic attitude towards the village, that funds might not be fairly apportioned under such an arrangement, and that as an outlying centre, the decision-making powers might not take Urbar’s needs into due consideration. Against this, however, the small municipality’s financial weakness had to be acknowledged. What those who backed the proposed amalgamation feared was that roadbuilding work and building zone developments would otherwise be hindered. In the amalgamation agreement of 13/14 December 1973, all municipal facilities and institutions in Urbar were transferred to the town of Oberwesel.
After the amalgamation came about, there was dissatisfaction with the way things were turning out; many of the problems that the merger was supposed to solve were not alleviated. Efforts then began to reverse the amalgamation and split Urbar away from the town of Oberwesel so that it could once more be a self-administering municipality. These finally met with success in 1999. In the decree dealing with this matter from the Rhein-Hunsrück-Kreis district administration (for by this time, Rhineland-Palatinate’s Regierungsbezirke had been dissolved), with effect from 13 June 1999, signed by District Chairman (Landrat) Fleck and dated 25 February 1999, the following conditions were set forth for Urbar:
The above-named municipal facilities and institutions that were transferred to the town of Oberwesel in the 1973 amalgamation agreement were reassumed by Urbar. However, the now fully self-administering municipality also had to assume a debtload of some DM 850,000 from the town of Oberwesel.
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: Per pale to sinister azure a demicross couped at the line of partition enhanced gules and edged Or below which a bunch of grapes of the third, and per pale argent and azure an ear of wheat couped of the third.
The composition with the halved red cross and the tincture
s azure-argent-azure (blue-silver-blue) is a reference to the village’s former allegiance to the Electorate of Trier, and to the House of Leyen, who had income rights in Urbar. The two charge
s, the bunch of grapes and the ear of wheat, stand for Urbar’s economic structure, which is based on winegrowing and agriculture
.
’s Directory of Cultural Monuments:
In the Loreleyblick Maria Ruh, Urbar has one of the most outstanding views over the Rhine Gorge
.
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 Rhein-Hunsrück-Kreis (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...
. It belongs to the Verbandsgemeinde of Sankt Goar-Oberwesel
Sankt Goar-Oberwesel
Sankt Goar-Oberwesel is a Verbandsgemeinde in the Rhein-Hunsrück district, in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is situated on the left bank of the Rhine, approx. 30 km southeast of Koblenz...
, whose seat is in the town of Oberwesel
Oberwesel
Oberwesel is a town on the Middle Rhine in the Rhein-Hunsrück-Kreis in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It belongs to the Verbandsgemeinde of Sankt Goar-Oberwesel, whose seat is in the town.-Location:...
. From 1974 to 1999, Urbar was a Stadtteil of Oberwesel
Oberwesel
Oberwesel is a town on the Middle Rhine in the Rhein-Hunsrück-Kreis in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It belongs to the Verbandsgemeinde of Sankt Goar-Oberwesel, whose seat is in the town.-Location:...
; however, with effect from 13 June 1999, it once more became a self-administering municipality.
Location
The municipality lies near the edge of the HunsrückHunsrück
The Hunsrück is a low mountain range in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is bounded by the river valleys of the Moselle , the Nahe , and the Rhine . The Hunsrück is continued by the Taunus mountains on the eastern side of the Rhine. In the north behind the Moselle it is continued by the Eifel...
, where it faces the Rhine, between Sankt Goar
Sankt Goar
Sankt Goar is a town on the left bank of the Middle Rhine in the Rhein-Hunsrück-Kreis in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It belongs to the Verbandsgemeinde of Sankt Goar-Oberwesel, whose seat is in the town of Oberwesel....
and Oberwesel
Oberwesel
Oberwesel is a town on the Middle Rhine in the Rhein-Hunsrück-Kreis in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It belongs to the Verbandsgemeinde of Sankt Goar-Oberwesel, whose seat is in the town.-Location:...
, and across the river from the Loreley
Lorelei
The Lorelei is a rock on the eastern bank of the Rhine near St. Goarshausen, Germany, which soars some 120 metres above the waterline. It marks the narrowest part of the river between Switzerland and the North Sea. A very strong current and rocks below the waterline have caused many boat...
, a prominent rock on the Rhine that figures in German legend.
History
The village, which might well have arisen in the 11th century, was until the fateful year 1974 a self-administering municipality. Until 1219, it was subject to Saint MauriceSaint Maurice
Saint Maurice was the leader of the legendary Roman Theban Legion in the 3rd century, and one of the favorite and most widely venerated saints of that group. He was the patron saint of several professions, locales, and kingdoms...
’s Church in Oberwesel, and thereafter to Saint Martin’s
Martin of Tours
Martin of Tours was a Bishop of Tours whose shrine became a famous stopping-point for pilgrims on the road to Santiago de Compostela. Around his name much legendary material accrued, and he has become one of the most familiar and recognizable Christian saints...
Church. In 1246, Urbar had its first documentary mention. Beginning in 1312, the administrative region of Oberwesel passed to the Electorate of Trier, which kept Urbar’s then current relationship with Saint Martin’s Church. The municipality acted independently – as did the region’s other municipalities – but nevertheless had to be mindful of its duties within the region of Oberwesel. In 1336, the villagers managed to finish a 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,...
, and a vicar was assigned as a curate. The agreements laid down in writing between Urbar and Oberwesel (Saint Martin’s) show that the partner municipality of Urbar had independence that was exercised under a policy of quid pro quo
Quid pro quo
Quid pro quo most often means a more-or-less equal exchange or substitution of goods or services. English speakers often use the term to mean "a favour for a favour" and the phrases with almost identical meaning include: "give and take", "tit for tat", "this for that", and "you scratch my back,...
. It is, however, worth pointing out that from Oberwesel’s point of view there was then hardly any interest in amalgamating the much smaller Urbar, for such a merger would have been a very uneven one.
Beginning in 1794, Urbar 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 1798, it was assigned to the canton of St. Goar. 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,...
and in 1816 to the Bürgermeisterei (“Mayoralty”) of Sankt Goar-Land. With administrative restructuring in 1945, Urbar’s ties with Sankt Goar remained in place and the municipality was grouped into the Amtsverband of Sankt Goar.
Efforts to bring about a reorientation of Urbar’s municipal administration towards Oberwesel rather than Sankt Goar led on 21 December 1973 to a written endorsement by the regulatory body. The resolution from the government of the now defunct 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 Koblenz set forth the amalgamation of Urbar with the town of Oberwesel. This decision provoked controversy among the inhabitants, and sometimes even within families. This centred around worries that the town might assume a paternalistic attitude towards the village, that funds might not be fairly apportioned under such an arrangement, and that as an outlying centre, the decision-making powers might not take Urbar’s needs into due consideration. Against this, however, the small municipality’s financial weakness had to be acknowledged. What those who backed the proposed amalgamation feared was that roadbuilding work and building zone developments would otherwise be hindered. In the amalgamation agreement of 13/14 December 1973, all municipal facilities and institutions in Urbar were transferred to the town of Oberwesel.
After the amalgamation came about, there was dissatisfaction with the way things were turning out; many of the problems that the merger was supposed to solve were not alleviated. Efforts then began to reverse the amalgamation and split Urbar away from the town of Oberwesel so that it could once more be a self-administering municipality. These finally met with success in 1999. In the decree dealing with this matter from the Rhein-Hunsrück-Kreis district administration (for by this time, Rhineland-Palatinate’s Regierungsbezirke had been dissolved), with effect from 13 June 1999, signed by District Chairman (Landrat) Fleck and dated 25 February 1999, the following conditions were set forth for Urbar:
- Deamalgamation for reasons of the common welfare;
- Formation of the Ortsgemeinde of Urbar;
- The assets within the locality’s territory, including debts and obligations, to be transferred to the new Ortsgemeinde;
- Municipal rights to be secured quickly for Urbar;
- A directive for municipal council and mayoral elections, with polling day on 13 June 1999;
- In charge of the regulatory body: Oberamtsrat M. Parma, office leader of the Verbandsgemeinde administration in Oberwesel.
The above-named municipal facilities and institutions that were transferred to the town of Oberwesel in the 1973 amalgamation agreement were reassumed by Urbar. However, the now fully self-administering municipality also had to assume a debtload of some DM 850,000 from the town of Oberwesel.
Municipal council
The council is made up of 12 council members, who were elected by majority votePlurality voting system
The plurality voting system is a single-winner voting system often used to elect executive officers or to elect members of a legislative assembly which is based on single-member constituencies...
at the municipal election held on 7 June 2009, and the honorary mayor as chairman.
Coat of arms
The German blazon reads: Blau, durch ein halbes goldenes Hochkreuz nach rechts, bedeckt mit einem halben roten Hochkreuz und einen silbernen Pfahl links zweimal gespalten, rechts im unteren blauen Feld eine goldene Traube, links in der blauen Flanke eine goldene Ähre.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: Per pale to sinister azure a demicross couped at the line of partition enhanced gules and edged Or below which a bunch of grapes of the third, and per pale argent and azure an ear of wheat couped of the third.
The composition with the halved red cross and 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 azure-argent-azure (blue-silver-blue) is a reference to the village’s former allegiance to the Electorate of Trier, and to the House of Leyen, who had income rights in Urbar. The two 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...
s, the bunch of grapes and the ear of wheat, stand for Urbar’s economic structure, which is based on winegrowing and agriculture
Agriculture
Agriculture is the cultivation of animals, plants, fungi and other life forms for food, fiber, and other products used to sustain life. Agriculture was the key implement in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that nurtured the...
.
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:
- Saint Anthony’s Catholic Church (branch church; Filialkirche St. Antonius), Rheingoldstraße – BaroqueBaroque architectureBaroque 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...
tower, conversion 1891, nave 1954-1957 - Graveyard – graveyard cross, grave cross, marked 1815
- Rheingoldstraße 35 – 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...
Quereinhaus (a combination residential and commercial house divided for these two purposes down the middle, perpendicularly to the street), partly solid, 19th century - Weinstraße 2a – bakehouse; plastered quarrystone building, 1837
- Near Weinstraße 2a – fountain, basaltBasaltBasalt is a common extrusive volcanic rock. It is usually grey to black and fine-grained due to rapid cooling of lava at the surface of a planet. It may be porphyritic containing larger crystals in a fine matrix, or vesicular, or frothy scoria. Unweathered basalt is black or grey...
-block, marked 1822
In the Loreleyblick Maria Ruh, Urbar has one of the most outstanding views over 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...
.