Winnen
Encyclopedia
Winnen is an Ortsgemeinde – a community belonging to a Verbandsgemeinde
– in the Westerwaldkreis
in Rhineland-Palatinate
, Germany
.
on the Wiesensee
(lake). Since 1972 it has belonged to what was then the newly founded Verbandsgemeinde of Westerburg
, a kind of collective municipality. Its seat is in the like-named town
.
The north of the community’s municipal area includes the southern part of the 80 ha Wiesensee, which can be reached from the community in a few minutes. The "Wiesensee" holiday and recreation
area offers not only lake scenery (with hiking
around the lake), but also opportunities to engage in sporting activities (bathing
, sailing
, surfing
, angling
, golf
at an 18-hole course
with hotel
facilities).
Just south of the community, where since autumn 2007 the Westerwaldsteig (hiking trail) has run, the land falls away into the Elbbach valley and opens onto a unique view over the popular valley area towards the highest elevations in the Taunus
.
in a municipal election on 13 June 2004.
twig is symbolic of the outdoor court, the Stuhllindengericht Winnen, which was responsible for nine tithing areas, for which the nine linden leaves stand, into the 17th century. The court’s jurisdiction finds reference in the balance.
The heraldic animal charge
, the lion with its tongue out, stands for the many years in which the community was ruled by the Nassau Counts, Nassau-Orange or the Duchy of Nassau, which is also shown in the tincture
s, gold and blue, which were also Nassau’s.
The red field tincture recalls the Westerburg Counts, who were Winnen’s overlords for a long time. Likewise the blue field tincture recalls this.
celebrated its 100-year jubilee.
club) is made up of seven active table tennis teams, three women’s and two children’s gymnastics
groups, one men’s gymnastics group, and one recreational football team. It currently has roughly 300 members.
54, leading from Limburg an der Lahn
to Siegen
. The nearest Autobahn interchange
is Montabaur
on the A 3 (Cologne
–Frankfurt). The nearest InterCityExpress
stop is the railway station at Montabaur on the Cologne-Frankfurt high-speed rail line.
Verbandsgemeinde
A Verbandsgemeinde is an administrative unit in the German Bundesländer of Rhineland-Palatinate and Saxony-Anhalt.-Rhineland-Palatinate:...
– in the Westerwaldkreis
Westerwaldkreis
The Westerwaldkreis is a district in the east of Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany...
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
Winnen lies 4 km west of WesterburgWesterburg
Westerburg is a small town of roughly 6,000 inhabitants in the Westerwaldkreis in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. The town is named after the castle built on a hill above the mediaeval town centre -Location:...
on the Wiesensee
Wiesensee
The Wiesensee is an artificial lake, dammed up in 1971, in the Westerwald low mountain range. The lake covers about 80 hectares and lies in the area of Stahlhofen am Wiesensee's various centres on the lake's west shore, and Pottum on the north shore in the Westerwaldkreis. The community of Winnen...
(lake). Since 1972 it has belonged to what was then the newly founded Verbandsgemeinde of Westerburg
Westerburg (Verbandsgemeinde)
Westerburg is a Verbandsgemeinde in the district Westerwaldkreis, in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. The seat of the Verbandsgemeinde is in Westerburg....
, a kind of collective municipality. Its seat is in the like-named town
Westerburg
Westerburg is a small town of roughly 6,000 inhabitants in the Westerwaldkreis in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. The town is named after the castle built on a hill above the mediaeval town centre -Location:...
.
The north of the community’s municipal area includes the southern part of the 80 ha Wiesensee, which can be reached from the community in a few minutes. The "Wiesensee" holiday and recreation
Recreation
Recreation is an activity of leisure, leisure being discretionary time. The "need to do something for recreation" is an essential element of human biology and psychology. Recreational activities are often done for enjoyment, amusement, or pleasure and are considered to be "fun"...
area offers not only lake scenery (with 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...
around the lake), but also opportunities to engage in sporting activities (bathing
Bathing
Bathing is the washing or cleansing of the body in a fluid, usually water or an aqueous solution. It may be practised for personal hygiene, religious ritual or therapeutic purposes or as a recreational activity....
, sailing
Sailing
Sailing is the propulsion of a vehicle and the control of its movement with large foils called sails. By changing the rigging, rudder, and sometimes the keel or centre board, a sailor manages the force of the wind on the sails in order to move the boat relative to its surrounding medium and...
, surfing
Surfing
Surfing' is a surface water sport in which the surfer rides a surfboard on the crest and face of a wave which is carrying the surfer towards the shore...
, angling
Angling
Angling is a method of fishing by means of an "angle" . The hook is usually attached to a fishing line and the line is often attached to a fishing rod. Fishing rods are usually fitted with a fishing reel that functions as a mechanism for storing, retrieving and paying out the line. The hook itself...
, golf
Golf
Golf is a precision club and ball sport, in which competing players use many types of clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a golf course using the fewest number of strokes....
at an 18-hole course
Golf course
A golf course comprises a series of holes, each consisting of a teeing ground, fairway, rough and other hazards, and a green with a flagstick and cup, all designed for the game of golf. A standard round of golf consists of playing 18 holes, thus most golf courses have this number of holes...
with hotel
Hotel
A hotel is an establishment that provides paid lodging on a short-term basis. The provision of basic accommodation, in times past, consisting only of a room with a bed, a cupboard, a small table and a washstand has largely been replaced by rooms with modern facilities, including en-suite bathrooms...
facilities).
Just south of the community, where since autumn 2007 the Westerwaldsteig (hiking trail) has run, the land falls away into the Elbbach valley and opens onto a unique view over the popular valley area towards the highest elevations in the Taunus
Taunus
The Taunus is a low mountain range in Hesse, Germany that composes part of the Rhenish Slate Mountains. It is bounded by the river valleys of Rhine, Main and Lahn. On the opposite side of the Rhine, the mountains are continued by the Hunsrück...
.
Community council
The council is made up of 6 council members, including the extraofficial mayor (Bürgermeister), who were elected in a 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...
in a municipal election on 13 June 2004.
Coat of arms
The lindenTilia
Tilia is a genus of about 30 species of trees native throughout most of the temperate Northern Hemisphere. The greatest species diversity is found in Asia, and the genus also occurs in Europe and eastern North America, but not western North America...
twig is symbolic of the outdoor court, the Stuhllindengericht Winnen, which was responsible for nine tithing areas, for which the nine linden leaves stand, into the 17th century. The court’s jurisdiction finds reference in the balance.
The heraldic animal 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...
, the lion with its tongue out, stands for the many years in which the community was ruled by the Nassau Counts, Nassau-Orange or the Duchy of Nassau, which is also shown in 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, gold and blue, which were also Nassau’s.
The red field tincture recalls the Westerburg Counts, who were Winnen’s overlords for a long time. Likewise the blue field tincture recalls this.
Music
The Konkordia Winnen men’s singing club takes part in many village and church events. In 2008, the choirChoir
A choir, chorale or chorus is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform.A body of singers who perform together as a group is called a choir or chorus...
celebrated its 100-year jubilee.
Sport
The TTC Winnen 70 e.V. (table tennisTable tennis
Table tennis, also known as ping-pong, is a sport in which two or four players hit a lightweight, hollow ball back and forth using table tennis rackets. The game takes place on a hard table divided by a net...
club) is made up of seven active table tennis teams, three women’s and two children’s gymnastics
Gymnastics
Gymnastics is a sport involving performance of exercises requiring physical strength, flexibility, agility, coordination, and balance. Internationally, all of the gymnastic sports are governed by the Fédération Internationale de Gymnastique with each country having its own national governing body...
groups, one men’s gymnastics group, and one recreational football team. It currently has roughly 300 members.
Transport
East of the community runs BundesstraßeBundesstraße
Bundesstraße , abbreviated B, is the denotation for German and Austrian national highways.-Germany:...
54, leading from Limburg an der Lahn
Limburg an der Lahn
Limburg an der Lahn is the district seat of Limburg-Weilburg in Hesse, Germany.-Location:Limburg lies in western Hesse between the Taunus and the Westerwald on the river Lahn....
to Siegen
Siegen
Siegen is a city in Germany, in the south Westphalian part of North Rhine-Westphalia.It is located in the district of Siegen-Wittgenstein in the Arnsberg region...
. The nearest Autobahn interchange
Interchange (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...
is Montabaur
Montabaur
Montabaur is a town and the district seat of the Westerwaldkreis in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. At the same time, it is also the administrative centre of the Verbandsgemeinde of Montabaur – a kind of collective municipality – to which 24 other communities belong...
on the A 3 (Cologne
Cologne
Cologne is Germany's fourth-largest city , and is the largest city both in the Germany Federal State of North Rhine-Westphalia and within the Rhine-Ruhr Metropolitan Area, one of the major European metropolitan areas with more than ten million inhabitants.Cologne is located on both sides of the...
–Frankfurt). The nearest InterCityExpress
InterCityExpress
The Intercity-Express or ICE is a system of high-speed trains predominantly running in Germany and neighbouring countries. It is the highest service category offered by DB Fernverkehr and is the flagship of Deutsche Bahn...
stop is the railway station at Montabaur on the Cologne-Frankfurt high-speed rail line.