Kelberg
Encyclopedia
Kelberg 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 like-named Verbandsgemeinde
, and is home to its seat. Kelberg is a state-recognized climatic spa.
, 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.
Kelberg lies roughly 12 km northeast of Daun
.
villa rustica
.
, or dialectally hönner, whence Hüner—) the border brook (—bach) between the Electorate of Trier and the Electorate of Cologne, the Trierbach. In 1688, the village acquired its first chapel, which was replaced with a new building in 1925-1926.
for “At the Mill”, and indeed, near the village once stood two mills.
near the village whose water is reddish owing to its high iron content. Rothenbach had its first documentary mention in 1563 in the taxation rolls for the Electoral-Trier Amtshaus of Daun; Meisenthal was mentioned as early as 1459.
at Kelberg. The area around Kelberg, though, had already once been settled by Romans
, as witnessed by finds on the Hochkelberg
, one of the Eifel
’s highest mountains.
On 25 June 1215, Eberhard von Aremberg
and his wife Adelheid von Freusburg
donated their holdings at Kelberg to Abbot Heinrich von Heisterbach for the founding of Marienstatt Abbey. Even a Kelberg knightly family seems to have existed for a short time. In a document from Count Gerhard von Are, the knightly family “von Kelberg” is mentioned. Elsewhere, a Theodericus von Kelberg was mentioned in 1216 and a Gerhard von Kelberg in 1301.
During the Second World War, even Kelberg was not spared air raids. On 16 January 1945, Kelberg was bombed by 36 Allied
fighter-bombers, which destroyed two thirds of the village centre. Today, in memory of this sacrifice a war cemetery
can now be found on the Schwarzenberg near Kelberg.
On 1 January 1970, the four until then self-administering municipalities of Hünerbach (82 inhabitants), Köttelbach (146), Rothenbach (127) and Zermüllen (182) were amalgamated with Kelberg.
at the municipal election held on 7 June 2009, and the honorary mayor as chairman.
The municipal election held on 7 June 2009 yielded the following results:
The municipality’s arms
might in English heraldic
language be described thus: Argent a pile transposed gules and a fess wavy abased azure, changing to the field where it surmounts the pile, above the fess five ears of wheat fanned and banded Or and below a pair of balances of the same.
The five ears of wheat are symbolic of the municipality of Kelberg, which is made up of the five constituent communities of Kelberg, Hünerbach, Köttelbach, Rothenbach-Meisental and Zermüllen. This charge
also illustrates that agriculture
was for centuries the main livelihood. The Trierbach (brook), symbolized by the wavy fess, touches the areas of all five constituent communities. The pile transposed (that is, the wedgelike charge, here pointing up – “transposed” – instead of down, as is more usual for a pile in heraldry
) was included in the arms to stand for the Hochkelberg, which forms a prominent backdrop to the municipality. The balances have two meanings. Kelberg was an important market community in the Middle Ages
, and as a main centre in the Electoral-Trier Amt of Daun had its own court. The balances symbolize both these things.
s
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 like-named Verbandsgemeinde
Kelberg (Verbandsgemeinde)
Kelberg is a Verbandsgemeinde in the district Vulkaneifel, in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. The seat of the Verbandsgemeinde is in Kelberg....
, and is home to its seat. Kelberg is a state-recognized climatic spa.
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.
Kelberg lies roughly 12 km northeast 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 :...
.
Köttelbach
This centre is named after the like-named brook that snakes its way through the village. Even in antiquity, the area was settled: near what is now Köttelbach once stood 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....
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...
.
Hünerbach
The name Hünerbach means that this place was the only village in the Amt of Daun in the Electorate of Trier that lay behind (hinter in GermanGerman 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....
, or dialectally hönner, whence Hüner—) the border brook (—bach) between the Electorate of Trier and the Electorate of Cologne, the Trierbach. In 1688, the village acquired its first chapel, which was replaced with a new building in 1925-1926.
Zermüllen
This village’s name goes back to the description Zur Mühle, GermanGerman 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....
for “At the Mill”, and indeed, near the village once stood two mills.
Rothenbach mit Meisenthal
The name Rothenbach may well come from a mineral springSpring (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...
near the village whose water is reddish owing to its high iron content. Rothenbach had its first documentary mention in 1563 in the taxation rolls for the Electoral-Trier Amtshaus of Daun; Meisenthal was mentioned as early as 1459.
History
In 1195, Kelberg had its first documentary mention when Archbishop of Trier Johann I acquired Count Theoderich von Hoyenstaeden’s allodiumAllodial title
Allodial title constitutes ownership of real property that is independent of any superior landlord, but it should not be confused with anarchy as the owner of allodial land is not independent of his sovereign...
at Kelberg. The area around Kelberg, though, had already once been settled by 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....
, as witnessed by finds on the Hochkelberg
Hochkelberg
At the Hochkelberg is one of the ten highest mountains in the Vulkan Eifel in Germany. It is a former stratovolcano, at the southern foot of which lies the Mosbrucher Weiher, an explosion crater lake or maar. Below the summit of the Hochkelberg is a transmission tower.Originally the mountain...
, one 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....
’s highest mountains.
On 25 June 1215, Eberhard von Aremberg
House of Arenberg
The House of Arenberg is an aristocratic lineage that is constituted by three successive families who took their name from Arenberg, a small principality of the Holy Roman Empire in the Eifel. The inheritance of the House of Croÿ-Aarschot made the Arenbergs the most influential and most wealthy...
and his wife Adelheid von Freusburg
Freusburg
Freusburg is a castle high above the Sieg Valley, which also gives its name to a village . It lies between Mudersbach and Kirchen and has belonged since 1969 to the town of Kirchen. Before that, Freusburg was a self-governing municipality...
donated their holdings at Kelberg to Abbot Heinrich von Heisterbach for the founding of Marienstatt Abbey. Even a Kelberg knightly family seems to have existed for a short time. In a document from Count Gerhard von Are, the knightly family “von Kelberg” is mentioned. Elsewhere, a Theodericus von Kelberg was mentioned in 1216 and a Gerhard von Kelberg in 1301.
During the Second World War, even Kelberg was not spared air raids. On 16 January 1945, Kelberg was bombed by 36 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...
fighter-bombers, which destroyed two thirds of the village centre. Today, in memory of this sacrifice a war cemetery
War grave
A war grave is a burial place for soldiers or civilians who died during military campaigns or operations. The term does not only apply to graves: ships sunk during wartime are often considered to be war graves, as are military aircraft that crash into water...
can now be found on the Schwarzenberg near Kelberg.
On 1 January 1970, the four until then self-administering municipalities of Hünerbach (82 inhabitants), Köttelbach (146), Rothenbach (127) and Zermüllen (182) were amalgamated with Kelberg.
Municipal council
The council is made up of 16 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 honorary mayor as chairman.
The municipal election held on 7 June 2009 yielded the following results:
| CDU | FWG 1 | FWG 2 | FWG 3 | Total | |
| 2009 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 16 seats |
| 2004 | 7 | 4 | 2 | 3 | 16 seats |
Mayor
Kelberg’s mayor is Wilhelm Jonas (Wählergemeinschaft Kelberg), and his deputies are Karl-Heinz Sicken (CDU) and Rudolf Schüssler (independent).Coat of arms
The German blazon reads: In Silber eine von einem blau-silbernen verwechselten Wellenbalken überdeckte rote Spitze, darin oben fächerförmig fünf goldene Ähren und unten eine goldene Waage.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: Argent a pile transposed gules and a fess wavy abased azure, changing to the field where it surmounts the pile, above the fess five ears of wheat fanned and banded Or and below a pair of balances of the same.
The five ears of wheat are symbolic of the municipality of Kelberg, which is made up of the five constituent communities of Kelberg, Hünerbach, Köttelbach, Rothenbach-Meisental and Zermüllen. This 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...
also illustrates that agriculture
Agriculture
Agriculture is the cultivation of animals, plants, fungi and other life forms for food, fiber, and other products used to sustain life. Agriculture was the key implement in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that nurtured the...
was for centuries the main livelihood. The Trierbach (brook), symbolized by the wavy fess, touches the areas of all five constituent communities. The pile transposed (that is, the wedgelike charge, here pointing up – “transposed” – instead of down, as is more usual for a pile in heraldry
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"...
) was included in the arms to stand for the Hochkelberg, which forms a prominent backdrop to the municipality. The balances have two meanings. Kelberg was an important market community 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...
, and as a main centre in the Electoral-Trier Amt of Daun had its own court. The balances symbolize both these things.
Natural monuments
Foremost among these is the 675 m-high Hochkelberg, the municipality’s highest mountain, and indeed one of the Eifel’s highest peaks. Kelberg also has the Rothenbacher Mineralquellen – mineral springSpring (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...
s
Main centre
- Saint Vincent’s and Saint Nicholas’s Catholic Parish Church (Pfarrkirche St. Vinzentius und Nikolaus), Kirchweg, 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 remodelled in 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...
, Gothic RevivalGothic Revival architectureThe Gothic Revival is an architectural movement that began in the 1740s in England...
hall 1912-1913, two 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...
shaft crosses from 1660, one of which is the so-called Christustempelchen (“Little Christ Temple”) with baldachin construction from 1708. - Bergstraße – wayside cross, basalt beam cross from 1781.
- Bergstraße 3 – 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, commercial building in the back, 18th century, more recent wing. - Bergstraße 5 – house from a corner estate, timber-frame house, partly solid, 18th century.
- Bonner Straße 12/14 – timber-frame house, partly solid, partly decorative timber framing, 17th/18th century.
- Near Johannespesch 18 – Heiligenhäuschen (a small, shrinelike structure consecrated to a saint or saints), base in brick and quarrystone, red 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,...
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...
niche housing. - Mayener Straße 2 – villa, about 1920.
- Pilgrimage chapel to Our Lady of SorrowsOur Lady of SorrowsOur Lady of Sorrows , the Sorrowful Mother or Mother of Sorrows , and Our Lady of the Seven Sorrows or Our Lady of the Seven Dolours are names by which the Blessed Virgin Mary is referred to in relation to sorrows in her life...
, east of the village on the Schwarzenberg, small 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...
, originally 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....
, expanded in 1719, 14 Gothic RevivalGothic Revival architectureThe Gothic Revival is an architectural movement that began in the 1740s in England...
Stations of the Cross, sandstone reliefs from 1869. - Wayside cross, south of the village in the woods, basalt beam cross from 17th century.
- Wayside cross, near the outlying farm southwest of the village, basalt shaft cross from 17th/18th century.
- Wayside cross, near the pilgrimage chapel to Our Lady of Sorrows, basalt shaft cross from 1758 (copy?).
Hünerbach
- Mary MagdaleneMary MagdaleneMary Magdalene was one of Jesus' most celebrated disciples, and the most important woman disciple in the movement of Jesus. Jesus cleansed her of "seven demons", conventionally interpreted as referring to complex illnesses...
’s Catholic Church (branch church; Filialkirche Maria Magdalena), An der Kapelle 2, 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...
from 1926. - Shell niche, southwest of the village on the road to Kelberg, with a PietàPietàThe Pietà is a subject in Christian art depicting the Virgin Mary cradling the dead body of Jesus, most often found in sculpture. As such, it is a particular form of the Lamentation of Christ, a scene from the Passion of Christ found in cycles of the Life of Christ...
relief, possibly from 18th century. - Schildwacht – studio house, architect Hans Schwippert, 1930.
Köttelbach
- Saint Matthew’s Catholic Church (branch church; Filialkirche St. Matthias), Hochkelberg 22, 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...
from 1751, whole complex with churchyard and fencing. - Zum Hochkelberg 33 – two-side estate, 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...
building, partly solid, 19th century (apparently 1833), commercial building.
Meisenthal
- Saint AnthonyAnthony of PaduaAnthony of Padua or Anthony of Lisbon, O.F.M., was a Portuguese Catholic priest and friar of the Franciscan Order. Though he died in Padua, Italy, he was born to a wealthy family in Lisbon, Portugal, which is where he was raised...
’s Catholic Chapel (Kapelle St. Antonius), Auf dem Franzen, small 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...
, 1708. - Auf dem Franzen 8 – former rectory, 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...
building, partly slated, earlier half of 19th century. - Auf dem Franzen/corner of Berggasse – Wayside cross, shaft cross from 1738.
- Mühlenweg 1 – one-and-a-half-floor 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, 18th/19th century.
Rothenbach
- Catholic Church of the Assumption of MaryAssumption of MaryAccording to the belief of Christians of the Roman Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodoxy, Oriental Orthodoxy, and parts of the Anglican Communion and Continuing Anglicanism, the Assumption of Mary was the bodily taking up of the Virgin Mary into Heaven at the end of her life...
(Kirche St. Mariä Himmelfahrt), Kapellenweg 1, triaxial 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...
from 1946. - Alte Poststraße 10 – 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 slated, 19th century. - Talstraße 4 – timber-frame house, partly solid, 17th/18th century (?).
- Talstraße 8 – one-and-a-half-floor timber-frame house, partly solid, essentially possibly 18th century, altered and made taller in late 19th century.
Zermüllen
- Across the street from Hauptstraße 23 – 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...
Heiligenhäuschen, 18th century.