Gerolstein
Encyclopedia
Gerolstein is a town in the Vulkaneifel district in Rhineland-Palatinate
, Germany
. It is the seat of the like-named Verbandsgemeinde
. Gerolstein is headquarters to a large mineral water
firm, Gerolsteiner Brunnen
. The town is also a climatic spa (Luftkurort).
in the Vulkaneifel
, 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.
there is evidence of human habitation in the Buchenloch, a nearby cave. In the Bronze Age
, the Dietzenley was used by the Celts as a flight castle. From Roman
times, a temple and dwellings are known, and remnants are preserved.
Town rights were granted Gerolstein in 1337. In 1691, the town was almost utterly destroyed when it was liberated from French
occupation by troops from the Duchy of Jülich
. After reconstruction, there was a devastating fire that burnt the town down in 1708; another, likewise disastrous, came in 1784. In the 1801 Treaty of Lunéville
, Gerolstein, along with all areas on the Rhine’s left bank, passed to France
, and were only returned to German control in 1815. Count Sternberg-Manderscheid acquired in the 1803 Reichsdeputationshauptschluss as the landholder, among other things, the holdings formerly belonging to the monasteries at Weissenau and Schussenried in Upper Swabia
to offset his loss of Blankenheim, Jünkerath
, Gerolstein and Dollendorf. It is known that water from the spring
that had once been used by the Celts and the Romans
was being bottled and sold beginning in 1724. This still forms the basis for today’s mineral water
industry in Gerolstein. Late in the Second World War, in 1944 and 1945, Gerolstein’s status as a railway junction town brought Allied
air raids down on the town, and 80% of it was destroyed. Town rights were granted Gerolstein once again in 1953.
flows in a great bow round the mighty dolomite
and basalt
massif that juts from the west eastwards. The valley narrows and there is only enough room here for the railway line, a field road and the river itself. The road finds its way to Gerolstein over the Bewinger Höhe (heights), thus somewhat shortening the way to the nearby middle centre
. The local lie of the land was brought about by the local volcanic activity, which created two volcanic peaks, the Kasselburgmassiv with the Burlich and the Hahn (“Cock
”) on the Kyll’s west bank, and the Rockeskyller Kopf on the east, whose volcanic minerals and deposits of lava
, ash
and cinders from the Quaternary
narrow the river valley.
The placename ending —ingen points to early Frankish
settlement. Bewingen had its first documentary mention in 1218 as a holding of the monastery and church of Niederehe. From that mention, it is known that the Brothers Theoderich, Alexander and Albero from Castle Kerpen established an endowment for the Premonstratensian
nuns here in the years between 1162 and 1175. The next documentary mention came in 1282, when “Gerhard VI of Blankenheim” acquired lands, among others Steffeln, Niederbettingen and Bewingen. In the Middle Ages
, the lords at Kasselburg (castle) and those at Castle Gerhardstein (Gerolstein) held lands and tithing rights in the village. In the time of French
rule, beginning in 1794, Bewingen was assigned to the Mairie (“Mayoralty”) of Rockeskyll
, and the village remained within the Bürgermeisterei (also “Mayoralty”) of Rockeskyll on into Prussia
n times. The formerly self-administering municipality of Bewingen was amalgamated with the town of Gerolstein in 1969.
One of the verifiably oldest buildings is the small chapel consecrated to Saint Brice, which underwent repairs in 1744 and 1745. Its Late Gothic
quire suggests that there was an earlier church here, built perhaps about 1500.
In 1501, the hereditary estate of Eich (Niedereich) belonged to the County of Gerolstein. On 13 May 1661, the hereditary estate was divided into Niedereich and Obereich.
When the French
occupied the Eifel
in the 18th century, the Counts lost all their holdings. After the French were driven out, the Eifel became Prussia
n. In 1815, the Prussian government changed Obereich’s name to Büscheich.
, to which belong the municipalities of Berlingen
, Birresborn
, Densborn
, Duppach
, Hohenfels-Essingen
, Kalenborn-Scheuern
, Kopp
, Mürlenbach
, Neroth
, Pelm
, Rockeskyll
and Salm
.
at the municipal election held on 7 June 2009, and the mayor as chairman.
The municipal election held on 7 June 2009 yielded the following results:
might be described thus: Or a lion rampant sable armed and langued gules surmounted at the shoulder by a label of five points of the last.
The town’s arms are actually those formerly borne by the Counts of Gerolstein-Blankenheim, the former landholders. The composition is known from 1567 when it appeared in a seal used by the town’s Schöffen (roughly “lay jurists”). The town has borne these arms since about 1890, but no official approval to do so is known to have been issued.
, Saône-et-Loire
, France
since 1987 Gilze en Rijen
, North Brabant
, Netherlands
called Papenkaule, the Buchenloch, a 36-metre-long karst
cave that served as a dwelling for Stone Age
people, the Mühlsteinhöhlen (“millstone caves”) or Eishöhlen (“ice caves”) near Roth, a natural history museum and a district local history museum. A walk leads to the Gerolsteiner Dolomiten, a Devonian
limestone reef formed by extinct Rugosa
, Tabulata
and Stromatoporoids
with the Hustley, the Munterley and the Auberg. They dominate the town’s appearance, looming 100 m above the valley.
. The oldest parts of the building come from 1280, although the castle had already been mentioned in documents by 1212. Unlike most castles in the Eifel
, it was not destroyed. In 1559 it was divided into an upper and lower castle. The lower castle is used as an event and cultural venue.
Erlöserkirche (“Church of the Redeemer”) was built between 1907 and 1913 by Franz Schwechten
(the same architect who designed, among other things, Berlin
’s Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church
), and was consecrated on 15 October 1913. The inside is decorated with broad, gold mosaics, round arches and a commanding cupola.
lordly seat – villa rustica
. They were unearthed in the course of preparatory work for building the Church of the Redeemer in 1907. The remnants have been dated to the first century AD. The Kirchenbauverein Berlin (“Berlin Church-Building Association”), which also built the Church of the Redeemer, dug the finds up: foundations and a hypocaust
can now be viewed in a protective building.
worship site. It lies above Gerolstein on the Hustley, a part of the Gerolsteiner Dolomiten.
The Roman Marcus Victorius Pellentius had this temple complex built in AD 124. The wall remnants measure roughly 63 by 46 metres. Within this ringwall, foundations of many buildings, among which are two temples, are preserved. One temple was dedicated to Hercules
while the other was dedicated to the Celtic goddess Caiva. In 1927 and 1928, remnants of the temple complex were excavated.
–Euskirchen
–Gerolstein–Trier
), which is served by the following local passenger services:
In Gerolstein, the historical Eifelquerbahn (“Cross-Eifel Railway”) branches off, leading by way of Daun
to Kaisersesch
and on to Andernach
, as does the Westeifelbahn leading by way of Prüm
to Sankt Vith (until 1918 in the German Empire
, nowadays in Belgium
).
For all local public transport, three tariff systems apply: the Verkehrsverbund Region Trier (VRT), the Verkehrsverbund Rhein-Sieg, and for journeys crossing tariff zones, the NRW-Tarif.
, a subject of Jacques Offenbach
's opéra bouffe la Grande-Duchesse de Gérolstein
(The Grand Duchess of Gerolstein).
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 is the seat of the like-named Verbandsgemeinde
Gerolstein (Verbandsgemeinde)
Gerolstein is a Verbandsgemeinde in the district Vulkaneifel, in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. The seat of the Verbandsgemeinde is in Gerolstein....
. Gerolstein is headquarters to a large mineral water
Mineral water
Mineral water is water containing minerals or other dissolved substances that alter its taste or give it therapeutic value, generally obtained from a naturally occurring mineral spring or source. Dissolved substances in the water may include various salts and sulfur compounds...
firm, Gerolsteiner Brunnen
Gerolsteiner Brunnen
Gerolsteiner Brunnen GmbH & Co. KG is a leading German mineral water firm with its seat in Gerolstein in the Eifel mountains. It is well-known for its Gerolsteiner Sprudel brand, a bottled, naturally carbonated mineral water...
. The town is also a climatic spa (Luftkurort).
Location
The town lies on the river KyllKyll
The Kyll , noted by the Roman poet Ausonius as Celbis, is a 142km long river in western Germany , left tributary of the Moselle. It rises in the Eifel mountains, near the border with Belgium and flows generally south through the towns Stadtkyll, Gerolstein, Kyllburg and east of Bitburg...
in the Vulkaneifel
Vulkan 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.
Constituent communities
Gerolstein’s Stadtteile, besides the main town, also called Gerolstein, are Bewingen, Büscheich-Niedereich, Gees, Hinterhausen, Lissingen, Michelbach, Müllenborn, Oos and Roth.Gerolstein
One form of the name Gerolstein first cropped up in connection with the building of the Löwenburg (Castle Gerolstein) in 1115, which was then named as the Burg Gerhardstein. Nevertheless, as early as the Stone AgeStone Age
The Stone Age is a broad prehistoric period, lasting about 2.5 million years , during which humans and their predecessor species in the genus Homo, as well as the earlier partly contemporary genera Australopithecus and Paranthropus, widely used exclusively stone as their hard material in the...
there is evidence of human habitation in the Buchenloch, a nearby cave. In the Bronze Age
Bronze Age
The Bronze Age is a period characterized by the use of copper and its alloy bronze as the chief hard materials in the manufacture of some implements and weapons. Chronologically, it stands between the Stone Age and Iron Age...
, the Dietzenley was used by the Celts as a flight castle. From 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, a temple and dwellings are known, and remnants are preserved.
Town rights were granted Gerolstein in 1337. In 1691, the town was almost utterly destroyed when it was liberated from 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...
occupation by troops from the Duchy of Jülich
Duchy of Jülich
The Duchy of Jülich comprised a state within the Holy Roman Empire from the 11th to the 18th centuries. The duchy lay left of the Rhine river between the Electorate of Cologne in the east and the Duchy of Limburg in the west. It had territories on both sides of the river Rur, around its capital...
. After reconstruction, there was a devastating fire that burnt the town down in 1708; another, likewise disastrous, came in 1784. In the 1801 Treaty of Lunéville
Treaty of Lunéville
The Treaty of Lunéville was signed on 9 February 1801 between the French Republic and the Holy Roman Emperor Francis II, negotiating both on behalf of his own domains and of the Holy Roman Empire...
, Gerolstein, along with all areas on the Rhine’s left bank, passed to France
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...
, and were only returned to German control in 1815. Count Sternberg-Manderscheid acquired in the 1803 Reichsdeputationshauptschluss as the landholder, among other things, the holdings formerly belonging to the monasteries at Weissenau and Schussenried in Upper Swabia
Upper Swabia
Upper Swabia is a region in Germany in the federal states of Baden-Württemberg and Bavaria. The name refers to the area between the Swabian Alb, Lake Constance and the Lech...
to offset his loss of Blankenheim, Jünkerath
Jünkerath
Jünkerath 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 Obere Kyll, and is home to its seat.- Location :Jünkerath, along with its outlying...
, Gerolstein and Dollendorf. It is known that water from the spring
Spring (hydrosphere)
A spring—also known as a rising or resurgence—is a component of the hydrosphere. Specifically, it is any natural situation where water flows to the surface of the earth from underground...
that had once been used by the Celts and the Romans
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....
was being bottled and sold beginning in 1724. This still forms the basis for today’s mineral water
Mineral water
Mineral water is water containing minerals or other dissolved substances that alter its taste or give it therapeutic value, generally obtained from a naturally occurring mineral spring or source. Dissolved substances in the water may include various salts and sulfur compounds...
industry in Gerolstein. Late in the Second World War, in 1944 and 1945, Gerolstein’s status as a railway junction town brought Allied
Allies of World War II
The Allies of World War II were the countries that opposed the Axis powers during the Second World War . Former Axis states contributing to the Allied victory are not considered Allied states...
air raids down on the town, and 80% of it was destroyed. Town rights were granted Gerolstein once again in 1953.
Bewingen
Bewingen is Gerolstein’s northernmost outlying centre, or Stadtteil, lying three kilometres away from the town centre. Here the KyllKyll
The Kyll , noted by the Roman poet Ausonius as Celbis, is a 142km long river in western Germany , left tributary of the Moselle. It rises in the Eifel mountains, near the border with Belgium and flows generally south through the towns Stadtkyll, Gerolstein, Kyllburg and east of Bitburg...
flows in a great bow round the mighty dolomite
Dolomite
Dolomite is a carbonate mineral composed of calcium magnesium carbonate CaMg2. The term is also used to describe the sedimentary carbonate rock dolostone....
and basalt
Basalt
Basalt 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...
massif that juts from the west eastwards. The valley narrows and there is only enough room here for the railway line, a field road and the river itself. The road finds its way to Gerolstein over the Bewinger Höhe (heights), thus somewhat shortening the way to the nearby middle centre
Central Place Theory
Central place theory is a geographical theory that seeks to explain the number, size and location of human settlements in an urban system. The theory was created by the German geographer Walter Christaller, who asserted that settlements simply functioned as 'central places' providing services to...
. The local lie of the land was brought about by the local volcanic activity, which created two volcanic peaks, the Kasselburgmassiv with the Burlich and the Hahn (“Cock
Rooster
A rooster, also known as a cockerel, cock or chanticleer, is a male chicken with the female being called a hen. Immature male chickens of less than a year's age are called cockerels...
”) on the Kyll’s west bank, and the Rockeskyller Kopf on the east, whose volcanic minerals and deposits of lava
Lava
Lava refers both to molten rock expelled by a volcano during an eruption and the resulting rock after solidification and cooling. This molten rock is formed in the interior of some planets, including Earth, and some of their satellites. When first erupted from a volcanic vent, lava is a liquid at...
, ash
Volcanic ash
Volcanic ash consists of small tephra, which are bits of pulverized rock and glass created by volcanic eruptions, less than in diameter. There are three mechanisms of volcanic ash formation: gas release under decompression causing magmatic eruptions; thermal contraction from chilling on contact...
and cinders from the Quaternary
Quaternary
The Quaternary Period is the most recent of the three periods of the Cenozoic Era in the geologic time scale of the ICS. It follows the Neogene Period, spanning 2.588 ± 0.005 million years ago to the present...
narrow the river valley.
The placename ending —ingen points to early 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...
settlement. Bewingen had its first documentary mention in 1218 as a holding of the monastery and church of Niederehe. From that mention, it is known that the Brothers Theoderich, Alexander and Albero from Castle Kerpen established an endowment for the Premonstratensian
Premonstratensian
The Order of Canons Regular of Prémontré, also known as the Premonstratensians, the Norbertines, or in Britain and Ireland as the White Canons , are a Catholic religious order of canons regular founded at Prémontré near Laon in 1120 by Saint Norbert, who later became Archbishop of Magdeburg...
nuns here in the years between 1162 and 1175. The next documentary mention came in 1282, when “Gerhard VI of Blankenheim” acquired lands, among others Steffeln, Niederbettingen and Bewingen. In the Middle Ages
Middle Ages
The 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...
, the lords at Kasselburg (castle) and those at Castle Gerhardstein (Gerolstein) held lands and tithing rights in the village. In the time 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...
rule, beginning in 1794, Bewingen was assigned to the Mairie (“Mayoralty”) of Rockeskyll
Rockeskyll
Rockeskyll is an Ortsgemeinde – a municipality belonging to a Verbandsgemeinde, a kind of collective municipality – in the Vulkaneifel district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany...
, and the village remained within the Bürgermeisterei (also “Mayoralty”) of Rockeskyll on into 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...
n times. The formerly self-administering municipality of Bewingen was amalgamated with the town of Gerolstein in 1969.
One of the verifiably oldest buildings is the small chapel consecrated to Saint Brice, which underwent repairs in 1744 and 1745. Its Late Gothic
Gothic architecture
Gothic architecture is a style of architecture that flourished during the high and late medieval period. It evolved from Romanesque architecture and was succeeded by Renaissance architecture....
quire suggests that there was an earlier church here, built perhaps about 1500.
Büscheich-Niedereich
Büscheich-Niedereich lies roughly 5 km away from the town centre. In 1352, it had its first documentary mention, although Niedereich’s first documentary mention did not come until 1398.In 1501, the hereditary estate of Eich (Niedereich) belonged to the County of Gerolstein. On 13 May 1661, the hereditary estate was divided into Niedereich and Obereich.
When the 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...
occupied 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....
in the 18th century, the Counts lost all their holdings. After the French were driven out, the Eifel became 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...
n. In 1815, the Prussian government changed Obereich’s name to Büscheich.
Politics
Gerolstein is the seat of the Verbandsgemeinde of GerolsteinGerolstein (Verbandsgemeinde)
Gerolstein is a Verbandsgemeinde in the district Vulkaneifel, in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. The seat of the Verbandsgemeinde is in Gerolstein....
, to which belong the municipalities of Berlingen
Berlingen, Germany
Berlingen is an Ortsgemeinde – a municipality belonging to a Verbandsgemeinde, a kind of collective municipality – in the Vulkaneifel district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany...
, Birresborn
Birresborn
Birresborn is an Ortsgemeinde – a municipality belonging to a Verbandsgemeinde, a kind of collective municipality – in the Vulkaneifel district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany...
, Densborn
Densborn
Densborn is an Ortsgemeinde – a municipality belonging to a Verbandsgemeinde, a kind of collective municipality – in the Vulkaneifel district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany...
, Duppach
Duppach
Duppach is an Ortsgemeinde , part of a group of municipalities called the Verbandsgemeinde of Gerolstein, which is located in the town of Gerolstein in the Vulkaneifel district of the state of Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany....
, Hohenfels-Essingen
Hohenfels-Essingen
Hohenfels-Essingen is an Ortsgemeinde – a municipality belonging to a Verbandsgemeinde, a kind of collective municipality – in the Vulkaneifel district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany...
, Kalenborn-Scheuern
Kalenborn-Scheuern
Kalenborn-Scheuern is an Ortsgemeinde – a municipality belonging to a Verbandsgemeinde, a kind of collective municipality – in the Vulkaneifel district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany...
, Kopp
Kopp, Germany
Kopp is an Ortsgemeinde – a municipality belonging to a Verbandsgemeinde, a kind of collective municipality – in the Vulkaneifel district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany...
, Mürlenbach
Mürlenbach
Mürlenbach is an Ortsgemeinde – a municipality belonging to a Verbandsgemeinde, a kind of collective municipality – in the Vulkaneifel district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany...
, Neroth
Neroth
Neroth is an Ortsgemeinde – a municipality belonging to a Verbandsgemeinde, a kind of collective municipality – in the Vulkaneifel district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany...
, Pelm
Pelm
Pelm is an Ortsgemeinde – a municipality belonging to a Verbandsgemeinde, a kind of collective municipality – in the Vulkaneifel district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany...
, Rockeskyll
Rockeskyll
Rockeskyll is an Ortsgemeinde – a municipality belonging to a Verbandsgemeinde, a kind of collective municipality – in the Vulkaneifel district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany...
and Salm
Salm, Germany
Salm is an Ortsgemeinde – a municipality belonging to a Verbandsgemeinde, a kind of collective municipality – in the Vulkaneifel district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany...
.
Town council
The council is made up of 24 council members, who were elected by proportional representationProportional representation
Proportional representation is a concept in voting systems used to elect an assembly or council. PR means that the number of seats won by a party or group of candidates is proportionate to the number of votes received. For example, under a PR voting system if 30% of voters support a particular...
at the municipal election held on 7 June 2009, and the mayor as chairman.
The municipal election held on 7 June 2009 yielded the following results:
| CDU | SPD Social Democratic Party of Germany The Social Democratic Party of Germany is a social-democratic political party in Germany... |
BUV | GRÜNE Alliance '90/The Greens Alliance '90/The Greens is a green political party in Germany, formed from the merger of the German Green Party and Alliance 90 in 1993. Its leaders are Claudia Roth and Cem Özdemir... |
FDP Free Democratic Party (Germany) The Free Democratic Party , abbreviated to FDP, is a centre-right classical liberal political party in Germany. It is led by Philipp Rösler and currently serves as the junior coalition partner to the Union in the German federal government... |
Total | |
| 2004 | 13 | 5 | 5 | 1 | – | 24 seats |
| 2009 | 11 | 6 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 24 seats |
Mayor
Gerolstein’s honorary mayor is chosen every five years in a direct vote. The current office holder is Karl-Heinz Schwartz (CDU).Amalgamations
On 7 June 1969, the municipalities of Bewingen, Hinterhausen and Lissingen were amalgamated with Gerolstein. Büscheich, Gees, Michelbach, Müllenborn, Oos and Roth were amalgamated on 1 December 1972.Coat of arms
The town’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: Or a lion rampant sable armed and langued gules surmounted at the shoulder by a label of five points of the last.
The town’s arms are actually those formerly borne by the Counts of Gerolstein-Blankenheim, the former landholders. The composition is known from 1567 when it appeared in a seal used by the town’s Schöffen (roughly “lay jurists”). The town has borne these arms since about 1890, but no official approval to do so is known to have been issued.
Town partnerships
Gerolstein fosters partnerships with the following places: DigoinDigoin
Digoin is a commune in the Saône-et-Loire department in the region of Bourgogne in eastern France.The junction of the Canal du Centre and the Canal latéral à la Loire is near Digoin.-Geography:...
, Saône-et-Loire
Saône-et-Loire
Saône-et-Loire is a French department, named after the Saône and the Loire rivers between which it lies.-History:When it was formed during the French Revolution, as of March 4, 1790 in fulfillment of the law of December 22, 1789, the new department combined parts of the provinces of southern...
, France
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...
since 1987 Gilze en Rijen
Gilze en Rijen
Gilze en Rijen is a municipality in the southern Netherlands. The municipality contains four villages Rijen, Gilze, Hulten and Molenschot.Rijen grew in the 19th century due to its leather factories.- Population centres :*Rijen...
, North Brabant
North Brabant
North Brabant , sometimes called Brabant, is a province of the Netherlands, located in the south of the country, bordered by Belgium in the south, the Meuse River in the north, Limburg in the east and Zeeland in the west.- History :...
, 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...
Culture and sightseeing
Beyond the sightseeing attractions listed hereafter, there are other things to be seen in and around Gerolstein, such as the dried-up maarMaar
A maar is a broad, low-relief volcanic crater that is caused by a phreatomagmatic eruption, an explosion caused by groundwater coming into contact with hot lava or magma. A maar characteristically fills with water to form a relatively shallow crater lake. The name comes from the local Moselle...
called Papenkaule, the Buchenloch, a 36-metre-long karst
KARST
Kilometer-square Area Radio Synthesis Telescope is a Chinese telescope project to which FAST is a forerunner. KARST is a set of large spherical reflectors on karst landforms, which are bowlshaped limestone sinkholes named after the Kras region in Slovenia and Northern Italy. It will consist of...
cave that served as a dwelling for Stone Age
Stone Age
The Stone Age is a broad prehistoric period, lasting about 2.5 million years , during which humans and their predecessor species in the genus Homo, as well as the earlier partly contemporary genera Australopithecus and Paranthropus, widely used exclusively stone as their hard material in the...
people, the Mühlsteinhöhlen (“millstone caves”) or Eishöhlen (“ice caves”) near Roth, a natural history museum and a district local history museum. A walk leads to the Gerolsteiner Dolomiten, a Devonian
Devonian
The Devonian is a geologic period and system of the Paleozoic Era spanning from the end of the Silurian Period, about 416.0 ± 2.8 Mya , to the beginning of the Carboniferous Period, about 359.2 ± 2.5 Mya...
limestone reef formed by extinct Rugosa
Rugosa
Disambiguation:The Rugosa Rose is also sometimes just called "Rugosa". For the moon in Star Wars: The Clone Wars, see .The Rugosa, also called the Tetracoralla, are an extinct order of coral that were abundant in Middle Ordovician to Late Permian seas.Solitary rugosans are often referred to...
, Tabulata
Tabulate coral
The tabulate corals, forming the order Tabulata, are an extinct form of coral. They are almost always colonial, forming colonies of individual hexagonal cells known as corallites defined by a skeleton of calcite, similar in appearance to a honeycomb. Adjacent cells are joined by small pores...
and Stromatoporoids
Stromatoporoidea
Stromatoporoidea is a class of aquatic invertebrates common in the fossil record from the Ordovician through the Cretaceous. They were especially abundant in the Silurian and Devonian. These invertebrates were important reef-formers throughout the Paleozoic and the Late Mesozoic. The group was...
with the Hustley, the Munterley and the Auberg. They dominate the town’s appearance, looming 100 m above the valley.
Main town
- Gerolstein castle (Löwenburg) ruins, Bergstraße, monumental zone, castle founded in the earlier half of the 14th century by Gerhard VI of Blankenburg and destroyed in 1691, defensive wall in the outer bailey preserved, remnants of living quarters preserved in the main stronghold.
- EvangelicalEvangelical Church in GermanyThe Evangelical Church in Germany is a federation of 22 Lutheran, Unified and Reformed Protestant regional church bodies in Germany. The EKD is not a church in a theological understanding because of the denominational differences. However, the member churches share full pulpit and altar...
Church of the Redeemer, Sarresdorfer Straße 17, cruciform central-plan building after Italo-Byzantine models, 1911–1913, complex with treed lot and fence dating from the time of building, rectory (Sarresdorfer Straße 15 a), former parish house (?; Sarresdorfer Straße 19 a), ClassicistClassicismClassicism, in the arts, refers generally to a high regard for classical antiquity, as setting standards for taste which the classicists seek to emulate. The art of classicism typically seeks to be formal and restrained: of the Discobolus Sir Kenneth Clark observed, "if we object to his restraint...
hipped-roof building. - Saint AnneSaint AnneSaint Hanna of David's house and line, was the mother of the Virgin Mary and grandmother of Jesus Christ according to Christian and Islamic tradition. English Anne is derived from Greek rendering of her Hebrew name Hannah...
’s Catholic Parish Church (Pfarrkirche St. Anna), aisleless churchAisleless churchAn Aisleless church is a single-nave church building that consists of a single hall-like room. While similar to the hall church, the aisleless church lacks aisles or passageways either side of the nave separated from the nave by colonnades or arcades, a row of pillars or columns...
from 1811, expanded in 1884 and 1948, complex with rectory, possibly from about 1800. - Town fortifications, Am Stadtturm 1, Hauptstraße 41, 75, Mühlenstraße 19 (monumental zone), section of 14th-century town wall between a jutting half-round tower (integrated into Hauptstraße 75) and a great tower (Am Stadtturm 1), a further section of town wall with gate remnants (Mühlenstraße 19) and a pillar-shaped town wall remnant (Hauptstraße 41).
- Bahnhofstraße 4 – Gothic RevivalGothic Revival architectureThe Gothic Revival is an architectural movement that began in the 1740s in England...
railway station, 1870, expanded after the Second World War. - Bahnhofstraße 17 – stately house, apparently from 1902.
- Brunnenstraße 11, 13 – factory building, façade with colourful wall tiles and glass bricks, date unknown.
- Graf-Karl-Ferdinand-Straße – so-called Burgkreuz (“Castle Cross”), a niche cross possibly from the 16th or 17th century.
- Near Hauptstraße 10 – Heiligenhäuschen (a small, shrinelike structure consecrated to a saint or saints), 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...
, 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,...
, from 1771 and 1784. - Near Hauptstraße 42 – a Descent from the CrossDescent from the CrossThe Descent from the Cross , or Deposition of Christ, is the scene, as depicted in art, from the Gospels' accounts of Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus taking Christ down from the cross after his crucifixion . In Byzantine art the topic became popular in the 9th century, and in the West from the...
group, sandstone, apparently from 1838. - Hauptstraße 59, 61 – houses, one at 59 from 1903 but essentially older, Late Gothic Revival entrance, one at 61 from 1747 and 1822.
- Hauptstraße 76 – house used as dwelling and inn with half-hipped gables, date unclear.
- Heiligensteinstraße 5/7 – pair of semidetached houses with half-hipped gables, lava stone façade, about 1900.
- Kyllweg – warriors’ memorial, 1914-1918.
- Lindenstraße (no number) – former Oos wireworks, founded in 1882, no. 43a director’s villa (?), plaster building with corner tower.
- Lindenstraße 6 – former railway works building, representative quarrystone building, apparently from 1890.
- Mühlenstraße 19 – 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...
house, partly solid. - Sarresdorfer Straße/Am Auberg – JewishJudaismJudaism ) is the "religion, philosophy, and way of life" of the Jewish people...
graveyard (monumental zone), on the area of the general cemetery, opened in 1892, about 15 gravestones, oldest from 1896. - Sarresdorfer Straße – former RomanAncient RomeAncient 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....
villa of Sarabodis, remnants of the Roman estate at Sarresdorf, donated in 762 by Pepin to Prüm AbbeyPrüm AbbeyPrüm Abbey is a former Benedictine abbey in Prüm/Lorraine, now in the diocese of Trier , founded by a Frankish widow Bertrada, and her son Charibert, count of Laon, on 23 June 720. The first abbot was Angloardus....
, since 1913 “Museum Sarabodis”. - Sarresdorfer Straße 15 a – EvangelicalEvangelical Church in GermanyThe Evangelical Church in Germany is a federation of 22 Lutheran, Unified and Reformed Protestant regional church bodies in Germany. The EKD is not a church in a theological understanding because of the denominational differences. However, the member churches share full pulpit and altar...
rectory - Sarresdorfer Straße 19 a – Evangelical parish house (?)
- Sarresdorfer Straße 26 – former parish house, now district local history museum, RenaissanceRenaissanceThe Renaissance was a cultural movement that spanned roughly the 14th to the 17th century, beginning in Italy in the Late Middle Ages and later spreading to the rest of Europe. The term is also used more loosely to refer to the historical era, but since the changes of the Renaissance were not...
building from about 1550, 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...
red-sandstone shaft cross from latter half of 18th century. - Unter den Dolomiten – forester’s office with half-hipped gables, Reform architecture, side building 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...
, partly solid, from about 1920. - At the Büschkapelle – warriors’ memorial 1848, 1864, 1866, 1870–1871, pedestal, obelisk and cross.
- Büschkapelle, southeast of town in the woods, Gothic RevivalGothic Revival architectureThe Gothic Revival is an architectural movement that began in the 1740s in England...
chapel, quarrystone, 1904. - So-called Fruhnertskreuz, north of town on the edge of the town forest, sandstone shaft cross from 1796 (1726?).
Bewingen
- Saint Brice’s Catholic Church (branch church; Filialkirche St. Brictius), Bewinger Straße, Late GothicGothic architectureGothic architecture is a style of architecture that flourished during the high and late medieval period. It evolved from Romanesque architecture and was succeeded by Renaissance architecture....
quire, Gothic Revival nave, 17th century. - Bewinger Straße 40 – estate along street from 1914, old cobbles in yard.
Büscheich
- Saint John the BaptistJohn the BaptistJohn the Baptist was an itinerant preacher and a major religious figure mentioned in the Canonical gospels. He is described in the Gospel of Luke as a relative of Jesus, who led a movement of baptism at the Jordan River...
’s Catholic Church (branch church; Filialkirche St. Johannes Baptista), Büscheicher Straße, aisleless churchAisleless churchAn Aisleless church is a single-nave church building that consists of a single hall-like room. While similar to the hall church, the aisleless church lacks aisles or passageways either side of the nave separated from the nave by colonnades or arcades, a row of pillars or columns...
, apparently from 1670, west portal 19th century, possibly expanded after 1945. - Niedereicher Straße 6 – former school, one-floor plaster building, apparently from 1906.
- Zur Dietzenley 2 – house from 1787.
- Zur Dietzenley 3 – Quereinhaus (a combination residential and commercial house divided for these two purposes down the middle, perpendicularly to the street) from 1876.
- Niedereich 18 – house with mighty chimney, from 1804.
- So-called Davitzkreuz, northwest of the village in the woods, Baroque shaft cross from 1764.
Gees
- Saint NicholasSaint NicholasSaint Nicholas , also called Nikolaos of Myra, was a historic 4th-century saint and Greek Bishop of Myra . Because of the many miracles attributed to his intercession, he is also known as Nikolaos the Wonderworker...
’s Catholic Church (branch church; Filialkirche St. Nikolaus), quarrystone aisleless churchAisleless churchAn Aisleless church is a single-nave church building that consists of a single hall-like room. While similar to the hall church, the aisleless church lacks aisles or passageways either side of the nave separated from the nave by colonnades or arcades, a row of pillars or columns...
, 1904, former quire tower, to the south a sandstone Baroque shaft cross from 1819. - At Am Bungert 1 – one-floor bakehouse from 1807.
- Geeser Straße 29 – corner estate from 1860.
- Geeser Straße 31 – Late Baroque plaster building, about 1800.
- Geeser Straße 40 – triaxial plaster building from 1809 (?).
- Geeser Straße 48 – house of a former estate complex, date unknown.
- Geeser Straße 63 – Quereinhaus, late 18th century, yard partly cobbled.
- So-called Jardin-Kreuz, northwest of the village on a field path, Baroque shaft cross from 1768.
Hinterhausen
- Saint Lambert’s Catholic Church (branch church; Filialkirche St. Lambert), Hinterhausener Straße, biaxial aisleless churchAisleless churchAn Aisleless church is a single-nave church building that consists of a single hall-like room. While similar to the hall church, the aisleless church lacks aisles or passageways either side of the nave separated from the nave by colonnades or arcades, a row of pillars or columns...
, 1867. - Village centre, Hinterhausener Straße (monumental zone), old village centre with branch chapel and estate complexes on ring-shaped street, 19th century, distinctive village appearance, distinctive street layout.
- Hinterhausener Straße 14 – estate complex, house from 1864, commercial building.
Lissingen
- Burg Lissingen (castle), Burgstraße/Klosterstraße (monumental zone), stately group of buildings on the KyllKyllThe Kyll , noted by the Roman poet Ausonius as Celbis, is a 142km long river in western Germany , left tributary of the Moselle. It rises in the Eifel mountains, near the border with Belgium and flows generally south through the towns Stadtkyll, Gerolstein, Kyllburg and east of Bitburg...
consisting of upper and lower castle, the 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...
building steadily expanded in the 14th to 17th centuries, commercial building on site of old ringwall, between upper and lower castle a four-floor tower from the 14th century, outer gate at the southwest corner of the upper castle from 1624, in the lower castle a dwelling building, essentially GothicGothic architectureGothic architecture is a style of architecture that flourished during the high and late medieval period. It evolved from Romanesque architecture and was succeeded by Renaissance architecture....
, park with garden house from 1793, complex includes Klosterstraße 1: estate along street, latter half of 19th century; Klosterstraße 3: possibly a former bursary, Baroque hipped mansard roofMansard roofA mansard or mansard roof is a four-sided gambrel-style hip roof characterized by two slopes on each of its sides with the lower slope at a steeper angle than the upper that is punctured by dormer windows. The roof creates an additional floor of habitable space, such as a garret...
. - Saint Margaret’s Catholic Church (branch church; Filialkirche St. Margaretha), five-axis aisleless churchAisleless churchAn Aisleless church is a single-nave church building that consists of a single hall-like room. While similar to the hall church, the aisleless church lacks aisles or passageways either side of the nave separated from the nave by colonnades or arcades, a row of pillars or columns...
, 1932.
Michelbach
- Saint StephenSaint StephenSaint Stephen The Protomartyr , the protomartyr of Christianity, is venerated as a saint in the Roman Catholic, Anglican, Lutheran, Oriental Orthodox and Eastern Orthodox Churches....
’s Catholic Church (branch church; Filialkirche St. Stephan), triaxial aisleless churchAisleless churchAn Aisleless church is a single-nave church building that consists of a single hall-like room. While similar to the hall church, the aisleless church lacks aisles or passageways either side of the nave separated from the nave by colonnades or arcades, a row of pillars or columns...
, 1781. - Near Birresborner Straße 22 – wayside cross, niche cross from earlier half of 17th century.
- Michelbacher Straße 2 – triaxial house, apparently a former curate’s house, 18th century.
- Michelbacher Straße 17 – house, 1872, oven porch.
Müllenborn
- Saint Anthony’s Catholic Church (branch church; Filialkirche St. Antonius), Müllenborner Straße 39, biaxial aisleless churchAisleless churchAn Aisleless church is a single-nave church building that consists of a single hall-like room. While similar to the hall church, the aisleless church lacks aisles or passageways either side of the nave separated from the nave by colonnades or arcades, a row of pillars or columns...
, 1682. - Amselweg 9 – former railway station on the Gerolstein-PronsfeldPronsfeldPronsfeld is a municipality in the district of Bitburg-Prüm, in Rhineland-Palatinate, western Germany....
line, quarrystone, apparently from 1883. - Fricksbachstraße/corner of Auf der Held – wayside cross, beam cross from 1794.
- Müllenborner Straße 32 – representative building with half-hipped gables from 1820.
- Müllenborner Straße 34 – six-axis ClassicistClassicismClassicism, in the arts, refers generally to a high regard for classical antiquity, as setting standards for taste which the classicists seek to emulate. The art of classicism typically seeks to be formal and restrained: of the Discobolus Sir Kenneth Clark observed, "if we object to his restraint...
house, latter half of 19th century. - Müllenborner Straße 36 – stately 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...
building with mansard roofMansard roofA mansard or mansard roof is a four-sided gambrel-style hip roof characterized by two slopes on each of its sides with the lower slope at a steeper angle than the upper that is punctured by dormer windows. The roof creates an additional floor of habitable space, such as a garret...
, apparently from 1804. - Müllenborner Straße 38 – Baroque half house from 1786.
- Near Müllenborner Straße 73 – wayside cross, 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 1778. - Müllenborner Straße 89/91 – small estate complex, Baroque house from 1777, stable-barn with tower and crow-stepped gable, apparently 1482/1550.
- Müllenborner Straße 103 – estate complex house, remodelled in the 19th century.
- Müllenborner Straße 107 – estate complex.
- Müllenborner Straße/corner of Amselweg – wayside cross, Gothic RevivalGothic Revival architectureThe Gothic Revival is an architectural movement that began in the 1740s in England...
from 1914.
Oos
- Saint Roch’s Catholic Church (branch church; Filialkirche St. Rochus), Ooser Straße 18, two-naved Romanesque RevivalRomanesque Revival architectureRomanesque Revival is a style of building employed beginning in the mid 19th century inspired by the 11th and 12th century Romanesque architecture...
building, 1906-1907, RomanesqueRomanesque architectureRomanesque architecture is an architectural style of Medieval Europe characterised by semi-circular arches. There is no consensus for the beginning date of the Romanesque architecture, with proposals ranging from the 6th to the 10th century. It developed in the 12th century into the Gothic style,...
west tower. - Wayside cross, west of the village on the road to BüdesheimBüdesheimBüdesheim is a municipality in the district of Bitburg-Prüm, in Rhineland-Palatinate, western Germany....
, CrucifixionCrucifixionCrucifixion is an ancient method of painful execution in which the condemned person is tied or nailed to a large wooden cross and left to hang until dead...
BildstockBildstockA wayside shrine, is a religious image, usually in some sort of small shelter, placed by a road or pathway, sometimes in a settlement or at a crossroads, but often in the middle of an empty stretch of country road, or at the top of a hill or mountain. They have been a feature of many cultures,...
from 1619.
Roth
- Saint Anthony’s Catholic Church (branch church; Filialkirche St. Antonius), An der Kirche 10, Gothic RevivalGothic Revival architectureThe Gothic Revival is an architectural movement that began in the 1740s in England...
aisleless churchAisleless churchAn Aisleless church is a single-nave church building that consists of a single hall-like room. While similar to the hall church, the aisleless church lacks aisles or passageways either side of the nave separated from the nave by colonnades or arcades, a row of pillars or columns...
, 1892, sandstone shaft cross from 1680s (last digit unclear). - An der Kirche 4 – Quereinhaus from 1774, oven porch.
- An der Kirche 12 – former parish estate built of 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...
, possibly latter half of 19th century, commercial building, yard. - Across the street from Rother Straße 40 – wayside cross, shaft cross, possibly earlier half of 19th century.
Burg Lissingen
On the outskirts of the outlying centre of Lissingen stands the former moated Castle of Lissingen, not far from the KyllKyll
The Kyll , noted by the Roman poet Ausonius as Celbis, is a 142km long river in western Germany , left tributary of the Moselle. It rises in the Eifel mountains, near the border with Belgium and flows generally south through the towns Stadtkyll, Gerolstein, Kyllburg and east of Bitburg...
. The oldest parts of the building come from 1280, although the castle had already been mentioned in documents by 1212. Unlike most castles in 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....
, it was not destroyed. In 1559 it was divided into an upper and lower castle. The lower castle is used as an event and cultural venue.
Erlöserkirche
The EvangelicalEvangelical Church in Germany
The Evangelical Church in Germany is a federation of 22 Lutheran, Unified and Reformed Protestant regional church bodies in Germany. The EKD is not a church in a theological understanding because of the denominational differences. However, the member churches share full pulpit and altar...
Erlöserkirche (“Church of the Redeemer”) was built between 1907 and 1913 by Franz Schwechten
Franz Heinrich Schwechten
Franz Heinrich Schwechten was one of the most famous German architects of his time, and has contributed to the development of the historicist architecture....
(the same architect who designed, among other things, Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
’s Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church
Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church
The Protestant Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church is located in Berlin on the Kurfürstendamm in the centre of the Breitscheidplatz. The original church on the site was built in the 1890s. It was badly damaged in a bombing raid in 1943...
), and was consecrated on 15 October 1913. The inside is decorated with broad, gold mosaics, round arches and a commanding cupola.
Villa Sarabodis
Villa Sarabodis is the name given the remnants of a RomanAncient 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....
lordly seat – villa rustica
Villa rustica
Villa rustica was the term used by the ancient Romans to denote a villa set in the open countryside, often as the hub of a large agricultural estate . The adjective rusticum was used to distinguish it from an urban or resort villa...
. They were unearthed in the course of preparatory work for building the Church of the Redeemer in 1907. The remnants have been dated to the first century AD. The Kirchenbauverein Berlin (“Berlin Church-Building Association”), which also built the Church of the Redeemer, dug the finds up: foundations and a hypocaust
Hypocaust
A hypocaust was an ancient Roman system of underfloor heating, used to heat houses with hot air. The word derives from the Ancient Greek hypo meaning "under" and caust-, meaning "burnt"...
can now be viewed in a protective building.
Juddekirchhof
The Juddekirchhof, as it is known in the local speech, is a Celtic-RomanAncient 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....
worship site. It lies above Gerolstein on the Hustley, a part of the Gerolsteiner Dolomiten.
The Roman Marcus Victorius Pellentius had this temple complex built in AD 124. The wall remnants measure roughly 63 by 46 metres. Within this ringwall, foundations of many buildings, among which are two temples, are preserved. One temple was dedicated to Hercules
Hercules
Hercules is the Roman name for Greek demigod Heracles, son of Zeus , and the mortal Alcmene...
while the other was dedicated to the Celtic goddess Caiva. In 1927 and 1928, remnants of the temple complex were excavated.
Transport
Gerolstein railway station lies on the Eifelbahn (CologneCologne
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...
–Euskirchen
Euskirchen
Euskirchen is a town in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, capital of the district Euskirchen. While Euskirchen resembles a modern shopping town, it also has a history dating back over 700 years, having been granted town-status in 1302....
–Gerolstein–Trier
Trier
Trier, historically called in English Treves is a city in Germany on the banks of the Moselle. It is the oldest city in Germany, founded in or before 16 BC....
), which is served by the following local passenger services:
- the Eifel-Mosel-Express (Cologne–Euskirchen–Gerolstein–Trier);
- the Eifel-Express (Cologne–Euskirchen–Gerolstein with connection to Trier);
- the Eifel-Bahn (Cologne–Euskirchen–Kall, and at peak times on to Gerolstein);
- the Eifelbahn (Gerolstein–Trier).
In Gerolstein, the historical Eifelquerbahn (“Cross-Eifel Railway”) branches off, leading by way of Daun
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 :...
to Kaisersesch
Kaisersesch
Kaisersesch is a town in the Cochem-Zell district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is the administrative seat of the like-named Verbandsgemeinde, to which it also belongs.- Location :...
and on to Andernach
Andernach
Andernach is a town in the district of Mayen-Koblenz, in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany, of currently about 30,000 inhabitants. It is situated towards the end of the Neuwied basin on the left bank of the Rhine between the former tiny fishing village of Fornich in the north and the mouth of the...
, as does the Westeifelbahn leading by way of Prüm
Prüm
Prüm is a town in the Westeifel , Germany. Formerly a district capital, today it is the administrative seat of the Verbandsgemeinde Prüm.-Geography:...
to Sankt Vith (until 1918 in the German Empire
German Empire
The German Empire refers to Germany during the "Second Reich" period from the unification of Germany and proclamation of Wilhelm I as German Emperor on 18 January 1871, to 1918, when it became a federal republic after defeat in World War I and the abdication of the Emperor, Wilhelm II.The German...
, nowadays in Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
).
For all local public transport, three tariff systems apply: the Verkehrsverbund Region Trier (VRT), the Verkehrsverbund Rhein-Sieg, and for journeys crossing tariff zones, the NRW-Tarif.
Sons and daughters of the town
- Maria Reese (1889–1958), writer, journalist and politician
- Rolf HuisgenRolf HuisgenRolf Huisgen is a German chemist. He was born in Gerolstein and studied in Munich under the supervision of Heinrich Otto Wieland. After completing his Ph.D. in 1943 and his habilitation in 1947, he became professor at the University of Tübingen in 1949...
(1920– ), chemist - Alois Mertes (1921–1985), politician and state minister in the foreign office
- Matthias Krings (1943– ), moderator
- Michael Fisch (1964– ), writer
- Johannes FröhlingerJohannes FröhlingerJohannes Fröhlinger is a German professional road bicycle racer for UCI Professional Continental team .- Palmares :* Tour Alsace - Overall * Trophée des Champions...
(1985– ), competition cyclist - Christian VietorisChristian VietorisChristian Vietoris is a German racing driver.-Karting:Vietoris started his career through karting, the most common entry point and all racing drivers, in 1994...
(1989– ), auto racer - Rudi Gores (1957– ), footballer and trainer
Sundry
Gerolstein is also the name of a fictional country in Central EuropeCentral Europe
Central Europe or alternatively Middle Europe is a region of the European continent lying between the variously defined areas of Eastern and Western Europe...
, a subject of Jacques Offenbach
Jacques Offenbach
Jacques Offenbach was a Prussian-born French composer, cellist and impresario. He is remembered for his nearly 100 operettas of the 1850s–1870s and his uncompleted opera The Tales of Hoffmann. He was a powerful influence on later composers of the operetta genre, particularly Johann Strauss, Jr....
's opéra bouffe la Grande-Duchesse de Gérolstein
La Grande-Duchesse de Gérolstein
La Grande-Duchesse de Gérolstein is an opéra bouffe , in three acts and four tableaux by Jacques Offenbach to an original French libretto by Henri Meilhac and Ludovic Halévy...
(The Grand Duchess of Gerolstein).
Further reading
- Peter Daners: Die evangelische Erlöserkirche in Gerolstein (Rheinische Kunststätten, Heft 445). Köln 2000, 24 S., ISBN 3-88094-854-2
- Hedwig Judeich: Der Ammerländer Friedrich Schwarting (1883–1918) Kirchenmaler im Kaiserreich. Tagebuchaufzeichnungen mit Dokumenten und Bildzeugnissen. Hrsg. v. Hedwig Judeich. Oldenburg (Verlag Isensee) 1989, 144 S. ISBN 3-920557-84-0
External links
- Town’s official webpage
- http://www.swr.de/landesschau-rp/hierzuland/-/id=100766/nid=100766/did=2358450/1uabbkp/index.htmlBrief portrait of Bewingen with film at SWR FernsehenSWR FernsehenSWR Fernsehen is a German regional television channel targeting the states of Baden-Württemberg and Rhineland-Palatinate. It is produced by Südwestrundfunk and is one of eight regional "third channels" broadcast by the ARD members....
] - Burg Lissingen