Niedererbach is an ''Ortsgemeinde'' – a community belonging to a ''
Verbandsgemeinde
A Verbandsgemeinde (; plural Verbandsgemeinden) is a low-level administrative unit in the German federal states of Rhineland-Palatinate and Saxony-Anhalt. A Verbandsgemeinde is typically composed of a small group of villages or towns.
Rhineland- ...
'' – in the
Westerwaldkreis
The Westerwaldkreis ("District of Westerwald") is a district (''Kreis'') in the north-east of Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. Neighbouring districts are (from north clockwise) Altenkirchen, Lahn-Dill, Limburg-Weilburg, Rhein-Lahn, the district-free ...
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 ...
.
Geography
Location
The community lies in the
Westerwald
The Westerwald (; literally 'Western forest') is a low mountain range on the right bank of the river Rhine in the German federal states of Rhineland-Palatinate, Hesse and North Rhine-Westphalia. It is a part of the Rhenish Massif ( or Rhenish ...
between
Koblenz
Koblenz (; Moselle Franconian language, Moselle Franconian: ''Kowelenz''), spelled Coblenz before 1926, is a German city on the banks of the Rhine and the Moselle, a multi-nation tributary.
Koblenz was established as a Roman Empire, Roman mili ...
and
Limburg an der Lahn
Limburg an der Lahn (officially abbreviated ''Limburg a. d. Lahn'') is the district seat of Limburg-Weilburg in Hesse, Germany.
Geography
Location
Limburg lies in western Hessen between the Taunus and the Westerwald on the river Lahn.
The to ...
on the edge of the Nassau Nature Park on the boundary with
Hesse
Hesse (, , ) or Hessia (, ; german: Hessen ), officially the State of Hessen (german: links=no, Land Hessen), is a States of Germany, state in Germany. Its capital city is Wiesbaden, and the largest urban area is Frankfurt. Two other major histor ...
. It belongs to the
''Verbandsgemeinde'' of Montabaur, a kind of collective municipality. Its seat is in the
like-named town.
Neighbouring communities
Niedererbach's neighbours are
Obererbach, Westerwaldkreis,
Dreikirchen,
Nentershausen,
Görgeshausen and
Elz, Hesse
Elz is a municipality in Limburg-Weilburg district in western Hesse, Germany, on the boundary with Rhineland-Palatinate.
Geography
Location
Elz lies at an elevation of 110 to 291 m north of the Lahn in the Limburg Basin with the municip ...
.
History
In 1291, Niedererbach had its first documentary mention as ''Erlebach''. The document is dated 12 May 1291. In the document a pastor named Friedrich and the parish of ''Erlebach'' are mentioned which document a legal transaction with the commander and the
Teutonic Knights
The Order of Brothers of the German House of Saint Mary in Jerusalem, commonly known as the Teutonic Order, is a Catholic religious institution founded as a military society in Acre, Kingdom of Jerusalem. It was formed to aid Christians on ...
in
Koblenz
Koblenz (; Moselle Franconian language, Moselle Franconian: ''Kowelenz''), spelled Coblenz before 1926, is a German city on the banks of the Rhine and the Moselle, a multi-nation tributary.
Koblenz was established as a Roman Empire, Roman mili ...
. The original is kept at the Central Archive of the Teutonic Knights in
Vienna
en, Viennese
, iso_code = AT-9
, registration_plate = W
, postal_code_type = Postal code
, postal_code =
, timezone = CET
, utc_offset = +1
, timezone_DST ...
. Since 2006, the community of Niedererbach has been in possession of a copy of the document.
In 2006 the community celebrated one of the biggest festivals since its beginnings, the one hundredth
Kirmes. This most important of village festivals is held each year on the last weekend in August and recalls the consecration of the parish church of St. Katharina in 1906. One part of the tower is considerably older and may come from the time about AD 1200. Before today's church stood here, there was on the same spot a
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 in 1725, about the size of the side nave today. This old church was torn down in 1904, although the tower was left standing. Only the uppermost third was torn down and renewed. In September 1904, excavation work began for the new parish church. On 14 May 1905, the first stone was laid and on 10 August 1905, the topping-out ceremony was held. The framework was completed in December 1905. In May 1906 began the plastering, the window fitting and the interior decoration. On 19 August 1906, the new church building was ceremonially blessed by Bishop Dominikus Willi
Since Niedererbachers were once known for making little whistles from willow twigs, they are sometimes still known as ''Erwocher Peifscher'' today.
Politics
Community council
The council is made up of 12 council members who were elected in a municipal election on 28 May 2014. In the last direct vote for mayor (''Ortsbürgermeister''), held on the same day, Gerhard Theis was elected to office as the only candidate for a further four years.
Coat of arms
The sword and
breaking wheel
The breaking wheel or execution wheel, also known as the Wheel of Catherine or simply the Wheel, was a torture method used for public execution primarily in Europe from antiquity through the Middle Ages into the early modern period by breakin ...
in the community'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 ...
are symbols of the parish church's patronage, namely
Saint Catherine (the wheel is also known as a Catherine wheel). The
alder
Alders are trees comprising the genus ''Alnus'' in the birch family Betulaceae. The genus comprises about 35 species of monoecious trees and shrubs, a few reaching a large size, distributed throughout the north temperate zone with a few sp ...
sprig refers to the community's name (Erbach = Erlenbach). The wavy parting per pale stands for the community's charming rural location in the Erbach valley. As a token of the former allegiance to the
Electorate of Trier
The Electorate of Trier (german: Kurfürstentum Trier or ' or Trèves) was an ecclesiastical principality of the Holy Roman Empire that existed from the end of the 9th to the early 19th century. It was the temporal possession of the prince- ...
, that territory's
tincture
A tincture is typically an extract of plant or animal material dissolved in ethanol (ethyl alcohol). Solvent concentrations of 25–60% are common, but may run as high as 90%.Groot Handboek Geneeskrachtige Planten by Geert Verhelst In chemistr ...
s have been incorporated into the civic arms.
Culture and sightseeing
Theatre
*theaterfreunde niedererbach 1976 e.V.
Fire brigade
*Freiwillige Feuerwehr Niedererbach (volunteer fire brigade)
Music
*CHORamel (formerly Junger Chor) Niedererbach (choir)
* Chorgemeinschaft “Cäcilia-St.Katharina” (choir association)
Sport
*Sportverein Niedererbach 1920 e.V. (sport club)
*Schützenverein Niedererbach 1978 e. V. (shooting club; disciplines: air rifle, air pistol, sport bow)
*Trimm-Treff Niedererbach (fitness)
''Culture and Local Customs''
These are clubs that make it their business to improve or promote the community:
*Verschönerungsverein Niedererbach 1936 e.V. (beautification)
*Förderverein "Unser Dorf hat Zukunft" 2006 e.V. (promotion)
*Förderverein zur Traditions- und Brauchtumspflege Niedererbach 2010 e. V. (promotion)
Buildings
*St.Katharina parish church
*Railway viaduct
*Historic slate gallery
*“Alter Sportplatz” open-air stage
Natural monuments
*"Gaasekippel" slate mountain
*Graveyard linden
Regular events
* Kermis (last weekend in August whose Sunday is also in August)
* Ostereierschießen, shooting club (“Easter Egg Shoot”, Sunday before Easter)
* Maiwanderung, beautification club (1 May)
* Dorfpokalschießen, shooting club (“Cup Shoot”, 3 October)
Economy and infrastructure
Transport
The nearest
Autobahn
The (; German plural ) is the federal controlled-access highway system in Germany. The official German term is (abbreviated ''BAB''), which translates as 'federal motorway'. The literal meaning of the word is 'Federal Auto(mobile) Track'. ...
interchange is ''
Diez -
Nentershausen'' on the
A 3 (
Cologne
Cologne ( ; german: Köln ; ksh, Kölle ) is the largest city of the German western States of Germany, state of North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) and the List of cities in Germany by population, fourth-most populous city of Germany with 1.1 m ...
–
Frankfurt
Frankfurt, officially Frankfurt am Main (; Hessian: , "Frank ford on the Main"), is the most populous city in the German state of Hesse. Its 791,000 inhabitants as of 2022 make it the fifth-most populous city in Germany. Located on its na ...
), some 3 km away. The nearest
InterCityExpress
The Intercity Express (commonly known as ICE ()) is a system of high-speed trains predominantly running in Germany. It also serves some destinations in Austria, Denmark (ceased in 2017 but planned to resume in 2022), France, Belgium, Switzerla ...
stops are at
Limburg Süd station
Limburg Süd ( en, Limburg South) is a station in the town of Limburg an der Lahn, in the German state of Hesse. It is located in the ''Eschhöfer Feld'' ("Eschhofen field") (brochure, 20 pages) in the district of Eschhofen at the 110.5 kilometre ...
and
Montabaur station
Montabaur station is a station at the 89.1 kilometre point of the Cologne-Frankfurt high-speed railway and on the Limburg–Siershahn railway (Lower Westerwald Railway) in the German state of Rhineland-Palatinate. The station, which is served by ...
on the
Cologne-Frankfurt high-speed rail line, each 13 km away, as well as Koblenz on the
Rechte Rheinstrecke
The East Rhine Railway (German: ''Rechte Rheinstrecke'', literally 'right (of the) Rhine railway') is a major, double-track, electrified railway line, running along the right bank of the Rhine from Cologne to Wiesbaden. The -long line forms two De ...
. Niedererbach itself has a halt on the
Limburg
Limburg or Limbourg may refer to:
Regions
* Limburg (Belgium), a province since 1839 in the Flanders region of Belgium
* Limburg (Netherlands), a province since 1839 in the south of the Netherlands
* Diocese of Limburg, Roman Catholic Diocese in ...
-
Siershahn
Siershahn is an ''Ortsgemeinde'' – a community belonging to a ''Verbandsgemeinde'' – in the Westerwaldkreis in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany.
History
Clay finds from La Tène times have been unearthed here. In 1211, Siershahn had its first do ...
line (
Lower Westerwald Railway
Lower may refer to:
*Lower (surname)
*Lower Township, New Jersey
*Lower Receiver (firearms)
*Lower Wick
Lower Wick is a small hamlet located in the county of Gloucestershire, England. It is situated about five miles south west of Dursley, eight ...
, ''Unterwesterwaldbahn''). This local transport line links the region to the InterCityExpress station in Montabaur and is run by the private transport company Vectus. The Unterwesterwaldbahn was fully modernized technically in early 2007 to a state-of-the-art level, thus ensuring continued running for years.
Public institutions
*Kindergarten
*Dorfgemeinschaftshalle "Haus Erlenbach" (community centre)
*Jugendraum ("Youth Room")
*Barbecue place with pavilion
References
External links
Niedererbach
{{Authority control
Municipalities in Rhineland-Palatinate
Westerwaldkreis