Burgwindheim
Encyclopedia
Burgwindheim is a community with market rights in the west of the Upper Franconia
n district of Bamberg
and a member of the administrative community (Verwaltungsgemeinschaft) of Ebrach.
in the Steigerwald (forest). It is found between Ebrach
in the west and Burgebrach
in the east, on the Mittlere Ebrach.
past yield the name? The leaping greyhound
(a Wendish symbol) in the coat of arms
might offer a clue.
The community had its first documentary mention in 1140. It is believed to have been settled at the time of the Frankish
taking of the land.
In 1278, the knight Ludewig von Windeheim bequeathed his estate to the Cistercian Monastery
at Ebrach.
In 1363, Burgwindheim was granted market rights by Emperor Karl IV
, making it the Steigerwald’s oldest market.
Since the Reichsdeputationshauptschluss of 1803, the community has belonged to Bavaria
. Direct Imperial authority over the Monastery at Ebrach was only recognized once Secularization
had taken place, meaning that its property, unlike the Würzburg High Monastery’s belongings, never passed temporarily to the Archduke Ferdinand of Tuscany
, but remained with Bavaria.
In the course of administrative reform, the communities of Kötsch, Untersteinach and Unterweiler were amalgamated with Burgwindheim in 1972. The ten – or eleven – constituent communities are listed here with their population figures:
The community also has four traditional rural land units, known in German
as Gemarkungen, named Kötsch, Untersteinach, Unterweiler and Burgwindheim, the same names as four of the constituent communities (it is traditional for a Gemarkung to be named after a town or village lying nearby).
The community council is made up of 12 members, listed here by party or voter community affiliation, and also with the number of seats that each holds:
In 1999, municipal tax revenue, converted to euro
s, amounted to €616,000 of which business taxes (net) amounted to €157,000.
none. In other areas, 45 workers on the social welfare contribution rolls were employed, and 461 such workers worked from home. In processing businesses there was one business, and in construction two, and furthermore, in 1999, there were 64 agricultural operations with a working area of 1 404 ha, of which 914 ha was cropland and 489 ha was meadowland.
procession in 1465 made Burgwindheim into a pilgrimage
place.
The Monstrance
happened on an altar “without outside help and without the wind’s influence”. The Host bread
fell to the ground. The priest could not free it from the ground, even with all his strength. A wooden shed was built to keep watch on the bread. The convent at Ebrach prepared itself in an eight-day prayer to lift the bread up again. It was managed, and the Abbot of Ebrach brought the Host back into the parish church again. The event was regarded as a miracle
, and only two years later arose a chapel to the “Holy Blood”. The number of pilgrims rose when in 1625 a spring sprang up, which was soon said to be miraculous.
– is mentioned in a poem entitled simply A Poemhttp://www.petevincent.com/apoem.html, whose authorship is unclear. However, it is likely by either Terry Jones
or Michael Palin
, since it does appear in a book that they wrote together, Bert Fegg's Nasty Book for Boys and Girls
. The poem itself uses only one rhyme, and both communities’ names happen to fit the rhyme.
Upper Franconia
Upper Franconia is a Regierungsbezirk of the state of Bavaria, southern Germany. It forms part of the historically significant region of Franconia , all now part of the German Federal State of Bayern .With more than 200 independent breweries which brew...
n district of Bamberg
Bamberg (district)
Bamberg Land is a district in Bavaria, Germany. It surrounds but does not include the town of Bamberg. The district is bounded by the districts of Lichtenfels, Bayreuth, Forchheim, Erlangen-Höchstadt, Neustadt -Bad Windsheim, Kitzingen, Schweinfurt and Haßberge.- History :The history of the...
and a member of the administrative community (Verwaltungsgemeinschaft) of Ebrach.
Geography
Burgwindheim lies westsouthwest of BambergBamberg
Bamberg is a city in Bavaria, Germany. It is located in Upper Franconia on the river Regnitz, close to its confluence with the river Main. Bamberg is one of the few cities in Germany that was not destroyed by World War II bombings because of a nearby Artillery Factory that prevented planes from...
in the Steigerwald (forest). It is found between Ebrach
Ebrach
Ebrach is a community with market rights in the Upper Franconian district of Bamberg and the seat of the administrative community of Ebrach.-Etymology:...
in the west and Burgebrach
Burgebrach
Burgebrach is a market town in the Upper Franconian district of Bamberg and the seat of the administrative community of Burgebrach.-Geography:...
in the east, on the Mittlere Ebrach.
History
The name’s meaning is unclear. Could it have something to do with an early settler named “Wind”, or does the community’s WendishWendish
Wendish may refer to:* the Sorbian languages used by the Slavs* the Wends, a Slav people of Northern Europe...
past yield the name? The leaping greyhound
Greyhound
The Greyhound is a breed of sighthound that has been primarily bred for coursing game and racing, and the breed has also recently seen a resurgence in its popularity as a pedigree show dog and family pet. It is a gentle and intelligent breed...
(a Wendish symbol) in the coat of 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 offer a clue.
The community had its first documentary mention in 1140. It is believed to have been settled at the time of the 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...
taking of the land.
In 1278, the knight Ludewig von Windeheim bequeathed his estate to the Cistercian Monastery
Monastery
Monastery denotes the building, or complex of buildings, that houses a room reserved for prayer as well as the domestic quarters and workplace of monastics, whether monks or nuns, and whether living in community or alone .Monasteries may vary greatly in size – a small dwelling accommodating only...
at Ebrach.
In 1363, Burgwindheim was granted market rights by Emperor Karl IV
Charles IV, Holy Roman Emperor
Charles IV , born Wenceslaus , was the second king of Bohemia from the House of Luxembourg, and the first king of Bohemia to also become Holy Roman Emperor....
, making it the Steigerwald’s oldest market.
Since the Reichsdeputationshauptschluss of 1803, the community has belonged to Bavaria
Bavaria
Bavaria, formally the Free State of Bavaria is a state of Germany, located in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the largest state by area, forming almost 20% of the total land area of Germany...
. Direct Imperial authority over the Monastery at Ebrach was only recognized once Secularization
Secularization
Secularization is the transformation of a society from close identification with religious values and institutions toward non-religious values and secular institutions...
had taken place, meaning that its property, unlike the Würzburg High Monastery’s belongings, never passed temporarily to the Archduke Ferdinand of Tuscany
Ferdinand III, Grand Duke of Tuscany
Ferdinand III, Grand Duke of Tuscany was Grand Duke of Tuscany from 1790 to 1801 and, after a period of disenfranchisement, again from 1814 to 1824. He was also the Prince-elector and Grand Duke of Salzburg and Grand Duke of Würzburg .-Biography:Ferdinand was born in Florence, Tuscany, into the...
, but remained with Bavaria.
In the course of administrative reform, the communities of Kötsch, Untersteinach and Unterweiler were amalgamated with Burgwindheim in 1972. The ten – or eleven – constituent communities are listed here with their population figures:
- Burgwindheim 799
- Kappel 65
- Kehlingsdorf 48
- Kötsch 101
- Mendenmühle 2 (counted demographically as part of Untersteinach)
- Mittelsteinach 88
- Obersteinach 7
- Oberweiler 68
- Schrappach 55
- Untersteinach 127 (with Mendenmühle)
- Unterweiler 60
The community also has four traditional rural land units, known in German
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
as Gemarkungen, named Kötsch, Untersteinach, Unterweiler and Burgwindheim, the same names as four of the constituent communities (it is traditional for a Gemarkung to be named after a town or village lying nearby).
Population development
Within municipal limits, 1,375 inhabitants were counted in 1970, 1,350 in 1987 and 1,445 in 2000. In 2007 it was 1,423.Politics
The mayor is Heinrich Thaler (CSU). In 2002 he became Erhard Werner’s (CUW) successor.The community council is made up of 12 members, listed here by party or voter community affiliation, and also with the number of seats that each holds:
- CSUChristian Social Union of BavariaThe Christian Social Union in Bavaria is a Christian democratic and conservative political party in Germany. It operates only in the state of Bavaria, while its sister party, the Christian Democratic Union , operates in the other 15 states of Germany...
6 - Christlich Unabhängige Wählergemeinschaft 4
- Bürgerblock 2
In 1999, municipal tax revenue, converted to euro
Euro
The euro is the official currency of the eurozone: 17 of the 27 member states of the European Union. It is also the currency used by the Institutions of the European Union. The eurozone consists of Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg,...
s, amounted to €616,000 of which business taxes (net) amounted to €157,000.
Coat of arms
Burgwindheim’s arms might heraldically be described thus: Argent a greyhound salient sable crowned Or with a collar of the same.Economy and infrastructure
According to official statistics, there were 616 workers on the social welfare contribution rolls working in producing businesses in 1998, and in trade and transportTransport
Transport or transportation is the movement of people, cattle, animals and goods from one location to another. Modes of transport include air, rail, road, water, cable, pipeline, and space. The field can be divided into infrastructure, vehicles, and operations...
none. In other areas, 45 workers on the social welfare contribution rolls were employed, and 461 such workers worked from home. In processing businesses there was one business, and in construction two, and furthermore, in 1999, there were 64 agricultural operations with a working area of 1 404 ha, of which 914 ha was cropland and 489 ha was meadowland.
Education
In 1999, the following institutions existed in Burgwindheim:- 50 kindergartenKindergartenA 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...
places with 53 children - Primary school with 6 teachers and 144 pupils
The Miracle of the Host
A wonder that happened at the Corpus ChristiCorpus Christi (feast)
Corpus Christi is a Latin Rite solemnity, now designated the solemnity of The Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ . It is also celebrated in some Anglican, Lutheran and Old Catholic Churches. Like Trinity Sunday and the Solemnity of Christ the King, it does not commemorate a particular event in...
procession in 1465 made Burgwindheim into a pilgrimage
Pilgrimage
A pilgrimage is a journey or search of great moral or spiritual significance. Typically, it is a journey to a shrine or other location of importance to a person's beliefs and faith...
place.
The Monstrance
Monstrance
A monstrance is the vessel used in the Roman Catholic, Old Catholic, and Anglican churches to display the consecrated Eucharistic host, during Eucharistic adoration or Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament. Created in the medieval period for the public display of relics, the monstrance today is...
happened on an altar “without outside help and without the wind’s influence”. The Host bread
Transubstantiation
In Roman Catholic theology, transubstantiation means the change, in the Eucharist, of the substance of wheat bread and grape wine into the substance of the Body and Blood, respectively, of Jesus, while all that is accessible to the senses remains as before.The Eastern Orthodox...
fell to the ground. The priest could not free it from the ground, even with all his strength. A wooden shed was built to keep watch on the bread. The convent at Ebrach prepared itself in an eight-day prayer to lift the bread up again. It was managed, and the Abbot of Ebrach brought the Host back into the parish church again. The event was regarded as a miracle
Miracle
A miracle often denotes an event attributed to divine intervention. Alternatively, it may be an event attributed to a miracle worker, saint, or religious leader. A miracle is sometimes thought of as a perceptible interruption of the laws of nature. Others suggest that a god may work with the laws...
, and only two years later arose a chapel to the “Holy Blood”. The number of pilgrims rose when in 1625 a spring sprang up, which was soon said to be miraculous.
Burgwindheim in popular culture
Burgwindheim, along with one other community in the Bamberg district – GundelsheimGundelsheim, Bavaria
Gundelsheim is a community in the Upper Franconian district of Bamberg.-Geography:Gundelsheim lies in the Upper Franconia-West region and is found roughly seven kilometres north of Bamberg at the Kreuz Bamberg, a cloverleaf interchange between the Autobahnen A 70 and A 73.The community has one of...
– is mentioned in a poem entitled simply A Poemhttp://www.petevincent.com/apoem.html, whose authorship is unclear. However, it is likely by either Terry Jones
Terry Jones
Terence Graham Parry Jones is a Welsh comedian, screenwriter, actor, film director, children's author, popular historian, political commentator, and TV documentary host. He is best known as a member of the Monty Python comedy team....
or Michael Palin
Michael Palin
Michael Edward Palin, CBE FRGS is an English comedian, actor, writer and television presenter best known for being one of the members of the comedy group Monty Python and for his travel documentaries....
, since it does appear in a book that they wrote together, Bert Fegg's Nasty Book for Boys and Girls
Bert Fegg's Nasty Book for Boys and Girls
Bert Fegg's Nasty Book For Boys And Girls is a humorous book first published by Methuen in 1974 which purports to have been written by a psychopathic character, Dr. Fegg. In fact, the book is the work of Terry Jones and Michael Palin, who adapted a range of material from scripts written for the...
. The poem itself uses only one rhyme, and both communities’ names happen to fit the rhyme.