Brockscheid
Encyclopedia
Brockscheid is an Ortsgemeinde – a municipality
belonging to a Verbandsgemeinde
, a kind of collective municipality – in the Vulkaneifel district
in Rhineland-Palatinate
, Germany
. It belongs to the Verbandsgemeinde of Daun
, whose seat is in the like-named town
.
, a part of the Eifel
known for its volcanic history, geographical and geological features, and even ongoing activity today, including gases that sometimes well up from the earth.
the proclamation of Christ’s teaching in Broxsceith (Brockscheid) and Texscith (Tettscheid). Brockscheid was very small at this time, and indeed until 1654, there were only five hearths in the village. Even so, Brockscheid was not without a place of worship, with a church being mentioned as early as 1238. The parish of Brockscheid came to include Udler
and Tettscheid in 1804, an arrangement that still stands today. In 1862, the Magi
were cast aside as the village’s patrons, with their place taken by Saint Ursula
.
Also bound with the village’s history is the old, now ruined, castle, Burg Freudenstein, whose remnants can still be seen in the woods. There does not seem to have been any official link between this castle and the village, however. The castle was mentioned about 1340 as belonging to the Counts of Luxembourg
, although Brockscheid itself was within the Electoral-Trier Amt of Daun.
In 1840, a new industry cropped up in Brockscheid that brought the municipality some measure of fame. August Mark founded a foundry where bells were poured, and indeed the industry continues today with two such foundries in the municipality.
The municipality’s arms
might in English heraldic
language be described thus: A bar embattled enhanced sable, above which argent three crowns in fess gules, and below which Or a bell of the third.
The bar embattled (that is, the narrow horizontal stripe with the upper edge resembling battlements on a castle wall) stands for the now ruined castle, Burg Freudenstein, found within Brockscheid’s municipal limits. The three crowns stand for the Magi
, who until 1862 were the village’s patrons. The tincture
s argent and gules (silver and red) refer to the village’s former status as a municipality within the Electoral-Trier Amt of Daun. Below the bar, the tinctures are Or and gules (gold and red), which were those borne by the old Lords of Daun in their arms. These lords had patronage rights at the local church. The bell stands for the bellfounder’s profession, which began in Brockscheid in 1840 and continues today.
The arms have been borne since 12 November 1987.
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 Vulkaneifel 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 Daun
Daun (Verbandsgemeinde)
Daun is a collective municipality in the Vulkaneifel district of Rhineland-Palatinate. The seat of the Daun Verbandsgemeinde is in the municipality of Daun.- Constituent municipalities:# Betteldorf# Bleckhausen# Brockscheid...
, whose seat is in the like-named town
Daun, Germany
Daun is a town in the Vulkaneifel district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is the district seat and also the seat of the Verbandsgemeinde of Daun.- Location :...
.
Location
The municipality lies in the VulkaneifelVulkan Eifel
The Vulkan Eifel is a region in the Eifel Mountains in Germany, that is defined to a large extent by its volcanic geological history. Characteristic of the Vulkan Eifel are its typical explosion crater lakes or maars, and numerous other signs of volcanic activity such as volcanic tuffs, lava...
, a part of the Eifel
Eifel
The Eifel is a low mountain range in western Germany and eastern Belgium. It occupies parts of southwestern North Rhine-Westphalia, northwestern Rhineland-Palatinate and the south of the German-speaking Community of Belgium....
known for its volcanic history, geographical and geological features, and even ongoing activity today, including gases that sometimes well up from the earth.
History
On 9 June 1161, Brockscheid had its first documentary mention when Pope Victor IV approved for the Abbey of EchternachAbbey of Echternach
The Abbey of Echternach is a Benedictine monastery in the town of Echternach, in eastern Luxembourg. The Abbey was founded by St Willibrord, the patron saint of Luxembourg, in the seventh century...
the proclamation of Christ’s teaching in Broxsceith (Brockscheid) and Texscith (Tettscheid). Brockscheid was very small at this time, and indeed until 1654, there were only five hearths in the village. Even so, Brockscheid was not without a place of worship, with a church being mentioned as early as 1238. The parish of Brockscheid came to include Udler
Udler
Udler is an Ortsgemeinde – a municipality belonging to a Verbandsgemeinde, a kind of collective municipality – in the Vulkaneifel district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany...
and Tettscheid in 1804, an arrangement that still stands today. In 1862, the Magi
Biblical Magi
The Magi Greek: μάγοι, magoi), also referred to as the Wise Men, Kings, Astrologers, or Kings from the East, were a group of distinguished foreigners who were said to have visited Jesus after his birth, bearing gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh...
were cast aside as the village’s patrons, with their place taken by Saint Ursula
Saint Ursula
Saint Ursula is a British Christian saint. Her feast day in the extraordinary form calendar of the Catholic Church is October 21...
.
Also bound with the village’s history is the old, now ruined, castle, Burg Freudenstein, whose remnants can still be seen in the woods. There does not seem to have been any official link between this castle and the village, however. The castle was mentioned about 1340 as belonging to the Counts of Luxembourg
County, Duchy and Grand Duchy of Luxembourg
The County, later Duchy of Luxembourg was a state of the Holy Roman Empire, the ancestral homeland of the noble House of Luxembourg.-History:...
, although Brockscheid itself was within the Electoral-Trier Amt of Daun.
In 1840, a new industry cropped up in Brockscheid that brought the municipality some measure of fame. August Mark founded a foundry where bells were poured, and indeed the industry continues today with two such foundries in the municipality.
Municipal council
The council is made up of 6 council members, who were elected at the municipal election held on 7 June 2009, and the honorary mayor as chairman.Mayor
Brockscheid’s mayor is Lothar Schneider. His first and second deputies are Heinz Günther Mark and Helmut Römer respectively.Coat of arms
The German blazon reads: Durch schwarze, oben gezinnte Leiste geteilt, oben in Silber drei rote Kronen balkenweise, unten in Gold eine rote Glocke.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: A bar embattled enhanced sable, above which argent three crowns in fess gules, and below which Or a bell of the third.
The bar embattled (that is, the narrow horizontal stripe with the upper edge resembling battlements on a castle wall) stands for the now ruined castle, Burg Freudenstein, found within Brockscheid’s municipal limits. The three crowns stand for the Magi
Biblical Magi
The Magi Greek: μάγοι, magoi), also referred to as the Wise Men, Kings, Astrologers, or Kings from the East, were a group of distinguished foreigners who were said to have visited Jesus after his birth, bearing gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh...
, who until 1862 were the village’s patrons. 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 argent and gules (silver and red) refer to the village’s former status as a municipality within the Electoral-Trier Amt of Daun. Below the bar, the tinctures are Or and gules (gold and red), which were those borne by the old Lords of Daun in their arms. These lords had patronage rights at the local church. The bell stands for the bellfounder’s profession, which began in Brockscheid in 1840 and continues today.
The arms have been borne since 12 November 1987.
Archaeological monuments
Halfway towards the Lieser valley, the foundations of the so-called Geisenburg can be made out. This castle was originally known as the Freudenburg.Buildings
- Saint UrsulaSaint UrsulaSaint Ursula is a British Christian saint. Her feast day in the extraordinary form calendar of the Catholic Church is October 21...
’s Catholic Parish Church, Am Kirchplatz 5, mediaevalMiddle AgesThe Middle Ages is a periodization of European history from the 5th century to the 15th century. The Middle Ages follows the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 and precedes the Early Modern Era. It is the middle period of a three-period division of Western history: Classic, Medieval and Modern...
quire tower, made taller in the 18th century, tent roof from 1843, in the churchyard a sandstoneSandstoneSandstone is a sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized minerals or rock grains.Most sandstone is composed of quartz and/or feldspar because these are the most common minerals in the Earth's crust. Like sand, sandstone may be any colour, but the most common colours are tan, brown, yellow,...
shaft cross from the 18th century - Glockenstraße 39 – stately Quereinhaus (a combination residential and commercial house divided for these two purposes down the middle, perpendicularly to the street) apparently from 1816