Mayen
Encyclopedia
Mayen is a town in the Mayen-Koblenz District
of the Rhineland-Palatinate
Federal State of Germany, in the eastern part of the Volcanic Eifel Region. As well as the main town, there are five further settlements which are part of Mayen, they are: Alzheim, Kürrenberg, Hausen-Betzing, Hausen and Nitztal. Mayen is the administrative centre of the Vordereifel ‘Collective Municipality’
, although is itself not part of the municipality.
. To the east, the landscape flattens out, running towards the Koblenz-Neuwied Basin, which itself can be divided into the northern section of Pellenz
and the southern section of Maifeld
. This area is also geographically considered to be part of the Eifel. Because of this, Mayen is often called ‘The Gateway to the Eifel’.
The small river Nette
runs through the town, flowing from the Eifel towards Weißenthurm
on the Rhine.
The name Mayen probably comes from the name Megina. Records from as far back as 847 show this as a designation of the town, coming from the Celtic word ‘magos’ meaning field. In the 8th Century the legend of Genoveva of Brabant, names Mayen as the seat of government of Duke Siegfried of the Pfalz.
Mayen received its first official recognition in 1041, and was granted Town Status in 1291 from Rudolf I von Habsburg, at the same time as Bernkastel
, Welschbillig
, Montabaur
and Saarburg
. Mayen is possibly linked to the town of Maifeld, which lies a short distant to the south-east, since Mayen was called the capital of the Meiengau in the Middle Ages.
During the Second World War, in particular during the Air Attacks of 12 December 1944 and 2 January 1945, up to approximately 90% of the town was destroyed, and only after a special referendum was it decided to rebuild it.
Up until 1973, Mayen was the District Centre of the Mayen District (with number-plate code MY). After 1973, the district administration was moved to Koblenz and the District was renamed Mayen-Koblenz District with the new number-plate code of MYK; Koblenz kept its own code of KO.
in 1970 four villages next to Mayen were incorporated. The four villages now belong officially to the town and became Boroughs of Mayen. Nowadays the Boroughs are still village-like and maintain most of the Agriculture
of Mayen. The Boroughs are
The Population of Alzheim and Hausen is increasing in the last years, due to the creation of new residential areas.
in France, Godalming
in England, Uherské Hradiště
in the Czech Republic
and Cyabingo in Rwanda
.
Mayen-Koblenz
Mayen-Koblenz is a district in the north of Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. Neighboring districts are Ahrweiler, Neuwied, Westerwaldkreis, district-free Koblenz, Rhein-Lahn, Rhein-Hunsrück, Cochem-Zell, and Vulkaneifel....
of the 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 ....
Federal State of Germany, in the eastern part of the Volcanic Eifel Region. As well as the main town, there are five further settlements which are part of Mayen, they are: Alzheim, Kürrenberg, Hausen-Betzing, Hausen and Nitztal. Mayen is the administrative centre of the Vordereifel ‘Collective Municipality’
Vordereifel
Vordereifel is a Verbandsgemeinde in the district of Mayen-Koblenz, in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is situated on the eastern edge of the Eifel, west of Mayen. The seat of the municipality is in Mayen, itself not part of the municipality.The Verbandsgemeinde Vordereifel consists of the...
, although is itself not part of the municipality.
Geography
To the west, as well as to the north and south-west, of Mayen is the country landscape of the EifelEifel
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....
. To the east, the landscape flattens out, running towards the Koblenz-Neuwied Basin, which itself can be divided into the northern section of Pellenz
Pellenz
Pellenz is a Verbandsgemeinde in the district Mayen-Koblenz, in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is situated north-east of Mayen, and south of Andernach...
and the southern section of Maifeld
Maifeld
Maifeld is a Verbandsgemeinde in the district Mayen-Koblenz, in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is situated south-east of Mayen, and west of Koblenz. The seat of the municipality is in Polch....
. This area is also geographically considered to be part of the Eifel. Because of this, Mayen is often called ‘The Gateway to the Eifel’.
The small river Nette
Nette (Rhine)
The Nette is a small river in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany, a left tributary of the Rhine. It rises in the Eifel, south of Nürburg. The Nette flows east through Mayen before reaching the Rhine between Weißenthurm and Andernach....
runs through the town, flowing from the Eifel towards Weißenthurm
Weißenthurm
Weißenthurm is a municipality in the district of Mayen-Koblenz, in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is situated on the left bank of the Rhine, opposite Neuwied, approx. 12 km north-west of Koblenz....
on the Rhine.
History
Even in Roman times, Mayen (lat. Megina) was an important economic centre. From the end of the 3rd Century up until the Middle Ages, potteries were established here, whose products made their way across Central Europe. An even older – prehistoric – use was found for the quarries in the nearby area; the basalt was used to make millstones and the tuff was used in the production of sarcophagi. These sarcophagi were found buried with significant glass artifacts (which are now displayed in the Genovevaburg Museum in Mayen).The name Mayen probably comes from the name Megina. Records from as far back as 847 show this as a designation of the town, coming from the Celtic word ‘magos’ meaning field. In the 8th Century the legend of Genoveva of Brabant, names Mayen as the seat of government of Duke Siegfried of the Pfalz.
Mayen received its first official recognition in 1041, and was granted Town Status in 1291 from Rudolf I von Habsburg, at the same time as Bernkastel
Bernkastel-Kues
Bernkastel-Kues is a well-known winegrowing centre on the Middle Moselle in the Bernkastel-Wittlich district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany...
, Welschbillig
Welschbillig
Welschbillig is a municipality in the Trier-Saarburg district, in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany....
, Montabaur
Montabaur
Montabaur is a town and the district seat of the Westerwaldkreis in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. At the same time, it is also the administrative centre of the Verbandsgemeinde of Montabaur – a kind of collective municipality – to which 24 other communities belong...
and Saarburg
Saarburg
Saarburg is a city of the Trier-Saarburg district in the Rhineland-Palatinate state of Germany, on the banks of the Saar River in the hilly country a few kilometers upstream from the Saar's junction with the Moselle....
. Mayen is possibly linked to the town of Maifeld, which lies a short distant to the south-east, since Mayen was called the capital of the Meiengau in the Middle Ages.
During the Second World War, in particular during the Air Attacks of 12 December 1944 and 2 January 1945, up to approximately 90% of the town was destroyed, and only after a special referendum was it decided to rebuild it.
Up until 1973, Mayen was the District Centre of the Mayen District (with number-plate code MY). After 1973, the district administration was moved to Koblenz and the District was renamed Mayen-Koblenz District with the new number-plate code of MYK; Koblenz kept its own code of KO.
Boroughs
Because of the KommunalreformAmalgamation (politics)
A merger or amalgamation in a political or administrative sense is the combination of two or more political or administrative entities such as municipalities , counties, districts, etc. into a single entity. This term is used when the process occurs within a sovereign entity...
in 1970 four villages next to Mayen were incorporated. The four villages now belong officially to the town and became Boroughs of Mayen. Nowadays the Boroughs are still village-like and maintain most of the 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...
of Mayen. The Boroughs are
- Alzheim (Population approx. 1300), to the south
- Hausen (Population approx. 1500), to the east, towards KoblenzKoblenzKoblenz is a German city situated on both banks of the Rhine at its confluence with the Moselle, where the Deutsches Eck and its monument are situated.As Koblenz was one of the military posts established by Drusus about 8 BC, the...
- Kürrenberg (Population approx. 1200), to the west, towards NürburgringNürburgringThe Nürburgring is a motorsport complex around the village of Nürburg, Germany. It features a modern Grand Prix race track built in 1984, and a much longer old North loop track which was built in the 1920s around the village and medieval castle of Nürburg in the Eifel mountains. It is located about...
- Nitztal (Population approx. 180), to the north, towards Schloss Bürresheim
The Population of Alzheim and Hausen is increasing in the last years, due to the creation of new residential areas.
Infrastructure
- Favourable location between A 61Bundesautobahn 61is an autobahn in Germany that connects the border to the Netherlands near Venlo in the northwest to the interchange with A 6 near Hockenheim. In 1965, this required a re-design of the Hockenheimring....
(CologneCologneCologne 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...
, Ludwigshafen) and A 48 (TrierTrierTrier, 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....
, KoblenzKoblenzKoblenz is a German city situated on both banks of the Rhine at its confluence with the Moselle, where the Deutsches Eck and its monument are situated.As Koblenz was one of the military posts established by Drusus about 8 BC, the...
). - Train connection: the Trans Regio branch line goes from AndernachAndernachAndernach 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...
, which is on the Koblenz to Cologne route, to Kaisersesch in the Eifel, through Mayen Ost and, less frequently, through Mayen West. - Regular (hourly) bus routes to/from AndernachAndernachAndernach 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...
, NeuwiedNeuwiedNeuwied is a town in the north of the German state of Rhineland-Palatinate, capital of the District of Neuwied. Neuwied lies on the right bank of the Rhine, 12 km northwest of Koblenz, on the railway from Frankfurt am Main to Cologne...
and KoblenzKoblenzKoblenz is a German city situated on both banks of the Rhine at its confluence with the Moselle, where the Deutsches Eck and its monument are situated.As Koblenz was one of the military posts established by Drusus about 8 BC, the...
, as well as westwards into the Eifel. The town is part of the Verkehrsverbund Rhein-Mosel (Rhine-Mosel Transport Network). - Various shopping and business areas; several supermarkets from national chains; many clothes, sports, stationary and other shops; a cinema; various petrol stations; a large furniture store; a DIY store as well as building-supply stores. Most of these are located in a shopping area on the outskirts of the town, towards Koblenz.
- The town centre is very attractive and has a large pedestrian precinct.
- The town has its own hospital, the St Elisabeth Krankenhaus, and emergency services.
Industry
Basalt-, slate-, cardboard industry, machine-production, aluminium- and artificial material processing.Sights
- Genovevaburg from the 13th Century, with the Eifel Museum and the Slate Mining Museum housed inside.
- St Clemens Parish Church with its twisted spire (symbol of the town, rebuilt in 1945)
- Herz-Jesu Church (built in 1911/12)
- Volcanic Information Station in the Vulkanpark (Volcanic Park).
- Nearby in the Nette Valley: Schloss Bürresheim, which appears as Castle Grunewald in 'Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade'.
- Swimming and leisure pool, with the longest hanging water slide in the world (see Guinness Book of Records).
Events
- Lukasmarkt: yearly fair in October with rides and amusements for a week, as well as two days where there is a livestock market (for which the fair was originally established).
- Burgfestspiele (Castle Festival Show): for several weeks in late spring, the courtyard of the castle is transformed into an open-air theatre, which is then used for various productions.
- Stein- und Burgfest (Stone and Castle Festival); a chance for local craftsmen and guilds to showcase their trade. Usually for two days towards in September.
Education
Mayen is home to the Fachhochschule für öffentliche Verwaltung (Training College for Public Administration), two Gymnasien (top-level secondary schools): the Megina Gymnasium and the Wirtschaftsgymnasium (Economics Grammar School); a Realschule (middle-level secondary school): the Albert-Schweizer-Realschule; two Hauptschulen (lower-level secondary school): Hinter Burg, St Veit; a Berufschule (vocational school); various Grundschulen (primary schools); two Förderschulen (schools for children with disabilities); a beekeeping school, and a stonemasonry school. The Bundeswehr (German Armed Forces) has a forces school at the Mayen Barracks, where troops are trained for how to deal with the media and psychological aspects to operation leading. This school is unique in Germany. Michigan State University has a summer program in MayenMayen Personalities
- Karl Uller, (1872–1959), physicist
- Emmy Kreiten-Barido, (1894–1985) singer and mother of the martyred Karlrobert Kreiten
- Reinhard SaftigReinhard SaftigReinhard Saftig is a German football manager.Saftig has served as head coach of Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund, Hannover 96, VfL Bochum, and Bayer Leverkusen in the German Bundesliga.-Career:...
(Trainer of various teams from the German Bundesliga, including Bayern Munich, now Manager of Arminia Bielefeld) - Mario AdorfMario AdorfMario Adorf is a German film and stage actor, best known for his lead role in the 1978 film The Tin Drum.-Biography:...
(actor, author) - Heinrich Alken (scuptor, painter)
- Christoph Friedrich Heinle (poet)
- Balthasar Krems (Inventor of the sewing machineSewing machineA sewing machine is a textile machine used to stitch fabric, cards and other material together with thread. Sewing machines were invented during the first Industrial Revolution to decrease the amount of manual sewing work performed in clothing companies...
) - Winfried Schäfer (famous footballer and trainer)
- Hans-Ludwig Schilling (composer)
- Anne Spurzem (politician)
- Anton Woger (sculptor)
- Stephan AckermannStephan AckermannStephan Ackermann was appointed Bishop of Trier in the Moselle area of Germany in 2009. He had previously served with the title of Sozopolis in Haemimonto as auxiliary bishop in the same diocese from 2006....
(bishop) - Dominik MeffertDominik MeffertDominik Meffert is a German professional tennis player. He qualified for the 2007 US Open, to this date his first and only Grand Slam competition, but lost in the first round. He is 6'6" tall and 210 lbs...
(professional tennis player) - Nadja Jennifer Maniotis (singer, actress)
- Jacques LoebJacques LoebJacques Loeb was a German-born American physiologist and biologist.-Biography:...
, 1859–1924, physiologist and biologist - Leo LoebLeo LoebLeo Loeb, M.D. , was a renowned American physician, educator, and experimental pathologist.-Early life:...
, biologist - Theodore DreiserTheodore DreiserTheodore Herman Albert Dreiser was an American novelist and journalist of the naturalist school. His novels often featured main characters who succeeded at their objectives despite a lack of a firm moral code, and literary situations that more closely resemble studies of nature than tales of...
, American writer, son of an immigrant from Mayen - Paul DresserPaul DresserJohann Paul Dresser, Jr. was a popular American songwriter of the late 19th century and early 20th century. As a child and adolescent he was frequently in trouble and spent several months in jail before joining a band of traveling minstrels...
, American musician and songwriter, brother of Theodore Dreiser
Twin towns
Mayen’s twin towns are: JoignyJoigny
Joigny is a commune in the Yonne department in Burgundy in north-central France.It is located on the banks of the Yonne River.-Notable people :...
in France, Godalming
Godalming
Godalming is a town and civil parish in the Waverley district of the county of Surrey, England, south of Guildford. It is built on the banks of the River Wey and is a prosperous part of the London commuter belt. Godalming shares a three-way twinning arrangement with the towns of Joigny in France...
in England, Uherské Hradiště
Uherské Hradište
Uherské Hradiště is a town in the Zlín Region of the Czech Republic. It lies on the Morava river and is the seat of the Uherské Hradiště District.- History :...
in the Czech Republic
Czech Republic
The Czech Republic is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Poland to the northeast, Slovakia to the east, Austria to the south, and Germany to the west and northwest....
and Cyabingo in Rwanda
Rwanda
Rwanda or , officially the Republic of Rwanda , is a country in central and eastern Africa with a population of approximately 11.4 million . Rwanda is located a few degrees south of the Equator, and is bordered by Uganda, Tanzania, Burundi and the Democratic Republic of the Congo...
.
External links
- http://www.mayen.de
- http://www.deutsches-schieferbergwerk.de