Biebelsheim is an ''
Ortsgemeinde'' – a
municipality belonging to a ''
Verbandsgemeinde
A Verbandsgemeinde (; plural Verbandsgemeinden) is a low-level administrative unit in the German federal states of Rhineland-Palatinate and Saxony-Anhalt. A Verbandsgemeinde is typically composed of a small group of villages or towns.
Rhinelan ...
'', a kind of collective municipality – in the
Bad Kreuznach
Bad Kreuznach () is a town in the Bad Kreuznach district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is a spa town, most well known for its medieval bridge dating from around 1300, the Alte Nahebrücke, which is one of the few remaining bridges in t ...
district
A district is a type of administrative division that, in some countries, is managed by the local government. Across the world, areas known as "districts" vary greatly in size, spanning regions or counties, several municipalities, subdivisions o ...
in
Rhineland-Palatinate,
Germany. It belongs to the
''Verbandsgemeinde'' of Bad Kreuznach, whose seat is in the
like-named town, although this lies outside the ''Verbandsgemeinde''.
Geography
Location
Biebelsheim lies in
Rhenish Hesse just east of the river
Nahe some 6 km northeast of
Bad Kreuznach
Bad Kreuznach () is a town in the Bad Kreuznach district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is a spa town, most well known for its medieval bridge dating from around 1300, the Alte Nahebrücke, which is one of the few remaining bridges in t ...
, some 11 km south-southeast of
Bingen am Rhein
Bingen am Rhein () is a town in the Mainz-Bingen district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany.
The settlement's original name was Bingium, a Celtic word that may have meant "hole in the rock", a description of the shoal behind the ''Mäuseturm'', ...
and 28 km southwest of
Mainz. The municipality is characterized by
agriculture
Agriculture or farming is the practice of cultivating plants and livestock. Agriculture was the key development in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that enabled people to ...
and
winegrowing
Viticulture (from the Latin word for ''vine'') or winegrowing (wine growing) is the cultivation and harvesting of grapes. It is a branch of the science of horticulture. While the native territory of ''Vitis vinifera'', the common grape vine, ran ...
.
Neighbouring municipalities
Clockwise from the north, Biebelsheim's neighbours are the municipality of
Gensingen, the municipality of
Welgesheim
Welgesheim is an ''Ortsgemeinde'' – a municipality belonging to a ''Verbandsgemeinde'', a kind of collective municipality – in the Mainz-Bingen district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany.
Geography
Welgesheim lies in Rhenish Hesse between Mai ...
, the municipality of
Zotzenheim
Zotzenheim is an ''Ortsgemeinde'' – a municipality belonging to a ''Verbandsgemeinde'', a kind of collective municipality – in the Mainz-Bingen district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany.
Geography
The municipality lies in Rhenish Hesse. It b ...
, the municipality of
Pfaffen-Schwabenheim
Pfaffen-Schwabenheim is an ''Ortsgemeinde'' – a municipality belonging to a '' Verbandsgemeinde'', a kind of collective municipality – in the Bad Kreuznach district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It belongs to the ''Verbandsgemeinde'' of B ...
and the town of
Bad Kreuznach
Bad Kreuznach () is a town in the Bad Kreuznach district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is a spa town, most well known for its medieval bridge dating from around 1300, the Alte Nahebrücke, which is one of the few remaining bridges in t ...
. Only the last two also lie within the Bad Kreuznach district, whereas all the others lie in the neighbouring
Mainz-Bingen
Mainz-Bingen is a district (''Kreis'') in the east of Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. Neighboring districts are (from north clockwise) Rheingau-Taunus, the district-free cities Wiesbaden and Mainz, the districts Groß-Gerau, Alzey-Worms, Bad Kre ...
district.
History
Indirect proof of the village's early existence comes from the ''Binger Mauerbauordnung'' (“
Bingen Wall-Building Order”), which obliged, among many other places in the lower Nahe region, Biebelsheim to contribute to the Bingen town wall's upkeep. Biebelsheim, which from the latter half of the 13th century belonged exclusively to the
Counts of Falkenstein and their heirs, was thereby annexed to the
Habsburg hereditary domains. Biebelsheim was in this early time an
exclave
An enclave is a territory (or a small territory apart of a larger one) that is entirely surrounded by the territory of one other state or entity. Enclaves may also exist within territorial waters. ''Enclave'' is sometimes used improperly to deno ...
within the Falkenstein domains. Holding the title of Count at first were the Lords of Bolanden, with the
Counts of Virneburg inheriting it in 1418. The county then went through a series of different landholders until it, along with Biebelsheim, eventually passed in 1667 to the
Duke of Lorraine
The rulers of Lorraine have held different posts under different governments over different regions, since its creation as the kingdom of Lotharingia by the Treaty of Prüm, in 855. The first rulers of the newly established region were kings of ...
. With Duke of Lorraine
Franz Stephan's marriage to
Maria Theresa of Habsburg, Biebelsheim passed to
Austria
Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous c ...
and was subject to the ''
Oberamt'' of Winnweiler in
Further Austria
Further Austria, Outer Austria or Anterior Austria (german: Vorderösterreich, formerly ''die Vorlande'' (pl.)) was the collective name for the early (and later) possessions of the House of Habsburg in the former Swabian stem duchy of south-we ...
. Only the absorption of the village into
French
French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to France
** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents
** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...
territory in the late 18th century and the attendant thorough change to the political map ended the more-than-500-year-old Falkenstein hegemony. In the 1560s – indeed no later than 1567 – Biebelsheim became
Lutheran. Until the
occupation
Occupation commonly refers to:
*Occupation (human activity), or job, one's role in society, often a regular activity performed for payment
*Occupation (protest), political demonstration by holding public or symbolic spaces
*Military occupation, th ...
of the region by the
Spaniards
Spaniards, or Spanish people, are a Romance ethnic group native to Spain. Within Spain, there are a number of national and regional ethnic identities that reflect the country's complex history, including a number of different languages, both ...
early in the
Thirty Years' War, only
Protestant services were held at the
church
Church may refer to:
Religion
* Church (building), a building for Christian religious activities
* Church (congregation), a local congregation of a Christian denomination
* Church service, a formalized period of Christian communal worship
* Chri ...
. However, it is unclear to what extent
Catholics
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...
could use the church under Spanish military authority. During the tumultuous times of the 18th century and in the early 19th century, Biebelsheim shared the same fate as all the surrounding villages. It was occupied by
French Revolutionary troops in 1792 and
annexed
Annexation (Latin ''ad'', to, and ''nexus'', joining), in international law, is the forcible acquisition of one state's territory by another state, usually following military occupation of the territory. It is generally held to be an illegal act ...
under the terms of the
Treaty of Campo Formio by France by reason of its once having been Austrian, and in 1814 the French forsook it, having been driven out in the last phase of the
Napoleonic Wars. During
French Revolutionary and
Napoleonic times, Biebelsheim belonged to the
Department
Department may refer to:
* Departmentalization, division of a larger organization into parts with specific responsibility
Government and military
*Department (administrative division), a geographical and administrative division within a country, ...
of
Mont-Tonnerre
Mont-Tonnerre was a department of the First French Republic and later the First French Empire in present-day Germany. It was named after the highest point in the Palatinate, the ''Donnersberg'' ("Thunder Mountain", possibly referring to Dona ...
(or Donnersberg 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
**Ge ...
) and formed together with Ippesheim (now a constituent community of
Bad Kreuznach
Bad Kreuznach () is a town in the Bad Kreuznach district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is a spa town, most well known for its medieval bridge dating from around 1300, the Alte Nahebrücke, which is one of the few remaining bridges in t ...
) a ''mairie'' (“mayoralty”) that lasted until 1901. From 1814 to 1816, there was a joint Austrian-
Bavarian administration in
Kreuznach
Bad Kreuznach () is a town in the Bad Kreuznach district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is a spa town, most well known for its medieval bridge dating from around 1300, the Alte Nahebrücke, which is one of the few remaining bridges in th ...
(later Worms). Then, in 1816, under the terms of the
Congress of Vienna
The Congress of Vienna (, ) of 1814–1815 was a series of international diplomatic meetings to discuss and agree upon a possible new layout of the European political and constitutional order after the downfall of the French Emperor Napoleon B ...
, Biebelsheim passed to the
Grand Duchy of Hesse, where it was assigned to the newly created province of
Rhenish Hesse. Details about events of any special meaning to Biebelsheim itself during this time are unknown. Biebelsheim's population development shows trends typical for the whole of Rhenish Hesse: in 1815 the village had 317 inhabitants. By 1846, the figure had risen by almost 120 to 435, and then by 1871 it had shrunk again to 384. In 1905, there was once again a higher figure, with 437 inhabitants. In the realm of social life, too, Biebelsheim did not distinguish itself from other places where it is known that from the mid 19th century there was lively club activity. In 1861, interested citizens got together in a singing club, although today this is no longer active. In 1883 came the
gymnastic and
sport club
A sports club or sporting club, sometimes an athletics club or sports society or sports association, is a group of people formed for the purpose of playing sports.
Sports clubs range from organisations whose members play together, unpaid, and ...
, while the volunteer
fire brigade
A fire department (American English) or fire brigade (Commonwealth English), also known as a fire authority, fire district, fire and rescue, or fire service in some areas, is an organization that provides fire prevention and fire suppression se ...
had been serving citizens at fires and other emergencies since 1891. Until 1901, the ''Bürgermeisterei'' (“Mayoralty”) of Biebelsheim-Ippesheim still existed, having been established during the French occupation. Biebelsheim then became a self-administering municipality for the first time. In 1911, the village received an electrical service from
Worms. Watermains were installed along with sewerage in 1933. Since 1946, Biebelsheim has been part of the then newly founded
state of
Rhineland-Palatinate. But for a sudden growth in the population between the end of the
Second World War and 1950, which saw the village's population swell to 514 with the arrival of
ethnic Germans driven out of Germany's former eastern territories, Biebelsheim did not experience the quick rise in population that took place in other places nearby. From 1961 to 1970, the population even fell from 435 to 418.
Population development
Biebelsheim's population development since
Napoleonic times is shown in the table below. The figures for the years from 1871 to 1987 are drawn from census data.
[Statistisches Landesamt Rheinland-Pfalz – Regionaldaten](_blank)
/ref>
Religion
As at 31 July 2013, there are 666 full-time residents in Biebelsheim, and of those, 251 are Evangelical
Evangelicalism (), also called evangelical Christianity or evangelical Protestantism, is a worldwide interdenominational movement within Protestant Christianity that affirms the centrality of being "born again", in which an individual exper ...
(37.688%), 211 are Catholic
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...
(31.682%), 2 (0.3%) belong to the Alzey Free Religion Community, 39 (5.856%) belong to other religious groups and 163 (24.474%) either have no religion or will not reveal their religious affiliation.
Politics
Municipal council
The council is made up of 12 council members, who were elected by majority vote at the municipal election held on 7 June 2009, and the honorary mayor as chairman.
Mayor
Biebelsheim's mayor is Gabriele Schwarz-Müller.[
]
Coat of arms
The German blazon reads:
The municipality's arms might in English heraldic
Heraldry is a discipline relating to the design, display and study of armorial bearings (known as armory), as well as related disciplines, such as vexillology, together with the study of ceremony, rank and pedigree. Armory, the best-known branc ...
language be described thus: Per fess gules the letter B Or and Or three mullets of the first.
The charge
Charge or charged may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Films
* ''Charge, Zero Emissions/Maximum Speed'', a 2011 documentary
Music
* ''Charge'' (David Ford album)
* ''Charge'' (Machel Montano album)
* '' Charge!!'', an album by The Aqu ...
in the upper field, the letter B, refers to the village's name, Biebelsheim. The tincture
A tincture is typically an extract of plant or animal material dissolved in ethanol (ethyl alcohol). Solvent concentrations of 25–60% are common, but may run as high as 90%.Groot Handboek Geneeskrachtige Planten by Geert Verhelst In chemistr ...
s Or and gules (gold and red) are the ones formerly borne by the Lords of Bolanden as well as by their successors to the County of Falkenstein, the Counts of Virneburg and the Lords of Daun. The charges in the lower field, the three mullets (star shapes), are drawn from the 1537 Biebelsheim court seal. The website rheinhessen.de shows a different coat of arms for Biebelsheim, namely “Gules the letter B between three mullets, all Or” (shown at right).
Culture and sightseeing
Buildings
The following are listed buildings or sites in Rhineland-Palatinate’s Directory of Cultural Monuments:
* Evangelical
Evangelicalism (), also called evangelical Christianity or evangelical Protestantism, is a worldwide interdenominational movement within Protestant Christianity that affirms the centrality of being "born again", in which an individual exper ...
church
Church may refer to:
Religion
* Church (building), a building for Christian religious activities
* Church (congregation), a local congregation of a Christian denomination
* Church service, a formalized period of Christian communal worship
* Chri ...
, Obergasse 3 – formerly Saint Martin’s; Late Gothic aisleless church
An aisleless church (german: Saalkirche) 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 on either side of the nave and separated ...
with reduced quire, marked 1496; at the church warriors’ memorial 1914-1918
* Backhausgasse 12 – estate complex, timber-frame
Timber framing (german: Holzfachwerk) and "post-and-beam" construction are traditional methods of building with heavy timbers, creating structures using squared-off and carefully fitted and joined timbers with joints secured by large wooden ...
house with gateway, marked 1808
* Backhausgasse 13 – three-sided estate, 18th or early 19th century
* Hauptstraße, at the graveyard – Johann Fischborn tomb, Late Gründerzeit
(; "founders' period") was the economic phase in 19th-century Germany and Austria before the great stock market crash of 1873. In Central Europe, the age of industrialisation had been taking place since the 1840s. That period is not precisel ...
aedicula
In ancient Roman religion, an ''aedicula'' (plural ''aediculae'') is a small shrine, and in classical architecture refers to a niche covered by a pediment or entablature supported by a pair of columns and typically framing a statue,"aedicula, ...
with Renaissance motifs
* Hauptstraße 6 – winery
A winery is a building or property that produces wine, or a business involved in the production of wine, such as a wine company. Some wine companies own many wineries. Besides wine making equipment, larger wineries may also feature warehouses, ...
; one-and-a-half-floor villalike clinker brick
Clinker bricks are partially-vitrified bricks used in the construction of buildings.
Clinker bricks are produced when wet clay bricks are exposed to excessive heat during the firing process, sintering the surface of the brick and forming a sh ...
building, about 1890/1900
* Hauptstraße 30 – Villa Walldorf; Renaissance Revival, about 1880/90
* Obergasse 2 – timber-frame house, 17th century with window-height oriel
* Obergasse 4 – Baroque
The Baroque (, ; ) is a style of architecture, music, dance, painting, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished in Europe from the early 17th century until the 1750s. In the territories of the Spanish and Portuguese empires including th ...
timber-frame house, 18th century
* (an) Obergasse 10 – Late Baroque portal with skylight, marked 1776
* Schulstraße 12 – former school; sandstone-block building, marked 1893
* Untergasse 4 – Baroque timber-frame house, 18th century
Clubs
The following clubs are active in Biebelsheim:
* ''Bauernverein Biebelsheim'' — farmers’ association
* ''Freiwillige Feuerwehr Biebelsheim'' — volunteer fire brigade
A fire department (American English) or fire brigade (Commonwealth English), also known as a fire authority, fire district, fire and rescue, or fire service in some areas, is an organization that provides fire prevention and fire suppression se ...
* ''Landfrauenverein Biebelsheim'' — countrywomen's club
* ''TSG Biebelsheim'' — gymnastic and sport club
A sports club or sporting club, sometimes an athletics club or sports society or sports association, is a group of people formed for the purpose of playing sports.
Sports clubs range from organisations whose members play together, unpaid, and ...
Economy and infrastructure
Winegrowing
Biebelsheim belongs to the “Bingen Winegrowing
Viticulture (from the Latin word for ''vine'') or winegrowing (wine growing) is the cultivation and harvesting of grapes. It is a branch of the science of horticulture. While the native territory of ''Vitis vinifera'', the common grape vine, ran ...
Area” within the Rheinhessen wine region. Fifteen winegrowing businesses are active in the village, and the area currently given over to vineyards is 109 ha. Roughly 63% of the grapes are white wine varieties (as at 2007). In 1979, there were still 36 such businesses, and the area then given over to vineyards was 123 ha. The local winemaking appellation – ''Großlage'' – is Sankt Rochuskapelle. Among other winegrowing operations in Biebelsheim are ''Weingut Herbert Hoch'' (Schulstraße 7), ''Weingut Johanninger'' (Hauptstraße 4-6), ''Weingut Rainer Köhler'' (Hauptstraße 12), ''Weingut Marco Mattioli'' (Hauptstraße 13), ''Weingut Gebrüder Mörsfelder'' (Backhausgasse 10), ''Weingut Schoeneck-Schnell'' (Obergasse 9) and ''Weingut Vogel-Fehlinger'' (outside the village at an '' Aussiedlerhof'', a modern, post-war agricultural community). There is also a vine nursery, ''Rebschule Werner Magmer'' (Hauptstraße 19).Winegrowing operations
Transport
Biebelsheim lies not far from ''Bundesstraße
''Bundesstraße'' ( German for "federal highway"), abbreviated ''B'', is the denotation for German and Austrian national highways.
Germany
Germany's ''Bundesstraßen'' network has a total length of about 40,000 km.
German ''Bundesstraßen ...
n'' 41 and 50 and the Autobahn
The (; German plural ) is the federal controlled-access highway system in Germany. The official German term is (abbreviated ''BAB''), which translates as 'federal motorway'. The literal meaning of the word is 'Federal Auto(mobile) Track'. ...
A 61. Serving Gensingen is a railway station where trains of both the Nahe Valley Railway ( Bingen– Saarbrücken) and the Worms–Bingen Stadt railway stop.
References
External links
Further reading about Biebelsheim in the ''Rheinland-Pfälzische Bibliographie''
{{Authority control
Rhenish Hesse
Bad Kreuznach (district)