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Dichtelbach is an ''
Ortsgemeinde A Verbandsgemeinde (; plural Verbandsgemeinden) is a low-level administrative division, administrative unit in the Germany, German States of Germany, federal states of Rhineland-Palatinate and Saxony-Anhalt. A Verbandsgemeinde is typically compose ...
'' – a
municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality'' may also mean the go ...
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. Rhineland- ...
'', a kind of collective municipality – in the
Rhein-Hunsrück-Kreis Rhein-Hunsrück-Kreis is a district (german: Kreis) in the middle of Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. The neighbouring districts are (from north clockwise) Mayen-Koblenz, Rhein-Lahn, Mainz-Bingen, Bad Kreuznach, Birkenfeld, Bernkastel-Wittlich, Coc ...
(
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 Rhineland-Palatinate ( , ; german: link=no, Rheinland-Pfalz ; lb, Rheinland-Pfalz ; pfl, Rhoilond-Palz) is a western state of Germany. It covers and has about 4.05 million residents. It is the ninth largest and sixth most populous of the ...
,
Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
. It belongs to the ''Verbandsgemeinde'' Simmern-Rheinböllen, whose seat is in
Simmern Simmern (; officially Simmern/Hunsrück) is a town of roughly 7,600 inhabitants (2013) in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany, the district seat of the Rhein-Hunsrück-Kreis, and the seat of the ''Verbandsgemeinde'' Simmern-Rheinböllen. In the Rhinelan ...
.


Geography


Location

The municipality lies in the eastern
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 ...
between 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 and the
Bingen Forest The Bingen Forest (german: Binger Wald) is part of the Hunsrück, a low mountain range in the Central Uplands of Germany. It is up to and is located in the state of Rhineland-Palatinate. Location The landscape of the Bingen Forest lies on ...
. The village lies on the old
Roman road Roman roads ( la, viae Romanae ; singular: ; meaning "Roman way") were physical infrastructure vital to the maintenance and development of the Roman state, and were built from about 300 BC through the expansion and consolidation of the Roman Re ...
, the so-called ''Via Ausonia'' (or ''Ausoniusstraße'' 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 ...
), which led from
Trier Trier ( , ; lb, Tréier ), formerly known in English as Trèves ( ;) and Triers (see also names in other languages), is a city on the banks of the Moselle in Germany. It lies in a valley between low vine-covered hills of red sandstone in the ...
to
Bacharach Bacharach (, also known as ''Bacharach am Rhein'') is a town in the Mainz-Bingen district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It belongs to the ''Verbandsgemeinde'' of Rhein-Nahe, whose seat is in Bingen am Rhein, although that town is not withi ...
. The municipality's namesake is a brook called the Dichtelbach, which empties into the Guldenbach between
Rheinböllen Rheinböllen is a town in the Rhein-Hunsrück-Kreis (district) in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It belongs to the ''Verbandsgemeinde'' Simmern-Rheinböllen, whose seat is in Simmern. It was the seat of the former ''Verbandsgemeinde'' Rheinböl ...
’s main centre and its outlying centre of Rheinböllerhütte. The brook’s name was originally ''Dadilebach'', which meant “Firebrook”, a reference to the many
charcoal Charcoal is a lightweight black carbon residue produced by strongly heating wood (or other animal and plant materials) in minimal oxygen to remove all water and volatile constituents. In the traditional version of this pyrolysis process, cal ...
kilns in the woods along its course.


History

The village's namesake brook, the Dichtelbach, had its first documentary mention on 6 November 996, but it was another 351 years before a documentary mention that clearly implied that a village of that name existed. This document, dated 6 January 1347, dealt with tithes in Rheinböllen; the parish priest and the vicar shared them under this agreement with the former getting two thirds and the latter the rest. Witnessing this deed were several noblemen, among them “''Frischo dictus Kunig de Erbach, Frischo, dictus Ritter, et Henne natus Fridemanni de Elren, Henricus dictus Starke et Contzo, dictus Hase de Dehtelbach''”, the last one being the core of the documentary proof of the village's existence. Henceforth, the area around the Dichtelbach was tied to the interests of the
Archbishopric of Mainz The Electorate of Mainz (german: Kurfürstentum Mainz or ', la, Electoratus Moguntinus), previously known in English as Mentz and by its French name Mayence, was one of the most prestigious and influential states of the Holy Roman Empire. In the ...
, and in the time that followed, these interests eventually found their way into the Rhenish Counts Palatine's hands. A document from 1368 makes clear that the villages of Dichtelbach,
Ellern Ellern is an ''Ortsgemeinde'' – a Municipalities of Germany, municipality belonging to a ''Verbandsgemeinde'', a kind of collective municipality – in the Rhein-Hunsrück-Kreis (Districts of Germany, district) in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany ...
, Erbach and Kleinweidelbach (then known as Weidelbach; now an outlying centre of Rheinböllen) then together formed a ''
Schultheiß In medieval Germany, the ''Schultheiß'' () was the head of a municipality (akin to today's office of mayor), a ''Vogt'' or an executive official of the ruler. As official (''villicus'') it was his duty to order his assigned village or county (' ...
erei'' called the ''altes Gericht'' (“Old Court”). There is also proof that this ''Schultheißerei'' belonged to the Palatine ''
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 Simmern under Count Palatine Stephan (1410–1425). According to the
Electorate of the Palatinate The Electoral Palatinate (german: Kurpfalz) or the Palatinate (), officially the Electorate of the Palatinate (), was a state that was part of the Holy Roman Empire. The electorate had its origins under the rulership of the Counts Palatine of ...
’s oldest book of fiefs from 1401, the Counts Palatine had enfeoffed 438 vassals with various holdings, among them several whom they had granted fiefs in Dichtelbach. Further written sources only crop up from the latter half of the 15th century. Johann I made out to his wife Juliane von Nassau-Saarbrücken a ''Leibgedinge'', a transfer of holdings for her benefit, that included several villages, among them Dichtelbach. The village’s name also crops up in a taxation list from Emperor
Maximilian Maximilian, Maximillian or Maximiliaan (Maximilien in French) is a male given name. The name " Max" is considered a shortening of "Maximilian" as well as of several other names. List of people Monarchs *Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor (1459 ...
that dealt with the ''
Gemeiner Pfennig The Common Penny (german: Gemeiner Pfennig or Imperial Penny ) was an imperial tax () that was agreed at the instigation of Maximilian I in 1495 at the Diet of Worms, in order to give the emperor the means to wage war against France and against ...
'', a levy of one ''Pfennig'' (or penny) imposed by the
1495 Diet of Worms At the Diet of Worms (german: Reichstag zu Worms) in 1495, the foundation stone was laid for a comprehensive reform (''Reichsreform'') of the Holy Roman Empire. Even though several elements of the reforms agreed by the Imperial Diet (''Reichstag ...
(not the one commonly connected with
Martin Luther Martin Luther (; ; 10 November 1483 – 18 February 1546) was a German priest, theologian, author, hymnwriter, and professor, and Order of Saint Augustine, Augustinian friar. He is the seminal figure of the Reformation, Protestant Refo ...
). Everybody over the age of 15 had to pay this tax, with a further levy on those with assets of more than 500 ''Gulden''. Maximilian’s list named 74 persons from Dichtelbach who were 15 or older. All together, they had to pay 3 ''Gulden'', 5 ''Albus'' (“white pennies”) and 2 ''Pfennige'' (“pennies”). A ''Gulden'' was worth 24 ''Albus'' or 240 ''Pfennige''. According to the 1599 official description there were 25 hearths, that is, taxable family heads, in Dichtelbach, who all belonged to the
Electorate of the Palatinate The Electoral Palatinate (german: Kurpfalz) or the Palatinate (), officially the Electorate of the Palatinate (), was a state that was part of the Holy Roman Empire. The electorate had its origins under the rulership of the Counts Palatine of ...
. Named as ''Schultheiß'' was a one Niklas Schiltger, who was supposed to be subordinate to the ''Schultheiß'' at Rheinböllen. Various noblemen held fiefs in Dichtelbach. Beginning in 1794, Dichtelbach lay under
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 ...
rule. In 1814 it was assigned to the Kingdom of
Prussia Prussia, , Old Prussian: ''Prūsa'' or ''Prūsija'' was a German state on the southeast coast of the Baltic Sea. It formed the German Empire under Prussian rule when it united the German states in 1871. It was ''de facto'' dissolved by an em ...
at 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 ...
. Since 1946, it has been part of the then newly founded state of
Rhineland-Palatinate Rhineland-Palatinate ( , ; german: link=no, Rheinland-Pfalz ; lb, Rheinland-Pfalz ; pfl, Rhoilond-Palz) is a western state of Germany. It covers and has about 4.05 million residents. It is the ninth largest and sixth most populous of the ...
. During the
Cold War The Cold War is a term commonly used to refer to a period of geopolitical tension between the United States and the Soviet Union and their respective allies, the Western Bloc and the Eastern Bloc. The term '' cold war'' is used because the ...
,
American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...
Patriot missiles were stationed for air defence on the
Kandrich The Kandrich, at , is the highest mountain in the Bingen Forest. It is near Daxweiler in the county of Bad Kreuznach in the German state of Rhineland-Palatinate. Geography The Kandrich lies in the northern tip of the county of Bad Kreuznach a ...
, a mountain near Dichtelbach. An old barracks in the woods still bears witness to this time, as do eight horseshoe-shaped protective barriers where today three
wind turbine A wind turbine is a device that converts the kinetic energy of wind into electrical energy. Hundreds of thousands of large turbines, in installations known as wind farms, now generate over 650 gigawatts of power, with 60 GW added each year. ...
s stand. Before the Patriots were there, the Kandrich was home to a
radar Radar is a detection system that uses radio waves to determine the distance (''ranging''), angle, and radial velocity of objects relative to the site. It can be used to detect aircraft, ships, spacecraft, guided missiles, motor vehicles, w ...
station, which served to guide the Nike missiles stationed at the Grundlos-Wies, also nearby. Once the Cold War had ended, the military installation on the Kandrich was abandoned. The barracks and the military camp built at the Grundlos-Wies after the Nikes were withdrawn were also given up by 2006.


Population development

The following table shows Dichtelbach's population figures over the years, each time at 31 December:


Politics


Municipal council

The council is made up of 12 council members, who were elected at the municipal election held on 7 June 2009, and the honorary mayor as chairman.


Mayor

The position of mayor of Dichtelbach is vacant as of 2021. The former mayor, Martin Huhn, is acting mayor.


Coat of arms

The German blazon reads: ' The municipality's
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 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 pale Or a wheel spoked of six gules, a bend sinister wavy azure throughout and a hammer and sledge in saltire sable, all three in pale, and sable a lion rampant of the first armed and langued of the second. The lion refers to the Dukes of
Palatinate-Simmern The House of Palatinate-Simmern (german: Pfalz-Simmern) was a German- Bavarian cadet branch of the House of Wittelsbach. The house was one of the collateral lineages of the Palatinate. The Palatinate line of the House of Wittelsbach was divided i ...
, who once held sway locally. It also refers to the Electors Palatine. The two crossed mining tools refer to ore mining in the Dichtelbach area. The wavy bend sinister refers to the municipality's name (which ends in ''—bach'', which means “brook”). The Wheel of Mainz stands for the Archiepiscopal Foundation of Mainz, the recipient of the Binger Wald (forest) from Otto III, Holy Roman Emperor on 6 November 996. This often cited as Dichtelbach's first documentary mention. The arms have been borne since 16 March 1981, and were designed by Willi Wagner of
Ohlweiler Ohlweiler is an ''Ortsgemeinde'' – a municipality belonging to a ''Verbandsgemeinde'', a kind of collective municipality – in the Rhein-Hunsrück-Kreis (district) in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It belongs to the ''Verbandsgemeinde'' Simmern- ...
.


Culture and sightseeing


Buildings

The following are listed buildings or sites in
Rhineland-Palatinate Rhineland-Palatinate ( , ; german: link=no, Rheinland-Pfalz ; lb, Rheinland-Pfalz ; pfl, Rhoilond-Palz) is a western state of Germany. It covers and has about 4.05 million residents. It is the ninth largest and sixth most populous of the ...
’s Directory of Cultural Monuments: *
Evangelical Evangelicalism (), also called evangelical Christianity or evangelical Protestantism, is a worldwide Interdenominationalism, interdenominational movement within Protestantism, Protestant Christianity that affirms the centrality of being "bor ...
church, Kirchgasse –
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 fro ...
, mid 18th century, west tower 1852 * Near Rheinböllener Straße 16 – hand pump * Near Rheinböllener Straße 59 – fountain trough, Rheinböllen Ironworks, 19th century * Rheinböllner Straße – village fountain, Rheinböllen Ironworks, 19th century


References


External links


Municipality’s official webpage


at
SWR Fernsehen SWR Fernsehen is a German regional television channel targeting the states of Baden-Württemberg and Rhineland-Palatinate. It is produced by Südwestrundfunk (SWR) and is one of eight regional "third channels" broadcast by the ARD members. Hist ...
{{Authority control Municipalities in Rhineland-Palatinate Rhein-Hunsrück-Kreis