Breit is an ''Ortsgemeinde'' – a municipality belonging to a '' Verbandsgemeinde'', a kind of collective municipality – in the

Bernkastel-Wittlich Bernkastel-Wittlich (German: ''Landkreis Bernkastel-Wittlich'') is a district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is bounded by (from the north and clockwise) the districts of Vulkaneifel, Cochem-Zell, Rhein-Hunsrück, Birkenfeld, Trier-Saarbur ...

district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany.

Geography

The municipality lies in the

Hunsrück The Hunsrück () is a long, triangular, pronounced upland in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is bounded by the valleys of the Moselle-Saar (north-to-west), the Nahe (south), and the Rhine (east). It is continued by the Taunus mountains, past ...

on a knoll about 400 m above sea level and thereby some 150 m above the bottom of the Kleine Dhron river valley. Breit belongs to the ''Verbandsgemeinde'' of Thalfang am Erbeskopf, whose seat is in the municipality of

Thalfang The climatic spa (''Luftkurort'') of Thalfang is an ''Ortsgemeinde'' – a municipality belonging to a ''Verbandsgemeinde'', a kind of collective municipality – in the Bernkastel-Wittlich district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is the sea ...

History

In the early 13th century, Breit had its first documentary mention in the name “Conrad von Breit” in a record from St. Maximin’s Abbey. After the French Revolution, the Rhine’s left bank, and along with it Breit, were ceded to France in 1794 and 1795. Through a law from 26 March 1798, the French abolished

feudal Feudalism, also known as the feudal system, was the combination of the legal, economic, military, cultural and political customs that flourished in Middle Ages, medieval Europe between the 9th and 15th centuries. Broadly defined, it was a wa ...

rights in their zone of occupation. After French rule ended, the village passed in 1814 to the Kingdom of Prussia. Since 1947, it has been part of the then newly founded state of Rhineland-Palatinate. Since administrative reform in Rhineland-Palatinate in 1969, Breit has belonged to the ''Verbandsgemeinde'' of Thalfang am Erbeskopf in the

district. Formerly it had been part of the ''

Amt Amt is a type of administrative division governing a group of municipalities, today only in Germany, but formerly also common in other countries of Northern Europe. Its size and functions differ by country and the term is roughly equivalent to ...

'' of Klüsserath, which in the course of the administrative reform was abolished.

Politics

Municipal council

The council is made up of 6 council members, who were elected by

majority vote A majority, also called a simple majority or absolute majority to distinguish it from related terms, is more than half of the total.Dictionary definitions of ''majority'' aMerriam-Webster arms Arms or ARMS may refer to: *Arm or arms, the upper limbs of the body Arm, Arms, or ARMS may also refer to: People * Ida A. T. Arms (1856–1931), American missionary-educator, temperance leader Coat of arms or weapons *Armaments or weapons **Fi ...

might be described thus: Tierced in mantle, dexter argent a cross gules, sinister argent an oak eradicated vert, and in base a bicapitated eagle’s head(s) erased Or langued of the second.Description and explanation of Breit’s arms
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Culture and sightseeing

In Breit stands the ''Kugelbaum'', a roughly 200-year-old oak. The local sport club is ''FC Büdlich-Breit-Naurath''. Moreover, there are a music club, a church choir, a theatre club and the promotional association of the Breit volunteer fire brigade. Running by Breit is the Via Ausonia (or ''Ausoniusweg'' in

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...

), a hiking trail – formerly a Roman road – leading from Trier to Bingen am Rhein and named after the Roman poet and state official

Decimus Magnus Ausonius Decimius Magnus Ausonius (; – c. 395) was a Roman poet and teacher of rhetoric from Burdigala in Aquitaine, modern Bordeaux, France. For a time he was tutor to the future emperor Gratian, who afterwards bestowed the consulship on him. ...

, who between AD 365 and 368 travelled in the area and described it.

Economy and infrastructure

Transport

A long-distance transport link is provided by the Mehring Autobahn interchange ( A 1) some 8 km away. The nearest railway station is the main station in Trier, 25 km from Breit. Breit is structured as a ''Haufendorf'', or “clustered village”.

References

External links

* {{Authority control Bernkastel-Wittlich