Weisenheim am Sand
Encyclopedia
Weisenheim am Sand is an Ortsgemeinde – a municipality
belonging to a Verbandsgemeinde
, a kind of collective municipality – in the Bad Dürkheim
district in Rhineland-Palatinate
, Germany
.
in the Eastern Palatinate (Vorderpfalz). Through Weisenheim flows the Fuchsbach, which empties into the Isenach in Frankenthal
. Within the village’s limits is the neighbouring recreational area “Käschdeberg”. By both land area and population, Weisenheim am Sand is the biggest village in the Verbandsgemeinde of Freinsheim
(whose seat is in the like-named town
), to which the smaller municipality of Weisenheim am Berg
also belongs.
The municipal election held on 7 June 2009 yielded the following results:
The municipality’s arms
might in English heraldic
language be described thus: Gules a palm frond palewise, the leaves bendwise sinister, between two mullets of six, all Or.
The arms go back to the village’s oldest known seal, from 1474. The palm frond stands for Saint Cyriacus, the local patron, but what the mullets (star shapes) mean is unknown. The arms have been borne since 1922 but were officially granted only on 19 August 1957.
, Weimarer Land
, Thuringia
since 20 April 1991
s and a primary school with four levels each with two classes. To the school belongs the community gym
nasium. The municipal library, meanwhile, has moved from the town hall to the ground floor of the primary school.
The biggest sport club is SV Weisenheim am Sand. Other sport clubs are ASV Weisenheim am Sand, Tennis-Club Ludwigshain (TCL) and the Schützengilde Weisenheim am Sand (“Marksmen’s Guild”). Among other clubs are the Reit-und Fahrverein Weisenheim (riding and driving), the volunteer fire brigade’s promotional club, the local history and museum club and several Fastnacht groups.
n competition horseman Hugo Simon
, who in 1996 was the world’s “most successful show jumper”, and also the former FIFA
referee and now Südwestdeutscher Fußballverband (“Southwest German Football League”) functionary Werner Föckler (b. 24 June 1945).
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 Bad Dürkheim
Bad Dürkheim (district)
Bad Dürkheim is a district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is bounded by the districts of Kaiserslautern, Donnersbergkreis and Alzey-Worms, the city of Worms, the Rhein-Pfalz-Kreis, the city of Neustadt/Weinstraße, the districts of Südliche Weinstraße, the city of Landau , the district...
district 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...
.
Location
Weisenheim am Sand lies in the Upper Rhine PlainUpper Rhine Plain
The Upper Rhine Plain, Rhine Rift Valley or Upper Rhine Graben is a major rift, straddling the border between France and Germany. It forms part of the European Cenozoic Rift System, which extends across central Europe...
in the Eastern Palatinate (Vorderpfalz). Through Weisenheim flows the Fuchsbach, which empties into the Isenach in Frankenthal
Frankenthal
Frankenthal is a town in southwestern Germany, in the state of Rhineland-Palatinate.- History :Frankenthal was first mentioned in 772. In 1119 an Augustinian monastery was built here, the ruins of which — known, after the founder, as the Erkenbertruine — still stand today in the town...
. Within the village’s limits is the neighbouring recreational area “Käschdeberg”. By both land area and population, Weisenheim am Sand is the biggest village in the Verbandsgemeinde of Freinsheim
Freinsheim (Verbandsgemeinde)
Freinsheim is a Verbandsgemeinde in the district of Bad Dürkheim, Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. The seat of the Verbandsgemeinde is in Freinsheim....
(whose seat is in the like-named town
Freinsheim
Freinsheim is a town in the Bad Dürkheim district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. With about 5,000 inhabitants, it is among the state’s smaller towns...
), to which the smaller municipality of Weisenheim am Berg
Weisenheim am Berg
Weisenheim am Berg is an Ortsgemeinde – a municipality belonging to a Verbandsgemeinde, a kind of collective municipality – in the Bad Dürkheim district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany.- Location :The municipality lies on the edge of the Haardt range in the Palatinate...
also belongs.
Climate
The area around Weisenheim is reckoned to be one of Germany’s mildest regions and is particularly suited to winegrowing and fruitgrowing.Municipal council
The council is made up of 20 council members, who were elected 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:
| SPD Social Democratic Party of Germany The Social Democratic Party of Germany is a social-democratic political party in Germany... |
CDU | 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... |
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... |
FWG Free Voters Free Voters is a German concept in which an association of persons participates in an election without having the status of a registered political party. Usually it is a locally organized group of voters in the form of a registered association . In most cases, Free Voters are active only at the... |
Total | |
| 2009 | 5 | 8 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 20 seats |
| 2004 | 6 | 9 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 20 seats |
Coat of arms
The German blazon reads: In Rot ein aufrecht gestellter goldener Palmzweig, beseitet von zwei sechsstrahligen goldenen Sternen.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: Gules a palm frond palewise, the leaves bendwise sinister, between two mullets of six, all Or.
The arms go back to the village’s oldest known seal, from 1474. The palm frond stands for Saint Cyriacus, the local patron, but what the mullets (star shapes) mean is unknown. The arms have been borne since 1922 but were officially granted only on 19 August 1957.
Town partnerships
Weisenheim am Sand fosters partnerships with the following places: NiederroßlaNiederroßla
Niederroßla is a municipality in the Weimarer Land district of Thuringia, Germany....
, Weimarer Land
Weimarer Land
Weimarer Land is a Kreis in the east of Thuringia, Germany. Neighboring districts are the district Burgenlandkreis in Saxony-Anhalt, the district Saale-Holzland and the district-free city Jena, the district Saalfeld-Rudolstadt, Ilm-Kreis, and the district-free city Erfurt...
, Thuringia
Thuringia
The Free State of Thuringia is a state of Germany, located in the central part of the country.It has an area of and 2.29 million inhabitants, making it the sixth smallest by area and the fifth smallest by population of Germany's sixteen states....
since 20 April 1991
Education, sport and leisure
Weisenheim has three kindergartenKindergarten
A kindergarten is a preschool educational institution for children. The term was created by Friedrich Fröbel for the play and activity institute that he created in 1837 in Bad Blankenburg as a social experience for children for their transition from home to school...
s and a primary school with four levels each with two classes. To the school belongs the community gym
Gym
The word γυμνάσιον was used in Ancient Greece, that mean a locality for both physical and intellectual education of young men...
nasium. The municipal library, meanwhile, has moved from the town hall to the ground floor of the primary school.
The biggest sport club is SV Weisenheim am Sand. Other sport clubs are ASV Weisenheim am Sand, Tennis-Club Ludwigshain (TCL) and the Schützengilde Weisenheim am Sand (“Marksmen’s Guild”). Among other clubs are the Reit-und Fahrverein Weisenheim (riding and driving), the volunteer fire brigade’s promotional club, the local history and museum club and several Fastnacht groups.
Famous people
Living in Weisenheim are the AustriaAustria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
n competition horseman Hugo Simon
Hugo Simon
Hugo Simon, born 3 August 1942 in Křivá Voda near Šumperk, present-day Czech Republic, is an Olympic medal-winning Austrian show jumper who competed at six Olympics between 1972 and 1996 ....
, who in 1996 was the world’s “most successful show jumper”, and also the former FIFA
FIFA
The Fédération Internationale de Football Association , commonly known by the acronym FIFA , is the international governing body of :association football, futsal and beach football. Its headquarters are located in Zurich, Switzerland, and its president is Sepp Blatter, who is in his fourth...
referee and now Südwestdeutscher Fußballverband (“Southwest German Football League”) functionary Werner Föckler (b. 24 June 1945).