Kusel (; written ''Cusel'' until 1865) is a town in the
Kusel
Kusel (; written ''Cusel'' until 1865) is a town in the Kusel (district), Kusel Districts of Germany, district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is the seat of the Kusel-Altenglan ''Verbandsgemeinde'' and is also the district seat.
The well-kno ...
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 is the seat of the
Kusel-Altenglan Kusel-Altenglan is a ''Verbandsgemeinde'' ("collective municipality") in the district of Bad Dürkheim, in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. The seat of the ''Verbandsgemeinde'' is in Kusel. It was formed on 1 January 2018 by the merger of the former ...
''Verbandsgemeinde'' and is also the district seat.
The well-known operatic tenor
Fritz Wunderlich
Friedrich "Fritz" Karl Otto Wunderlich (26 September 1930 – 17 September 1966) was a German lyric tenor, famed for his singing of the Mozart repertory and various lieder. He died in an accident aged 35.
Biography
Wunderlich was born in Kusel in ...
was born in Kusel.
Geography
Location
Kusel lies on the Kuselbach in Rhineland-Palatinate's southwest, in the
North Palatine Uplands
The North Palatine Uplands (german: Nordpfälzer Bergland), sometimes shortened to Palatine Uplands (''Pfälzer Bergland''), is a low mountain range and landscape unit in the German state of Rhineland-Palatinate and belongs mainly to the Palat ...
roughly 30 km northwest of
Kaiserslautern
Kaiserslautern (; Palatinate German: ''Lautre'') is a city in southwest Germany, located in the state of Rhineland-Palatinate at the edge of the Palatinate Forest. The historic centre dates to the 9th century. It is from Paris, from Frankfur ...
. The Kuselbach rises in the outlying centre of Diedelkopf where the Bledesbach and the Pfeffelbach (or Aalbach) meet. The dale is hemmed in by a row of mountains, on the left bank the Ödesberg (375 m), and on the right the Gaisberg (355 m), the Roßberg (314 m) and the Herrchenberg (385 m). The floor of the dale lies roughly 220 m above
sea level
Mean sea level (MSL, often shortened to sea level) is an average surface level of one or more among Earth's coastal bodies of water from which heights such as elevation may be measured. The global MSL is a type of vertical datuma standardised g ...
. Prominent landmarks just beyond the town's limits are Lichtenberg Castle to the west and the
Remigiusberg
The Remigiusberg in the county of Kusel in the German state of Rhineland-Palatinate is a hill, 368 metres high, which belongs to the western part of the North Palatine Uplands and only stands above the surrounding terrain by 120 metres.
...
(368 m) and the
Potzberg
The Potzberg, known as "King of the Westrich" (''König des Westrich''), is a wooded hill, (), in the North Palatine Uplands in the German state of Rhineland-Palatinate.
Geography & history
The Potzberg is one of the "Palatine Domes" (''Pf ...
(562 m) to the east. With roughly 5,000 inhabitants, Kusel challenges
Cochem
Cochem is the seat of and the biggest town in the Cochem-Zell district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. With just over 5,000 inhabitants, Cochem falls just behind Kusel, in the Kusel district, as Germany's second smallest district seat. Since 7 J ...
for the title of Germany's smallest district seat.
Neighbouring municipalities
Kusel borders in the north on the municipalities of
Körborn
Körborn is an ''Ortsgemeinde'' – a municipality belonging to a ''Verbandsgemeinde'', a kind of collective municipality – in the Kusel district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It belongs to the ''Verbandsgemeinde'' of Kusel-Altenglan, whose ...
and
Blaubach
Blaubach is an ''Ortsgemeinde'' – a municipality belonging to a ''Verbandsgemeinde'', a kind of collective municipality – in the Kusel district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It belongs to the ''Verbandsgemeinde'' of Kusel-Altenglan, whose ...
, in the northeast on the municipality of
Altenglan
Altenglan is an ''Ortsgemeinde'' – a municipality belonging to a ''Verbandsgemeinde'', a kind of collective municipality – in the Kusel district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany.
It belongs to the ''Verbandsgemeinde'' of Kusel-Altenglan. Alten ...
, in the east on the municipality of
Rammelsbach
Rammelsbach is an ''Ortsgemeinde'' – a Municipalities of Germany, municipality belonging to a ''Verbandsgemeinde'', a kind of collective municipality – in the Kusel (district), Kusel Districts of Germany, district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Ger ...
, in the southeast on the municipality of
Haschbach am Remigiusberg
Haschbach am Remigiusberg is an ''Ortsgemeinde'' – a municipality belonging to a ''Verbandsgemeinde'', a kind of collective municipality – in the Kusel district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It belongs to the ''Verbandsgemeinde'' of Kusel- ...
, in the south on the municipality of
Schellweiler
Schellweiler is an ''Ortsgemeinde'' – a municipality belonging to a ''Verbandsgemeinde'', a kind of collective municipality – in the Kusel district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It belongs to the ''Verbandsgemeinde'' of Kusel-Altenglan, wh ...
, in the southwest on the municipality of
Ehweiler
Ehweiler is an ''Ortsgemeinde'' – a municipality belonging to a ''Verbandsgemeinde'', a kind of collective municipality – in the Kusel district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It belongs to the ''Verbandsgemeinde'' of Kusel-Altenglan, whose ...
, in the west on the municipality of
Pfeffelbach
Pfeffelbach is an ''Ortsgemeinde'' – a municipality belonging to a ''Verbandsgemeinde'', a kind of collective municipality – in the Kusel district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It belongs to the ''Verbandsgemeinde'' of Kusel-Altenglan, who ...
and in the northwest on the municipality of
Ruthweiler
Ruthweiler is an ''Ortsgemeinde'' – a Municipalities of Germany, municipality belonging to a ''Verbandsgemeinde'', a kind of collective municipality – in the Kusel (district), Kusel Districts of Germany, district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germa ...
.
Constituent communities
The town of Kusel is divided foremost into the ''Kernstadt'' (Inner Town) and the historic ''Altstadt'' (Old Town), with the former ringing the latter, and also into the ''
Stadtteil
A quarter is a section of an urban settlement.
A quarter can be administratively defined and its borders officially designated, and it may have its own administrative structure (subordinate to that of the city, town or other urban area). Such a ...
'' of Diedelkopf, which has melded onto the Inner Town, the residential area “Am Holler” and a further ''Stadtteil'', Bledesbach.
Town’s layout
The town was from the
Middle Ages
In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire a ...
until the 19th century ringed with a town wall that had three town gates and five towers. In the town core, the mediaeval street layout has been preserved to this day, although the old buildings were burnt out almost utterly in a great fire in 1794. The town centre is characterized by buildings from the 19th century bearing the marks of
Classicism
Classicism, in the arts, refers generally to a high regard for a classical period, classical antiquity in the Western tradition, as setting standards for taste which the classicists seek to emulate. In its purest form, classicism is an aestheti ...
and
Historicism
Historicism is an approach to explaining the existence of phenomena, especially social and cultural practices (including ideas and beliefs), by studying their history, that is, by studying the process by which they came about. The term is widely u ...
. Spreading out over the town's west end in the dale, from the mid 19th century until the end of the
Second World War
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
, was a major industrial area whose main focus was clothmaking. Some of the old industrial buildings have remained, but are no longer used by industry. A new major industrial area arose after the war in the town's east end. New residential areas were built as early as the 19th century in the neighbourhoods around Bahnhofstraße (“Railway Station Street”) and Tuchrahmstraße (“Tenter Street” – a not at all surprising street name for a town with a history of clothmaking), with others following in the 20th century, such as Am Holler (“At the Elderberry Tree”), In der Haischbach and around the outlying centre of Diedelkopf. The most important administrative buildings stand on Trierer Straße (district administration, the financial office, the local
court
A court is any person or institution, often as a government institution, with the authority to adjudicate legal disputes between parties and carry out the administration of justice in civil, criminal, and administrative matters in accordance ...
, the
police station
A police station (sometimes called a "station house" or just "house") is a building which serves to accommodate police officers and other members of staff. These buildings often contain offices and accommodation for personnel and vehicles, al ...
) and on the Marketplace (Town Hall, which also serves as administrative centre of the ''Verbandsgemeinde''). The
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
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
* Chris ...
(''Stadtkirche'' or “Town Church”) likewise stands on ''Marktplatz'' (the Marketplace), while the
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 ...
church stands on the edge of the Old Town on Lehnstraße. Since 1980, a cultural centre has stood on the Roßberg with a
school
A school is an educational institution designed to provide learning spaces and learning environments for the teaching of students under the direction of teachers. Most countries have systems of formal education, which is sometimes compuls ...
centre (
vocational school
A vocational school is a type of educational institution, which, depending on the country, may refer to either secondary or post-secondary education designed to provide vocational education or technical skills required to complete the tasks ...
s and
Hauptschule
A ''Hauptschule'' (, "general school") is a secondary school in Germany, starting after four years of elementary schooling (''Grundschule''), which offers Lower Secondary Education (Level 2) according to the International Standard Classification ...
) and the great ''Fritz-Wunderlich-Halle''. Further schools are scattered across the town, the Gymnasium in the west on Walkmühlstraße (“Walking Mill Street”), the
Realschule
''Realschule'' () is a type of secondary school in Germany, Switzerland and Liechtenstein. It has also existed in Croatia (''realna gimnazija''), the Austrian Empire, the German Empire, Denmark and Norway (''realskole''), Sweden (''realskola''), ...
on Lehnstraße, the ''Luitpoldschule'' (the town's oldest school building) near the Marketplace on Luitpoldstraße, the ''Hollerschule'' (for children with learning difficulties) and the ''Jakob-Muth-Schule'' (for children with mental handicaps), both on Hollerstraße. The new
hospital
A hospital is a health care institution providing patient treatment with specialized health science and auxiliary healthcare staff and medical equipment. The best-known type of hospital is the general hospital, which typically has an emerge ...
was built in 1984 and stands west of town, just beyond the limit in the municipality of
Ruthweiler
Ruthweiler is an ''Ortsgemeinde'' – a Municipalities of Germany, municipality belonging to a ''Verbandsgemeinde'', a kind of collective municipality – in the Kusel (district), Kusel Districts of Germany, district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germa ...
. Barracks arose in 1965 at the Windhof (despite the name, ''not'' a
wind farm
A wind farm or wind park, also called a wind power station or wind power plant, is a group of wind turbines in the same location used Wind power, to produce electricity. Wind farms vary in size from a small number of turbines to several hundre ...
) near the Ödesberg in the town's north end. Various sport facilities are spread over the town's whole area. The main thoroughfare is ''
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'' ...
'' 420, which runs through town by way of Glanstraße, Fritz-Wunderlich-Straße and western Trierer Straße. Until the time after the Second World War, a
railway
Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport that transfers passengers and goods on wheeled vehicles running on rails, which are incorporated in tracks. In contrast to road transport, where the vehicles run on a pre ...
line also ran through the town, roughly parallel to ''Bundesstraße'' 420. Today, Kusel only has an end-of-line station on the Kusel—
Landstuhl
Landstuhl () is a town in the Kaiserslautern district of Rhineland-Palatinate in Germany. It is the seat of ''Verbandsgemeinde Landstuhl'', a kind of "collective municipality." Landstuhl is situated on the north-west edge of the Palatinate F ...
line. The
railway station
Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport that transfers passengers and goods on wheeled vehicles running on rails, which are incorporated in tracks. In contrast to road transport, where the vehicles run on a pre ...
in the town's east end has since been torn down.
Climate
Yearly
precipitation
In meteorology, precipitation is any product of the condensation of atmospheric water vapor that falls under gravitational pull from clouds. The main forms of precipitation include drizzle, rain, sleet, snow, ice pellets, graupel and hail. ...
in Kusel amounts to 863 mm, which is rather high, falling into the highest third of the precipitation chart for all Germany. At 74% of the German Weather Service's
weather station
A weather station is a facility, either on land or sea, with instruments and equipment for measuring atmospheric conditions to provide information for weather forecasts and to study the weather and climate. The measurements taken include tempera ...
s lower figures are recorded. The driest month is April. The most rainfall comes in December. In that month, precipitation is 1.8 times what it is in April. Precipitation varies moderately. At 50% of the weather stations, lower seasonal swings are recorded.
History
Antiquity
In the area around the town, many
Celtic
Celtic, Celtics or Keltic may refer to:
Language and ethnicity
*pertaining to Celts, a collection of Indo-European peoples in Europe and Anatolia
**Celts (modern)
*Celtic languages
**Proto-Celtic language
* Celtic music
*Celtic nations
Sports Fo ...
graves from the
Iron Age
The Iron Age is the final epoch of the three-age division of the prehistory and protohistory of humanity. It was preceded by the Stone Age (Paleolithic, Mesolithic, Neolithic) and the Bronze Age (Chalcolithic). The concept has been mostly appl ...
have been unearthed. The Celtic population adopted
Roman
Roman or Romans most often refers to:
*Rome, the capital city of Italy
*Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD
*Roman people, the people of ancient Rome
*''Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a letter ...
culture once
Julius Caesar
Gaius Julius Caesar (; ; 12 July 100 BC – 15 March 44 BC), was a Roman general and statesman. A member of the First Triumvirate, Caesar led the Roman armies in the Gallic Wars before defeating his political rival Pompey in a civil war, and ...
Gaul
Gaul ( la, Gallia) was a region of Western Europe first described by the Romans. It was inhabited by Celtic and Aquitani tribes, encompassing present-day France, Belgium, Luxembourg, most of Switzerland, parts of Northern Italy (only during ...
, and there have been
Gallo-Roman
Gallo-Roman culture was a consequence of the Romanization of Gauls under the rule of the Roman Empire. It was characterized by the Gaulish adoption or adaptation of Roman culture, language, morals and way of life in a uniquely Gaulish context ...
archaeological
Archaeology or archeology is the scientific study of human activity through the recovery and analysis of material culture. The archaeological record consists of artifacts, architecture, biofacts or ecofacts, sites, and cultural landscap ...
finds throughout the region as well as in Kusel itself. In the time of the
Migration Period
The Migration Period was a period in European history marked by large-scale migrations that saw the fall of the Western Roman Empire and subsequent settlement of its former territories by various tribes, and the establishment of the post-Roman ...
(or ''Völkerwanderung''), the area was first conquered by the
Burgundians
The Burgundians ( la, Burgundes, Burgundiōnes, Burgundī; on, Burgundar; ang, Burgendas; grc-gre, Βούργουνδοι) were an early Germanic tribe or group of tribes. They appeared in the middle Rhine region, near the Roman Empire, and ...
and then later by the
Alemanni
The Alemanni or Alamanni, were a confederation of Germanic tribes
*
*
*
on the Upper Rhine River. First mentioned by Cassius Dio in the context of the campaign of Caracalla of 213, the Alemanni captured the in 260, and later expanded into pres ...
. As a result of the 496
Battle of Tolbiac
The Battle of Tolbiac was fought between the Franks, who were fighting under Clovis I, and the Alamanni, whose leader is not known. The date of the battle has traditionally been given as 496, though other accounts suggest it may either have been ...
(
Zülpich
Zülpich ( ksh, Zöllech) is a town in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany between Aachen and Bonn. It belongs to the district of Euskirchen.
History
The town is commonly agreed to be the site with the Latin name of ''Tolbiacum'', famous for the ...
), Kusel found itself under
Frankish
Frankish may refer to:
* Franks, a Germanic tribe and their culture
** Frankish language or its modern descendants, Franconian languages
* Francia, a post-Roman state in France and Germany
* East Francia, the successor state to Francia in Germany ...
hegemony, and became, either by sale or donation, part of the
Imperial
Imperial is that which relates to an empire, emperor, or imperialism.
Imperial or The Imperial may also refer to:
Places
United States
* Imperial, California
* Imperial, Missouri
* Imperial, Nebraska
* Imperial, Pennsylvania
* Imperial, Texa ...
domain around
Kaiserslautern
Kaiserslautern (; Palatinate German: ''Lautre'') is a city in southwest Germany, located in the state of Rhineland-Palatinate at the edge of the Palatinate Forest. The historic centre dates to the 9th century. It is from Paris, from Frankfur ...
.
Middle Ages
In the 7th century, a Frankish kingly estate was built on the ruins of an old Roman estate. This served as a lodging, the ''Curtis Cosla''. Since the name ''Cosla'' is of
Celtic
Celtic, Celtics or Keltic may refer to:
Language and ethnicity
*pertaining to Celts, a collection of Indo-European peoples in Europe and Anatolia
**Celts (modern)
*Celtic languages
**Proto-Celtic language
* Celtic music
*Celtic nations
Sports Fo ...
origin, it cannot be ruled out that there might have been continuous habitation here since
prehistoric times
Prehistory, also known as pre-literary history, is the period of human history between the use of the first stone tools by hominins 3.3 million years ago and the beginning of recorded history with the invention of writing systems. The use of ...
. Thus, it is assumed that the town already existed when the so-called ''Remigiusland'' was given to the
Bishopric of Reims
The Archdiocese of Reims (traditionally spelt "Rheims" in English) ( la, Archidiœcesis Remensis; French language, French: ''Archidiocèse de Reims'') is a Latin Church ecclesiastic territory or archdiocese of the Catholic Church in France. Erecte ...
. A royal donation to Reims did not come about through King
Clovis I
Clovis ( la, Chlodovechus; reconstructed Frankish: ; – 27 November 511) was the first king of the Franks to unite all of the Frankish tribes under one ruler, changing the form of leadership from a group of petty kings to rule by a single kin ...
’s efforts towards
Saint Remigius
Remigius (french: Remi or ; – January 13, 533), was the Bishop of Reims and "Apostle of the Franks". On 25 December 496, he baptised Clovis I, King of the Franks. The baptism, leading to about 3000 additional converts, was an important event ...
as it is claimed in
Flodoard
Flodoard of Reims (; 893/4 – 28 March 966) was a Frankish chronicler and priest of the cathedral church of Reims in the West Frankish kingdom during the decades following the dissolution of the Carolingian Empire. His historical writings are m ...
’s account of the history of the Bishopric of Reims, but rather more likely through
Merovingian
The Merovingian dynasty () was the ruling family of the Franks from the middle of the 5th century until 751. They first appear as "Kings of the Franks" in the Roman army of northern Gaul. By 509 they had united all the Franks and northern Gauli ...
King
Childebert II
Childebert II (c.570–596) was the Merovingian king of Austrasia (which included Provence at the time) from 575 until his death in March 596, as the only son of Sigebert I and Brunhilda of Austrasia; and the king of Burgundy from 592 to his de ...
’s efforts towards Archbishop Egidius of Reims sometime between 575 and 590. In 850, the estate had its first documentary mention. In the 9th century, the estate and the surrounding lands found themselves in the ownership of the
Archbishopric of Reims
The Archdiocese of Reims (traditionally spelt "Rheims" in English) ( la, Archidiœcesis Remensis; French: ''Archidiocèse de Reims'') is a Latin Church ecclesiastic territory or archdiocese of the Catholic Church in France. Erected as a diocese ...
, whose founder was
Saint Remigius
Remigius (french: Remi or ; – January 13, 533), was the Bishop of Reims and "Apostle of the Franks". On 25 December 496, he baptised Clovis I, King of the Franks. The baptism, leading to about 3000 additional converts, was an important event ...
. The formerly kingly estate underwent changes by monks, who made of it a monastic estate, and thus it became the centre of ecclesiastical and economic interests in the ''Remigiusland''. A preserved altar text bears witness to a church consecration performed in 902 by Archbishop Herive from Reims. It was an earlier church, Saint Remigius’s Church (''Remigiuskirche''), that stood where the Evangelical church now stands, on the marketplace. Herive declared it the first “mother church” for the whole area. In 931, the estate at Kusel along with the surrounding area was transferred to the
Abbey of Saint-Remi
An abbey is a type of monastery used by members of a religious order under the governance of an abbot or abbess
An abbess (Latin: ''abbatissa''), also known as a mother superior, is the female superior of a community of Catholic nuns in ...
in
Reims
Reims ( , , ; also spelled Rheims in English) is the most populous city in the French department of Marne, and the 12th most populous city in France. The city lies northeast of Paris on the Vesle river, a tributary of the Aisne.
Founded by ...
. In 1127, the monks from Reims built a
Benedictine
, image = Medalla San Benito.PNG
, caption = Design on the obverse side of the Saint Benedict Medal
, abbreviation = OSB
, formation =
, motto = (English: 'Pray and Work')
, foun ...
collegiate foundation on the nearby Remigiusberg (mountain), which made the Remigiusberg into the ecclesiastical hub of the whole ''Remigiusland''. The estate at Kusel, represented by a court ''
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 (' ...
'', became an administrative seat. From the beginning, Kusel was the centre of the ''Remigiusland''. After the
Carolingian Empire
The Carolingian Empire (800–888) was a large Frankish-dominated empire in western and central Europe during the Early Middle Ages. It was ruled by the Carolingian dynasty, which had ruled as kings of the Franks since 751 and as kings of the Lom ...
had been partitioned, however, Reims had a great deal of difficulty exerting its claims over its more distant holdings in Germany. In 10th-century documents, Kusel is described as an ''abbatia'' (“abbey”, by
Otto I, Holy Roman Emperor
Otto I (23 November 912 – 7 May 973), traditionally known as Otto the Great (german: Otto der Große, it, Ottone il Grande), was East Francia, East Frankish king from 936 and Holy Roman Emperor from 962 until his death in 973. He was the olde ...
in 952) and once as a ''curtis'' (“estate” by
Otto II, Holy Roman Emperor
Otto II (955 – 7 December 983), called the Red (''der Rote''), was Holy Roman Emperor from 973 until his death in 983. A member of the Ottonian dynasty, Otto II was the youngest and sole surviving son of Otto the Great and Adelaide of Italy ...
in 965). Kusel must thus in the 10th century still have been the location of a monastery and an estate. The town's and the ''Remigiusland’s'' ownership by the Archbishopric of Reims was acknowledged by all German kings into the
High Middle Ages
The High Middle Ages, or High Medieval Period, was the periodization, period of European history that lasted from AD 1000 to 1300. The High Middle Ages were preceded by the Early Middle Ages and were followed by the Late Middle Ages, which ended ...
, as was ownership by the
Abbey of Saint-Remi
An abbey is a type of monastery used by members of a religious order under the governance of an abbot or abbess
An abbess (Latin: ''abbatissa''), also known as a mother superior, is the female superior of a community of Catholic nuns in ...
in
Reims
Reims ( , , ; also spelled Rheims in English) is the most populous city in the French department of Marne, and the 12th most populous city in France. The city lies northeast of Paris on the Vesle river, a tributary of the Aisne.
Founded by ...
beginning in 952. Kusel, as an abbey and estate town, must have been a key location for the Archbishopric of Reims at this time. It is not known when the abbey was dissolved. It obviously no longer existed about 1125 when the new
Benedictine
, image = Medalla San Benito.PNG
, caption = Design on the obverse side of the Saint Benedict Medal
, abbreviation = OSB
, formation =
, motto = (English: 'Pray and Work')
, foun ...
provostry was founded on the Remigiusberg east of town. This founding stripped Kusel of its importance to the Archbishopric of Reims as an estate. Further information from the High Middle Ages is sparse. If the “mystery poet” Cäsarius von Heisterbach's poem can be taken seriously, Kusel Market was plundered in the early 13th century, and this deed would surely have been perpetrated by vassals of neighbouring counts attacking Reims holdings. About 1112, a scion of the
Nahegau
The Nahegau was in the Middle Ages a county, which covered the environs of the Nahe and large parts of present-day Rhenish Hesse, after a successful expansion of the narrow territory, which did not reach the Rhine, to the disadvantage of the Worms ...
counts named Gerlach was hired as an ''Advocatus'' (or, to use the
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 ...
form of the word, ''
Vogt
During the Middle Ages, an (sometimes given as modern English: advocate; German: ; French: ) was an office-holder who was legally delegated to perform some of the secular responsibilities of a major feudal lord, or for an institution such as ...
'') to protect the ''Remigiusland''. As ''Vogt'' (lay church official charged with looking after church properties) over further ecclesiastical holdings of the Archbishopric of Reims and the
Bishopric of Verdun
The Bishopric of Verdun was a state of the Holy Roman Empire. It was located at the western edge of the Empire and was bordered by France, the Duchy of Luxembourg, and the Duchy of Bar. Some time in the late 990s, the suzerainty of the County o ...
, and as holder in his own right of lands in the Nahegau, he founded the
County of Veldenz
The County of Veldenz was a principality in the contemporary Land Rhineland-Palatinate. The county was located partially between Kaiserslautern, Sponheim and Zweibrücken, partially on the Mosel in the Archbishopric of Trier. A municipality of ...
(1127–1444). Thus arose a power struggle between the owners of the ''Remigiusland'' – since 952 the Abbey of Saint-Remi in Reims – and the Counts of Veldenz. Clear signs of the power struggle were the
castle
A castle is a type of fortified structure built during the Middle Ages predominantly by the nobility or royalty and by military orders. Scholars debate the scope of the word ''castle'', but usually consider it to be the private fortified r ...
s, built unlawfully by the Counts of Veldenz, Castle Lichtenberg and Michelsburg on the Remigiusberg. The former was built nearby about 1214, and is nowadays known as Germany's biggest
castle
A castle is a type of fortified structure built during the Middle Ages predominantly by the nobility or royalty and by military orders. Scholars debate the scope of the word ''castle'', but usually consider it to be the private fortified r ...
ruin
Ruins () are the remains of a civilization's architecture. The term refers to formerly intact structures that have fallen into a state of partial or total disrepair over time due to a variety of factors, such as lack of maintenance, deliberate ...
(425 m long, 382 m above
sea level
Mean sea level (MSL, often shortened to sea level) is an average surface level of one or more among Earth's coastal bodies of water from which heights such as elevation may be measured. The global MSL is a type of vertical datuma standardised g ...
). In 1387, Kusel was mentioned in a document from the Counts of Veldenz as ''Cuscheln der Stat'', the last word being an archaic form of ''Stadt'', the
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 ...
word for “town”. Town fortification with moats, walls, towers and gates began. In 1444, Kusel was transferred to the Duchy of
Palatine Zweibrücken
Palatine Zweibrücken (), or the County Palatine of Zweibrücken, is a former state of the Holy Roman Empire. Its capital was Zweibrücken (french: Deux-Ponts). Its reigning house, a branch of the Wittelsbach dynasty, was also the Royal House of ...
, for the Counts of Veldenz had died out in the male line. Castle Lichtenberg became the '' Oberamt'' of Lichtenberg. The struggle over the small Reims area was also pursued by the Dukes (originally Counts Palatine) of Zweibrücken. This struggle ended only in 1552, when the ''Remigiusland'' was sold to Zweibrücken for 8,500
Rhenish guilder
The Rhenish ''gulden'' or Rhenish ''guilder'' (german: Rheinischer Gulden; la, florenus Rheni) was a gold, standard currency coin of the Rhineland in the 14th and 15th centuries. They weighed between 3.4 and 3.8 grams ().
History
The Rhenish ...
s. Kusel is known to have been granted town rights on the
Kaiserslautern
Kaiserslautern (; Palatinate German: ''Lautre'') is a city in southwest Germany, located in the state of Rhineland-Palatinate at the edge of the Palatinate Forest. The historic centre dates to the 9th century. It is from Paris, from Frankfur ...
model in 1347 by
Charles IV, Holy Roman Emperor
Charles IV ( cs, Karel IV.; german: Karl IV.; la, Carolus IV; 14 May 1316 – 29 November 1378''Karl IV''. In: (1960): ''Geschichte in Gestalten'' (''History in figures''), vol. 2: ''F–K''. 38, Frankfurt 1963, p. 294), also known as Charle ...
, as witnessed by a text in the
Obermoschel
Obermoschel is a town and municipality in the district Donnersbergkreis, Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. With around 1,000 residents, it is the smallest town in the Palatinate (''Pfalz''). It is part of the ''Verbandsgemeinde'' ("collective munic ...
town book. No document of the actual deed is preserved, however. Information appearing in some sources, according to which Kusel already had town rights in the 12th century, cannot be confirmed. In 1386, Kusel was first described as a town in a document that has survived to the present day. After the monastery on the Remigiusberg was founded and Castle Lichtenberg was built, the so-called ''Kuseler Oberhof'' (“Kusel High Court”) continued to exist. This was a court of ''Schöffen'' (roughly “lay jurists”) that kept its function as a legal institution even after the ''Remigiusland'' was sold to the Counts Palatine of Zweibrücken. In 1758, Zweibrücken administration of the '' Oberamt'' of Lichtenberg was moved back to Kusel.
Modern times
In the 16th century, the Kusel region was thrice stricken by the
Plague
Plague or The Plague may refer to:
Agriculture, fauna, and medicine
*Plague (disease), a disease caused by ''Yersinia pestis''
* An epidemic of infectious disease (medical or agricultural)
* A pandemic caused by such a disease
* A swarm of pes ...
. Several times, Kusel was utterly destroyed. The first great destruction came in 1635 during the
Thirty Years' War
The Thirty Years' War was one of the longest and most destructive conflicts in European history
The history of Europe is traditionally divided into four time periods: prehistoric Europe (prior to about 800 BC), classical antiquity (80 ...
when
Croatia
, image_flag = Flag of Croatia.svg
, image_coat = Coat of arms of Croatia.svg
, anthem = "Lijepa naša domovino"("Our Beautiful Homeland")
, image_map =
, map_caption =
, capit ...
n troops of the
Imperial
Imperial is that which relates to an empire, emperor, or imperialism.
Imperial or The Imperial may also refer to:
Places
United States
* Imperial, California
* Imperial, Missouri
* Imperial, Nebraska
* Imperial, Pennsylvania
* Imperial, Texa ...
army under General
Matthias Gallas
Matthias Gallas, Graf von Campo und Herzog von Lucera (Count of Campo, Duke of Lucera) (Matteo Gallasso; 17 October 1588 in Trento – 25 April 1647 in Vienna) was an Austrian professional soldier during the Thirty Years' War. He distinguished hi ...
got into the town by cunning, killed more than half the townsfolk and then set the town ablaze. It took 40 years to build the town back up, but then came the second great destruction in 1675 or 1677 (sources differ), wrought by FrenchKing Louis XIV's soldiers during the
Franco-Dutch War
The Franco-Dutch War, also known as the Dutch War (french: Guerre de Hollande; nl, Hollandse Oorlog), was fought between France and the Dutch Republic, supported by its allies the Holy Roman Empire, Spain, Brandenburg-Prussia and Denmark-Nor ...
. Much of the town was once again burnt down. There were further great losses among the populace, and parts of the town were destroyed.
Recent times
During 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 November 1799. Many of its ideas are considere ...
, Kusel was burnt down for the third time in 1794. Within half an hour, all the town's inhabitants had to leave, under threat of death, before the soldiers set all the houses on fire. The town burnt down and only two houses were left standing, among them the
Reformed
Reform is beneficial change
Reform may also refer to:
Media
* ''Reform'' (album), a 2011 album by Jane Zhang
* Reform (band), a Swedish jazz fusion group
* ''Reform'' (magazine), a Christian magazine
*''Reforme'' ("Reforms"), initial name of the ...
inspectorate house, today the
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 ...
deaconry building. Nevertheless, French Revolutionary troops meant to spare the people's lives. One story has it that the town was burnt down because somebody there was printing
counterfeit
To counterfeit means to imitate something authentic, with the intent to steal, destroy, or replace the original, for use in illegal transactions, or otherwise to deceive individuals into believing that the fake is of equal or greater value tha ...
assignat
An assignat () was a monetary instrument, an order to pay, used during the time of the French Revolution, and the French Revolutionary Wars.
France
Assignats were paper money (fiat currency) issued by the Constituent Assembly in France from 1 ...
s. This assertion cannot be proved, but there were certainly false assignats in town, as there were almost everywhere, and it is believed that the French were even offered false assignats in a bid to
ransom
Ransom is the practice of holding a prisoner or item to extort money or property to secure their release, or the sum of money involved in such a practice.
When ransom means "payment", the word comes via Old French ''rançon'' from Latin ''red ...
some
hostage
A hostage is a person seized by an abductor in order to compel another party, one which places a high value on the liberty, well-being and safety of the person seized, such as a relative, employer, law enforcement or government to act, or ref ...
s. It is likelier, though, that the burning of Kusel was meant as a general example to others in the hope that they would thereafter desist from falsifying assignats. According to another version of the story, six houses were left standing afterwards. The deed is said in this case to have been a punishment for the town's having supplied a few townsmen who had been held hostage in
Metz
Metz ( , , lat, Divodurum Mediomatricorum, then ) is a city in northeast France located at the confluence of the Moselle and the Seille rivers. Metz is the prefecture of the Moselle department and the seat of the parliament of the Grand E ...
with ''money'' (not specifically assignats), which had then turned out to be counterfeit, and apparently made in Kusel. It has also been hypothesized that it was actually
Kasel
Kasel is a municipality in the Trier-Saarburg district, in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after R ...
(near
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 ...
) that was supposed to be destroyed, and that Kusel was burnt down instead owing to a spelling mistake in the soldiers’ orders. Kusel grew gradually into a town of craftsmen and
weavers
Weaver or Weavers may refer to:
Activities
* A person who engages in weaving fabric
Animals
* Various birds of the family Ploceidae
* Crevice weaver spider family
* Orb-weaver spider family
* Weever (or weever-fish)
Arts and entertainment
...
occupied
' (Norwegian: ') is a Norwegian political thriller TV series that premiered on TV2 on 5 October 2015. Based on an original idea by Jo Nesbø, the series is co-created with Karianne Lund and Erik Skjoldbjærg. Season 2 premiered on 10 October 2 ...
the town (and burnt it down). During the time of French rule, Kusel kept its administrative function, but only as the seat of a canton. As compensation for the town's destruction, though, the institution of a peace court was promised. The town lay during the time of French
annexation
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 ...
in the
Arrondissement
An arrondissement (, , ) is any of various administrative divisions of France, Belgium, Haiti, certain other Francophone countries, as well as the Netherlands.
Europe
France
The 101 French departments are divided into 342 ''arrondissements' ...
of Birkenfeld and 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, ...
Napoleon
Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader who ...
in 1815, Kusel was at first subject to a joint
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 ...
Austrian
Austrian may refer to:
* Austrians, someone from Austria or of Austrian descent
** Someone who is considered an Austrian citizen, see Austrian nationality law
* Austrian German dialect
* Something associated with the country Austria, for example: ...
''Landesadministrationskommission'' (“State Administration Commission”), which was responsible for ascertaining new borders. Under the new order, the town was assigned in 1818 to the Bavarian ''Rheinkreis'' – a new
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 ...
of that kingdom created by 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 ...
– as the seat of a ''Landkommissariat'' (later ''Bezirksamt'' and now district). During the 19th century, the town's
industrialization
Industrialisation ( alternatively spelled industrialization) is the period of social and economic change that transforms a human group from an agrarian society into an industrial society. This involves an extensive re-organisation of an econo ...
began, which also led to the downfall of such traditional crafts as hat making,
linen
Linen () is a textile made from the fibers of the flax plant.
Linen is very strong, absorbent, and dries faster than cotton. Because of these properties, linen is comfortable to wear in hot weather and is valued for use in garments. It also ...
weaving
Weaving is a method of textile production in which two distinct sets of yarns or threads are interlaced at right angles to form a fabric or cloth. Other methods are knitting, crocheting, felting, and braiding or plaiting. The longitudinal th ...
and
stocking
Stockings (also known as hose, especially in a historical context) are close-fitting, variously elastic garments covering the leg from the foot up to the knee or possibly part or all of the thigh. Stockings vary in color, design, and transparen ...
knitting
Knitting is a method by which yarn is manipulated to create a textile, or fabric. It is used to create many types of garments. Knitting may be done by hand or by machine.
Knitting creates stitches: loops of yarn in a row, either flat or i ...
. Dwellers of the villages around Kusel for decades travelled worldwide plying their trade as travelling musicians (''Wandermusikanten''). Kusel is often seen nowadays as the hub of this movement, even though the town itself yielded very few of these ''Wandermusikanten''. The first watermain was laid in 1824. Voluntary donations funded the ''Maximilianbrunnen'' (fountain). Between 1850 and 1880, important cloth and
knitting
Knitting is a method by which yarn is manipulated to create a textile, or fabric. It is used to create many types of garments. Knitting may be done by hand or by machine.
Knitting creates stitches: loops of yarn in a row, either flat or i ...
yarn factories were founded (Zöllner, Ehrenspeck, Fickeissen). In 1868, the
railway
Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport that transfers passengers and goods on wheeled vehicles running on rails, which are incorporated in tracks. In contrast to road transport, where the vehicles run on a pre ...
from
Landstuhl
Landstuhl () is a town in the Kaiserslautern district of Rhineland-Palatinate in Germany. It is the seat of ''Verbandsgemeinde Landstuhl'', a kind of "collective municipality." Landstuhl is situated on the north-west edge of the Palatinate F ...
to Kusel was built, which brought the town great economic advantages. In the local quarries, “cuselite” was being mined for use as paving stones and for building railways. Also springing up were
breweries
A brewery or brewing company is a business that makes and sells beer. The place at which beer is commercially made is either called a brewery or a beerhouse, where distinct sets of brewing equipment are called plant. The commercial brewing of bee ...
, machine foundries,
wool
Wool is the textile fibre obtained from sheep and other mammals, especially goats, rabbits, and camelids. The term may also refer to inorganic materials, such as mineral wool and glass wool, that have properties similar to animal wool.
As ...
weaving factories, brickyards, printing shops and smithies making chains or nails. The town also became the regional
agricultural
Agriculture or farming is the practice of cultivating Plant, plants and livestock. Agriculture was the key development in the rise of Sedentism, sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of Domestication, domesticated species created food ...
hub with its
livestock
Livestock are the domesticated animals raised in an agricultural setting to provide labor and produce diversified products for consumption such as meat, eggs, milk, fur, leather, and wool. The term is sometimes used to refer solely to animals ...
markets (later the Autumn Fair). Towards the end of the
Second World War
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
Allied
An alliance is a relationship among people, groups, or states that have joined together for mutual benefit or to achieve some common purpose, whether or not explicit agreement has been worked out among them. Members of an alliance are called ...
fighter-bomber
A fighter-bomber is a fighter aircraft that has been modified, or used primarily, as a light bomber or attack aircraft. It differs from bomber and attack aircraft primarily in its origins, as a fighter that has been adapted into other roles, wh ...
s and also by bigger aircraft. One air raid alone, on 6 January 1945, destroyed much of the town and killed 37 people. After 1945, new industrial operations arose, new building areas were opened (Holler-Siedlung) and
school
A school is an educational institution designed to provide learning spaces and learning environments for the teaching of students under the direction of teachers. Most countries have systems of formal education, which is sometimes compuls ...
s were built. Further political changes came only with the realignment of political entities after the war and with the founding of the new
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 ...
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 ...
. As early as 1939, the village of Diedelkopf was amalgamated with Kusel, while the same was done with the village of Bledesbach on 17 March 1974. In the course of administrative restructuring 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 ...
in 1968, the town became the seat of a ''Verbandsgemeinde'' administration. Today the ''Verbandsgemeinde'' of Kusel-Altenglan consists of 34 municipalities. The
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 ...
has remained, although its boundaries have now and then been adjusted. After the
First World War
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
, the Canton of Waldmohr in the ''Bezirksamt'' of Homburg was grouped into the Kusel district, while after the Second World War, six municipalities in the
Oster
Oster ( uk, Осте́р ; russian: Остёр, Ostyor) is a city located where the Oster River flows into the Desna, in Chernihiv Raion, Chernihiv Oblast of Ukraine. Oster hosts the administration of Oster urban hromada, one of the hromadas ...
valley passed to the
Saarland
The Saarland (, ; french: Sarre ) is a state of Germany in the south west of the country. With an area of and population of 990,509 in 2018, it is the smallest German state in area apart from the city-states of Berlin, Bremen, and Hamburg, and ...
. Further realignments took place as part of the administrative restructuring of 1969 to 1972. In 1964, Kusel became a garrison town. A smaller garrison was already in the town in 1938, billeted in a simple barracks camp. Only after the Second World War did the barracks buildings on the ''Windhof'' come into being. They are named the ''Unteroffizier-Krüger-Kaserne''.
Population development
In 1609, a population count yielded a figure of 568 inhabitants. In the final stage of the
Thirty Years' War
The Thirty Years' War was one of the longest and most destructive conflicts in European history
The history of Europe is traditionally divided into four time periods: prehistoric Europe (prior to about 800 BC), classical antiquity (80 ...
, there may have been few people left living in the town. The population figure was strongly bolstered, however, by returning refugees and newcomers by the time of the
Franco-Dutch War
The Franco-Dutch War, also known as the Dutch War (french: Guerre de Hollande; nl, Hollandse Oorlog), was fought between France and the Dutch Republic, supported by its allies the Holy Roman Empire, Spain, Brandenburg-Prussia and Denmark-Nor ...
, but quickly fell down once again in the destruction wrought in that war. It was the French themselves who promoted quick repopulation. In 1693 there were 150 people living in Kusel. Only about the middle of the 18th century, though, did the town's population once again reach its 1609 level. According to lists of losses, at the time when the French burnt the town down, 1,334 people called Kusel home. The people now lived in the ruins or sought shelter in the outlying villages. By 1802, the town once again had 1,267 inhabitants. Population growth went into a marked upswing brought on by the
industrialization
Industrialisation ( alternatively spelled industrialization) is the period of social and economic change that transforms a human group from an agrarian society into an industrial society. This involves an extensive re-organisation of an econo ...
that was now setting in, although the trend was not quite as strong as it was in some of the Palatinate's other towns and cities. The 6,000 mark was reached only after the
Second World War
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
, and only for a short time. In 1928, Kusel had 3,588 inhabitants who broke down denominationally thus: 3,019
Protestants
Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that follows the theological tenets of the Protestant Reformation, a movement that began seeking to reform the Catholic Church from within in the 16th century against what its followers perceived to b ...
, 486
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 ...
, 66
Jews
Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...
, 12 dissenters.
The following table shows population development over the centuries for Kusel:
Town’s name
The oldest known form of the town's name, ''Cosla'', is to be found in the ''Remigiustestament'', a document that is likely a forgery by Archbishop
Hincmar
Hincmar (; ; la, Hincmarus; 806 – 21 December 882), archbishop of Reims, was a Frankish jurist and theologian, as well as the friend, advisor and propagandist of Charles the Bald. He belonged to a noble family of northern Francia.
Biography Ea ...
of Reims (806-882). It is a
Celtic
Celtic, Celtics or Keltic may refer to:
Language and ethnicity
*pertaining to Celts, a collection of Indo-European peoples in Europe and Anatolia
**Celts (modern)
*Celtic languages
**Proto-Celtic language
* Celtic music
*Celtic nations
Sports Fo ...
word matching the names of a whole series of little brooks and rivers in
France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...
circumflex
The circumflex () is a diacritic in the Latin and Greek scripts that is also used in the written forms of many languages and in various romanization and transcription schemes. It received its English name from la, circumflexus "bent around"a ...
accent in this name indicates a suppressed S. The town's name originally referred to the brook that flowed through town, making its meaning simply “settlement on the Cosla brook”. Other forms of the name that the town has borne over the ages are ''Chuosla'' (902), ''abbatiam nomine Coslam'' (952), ''Chusela'' (about 1200), ''Cuslea'' (1217), ''Cussla'' (1127), ''Consula'' (1235), ''zu Cuselen'' (1314), ''Koschela'' (1347), ''Cuscheln die Stadt'' (1387), ''Kuschel'' (1395), ''Cuselle'' (1428), ''Cussel'' (1747) and ''Cusel'' (1824).
Vanished villages and cadastral names
Although
forestry
Forestry is the science and craft of creating, managing, planting, using, conserving and repairing forests, woodlands, and associated resources for human and environmental benefits. Forestry is practiced in plantations and natural stands. Th ...
and
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 ...
only play a minor role in the town's economy these days, Kusel has a rather great area within its limits and extensive woodlands. These are found mainly in the Winterhell, on the Gaisberg and around the Gailbach. Rural cadastral names within town limits often refer to vanished villages, for example “Dimbsweiler Höh”, “Grehweiler” and “Haupweiler Grund”. Former owners’ names also show up in rural cadastral names such as “Lauers Bösch” and “Metternachs Wieß”. The Family Metternach was a
mediaeval
In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire a ...
noble family with great landholds in the Kusel area. Yet other rural cadastral names refer to the land's attributes, like “Bruchhell” (“wet sloped land”) or “Weingarten” (literally “wine garden”, and therefore “
vineyard
A vineyard (; also ) is a plantation of grape-bearing vines, grown mainly for winemaking, but also raisins, table grapes and non-alcoholic grape juice. The science, practice and study of vineyard production is known as viticulture. Vineyards ...
”). Indeed, there was
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 ...
in Kusel until the 18th century. The rural cadastral name “Feist”, despite its meaning (“fat” or “adipose”), is
geological
Geology () is a branch of natural science concerned with Earth and other astronomical objects, the features or rocks of which it is composed, and the processes by which they change over time. Modern geology significantly overlaps all other Eart ...
in origin, for it refers to a particular
Permian
The Permian ( ) is a geologic period and stratigraphic system which spans 47 million years from the end of the Carboniferous Period million years ago (Mya), to the beginning of the Triassic Period 251.9 Mya. It is the last period of the Paleoz ...
formation known 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 ...
as ''Feistkonglomerat''. Vanished villages known from records to have existed within Kusel's current limits are Heubweiler, Dimschweiler and Peychnillenbach.
Religion
The area between the marketplace and the ''Neues Tor'' (“New Gate”) on Trierer Straße, which is still only lightly settled today, may well originally have been the place where the Archbishopric of Reims established its estate. Here stood a
monastery
A monastery is a building or complex of buildings comprising the domestic quarters and workplaces of monastics, monks or nuns, whether living in communities or alone (hermits). A monastery generally includes a place reserved for prayer which ...
with a
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
* Chris ...
. The first church, mentioned in 902, can be considered a forerunner to today's ''Stadtkirche'' (“Town Church”). Going by the earlier church's foundations, attempts have been made to reconstruct the old church in model form. This small Romanesque church had fallen into disrepair over the ages, not least of all because so many wealthy townsmen over time had had themselves buried in it. It was torn down in 1712, and on the same spot rose the new
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 t ...
church, built by Master Builder Johannes Koch from
Zweibrücken
Zweibrücken (; french: Deux-Ponts, ; Palatinate German: ''Zweebrigge'', ; literally translated as "Two Bridges") is a town in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany, on the Schwarzbach river.
Name
The name ''Zweibrücken'' means 'two bridges'; olde ...
. In 1794, though, this church was destroyed when the French burnt the town down. Wall remnants were then torn down, and between 1829 and 1831, building work yielded the
Classicist
Classics or classical studies is the study of classical antiquity. In the Western world, classics traditionally refers to the study of Classical Greek and Roman literature and their related original languages, Ancient Greek and Latin. Classics ...
Town Church that still stands today. With respect to denominational development, the ecclesiastical policy practised by the
Counts Palatine of Zweibrücken
Count (feminine: countess) is a historical title of nobility in certain European countries, varying in relative status, generally of middling rank in the hierarchy of nobility. Pine, L. G. ''Titles: How the King Became His Majesty''. New York: ...
held true for Kusel. Thus, beginning in 1523, Duke Ludwig II put forth efforts to establish the
Reformation
The Reformation (alternatively named the Protestant Reformation or the European Reformation) was a major movement within Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe that posed a religious and political challenge to the Catholic Church and in ...
according to
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 ...
’s teachings. Ludwig II died only nine years later, though, in 1532, and his brother Ruprecht, who was Ludwig’s son’s regent in the time before the boy, Wolfgang, was old enough to assume leadership duties, pushed the late Ludwig’s policy through and reformed the County Palatine under the principle of ''
cuius regio, eius religio
() is a Latin phrase which literally means "whose realm, their religion" – meaning that the religion of the ruler was to dictate the religion of those ruled. This legal principle marked a major development in the collective (if not individual ...
''. Count Palatine (Duke) Johannes I, Ludwig II’s grandson, Wolfgang’s son and a follower of the reformer
John Calvin
John Calvin (; frm, Jehan Cauvin; french: link=no, Jean Calvin ; 10 July 150927 May 1564) was a French theologian, pastor and reformer in Geneva during the Protestant Reformation. He was a principal figure in the development of the system ...
led the County Palatine to another great turn in its denominational history in 1588. All subjects now had to set aside their
Lutheran
Lutheranism is one of the largest branches of Protestantism, identifying primarily with the theology of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German monk and reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practice of the Catholic Church launched th ...
faith and adopt
Reformed
Reform is beneficial change
Reform may also refer to:
Media
* ''Reform'' (album), a 2011 album by Jane Zhang
* Reform (band), a Swedish jazz fusion group
* ''Reform'' (magazine), a Christian magazine
*''Reforme'' ("Reforms"), initial name of the ...
beliefs according to Calvin’s teachings (
Calvinism
Calvinism (also called the Reformed Tradition, Reformed Protestantism, Reformed Christianity, or simply Reformed) is a major branch of Protestantism that follows the theological tradition and forms of Christian practice set down by John Cal ...
). This forcible conversion led to various problems, particularly among the Evangelical clergy. This change in religious belief was imposed on all places in the Duchy of
Palatine Zweibrücken
Palatine Zweibrücken (), or the County Palatine of Zweibrücken, is a former state of the Holy Roman Empire. Its capital was Zweibrücken (french: Deux-Ponts). Its reigning house, a branch of the Wittelsbach dynasty, was also the Royal House of ...
. The difference between Luther’s and Calvin’s teachings should be briefly explained. An example of Lutheran teaching is the concept that man does not find his way to God simply by doing good works, but only through belief (''
sola fide
''Justificatio sola fide'' (or simply ''sola fide''), meaning justification by faith alone, is a soteriological doctrine in Christian theology commonly held to distinguish the Lutheran and Reformed traditions of Protestantism, among others, fr ...
''). Calvinist teaching, on the other hand, holds that man’s fate is
predetermined
Determinism is a philosophical view, where all events are determined completely by previously existing causes. Deterministic theories throughout the history of philosophy have developed from diverse and sometimes overlapping motives and consi ...
by God, and that the faithful can fulfil this predetermination and must submit themselves to strict
church discipline
Church discipline is the practice of church members calling upon an individual within the Church to repent for their sins. Church discipline is performed when one has sinned or gone against the rules of the church. Church discipline is practiced wi ...
through obedience and diligence, and by forgoing worldly pleasures. Disobedience to God, however, is the way to
hell
In religion and folklore, hell is a location in the afterlife in which evil souls are subjected to punitive suffering, most often through torture, as eternal punishment after death. Religions with a linear divine history often depict hell ...
(
double predestination
Predestination, in theology, is the doctrine that all events have been willed by God, usually with reference to the eventual fate of the individual soul. Explanations of predestination often seek to address the paradox of free will, whereby Go ...
Max Weber
Maximilian Karl Emil Weber (; ; 21 April 186414 June 1920) was a German sociologist, historian, jurist and political economist, who is regarded as among the most important theorists of the development of modern Western society. His ideas profo ...
(1864–1920) took the view that Calvin’s demands led to an “inner asceticism”, which bestowed great wealth upon man. If Weber's thesis was right, this would mean that Calvin was – unwittingly and perhaps also unwillingly – among those who paved the way for
capitalism
Capitalism is an economic system based on the private ownership of the means of production and their operation for Profit (economics), profit. Central characteristics of capitalism include capital accumulation, competitive markets, pric ...
. The town's
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 ...
Christians
Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...
from the late 17th century onwards had the right to use the Town Church for their own services along with the
Reformed
Reform is beneficial change
Reform may also refer to:
Media
* ''Reform'' (album), a 2011 album by Jane Zhang
* Reform (band), a Swedish jazz fusion group
* ''Reform'' (magazine), a Christian magazine
*''Reforme'' ("Reforms"), initial name of the ...
Christians under a
simultaneum
A shared church (german: Simultankirche), simultaneum mixtum, a term first coined in 16th-century Germany, is a church in which public worship is conducted by adherents of two or more religious groups. Such churches became common in the German-sp ...
. For Christians of the
Lutheran
Lutheranism is one of the largest branches of Protestantism, identifying primarily with the theology of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German monk and reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practice of the Catholic Church launched th ...
denomination, a small church was built at the southern town wall on the Bangert and consecrated in 1748. After the union of the Calvinists and the Lutherans in the Union of 1818, the little Lutheran church was turned over to the Catholics. When a new Catholic church was completed on Lehnstraße, the former Lutheran church was torn down. There were other churches in Kusel. From the
High Middle Ages
The High Middle Ages, or High Medieval Period, was the periodization, period of European history that lasted from AD 1000 to 1300. The High Middle Ages were preceded by the Early Middle Ages and were followed by the Late Middle Ages, which ended ...
on,
Saint Giles
Saint Giles (, la, Aegidius, french: Gilles), also known as Giles the Hermit, was a hermit or monk active in the lower Rhône most likely in the 6th century. Revered as a saint, his cult became widely diffused but his hagiography is mostly lege ...
’s Church (''Ägidienkirche'') stood near the great Town Church. It was used as a graveyard
chapel
A chapel is a Christian place of prayer and worship that is usually relatively small. The term has several meanings. Firstly, smaller spaces inside a church that have their own altar are often called chapels; the Lady chapel is a common ty ...
. It fell into disrepair after the town graveyard was moved in 1564. Meanwhile, a burial chapel was built at the new graveyard in the Weibergraben. This was torn down when the town graveyard was moved once again in 1896 to the place where it still lies today, on the road to
Rammelsbach
Rammelsbach is an ''Ortsgemeinde'' – a Municipalities of Germany, municipality belonging to a ''Verbandsgemeinde'', a kind of collective municipality – in the Kusel (district), Kusel Districts of Germany, district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Ger ...
. Moreover, the little ''Kreuzkapelle'' (“Cross Chapel”) stood available to travellers and those passing through before the ''Untertor'' (“Lower Gate”) in the
Middle Ages
In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire a ...
. After the Reformation, it was abandoned and in 1702 it was torn down. In 1900 there were plans to build a
synagogue
A synagogue, ', 'house of assembly', or ', "house of prayer"; Yiddish: ''shul'', Ladino: or ' (from synagogue); or ', "community". sometimes referred to as shul, and interchangeably used with the word temple, is a Jewish house of worshi ...
. Since many
Jews
Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...
were then leaving the town, however, the plans never came to fruition. Until the time of the
Third Reich
Nazi Germany (lit. "National Socialist State"), ' (lit. "Nazi State") for short; also ' (lit. "National Socialist Germany") (officially known as the German Reich from 1933 until 1943, and the Greater German Reich from 1943 to 1945) was ...
Nazis
Nazism ( ; german: Nazismus), the common name in English for National Socialism (german: Nationalsozialismus, ), is the far-right totalitarian political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in Na ...
, there was a room on Ziegelgässchen (“Little Brick Lane”) where Jews could gather. Other religious communities in town are the Baptists or ''Evangelische Freikirche Kusel'' (Free Baptist Community) with a centre since 1985 in Kusel-Diedelkopf, Trierer-Straße 117, and some 40 members (2000), and the
New Apostolic Church
The New Apostolic Church (NAC) is a Christian denomination, Christian church that split from the Catholic Apostolic Church during an 1863 schism in Hamburg, Germany.
The church has existed since 1863 in Germany and since 1897 in the Ne ...
since 1933 with some 180 members and a centre at Fritz-Wunderlich-Straße 24. In 2007, 62.2% of the inhabitants were
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 ...
and 18.4% were
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 ...
. The rest either adhered to other faiths or professed none.
Politics
Town council
The council is made up of 20 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 25 May 2014, and the honorary mayor as chairwoman.
Municipal elections yielded the following results:
:FWG = Freie Wählergruppe Stadt Kusel
Mayor
Kusel's mayor is Jochen Hartloff (SPD).
Coat of arms
The German blazon reads: ''In Grün ein aufgerichteter, wachsender, goldener Krummstab, belegt mit einem silbernen Schräglinkswellenbalken.''
The town'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: Vert issuant from base a bishop's staff Or surmounted by a bend sinister wavy argent.
The main
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 Aqua ...
in these arms, the bishop's staff, is a reference to the village's former allegiance to the
Archbishopric of Reims
The Archdiocese of Reims (traditionally spelt "Rheims" in English) ( la, Archidiœcesis Remensis; French: ''Archidiocèse de Reims'') is a Latin Church ecclesiastic territory or archdiocese of the Catholic Church in France. Erected as a diocese ...
, which held Kusel and the countryside all around it, the so-called ''Remigiusland'', up until the 16th century. The “bend sinister wavy” (slanted wavy stripe) stands for the Kuselbach, the brook that flows through town. The arms in this composition go back to old town seals, particularly one used as far back as 1624. The arms were approved in 1841 by King
Ludwig I of Bavaria
en, Louis Charles Augustus
, image = Joseph Karl Stieler - King Ludwig I in his Coronation Robes - WGA21796.jpg
, caption = Portrait by Joseph Stieler, 1825
, succession=King of Bavaria
, reign =
, coronation ...
(Kusel lay in the
Kingdom of Bavaria
The Kingdom of Bavaria (german: Königreich Bayern; ; spelled ''Baiern'' until 1825) was a German state that succeeded the former Electorate of Bavaria in 1805 and continued to exist until 1918. With the unification of Germany into the German E ...
at that time owing to the new, post-Napoleonic order imposed by 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 ...
).
Town partnerships
Kusel fosters partnerships with the following places:
*
Toucy
Toucy () is a commune in the Yonne department in Bourgogne-Franche-Comté in north-central France, in the historical region of Puisaye.
Personalities
Toucy was the birthplace and hometown of Pierre Larousse, lexicographer and founder of the publi ...
,
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 lo ...
,
France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...
since 1973
*
Zalaegerszeg
Zalaegerszeg (; hr, Jegersek; sl, Jageršek; german: Egersee) is the administrative center of Zala County, Zala county in western Hungary.
Location
Zalaegerszeg lies on the banks of the Zala River, close to the Slovenian and Austrian borders and ...
,
Zala County
Zala ( hu, Zala megye, ; ; ) is an administrative county (comitatus or ''megye'') in south-western Hungary. It is named after the Zala River. It shares borders with Croatia ( Koprivnica–Križevci and Međimurje Counties) and Slovenia (Lendava ...
,
Hungary
Hungary ( hu, Magyarország ) is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning of the Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Croatia a ...
since 1997
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:
Kusel (main centre)
*
Saint Giles
Saint Giles (, la, Aegidius, french: Gilles), also known as Giles the Hermit, was a hermit or monk active in the lower Rhône most likely in the 6th century. Revered as a saint, his cult became widely diffused but his hagiography is mostly lege ...
’s
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 ...
Parish Church (''Pfarrkirche St. Ägidius''), Lehnstraße 10 –
Gothic Revival
Gothic Revival (also referred to as Victorian Gothic, neo-Gothic, or Gothick) is an architectural movement that began in the late 1740s in England. The movement gained momentum and expanded in the first half of the 19th century, as increasingly ...
pseudobasilica,
sandstone
Sandstone is a clastic sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized (0.0625 to 2 mm) silicate grains. Sandstones comprise about 20–25% of all sedimentary rocks.
Most sandstone is composed of quartz or feldspar (both silicates) ...
-block building, 1887–1889, architect Franz Schöberl,
Speyer
Speyer (, older spelling ''Speier'', French: ''Spire,'' historical English: ''Spires''; pfl, Schbaija) is a city in Rhineland-Palatinate in Germany with approximately 50,000 inhabitants. Located on the left bank of the river Rhine, Speyer li ...
; furnishings
*
Protestant
Protestantism is a Christian denomination, branch of Christianity that follows the theological tenets of the Reformation, Protestant Reformation, a movement that began seeking to reform the Catholic Church from within in the 16th century agai ...
parish church, Marktplatz 2 –
Classicist
Classics or classical studies is the study of classical antiquity. In the Western world, classics traditionally refers to the study of Classical Greek and Roman literature and their related original languages, Ancient Greek and Latin. Classics ...
sandstone-block building, 1829–1831, architect Ferdinand Beyschlag,
Kaiserslautern
Kaiserslautern (; Palatinate German: ''Lautre'') is a city in southwest Germany, located in the state of Rhineland-Palatinate at the edge of the Palatinate Forest. The historic centre dates to the 9th century. It is from Paris, from Frankfur ...
, tower helm 1861, architect Johann Schmeisser, Kusel; furnishings, Stumm
organ
Organ may refer to:
Biology
* Organ (biology), a part of an organism
Musical instruments
* Organ (music), a family of keyboard musical instruments characterized by sustained tone
** Electronic organ, an electronic keyboard instrument
** Hammond ...
from 1848
* Bahnhofstraße 22 – three-floor Late Historicist living and commercial house with gated driveway, 1900
* Bahnhofstraße 25 – stately Late Historicist corner house with
mansard roof
A mansard or mansard roof (also called a French roof or curb roof) is a four-sided gambrel-style hip roof characterised by two slopes on each of its sides, with the lower slope, punctured by dormer windows, at a steeper angle than the upper. The ...
, 1899
* Bahnhofstraße 28/30 – former “Pfälzer Hof”; three-floor sandstone-framed plastered building with stone-block-faced ground floor, 1896; in the yard remnants of the former beergarden buildings; characterizes town's appearance
* Bahnhofstraße 55 – Historicist
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 shin ...
building on stone-block-faced ground floor,
Renaissance Revival
Renaissance Revival architecture (sometimes referred to as "Neo-Renaissance") is a group of 19th century architectural revival styles which were neither Greek Revival nor Gothic Revival but which instead drew inspiration from a wide range o ...
Baroque Revival
The Baroque Revival, also known as Neo-Baroque (or Second Empire architecture in France and Wilhelminism in Germany), was an architectural style of the late 19th century. The term is used to describe architecture and architectural sculptur ...
villa with mansard roof, 1902, architect K. Herrmann, Kusel
* Bahnhofstraße 59 – former Royal Bavarian ''Rentamt'' (financial administration office); Historicist stone-block building with hipped roof, 1894/1895, architect ''Bauamtmann'' Stempel, Kaiserslautern
* Bahnhofstraße 61 – postal estate with service building, vehicle hall and bungalow; 1925, architect Heinrich Müller, Speyer; five-axis building with mansard roof,
Swiss chalet style
Swiss chalet style (german: Schweizerstil, no, Sveitserstil) is an architectural style of Late Historicism, originally inspired by rural chalets in Switzerland and the Alpine (mountainous) regions of Central Europe. The style refers to traditi ...
,
Expressionist
Expressionism is a modernist movement, initially in poetry and painting, originating in Northern Europe around the beginning of the 20th century. Its typical trait is to present the world solely from a subjective perspective, distorting it rad ...
relief
Relief is a sculptural method in which the sculpted pieces are bonded to a solid background of the same material. The term ''relief'' is from the Latin verb ''relevo'', to raise. To create a sculpture in relief is to give the impression that the ...
by E. A. Rauch,
Munich
Munich ( ; german: München ; bar, Minga ) is the capital and most populous city of the States of Germany, German state of Bavaria. With a population of 1,558,395 inhabitants as of 31 July 2020, it is the List of cities in Germany by popu ...
* Bahnhofstraße 104 – former
gasworks
A gasworks or gas house is an industrial plant for the production of flammable gas. Many of these have been made redundant in the developed world by the use of natural gas, though they are still used for storage space.
Early gasworks
Coal ...
; thirteen-axis, one-floor stone-block building, 1887–1889; workshop with lodging and bathroom, 1907
* Gartenstraße 3, 7, 9 and 6 and 8, Fritz-Wunderlich-Straße 12a, 14, 16, 18, 20, Vogelsang 1 (monumental zone) – ensemble of villas and semi-detached houses in the town expansion zone, 1902–1913/1922
* Glanstraße, graveyard (monumental zone) – laid out in 1896; warriors’ memorial 1870-1871, 1914-1918 by Regional Master Builder Foltz (1921) and 1939/1945; Family Zöllner's grave complex, about 1905; elaborate gravestones, 1920s
* Haselrech 1 – former agricultural school; spacious building with hipped roof, pedestal ground floor with garages and entrance hall, Swiss chalet style, 1929, architect Regional Assistant Builder Leidemer and Oberste Baubehörde, Munich
* Landschaftsstraße 4/6 – former
tribunal
A tribunal, generally, is any person or institution with authority to judge, adjudicate on, or determine claims or disputes—whether or not it is called a tribunal in its title.
For example, an advocate who appears before a court with a single ...
building; thirteen-axis plastered building on high basement complex, 1811–1814
* Landschaftsstraße 7 – building with hipped roof on big vaulted basement, essentially about 1800, partly older (
spiral staircase
Stairs are a structure designed to bridge a large vertical distance between lower and higher levels by dividing it into smaller vertical distances. This is achieved as a diagonal series of horizontal platforms called steps which enable passage ...
)
* Lehnstraße 12 – Catholic rectory; angular sandstone-block building on high pedestal, hipped mansard roof, 1889, architect Franz Schöberl, Speyer
* Luitpoldstraße 1 – Protestant rectory I; five-axis building with hipped roof, marked 1760, architect Philipp H. Hellermann
* Luitpoldstraße 3 – Protestant rectory II; villalike building with hipped roof on irregular floor plan, 1907/1908, architect Regional Master Builder Kleinhans
* Luitpoldstraße 14 – ''Luitpoldschule'' (
school
A school is an educational institution designed to provide learning spaces and learning environments for the teaching of students under the direction of teachers. Most countries have systems of formal education, which is sometimes compuls ...
); three-floor sandstone-framed building with hipped roof, one-floor addition, 1911/1912, architect Regional Master Builder Kleinhans; characterizes town's and street's appearance
* Luitpoldstraße 7, 8, 9, 10, 12, 14, Schleipweg 11 (monumental zone) – ''Luitpoldschule'' with U-shaped dwelling building built around the forecourt made up of four officials’ houses, 1922/1923, architect Foltz, characterizes town's appearance
* Marktplatz 1 – Town Hall (former
primary school
A primary school (in Ireland, the United Kingdom, Australia, Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica, and South Africa), junior school (in Australia), elementary school or grade school (in North America and the Philippines) is a school for primary e ...
); sandstone-framed plastered building, 1891, architect Regional Building Director Mergler and Assistant Builder Hass, 1913 town hall conversion; characterizes square's appearance
* Marktplatz 3 – former ''Alte Volksschule'' (“Old Primary School”); eleven-axis building with hipped roof, 1821, architect Heinrich Ernst
* Near Marktplatz 6 – ''Hutmacherbrunnen'' (“Hatter’s Fountain”); sandstone basin with sandstone pillar, 1921 by Emil Berndt, two
muschelkalk
The Muschelkalk (German for "shell-bearing limestone"; french: calcaire coquillier) is a sequence of sedimentary rock strata (a lithostratigraphic unit) in the geology of central and western Europe. It has a Middle Triassic (240 to 230 million ye ...
putti
A putto (; plural putti ) is a figure in a work of art depicted as a chubby male child, usually naked and sometimes winged. Originally limited to profane passions in symbolism,Dempsey, Charles. ''Inventing the Renaissance Putto''. University of ...
by Müller-Hipper, Munich
* Marktplatz 3a, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, Marktstraße 19–35, 41, 43 and 36–54 and Bangertstraße 35, 37, 39, Weiherplatz 1–7, 11, 13 as well as 2–14, 20–26, 30–32 and Tuchrahmstraße 2 and 4, town centre (monumental zone) – characteristic small-town townscape around the marketplace, Weiherplatz and the adjoining streets, largely linked buildings from the time after the town's reconstruction after the fire about 1800, on the marketplace the rather representative buildings, on Weiherplatz craftsmen's houses
* Marktstraße 16 –
inn
Inns are generally establishments or buildings where travelers can seek lodging, and usually, food and drink. Inns are typically located in the country or along a highway; before the advent of motorized transportation they also provided accommo ...
“Zur Alten Post”; stately Late Baroque building with hipped mansard roof on double vaulted basement, before 1797
* Marktstraße 27 – three-floor plastered building, elaborately worked façade, after 1795
* Marktstraße 31 – sophisticated three-floor plastered building with steep gable roof, behind, two-floor gallery, about 1800
* At Marktstraße 43 – behind, wooden gallery at the “Dickscher Hof”, marked 1800
* Trierer Straße 36 – dwelling building and dance hall of the former ''Kochsche Brauerei'' (
brewery
A brewery or brewing company is a business that makes and sells beer. The place at which beer is commercially made is either called a brewery or a beerhouse, where distinct sets of brewing equipment are called plant. The commercial brewing of be ...
); building with hipped roof on vaulted basement, before 1807, one-floor Classicist dance hall, 1834
* Trierer Straße 39 – Late Classicist plastered building, elaborately worked façade, 1868
* Trierer Straße 41 – building with hipped roof and
knee wall
A knee wall is a short wall, typically under three feet (one metre) in height, used to support the rafters in timber roof construction. In his book ''A Visual Dictionary of Architecture'', Francis D. K. Ching defines a knee wall as "a short wall ...
, elaborately worked façade, 1855
* Trierer Straße 49 – former Royal Bavarian Regional Office; representative sandstone-framed building with mansard roof, 1877/1878, architect ''Bauamtmann'' Giese, Kaiserslautern, expansion 1912/1913
* Trierer Straße 50 – Late Historicist hewn-stone-framed face brick building, marked 1888, behind, two-floor wooden balcony, garden with shed
* Trierer Straße 51 – former Regional building; building with hipped roof on high pedestal with “attic” level, monumental entrance hall, 1926, architect Regional Master Builder Schardt
* Trierer Straße 60 – former living and production building of the Ehrenspeck stocking-knitting and cloth factory; plastered building with façade with Historicist elements,
cast-iron
Cast iron is a class of iron–carbon alloys with a carbon content more than 2%. Its usefulness derives from its relatively low melting temperature. The alloy constituents affect its color when fractured: white cast iron has carbide impuriti ...
balcony, 1868
* Trierer Straße 65 – representative sandstone-framed plastered building on a fluted stone-block pedestal, Renaissance Revival motifs, marked 1896
* Trierer Straße 68/70, Fritz-Wunderlich-Straße 51 – former cloth factory; no. 70 three-floor factory building; no. 68 representative house, 1878; production building mainly from 1896 to 1908; building after 1895, architect Christoph Berndt, Kusel; whole complex of buildings
* Trierer Straße 69 – former Gilcher mechanized brickworks; five-axis plastered building, elaborately worked façade, 1868
* Trierer Straße 71/73 – ''Amtsgericht'' (court);
Baroque Revival
The Baroque Revival, also known as Neo-Baroque (or Second Empire architecture in France and Wilhelminism in Germany), was an architectural style of the late 19th century. The term is used to describe architecture and architectural sculptur ...
building with
mansard roof
A mansard or mansard roof (also called a French roof or curb roof) is a four-sided gambrel-style hip roof characterised by two slopes on each of its sides, with the lower slope, punctured by dormer windows, at a steeper angle than the upper. The ...
and side risalti, joining wing with floor added, three-floor
prison
A prison, also known as a jail, gaol (dated, standard English, Australian, and historically in Canada), penitentiary (American English and Canadian English), detention center (or detention centre outside the US), correction center, correc ...
, 1902, architect District Building Office Assessor Geyer, Kaiserslautern
* Trierer Straße 75 – villa on irregular floor plan, partly
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 ...
, 1899; characterizes street's appearance
* Trierer Straße 39–75 (odd numbers), 44, 50–70 (even numbers), Fritz-Wunderlich-Straße 51 (monumental zone) – built-up zone along Trierer Straße with public administration buildings, former ''Zöllnersche Tuchfabrik'' (cloth factory) and houses, 19th century
* Vogelsang 19 – detached house; small plastered building with half-hipped roof, possibly from the 18th century, addition 1954
Bledesbach
* Eckweg 2 – one-floor sandstone-framed ''Quereinhaus'' (a combination residential and commercial house divided for these two purposes down the middle, perpendicularly to the street) on high basement, marked 1877
Diedelkopf
* Near Brückenweg 5 – village bridge over the Kuselbach, two-arched sandstone-block bridge, marked 1744 and 1797
* Trierer Straße 162/164 – former steam bakery; sophisticated sandstone-framed plastered building with
ridge turret
A ridge turret is a turret or small tower constructed over the ridge or apex between two or more sloping roofs of a building. It is usually built either as an architectural ornament for purely decorative purposes or else for the practical housing ...
, 1912, architect possibly Julius Berndt, Kusel
Buildings, theatres and museums
The building development at the marketplace is dominated by the Town Hall (''Rathaus'') with its
carillon
A carillon ( , ) is a pitched percussion instrument that is played with a keyboard and consists of at least 23 cast-bronze bells. The bells are hung in fixed suspension and tuned in chromatic order so that they can be sounded harmoniou ...
, the
Classicist
Classics or classical studies is the study of classical antiquity. In the Western world, classics traditionally refers to the study of Classical Greek and Roman literature and their related original languages, Ancient Greek and Latin. Classics ...
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 ...
town church and the ''Hutmacherbrunnen'' (“Hatter’s Fountain”). The church distinguishes itself with its clear lines, a (rare) strictly
symmetrical
Symmetry (from grc, συμμετρία "agreement in dimensions, due proportion, arrangement") in everyday language refers to a sense of harmonious and beautiful proportion and balance. In mathematics, "symmetry" has a more precise definiti ...
construction of the altar-pulpit-organ area and the hefty, monolithic round sandstone columns that bear the galleries’ weight. The town church is one of the region's – perhaps one of Germany's – loveliest Classicist churches.
Roughly six kilometres’ driving distance from downtown Kusel stands Castle Lichtenberg. With a length of 425 m, it is Germany's biggest
castle
A castle is a type of fortified structure built during the Middle Ages predominantly by the nobility or royalty and by military orders. Scholars debate the scope of the word ''castle'', but usually consider it to be the private fortified r ...
ruin. It stands near
Thallichtenberg
Thallichtenberg is an ''Ortsgemeinde'' – a municipality belonging to a ''Verbandsgemeinde'', a kind of collective municipality – in the Kusel district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It belongs to the ''Verbandsgemeinde'' of Kusel-Altenglan, ...
. Integrated into the complex is the
Musikantenland Museum
The Palatine Musikantenland Museum (german: Pfälzer Musikantenland-Museum) at Lichtenberg Castle (Palatinate), Lichtenberg Castle near Thallichtenberg in the county of Landkreis Kusel, Kusel documents the history of the West Palatine wanderin ...
, which documents the history of the ''
Musikantenland The Musikantenland ("Musician's Land") is an area of the northern West Palatinate in Germany, north of the Landstuhler Bruch in the area of the rivers Glan (Palatinate), Glan and Lauter (Glan), Lauter. On the fringes of this region are the city of K ...
''. For more about this cultural phenomenon, see the relevant sections in the article about
Hinzweiler
Hinzweiler () is an ''Ortsgemeinde'' – a municipality belonging to a ''Verbandsgemeinde'', a kind of collective municipality – in the Kusel district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It belongs to the ''Verbandsgemeinde'' Lauterecken-Wolfstei ...
( Musikanten and Otto Schwarz). The GEOSKOP museum of the primeval world was opened at the castle as an outpost of the ''Pfalzmuseum für Naturkunde'' (Palatine Museum for Natural History) in 1998. It is devoted mainly to the geological history of the local
rotliegend
The Rotliegend, Rotliegend Group or Rotliegendes (german: the underlying red) is a lithostratigraphy, lithostratigraphic unit (a sequence of rock strata) of latest Carboniferous to Guadalupian (middle Permian) age that is found in the subsurface of ...
rocks.
At the Fritz-Wunderlich-Halle, a multipurpose hall used for presentations, theatre and concert productions, and used by the school centre on the Roßberg as an auditorium, a cultural programme of surprising comprehensiveness for such a small town is offered in collaboration with the local authorities. This includes a goodly number of appearances by both German and international
touring theatre
Touring theatre is independent travelling theatre that is presented at a different location in each city. A touring theatre is produced by a theater company, called the producing entity, often based in one location, and sold, as a show, by a bookin ...
troupes. Almost all the classics have played on the stage at least once. The ''Fritz-Wunderlich-Halle'' was built in 1980 at the school centre on the Roßberg with seating for some 650 spectators.
Kusel's most important museum is the ''Stadt- und Heimatmuseum'' (Town and Local History Museum) on Marktstraße, which houses an extensive collection from the town's history. On show there are, among other things, a permanent exhibit dealing with the great singer and Kusel native
Fritz Wunderlich
Friedrich "Fritz" Karl Otto Wunderlich (26 September 1930 – 17 September 1966) was a German lyric tenor, famed for his singing of the Mozart repertory and various lieder. He died in an accident aged 35.
Biography
Wunderlich was born in Kusel in ...
’s life – a favourite among visitors – and another about historically typical household devices of the Palatinate.
Regular events
The
kermis
Kermesse, or kermis, or kirmess, is a Dutch language term derived from 'kerk' (church) and 'mis' (mass) that became borrowed in English, French, Spanish and many other languages, originally denoting the mass said on the anniversary of the foundat ...
(church consecration festival) formerly held on the third weekend in August is now no longer of any importance. The ''Kuseler Messe'' (“Kusel Fair”) or ''Kuseler Herbstmesse'' (“Kusel Autumn Fair”), now held on the first weekend in September (Friday evening until Tuesday) is said to be one of the Western Palatinate’s biggest folk festivals. Moreover, there are the
Shrovetide
Shrovetide, also known as the Pre-Lenten Season or Forelent, is the Christian period of preparation before the beginning of the liturgical season of Lent.
Shrovetide starts on Septuagesima Sunday, includes Sexagesima Sunday, Quinquagesima Sunda ...
(''
Fasching
A variety of customs and traditions are associated with Carnival celebrations in the German-speaking countries of Germany, Switzerland and Austria. They can vary considerably from country to country, but also from one small region to another. Th ...
'') market and the
Christmas
Christmas is an annual festival commemorating Nativity of Jesus, the birth of Jesus, Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a religious and cultural celebration among billions of people Observance of Christmas by country, around t ...
market. On the second Thursday in every month, on the Koch’sches Gelände, a
flea market
A flea market (or swap meet) is a type of street market that provides space for vendors to sell previously-owned (second-hand) goods. This type of market is often seasonal. However, in recent years there has been the development of 'formal' ...
is held. On the second weekend in June, the ''Hutmacherfest'' (“Hatters’ Festival”) is celebrated in the Old Town (''Altstadt''). On 29 May 2010, the yearly ''Team-
Triathlon
A triathlon is an endurance multisport race consisting of Swimming (sport), swimming, Cycle sport, cycling, and running over various distances. Triathletes compete for fastest overall completion time, racing each segment sequentially with the t ...
Kusel'' was launched for the eleventh time. It is one of Rhineland-Palatinate's biggest leisure-sport events. It involves a combined
cycling
Cycling, also, when on a two-wheeled bicycle, called bicycling or biking, is the use of cycles for transport, recreation, exercise or sport. People engaged in cycling are referred to as "cyclists", "bicyclists", or "bikers". Apart from two ...
-
swimming
Swimming is the self-propulsion of a person through water, or other liquid, usually for recreation, sport, exercise, or survival. Locomotion is achieved through coordinated movement of the limbs and the body to achieve hydrodynamic thrust that r ...
-
walking
Walking (also known as ambulation) is one of the main gaits of terrestrial locomotion among legged animals. Walking is typically slower than running and other gaits. Walking is defined by an 'inverted pendulum' gait in which the body vaults o ...
relay
A relay
Electromechanical relay schematic showing a control coil, four pairs of normally open and one pair of normally closed contacts
An automotive-style miniature relay with the dust cover taken off
A relay is an electrically operated switch ...
by teams that must always be made up of three participants, who must be at least 15 years old on the day of the competition. On 25 September 2010, the ninth ''Team-
Duathlon
Duathlon is an athletic event that consists of a running leg, followed by a cycling leg and then another running leg in a format similar to triathlons. The International Triathlon Union governs the sport internationally.
Distance and format
...
Kusel'', with a length of 42 km, took place.
Clubs
Many clubs promote the town's community life. Particularly worthy of mention are the transport club, the
Carnival
Carnival is a Catholic Christian festive season that occurs before the liturgical season of Lent. The main events typically occur during February or early March, during the period historically known as Shrovetide (or Pre-Lent). Carnival typi ...
club, the
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 ...
, the
gymnastic
Gymnastics is a type of sport that includes physical exercises requiring balance, strength, flexibility, agility, coordination, dedication and endurance. The movements involved in gymnastics contribute to the development of the arms, legs, shoul ...
club, the
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 choir and the music club. Famous are the church choir's musical events held each year on the fourth Sunday in
Advent
Advent is a Christian season of preparation for the Nativity of Christ at Christmas. It is the beginning of the liturgical year in Western Christianity.
The name was adopted from Latin "coming; arrival", translating Greek ''parousia''.
In ...
, and the concerts given by the West Palatine Symphony Orchestra (music club). The choir is nowadays associated with a
Gospel choir
Gospel music is a traditional genre of Christian music, and a cornerstone of Christian media. The creation, performance, significance, and even the definition of gospel music varies according to culture and social context. Gospel music is com ...
, which enjoys great popularity.
Sport and leisure
Kusel's biggest leisure facility is the ''Verbandsgemeinde''-run ''Spaß- und Freizeitbad'' (“Fun and Leisure Pool”) in Diedelkopf. It consists of an indoor
swimming pool
A swimming pool, swimming bath, wading pool, paddling pool, or simply pool, is a structure designed to hold water to enable Human swimming, swimming or other leisure activities. Pools can be built into the ground (in-ground pools) or built ...
tanning bed
Indoor tanning involves using a device that emits ultraviolet radiation to produce a cosmetic tan. Typically found in tanning salons, gyms, spas, hotels, and sporting facilities, and less often in private residences, the most common device is a ho ...
, pools for children, non-swimmers and swimmers, the last with a diving setup, and also of an outdoor swimming pool with a playground for children, non-swimmers and swimmers, a fun pool. Also found here are a 64 m-long
waterslide
A water slide (also referred to as a flume, or water chute) is a type of Playground slide, slide designed for warm-weather or indoor recreational use at water parks. Water slides differ in their riding method and therefore size. Some slides re ...
that ends in summer at the outdoor swimming pool and in winter at a heated outdoor arm of the indoor swimming pool, and a
miniature golf
Miniature golf, also known as minigolf, mini-putt, crazy golf, or putt-putt, is an offshoot of the sport of golf focusing solely on the putting aspect of its parent game. The aim of the game is to score the lowest number of points. It is played ...
course. Besides two
football
Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...
pitches, one in the outlying centre of Diedelkopf and the other near the way out of town going towards
Haschbach am Remigiusberg
Haschbach am Remigiusberg is an ''Ortsgemeinde'' – a municipality belonging to a ''Verbandsgemeinde'', a kind of collective municipality – in the Kusel district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It belongs to the ''Verbandsgemeinde'' of Kusel- ...
, there are indoor and outdoor
tennis
Tennis is a racket sport that is played either individually against a single opponent ( singles) or between two teams of two players each ( doubles). Each player uses a tennis racket that is strung with cord to strike a hollow rubber ball ...
courts on the radial road going towards
Blaubach
Blaubach is an ''Ortsgemeinde'' – a municipality belonging to a ''Verbandsgemeinde'', a kind of collective municipality – in the Kusel district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It belongs to the ''Verbandsgemeinde'' of Kusel-Altenglan, whose ...
.
Economy and infrastructure
Economic structure
Given the town's central location, many
market
Market is a term used to describe concepts such as:
*Market (economics), system in which parties engage in transactions according to supply and demand
*Market economy
*Marketplace, a physical marketplace or public market
Geography
*Märket, an ...
s were held in Kusel even as far back as the
Middle Ages
In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire a ...
, although these often had to put up with stiff
competition
Competition is a rivalry where two or more parties strive for a common goal which cannot be shared: where one's gain is the other's loss (an example of which is a zero-sum game). Competition can arise between entities such as organisms, indivi ...
from other traditional markets in other nearby places. The town's economic life in the late 18th century was characterized by many small craftsmen's workshops. There were
wool
Wool is the textile fibre obtained from sheep and other mammals, especially goats, rabbits, and camelids. The term may also refer to inorganic materials, such as mineral wool and glass wool, that have properties similar to animal wool.
As ...
and
linen
Linen () is a textile made from the fibers of the flax plant.
Linen is very strong, absorbent, and dries faster than cotton. Because of these properties, linen is comfortable to wear in hot weather and is valued for use in garments. It also ...
weavers
Weaver or Weavers may refer to:
Activities
* A person who engages in weaving fabric
Animals
* Various birds of the family Ploceidae
* Crevice weaver spider family
* Orb-weaver spider family
* Weever (or weever-fish)
Arts and entertainment
...
,
doublet
Doublet is a word derived from the Latin ''duplus'', "twofold, twice as much", Kaiserslautern’s
synagogue
A synagogue, ', 'house of assembly', or ', "house of prayer"; Yiddish: ''shul'', Ladino: or ' (from synagogue); or ', "community". sometimes referred to as shul, and interchangeably used with the word temple, is a Jewish house of worshi ...
torn down. Towards the end of the
Second World War
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
, Imbt fled to Bavaria, but on 17 May 1945 returned to Kaiserslautern only to get himself arrested and then interned in
Idar-Oberstein
Idar-Oberstein () is a town in the Birkenfeld district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. As a ''Große kreisangehörige Stadt'' (large city belonging to a district), it assumes some of the responsibilities that for smaller municipalities in ...
. He was released from
prison
A prison, also known as a jail, gaol (dated, standard English, Australian, and historically in Canada), penitentiary (American English and Canadian English), detention center (or detention centre outside the US), correction center, correc ...
on 16 April 1949. As part of the
Denazification
Denazification (german: link=yes, Entnazifizierung) was an Allied initiative to rid German and Austrian society, culture, press, economy, judiciary, and politics of the Nazi ideology following the Second World War. It was carried out by remov ...
process, Imbt was declared “contaminated” and was thus sent into retirement with a half pension.
* Fritz Benedum (b. 1902; d. 1965 in Kusel)
::A
KPD
The Communist Party of Germany (german: Kommunistische Partei Deutschlands, , KPD ) was a major political party in the Weimar Republic between 1918 and 1933, an underground resistance movement in Nazi Germany, and a minor party in West German ...
politician, Benedum joined the
Independent Social Democratic Party of Germany
The Independent Social Democratic Party of Germany (german: Unabhängige Sozialdemokratische Partei Deutschlands, USPD) was a short-lived political party in Germany during the German Empire and the Weimar Republic. The organization was establish ...
(USPD) during the
First World War
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
, later switching to the
Communist Party of Germany
The Communist Party of Germany (german: Kommunistische Partei Deutschlands, , KPD ) was a major political party in the Weimar Republic between 1918 and 1933, an underground resistance movement in Nazi Germany, and a minor party in West German ...
(KPD). In 1932 and 1933, he was a Member of the Reichstag. Since 1929, he had also been on Kusel town council. After
Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler (; 20 April 188930 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was dictator of Nazi Germany, Germany from 1933 until Death of Adolf Hitler, his death in 1945. Adolf Hitler's rise to power, He rose to power as the le ...
’s seizure of power, he was reelected to the Reichstag on 5 March 1933, but like all Communist members, he could not fulfil his mandate once the Nazis had banned their party. Shortly thereafter, Benedum was held for more than a month in “protective custody”. In September 1939, he was arrested again and sent to
Buchenwald concentration camp
Buchenwald (; literally 'beech forest') was a Nazi concentration camp established on hill near Weimar, Germany, in July 1937. It was one of the first and the largest of the concentration camps within Germany's 1937 borders. Many actual or su ...
until January the following year. Between 1942 and 1945, he was in the
Wehrmacht
The ''Wehrmacht'' (, ) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the ''Heer'' (army), the ''Kriegsmarine'' (navy) and the ''Luftwaffe'' (air force). The designation "''Wehrmacht''" replaced the previous ...
. After the war, Benedum held several political offices in
West Germany
West Germany is the colloquial term used to indicate the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG; german: Bundesrepublik Deutschland , BRD) between its formation on 23 May 1949 and the German reunification through the accession of East Germany on 3 O ...
, including one on Kusel town council once again, and eventually switched his party allegiance to the
Titoist
Titoism is a political philosophy most closely associated with Josip Broz Tito during the Cold War. It is characterized by a broad Yugoslav identity, workers' self-management, a political separation from the Soviet Union, and leadership in the ...
Independent Workers' Party of Germany
The Independent Workers' Party of Germany (, UAPD) was a short-lived communist party in West Germany. The UAPD was formed in 1950 as a split from the Communist Party of Germany by Titoists after he broke with the Soviet Union. Hoping to steer the ...
(UAPD).
* Otto Niebergall (b. 1904; d. 1977 in
Mainz
Mainz () is the capital and largest city of Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany.
Mainz is on the left bank of the Rhine, opposite to the place that the Main (river), Main joins the Rhine. Downstream of the confluence, the Rhine flows to the north-we ...
)
::A
KPD
The Communist Party of Germany (german: Kommunistische Partei Deutschlands, , KPD ) was a major political party in the Weimar Republic between 1918 and 1933, an underground resistance movement in Nazi Germany, and a minor party in West German ...
politician and Member of the Bundestag, after the
First World War
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
, Niebergall went to the
Saar
Saar or SAAR has several meanings:
People Given name
*Saar Boubacar (born 1951), Senegalese professional football player
* Saar Ganor, Israeli archaeologist
*Saar Klein (born 1967), American film editor
Surname
* Ain Saar (born 1968), Est ...
, which at that time had been split away from Germany, was chairman of the ''
Deutscher Metallarbeiter-Verband
The German Metal Workers' Union (german: Deutscher Metallarbeiter-Verband, abbreviated DMV) was a German industrial union for metalworkers formed in 1891 and dissolved after the Nazis' accession to power in 1933.
History
German metalworkers st ...
'' (German Metalworkers’ Association) and a functionary in the ''Kommunistischer Jugendverband Deutschlands'' (Communist Youth Association of Germany), as of 1925 the Gau leader of the Rotfrontkämpferbund and at the same time a city councillor in
Saarbrücken
Saarbrücken (; french: link=no, Sarrebruck ; Rhine Franconian: ''Saarbrigge'' ; lb, Saarbrécken ; lat, Saravipons, lit=The Bridge(s) across the Saar river) is the capital and largest city of the state of Saarland, Germany. Saarbrücken is S ...
. After the Saar was returned to Germany, Niebergall
emigrated
Emigration is the act of leaving a resident country or place of residence with the intent to settle elsewhere (to permanently leave a country). Conversely, immigration describes the movement of people into one country from another (to permanentl ...
to
France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...
and became section leader of the illegal “KPD Saar-Pfalz” in
Forbach
Forbach ( , , ; gsw, Fuerboch) is a commune in the French department of Moselle, northeastern French region of Grand Est.
It is located on the German border approximately 15 minutes from the center of Saarbrücken, Germany, with which it const ...
. In 1936, he was temporarily a special appointee of the Communist Party in
Spain
, image_flag = Bandera de España.svg
, image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg
, national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond")
, national_anthem = (English: "Royal March")
, i ...
. After German troops marched into France, Niebergall was interned by the
Vichy régime
Vichy France (french: Régime de Vichy; 10 July 1940 – 9 August 1944), officially the French State ('), was the Fascism, fascist French state headed by Marshal Philippe Pétain during World War II. Officially independent, but with half of ...
in Saint Cyprien. He fled underground, taking on once more his multifaceted functions, became a member of the Resistance and carried out
propaganda
Propaganda is communication that is primarily used to influence or persuade an audience to further an agenda, which may not be objective and may be selectively presenting facts to encourage a particular synthesis or perception, or using loaded ...
activities under German occupation. He also joined the movement ''Freies Deutschland West'', becoming its president in 1944. After the war, he at first returned to the
Saarland
The Saarland (, ; french: Sarre ) is a state of Germany in the south west of the country. With an area of and population of 990,509 in 2018, it is the smallest German state in area apart from the city-states of Berlin, Bremen, and Hamburg, and ...
, whereupon he was expelled by the French. After that, he lived in Mainz, was KPD chairman in the
French zone of occupation
Germany was already de facto occupied by the Allies from the real fall of Nazi Germany in World War II on 8 May 1945 to the establishment of the East Germany on 7 October 1949. The Allies (United States, United Kingdom, Soviet Union, and France ...
and Member of the
Bundestag
The Bundestag (, "Federal Diet") is the German federal parliament. It is the only federal representative body that is directly elected by the German people. It is comparable to the United States House of Representatives or the House of Commons ...
from 1949 to 1953. Even after the KPD was banned in 1958, Niebergall was still engaged with Communist organizations, in particular the
German Communist Party
The German Communist Party (german: Deutsche Kommunistische Partei, ) is a communist party in Germany. The DKP supports left positions and was an observer member of the European Left. At the end of February 2016 it left the European party.
His ...
(DKP).
* Hans Keller (b. 1920; d. 1992 in Neustadt an der Weinstraße)
::A Government President, Keller studied legal and state sciences in Heidelberg and Mainz, first took a post as a jurist in administrative service and in 1966 became Government President of the Palatinate. Keller was an honorary citizen of his hometown and was also buried in Kusel.
*
Fritz Wunderlich
Friedrich "Fritz" Karl Otto Wunderlich (26 September 1930 – 17 September 1966) was a German lyric tenor, famed for his singing of the Mozart repertory and various lieder. He died in an accident aged 35.
Biography
Wunderlich was born in Kusel in ...
(b. 1930 in Kusel; d. 1966 in Heidelberg)
::A concert and opera singer (
tenor
A tenor is a type of classical music, classical male singing human voice, voice whose vocal range lies between the countertenor and baritone voice types. It is the highest male chest voice type. The tenor's vocal range extends up to C5. The lo ...
), Wunderlich studied at the music college (''Musikhochschule'') in
Freiburg im Breisgau
Freiburg im Breisgau (; abbreviated as Freiburg i. Br. or Freiburg i. B.; Low Alemannic German, Low Alemannic: ''Friburg im Brisgau''), commonly referred to as Freiburg, is an independent city in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. With a population o ...
, embarked together with his music teacher and pianist Hubert Gießen tours through Germany, became an opera singer at the operas of
Stuttgart
Stuttgart (; Swabian: ; ) is the capital and largest city of the German state of Baden-Württemberg. It is located on the Neckar river in a fertile valley known as the ''Stuttgarter Kessel'' (Stuttgart Cauldron) and lies an hour from the ...
and Munich, received many invitations for guest rôles and opera houses throughout the world were always open to him. He was unique as an interpreter of Mozart’s work, at which he presented the
aria
In music, an aria (Italian: ; plural: ''arie'' , or ''arias'' in common usage, diminutive form arietta , plural ariette, or in English simply air) is a self-contained piece for one voice, with or without instrumental or orchestral accompanime ...
s of the operas with his full voice in glorious
bel canto
Bel canto (Italian for "beautiful singing" or "beautiful song", )—with several similar constructions (''bellezze del canto'', ''bell'arte del canto'')—is a term with several meanings that relate to Italian singing.
The phrase was not associat ...
. At the age of just under 36, Wunderlich suffered an unfortunate fall at a friend’s house in
Oberderdingen
Oberderdingen is a municipality in the district of Karlsruhe, in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is situated 30 km east of Karlsruhe
Karlsruhe ( , , ; South Franconian: ''Kallsruh'') is the third-largest city of the German state (''L ...
near
Maulbronn
Maulbronn () is a city in the district of Enz in Baden-Württemberg in southern Germany.
History
Founded in 1838, it emerged from a settlement, built around a monastery, which belonged to the Neckar Community in the Kingdom of Württemberg. In ...
, and subsequently died in Heidelberg.
* Hans-Peter Keitel (born 1947)
::Entrepreneur
* Margit Conrad (born 1952)
::Rhineland-Palatinate Minister for Environment and Forests.
* Jochen Hartloff (born 1954)
::Town’s mayor from 1984 to 2011, Rhineland-Palatinate Justice Minister from 2011 to 2014
* Wolfgang Schmid (born 1957)
::Historian
*
Axel A. Weber
Axel Alfred Weber (born 8 March 1957) is a German economist, professor, and banker. He is currently a board member and chairman of Swiss investment bank and financial services company, UBS Group AG, and has announced his resignation effective 7 A ...
(born 1957)
::
Deutsche Bundesbank
The Deutsche Bundesbank (), literally "German Federal Bank", is the central bank of the Federal Republic of Germany and as such part of the European System of Central Banks (ESCB). Due to its strength and former size, the Bundesbank is the most ...
Footballer
A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby le ...
* Alexander Ulrich (born 1971)
::Politician (
Die Linke
The Left (german: Die Linke; stylised as and in its logo as ), commonly referred to as the Left Party (german: Die Linkspartei, links=no ), is a democratic socialist political party in Germany. The party was founded in 2007 as the result of th ...
)
* Alfred Hagemann (born 1975)
::Art historian and philosopher.
* Meiko Reißmann (born 1977)
::Singer of the talent-show band Overground
* Bastian Becker (born 1979)
::Footballer
* Martin Haller (born 1983)
::Politician (SPD)
Famous people associated with the town
* Ludwig Louis Benzino (b. 1827; d. 1895)
::Politician, lived and died in Kusel.
*
Herman Wirth
Herman may refer to:
People
* Herman (name), list of people with this name
* Saint Herman (disambiguation)
* Peter Noone (born 1947), known by the mononym Herman
Places in the United States
* Herman, Arkansas
* Herman, Michigan
* Herman, Min ...
(b. 1885 in
Utrecht
Utrecht ( , , ) is the List of cities in the Netherlands by province, fourth-largest city and a List of municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality of the Netherlands, capital and most populous city of the Provinces of the Netherlands, pro ...
,
Netherlands
)
, anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau")
, image_map =
, map_caption =
, subdivision_type = Sovereign state
, subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands
, established_title = Before independence
, established_date = Spanish Netherl ...
; d. 1981 in Kusel)
::Cofounder of the
Ahnenerbe
The Ahnenerbe (, ''ancestral heritage'') operated as a think tank in Nazi Germany between 1935 and 1945. Heinrich Himmler, the ''Reichsführer-SS'' from 1929 onwards, established it in July 1935 as an SS appendage devoted to the task of promot ...
* Wilhelm Caroli (b. 1895 in
Saarlouis
Saarlouis (; french: link=no, Sarrelouis, ; formerly Sarre-Libre and Saarlautern) is a town in Saarland, Germany, capital of the district of Saarlouis. In 2020, the town had a population of 34,409. Saarlouis, as the name implies, is located on t ...
; d. 1942 in
Dachau
,
, commandant = List of commandants
, known for =
, location = Upper Bavaria, Southern Germany
, built by = Germany
, operated by = ''Schutzstaffel'' (SS)
, original use = Political prison
, construction ...
)
::
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 ...
priest,
Nazi
Nazism ( ; german: Nazismus), the common name in English for National Socialism (german: Nationalsozialismus, ), is the far-right totalitarian political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in ...
victim, died at
Dachau
,
, commandant = List of commandants
, known for =
, location = Upper Bavaria, Southern Germany
, built by = Germany
, operated by = ''Schutzstaffel'' (SS)
, original use = Political prison
, construction ...
, in 1925/1926 chaplain in Kusel.
*
Wolfgang Kermer
Wolfgang Kermer (born 18 May 1935 in Neunkirchen, Saarland) is a German art historian, artist, art educator, author, editor, curator of exhibitions, art collector and professor. From 1971 to 1984 he was repeatedly elected Rector of the State Acad ...
(b. 1935 in Neunkirchen)
::Professor emeritus of art history, former
Rector
Rector (Latin for the member of a vessel's crew who steers) may refer to:
Style or title
*Rector (ecclesiastical), a cleric who functions as an administrative leader in some Christian denominations
*Rector (academia), a senior official in an edu ...
of the ''Staatliche Akademie der Bildenden Künste Stuttgart'' (
State Academy of Fine Arts Stuttgart
The State Academy of Fine Arts Stuttgart (German: Staatliche Akademie der Bildenden Künste Stuttgart) is a university in Stuttgart, Germany. Founded on 25 June 1761, and located since 1946 on the Weißenhof, the Academy, whose historical sig ...
).
* Hartwig Bartz (b. 1936 in
Rammelsbach
Rammelsbach is an ''Ortsgemeinde'' – a Municipalities of Germany, municipality belonging to a ''Verbandsgemeinde'', a kind of collective municipality – in the Kusel (district), Kusel Districts of Germany, district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Ger ...
; d. 2001)
::German modern
jazz
Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a major ...
drummer
*
Miroslav Klose
Miroslav Josef Klose (, pl, Mirosław Józef Klose; born 9 June 1978 as Mirosław Marian Klose) is a German professional Manager (association football), football manager and former Football player, player who is the head coach of Austrian Footb ...
(b. 1978 in
Opole
Opole (; german: Oppeln ; szl, Ôpole) ;
* Silesian:
** Silesian PLS alphabet: ''Ôpole''
** Steuer's Silesian alphabet: ''Uopole''
* Silesian German: ''Uppeln''
* Czech: ''Opolí''
* Latin: ''Oppelia'', ''Oppolia'', ''Opulia'' is a city loc ...
,
Poland
Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populous ...
)
::German footballer, lived in Kusel from the age of eight.
Further reading
* Brochure of the ''Verbandsgemeinde'' of Kusel, 1983
* ''Kusel – einst und heute'' H. Koch, Kusel 1989
* ''Kusel – Geschichte der Stadt'' E. Schworm, publisher, town of Kusel,
Mainz
Mainz () is the capital and largest city of Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany.
Mainz is on the left bank of the Rhine, opposite to the place that the Main (river), Main joins the Rhine. Downstream of the confluence, the Rhine flows to the north-we ...