Heidenburg is an ''Ortsgemeinde'' – 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. Rhinelan ...

'', a kind of collective municipality – in the Bernkastel-Wittlich

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 county, counties, several municipality, municipa ...

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 ...

Geography

Location

The municipality lies in the Hunsrück south of the bow in the Moselle between Leiwen and Trittenheim. Between Heidenburg and the Moselle is the valley of the Kleine Dhron, a deep cut in the landscape. Not far downstream, the Kleine Dhron feeds the Dhron reservoir. An outstanding scenic view is to be had from the heights around Heidenburg: the Moselle valley from Klüsserath through Leiwen and Trittenheim to

Neumagen-Dhron Neumagen-Dhron 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 a state-recognized tourism communit ...

; the mountains of the Eifel and the Erbeskopf – the highest elevation in Rhineland-Palatinate – the Dhron reservoir and through the tree cover, Dhrönchen, the writer

Stefan Andres Stefan Paul Andres (26 June 1906 – 29 June 1970) was a German novelist. He was nominated for the Nobel Prize in Literature. As the Nazi regime flexed its power, Andres moved away to Italy in 1937, returning to Germany 13 years later. He ...

’s birthplace. As well as the views into the distance, the municipality offers a wealth of plant life and wildlife in its meadows and forests. Heidenburg 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 1053, Heidenburg had its first documentary mention. As a result of the turmoil of the

French Revolution The French Revolution ( ) was a period of radical political and societal change in France that began with the Estates General of 1789 and ended with the formation of the French Consulate in coup of 18 Brumaire, November 1799. Many of its ...

, Heidenburg lay under French rule beginning about 1800. 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 ...

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 1947, it has been part of the then newly founded

state State may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Literature * ''State Magazine'', a monthly magazine published by the U.S. Department of State * ''The State'' (newspaper), a daily newspaper in Columbia, South Carolina, United States * ''Our S ...

. Since administrative reform in Rhineland-Palatinate in 1969, the municipality has belonged to the ''Verbandsgemeinde'' of Thalfang am Erbeskopf. In 1997, Heidenburg was awarded the title “Child- and Family-Friendly Municipality, National Winner” (''Bundessieger Kinder- und Familienfreundliche Gemeinde'').

Politics

Municipal council

The council is made up of 12 council members, who were elected by

proportional representation Proportional representation (PR) refers to a type of electoral system under which subgroups of an electorate are reflected proportionately in the elected body. The concept applies mainly to geographical (e.g. states, regions) and political divis ...

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:

Mayor

The mayor (''Ortsbürgermeister'') is Dietmar Alois Jäger (SPD).

Coat of arms

The German blazon reads: ''Schild von eingebogener Spitze, darin ein goldener Pflug mit silberner Flugschar, gespalten, vorne in Silber ein rotes Balkenkreuz, hinten in Silber zwei grüne Heidekrautstengel mit roten Blüten.'' 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 bran ...

language be described thus: Tierced in mantle, dexter argent a cross gules, sinister argent two heath sprigs vert conjoined in base and with flowers gules, in base vert a plough Or with ploughshare of the first. The German blazon does not mention the field

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 ...

in the base division, although it is shown as vert (green) at the ''Verbandsgemeinde'' websiteHeidenburg’s arms at ''Verbandsgemeinde'' website
– Click on ''Gemeinden'', and then Heidenburg. The arms have been borne since 1988 when they were approved by the ''

Regierungsbezirk A ' () means "governmental district" and is a type of administrative division in Germany. Four of sixteen ' ( states of Germany) are split into '. Beneath these are rural and urban districts. Saxony has ' (directorate districts) with more res ...

'' administration.

Town partnerships

Heidenburg fosters partnerships with the following places: *

Villeblevin Villeblevin () is a commune in the Yonne department in Bourgogne-Franche-Comté in north-central France. The town achieved prominence in 1960 when it was the site of the car crash that killed Albert Camus Albert Camus ( , ; ; 7 November 1 ...

Yonne Yonne () is a department in the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region in France. It is named after the river Yonne, which flows through it, in the country's north-central part. One of Bourgogne-Franche-Comté's eight constituent departments, it is l ...

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...

Economy and infrastructure

Heidenburg is a rural residential community. There are small businesses serving local demands.

References

External links

Municipality’s official webpage
{{Authority control Bernkastel-Wittlich