Quirnbach/Pfalz is an ''
Ortsgemeinde'' – a
municipality
A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate.
The term ''municipality'' may also mean the ...
belonging to a ''
Verbandsgemeinde
A Verbandsgemeinde (; plural Verbandsgemeinden) is a low-level administrative unit in the German federal states of Rhineland-Palatinate and Saxony-Anhalt. A Verbandsgemeinde is typically composed of a small group of villages or towns.
Rhinelan ...
'', a kind of collective municipality – in the
Kusel
Kusel (; written ''Cusel'' until 1865) is a town in the Kusel district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is the seat of the Kusel-Altenglan ''Verbandsgemeinde'' and is also the district seat.
The well-known operatic tenor Fritz Wunderlich was ...
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, subdivision ...
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 betwee ...
. It belongs to the ''Verbandsgemeinde''
Oberes Glantal.
Geography
Location
The municipality lies just west of Glan-Münchweiler in the Western
Palatinate. Quirnbach lies at an elevation of 223 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 standardis ...
and the outlying centre of Liebsthal at an elevation of 251 m above sea level in the valley of the Wehrbach, a side valley of the Henschbach. To the east, it is bordered by the ''Steinerner Mann'' (“Stone Man”; 329 m) and a ridge that runs farther to the valley's north end, to the Schindelberg (379 m) and the Dellmesrech (390 m). Guarding the west are the Kirchberg (349 m) and the heights of the Sangerhof (378 m). One particular reference point is the 390 m-long ''Henschbachtalbrücke'' (Henschbach Valley Bridge) on the way into Quirnbach. The municipal area measures 610 ha, of which 46 ha is wooded, 14 ha is taken up by the
Autobahn
The (; German plural ) is the federal controlled-access highway system in Germany. The official German term is (abbreviated ''BAB''), which translates as 'federal motorway'. The literal meaning of the word is 'Federal Auto(mobile) Track' ...
and 8 ha is taken up by the outlying centre of Liebsthal.
Neighbouring municipalities
Quirnbach borders in the north on the municipality of
Rehweiler, in the southeast on the municipality of
Glan-Münchweiler
Glan-Münchweiler 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 Oberes Glanta ...
, in the south on the municipality of
Henschtal
Henschtal 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 Oberes Glantal.
Geog ...
, in the southwest on the municipality of
Wahnwegen
Wahnwegen 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 Oberes Glantal.
Geog ...
and in the northwest on the municipality of
Hüffler
Hüffler 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 Oberes Glantal.
Geogra ...
.
Constituent communities
Quirnbach's ''
Ortsteil
A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town (although the word is often used to describe both hamlets and smaller towns), with a population typically ranging from a few hundred to ...
e'' are Quirnbach and Liebsthal.
Municipality’s layout
As early 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 ...
, Quirnbach's inhabitants settled at the lower end of the Wehrbach valley around the
church
Church may refer to:
Religion
* Church (building), a building for Christian religious activities
* Church (congregation), a local congregation of a Christian denomination
* Church service, a formalized period of Christian communal worship
* Chri ...
. This was newly built in 1777 on the site where an old
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 type ...
had once stood. Next to it was built the
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 co ...
, which 120 years later served as the town hall. It now serves as a village community centre, used jointly by the municipality and the parish. On the way into the village in the Henschbach valley, standing at the former mill is an ancient
limetree, which enjoys conservational protection. In the early 20th century, the through road leading to
Herschweiler-Pettersheim
Herschweiler-Pettersheim 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 Oberes ...
was realigned to allow for a new residential area. It was here that the municipality opened up its first new residential area after 1950, called “Auf Löbsch”. Since the
cattle
Cattle (''Bos taurus'') are large, domesticated, cloven-hooved, herbivores. They are a prominent modern member of the subfamily Bovinae and the most widespread species of the genus '' Bos''. Adult females are referred to as cows and adult ...
markets
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 ...
kept shrinking, even the old marketplace lands were built up in the mid 1950s. In 1964, a new school was built on Trahweiler Weg, but this only served for eight years before falling victim to the axe of school reform. Located there now is a small business furnishing 8 to 10 jobs. In 1970, it became possible with the consequent freeing up of new land to build the new marketplace, complete with a market hall, and a playground. A
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 ...
pitch was laid out for youth, thus sparing them the trip to the sporting ground out in the Altenwald (forest). A bigger new building zone, “Auf Dungen”, sprang up in 1997, and is still being expanded. Quirnbach's southern limit is the Henschbach. Beginning in the Middle Ages, this was also the
border
Borders are usually defined as geographical boundaries, imposed either by features such as oceans and terrain, or by political entities such as governments, sovereign states, federated states, and other subnational entities. Political borders ca ...
between
Palatinate-Zweibrücken domain on the one side and
House of Leyen domain on the other. To the east, the municipal area is sundered by the broad band of the
Autobahn
The (; German plural ) is the federal controlled-access highway system in Germany. The official German term is (abbreviated ''BAB''), which translates as 'federal motorway'. The literal meaning of the word is 'Federal Auto(mobile) Track' ...
A 62 (
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 Frankfu ...
–
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 ...
) cutting right across it. To the north, the old
Roman road
Roman roads ( la, viae Romanae ; singular: ; meaning "Roman way") were physical infrastructure vital to the maintenance and development of the Roman state, and were built from about 300 BC through the expansion and consolidation of the Roman Re ...
is a “natural” boundary and to the west, parts of the municipal area reach into the Hodenbach valley.
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 ...
nowadays plays only a minor part in Quirnbach's life, with only one farm run as the farmer's primary occupation, while three others are run as secondary occupations.
History
Antiquity
Within Liebsthal's limits, a
Stone Age
The Stone Age was a broad prehistoric period during which stone was widely used to make tools with an edge, a point, or a percussion surface. The period lasted for roughly 3.4 million years, and ended between 4,000 BC and 2,000 BC, with ...
hatchet
A hatchet (from the Old French , a diminutive form of ''hache'', ' axe' of Germanic origin) is a single-handed striking tool with a sharp blade on one side used to cut and split wood, and a hammerhead on the other side. Hatchets may also be us ...
was found, although its whereabouts are today unknown. Three
Bronze Age
The Bronze Age is a historic period, lasting approximately from 3300 BC to 1200 BC, characterized by the use of bronze, the presence of writing in some areas, and other early features of urban civilization. The Bronze Age is the second pri ...
or Stone Age
barrows can also be found within Liebsthal's limits, only one of which is preserved in its original condition. Among the rubble heaps in Quirnbach may lie some
prehistoric
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 us ...
barrows, but most of these are likely indeed tailing heaps from the former mining industry here. The area was settled by the
Romans
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 lette ...
in ancient times, as witnessed by many
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 (however, these have only been made in the municipal areas of the neighbouring villages of
Wahnwegen
Wahnwegen 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 Oberes Glantal.
Geog ...
and
Hüffler
Hüffler 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 Oberes Glantal.
Geogra ...
). Along the northern municipal limit runs what is known to be a
Roman road
Roman roads ( la, viae Romanae ; singular: ; meaning "Roman way") were physical infrastructure vital to the maintenance and development of the Roman state, and were built from about 300 BC through the expansion and consolidation of the Roman Re ...
that led from
Waldmohr to
Kusel
Kusel (; written ''Cusel'' until 1865) is a town in the Kusel district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is the seat of the Kusel-Altenglan ''Verbandsgemeinde'' and is also the district seat.
The well-known operatic tenor Fritz Wunderlich was ...
. After the
fall of the Roman Empire
The fall of the Western Roman Empire (also called the fall of the Roman Empire or the fall of Rome) was the loss of central political control in the Western Roman Empire, a process in which the Empire failed to enforce its rule, and its v ...
,
Frankish settlers came to the area.
Middle Ages
Places with names ending in ''—bach'' (“—brook”) were founded beginning in the 9th century. In 1152, Quirnbach had its first documentary mention as ''Querenbach''. According to the document in question,
Emperor Friedrich Barbarossa acknowledged to Abbot Hugo of 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. Abbeys provide a complex of buildings and land for religious activities, work, and housing of Christian monks and nuns.
The conc ...
his ownership of the ''Remigiusland''. The document goes on to name every ecclesiastical place in the ''Remigiusland'', one of which was Quirnbach, then known as ''Querenbach''. The document's contents are preserved only in a 13th-century copy. Liebsthal had its first documentary mention as ''Lybestatt'' in 1349. In 1154, Quirnbach appeared as ''Kerembac'' in the ''Polyptichum'' (directory of holdings) kept by the
Archishopric of Reims. Since the entries in this book deal with matters stretching back a great length of time, it could be that Quirnbach held some importance for Reims as far back as the
Early Middle Ages
The Early Middle Ages (or early medieval period), sometimes controversially referred to as the Dark Ages, is typically regarded by historians as lasting from the late 5th or early 6th century to the 10th century. They marked the start of the Mi ...
as a village in the so-called ''Remigiusland''. In the earlier half of the 12th century, the
Counts of Veldenz took over the ''Remigiusland'' as a ''
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 ...
ei'', and thereafter these counts – and later the Dukes of
Palatinate-Zweibrücken – were named as landed lords together with the Abbey of Saint-Remi. In this Veldenz time, the village gave a noble family its name. Named as members of this family were Konrad von Quirnbach (1152), Wolfram von Quirnbach (1196) and Ulrich von Quirnbach (1255), who was cathedral canon at
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 lie ...
and Abbot of Limburg. In 1444, the County of Veldenz met its end when Count Friedrich III of Veldenz died without a male heir. His daughter
Anna
Anna may refer to:
People Surname and given name
* Anna (name)
Mononym
* Anna the Prophetess, in the Gospel of Luke
* Anna (wife of Artabasdos) (fl. 715–773)
* Anna (daughter of Boris I) (9th–10th century)
* Anna (Anisia) (fl. 1218 to 1221) ...
wed
King Ruprecht's son
Count Palatine Stephan. By uniting his own Palatine holdings with the now otherwise heirless County of Veldenz – his wife had inherited the county, but not her father's title – and by redeeming the hitherto pledged County of Zweibrücken, Stephan founded a new County Palatine, as whose comital residence he chose the town of
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'; old ...
: the County Palatine – later Duchy – of
Palatinate-Zweibrücken. Within this state, Quirnbach found itself within the ''
Oberamt'' of Lichtenberg. Also in 1444, Quirnbach's market was first named when the Duke sent his court butcher there to buy livestock. The next record after that is found in the lordly wine cellars’ accounts from the ''
Oberamt'' of Lichtenberg, which stated that at Saint Bartholomew's Market (''Bartholomäusmarkt''), three ''Fuder'' and two and a half ''Ohm'' (that is, roughly 3 150 L) of lordly wine had been tapped. Quirnbach's best known market, and the only one that is still held, is the ''Quirnbacher Pferdemarkt'' (“Horse Market”).
The little farming village of Liebsthal, which until 1975 was a self-administering municipality, was also in earlier times tightly bound with its bigger neighbour, Quirnbach. The village gets its name from the Lords of Liebsthal, who had been enfeoffed by the Counts of Veldenz. Their seat was at a now vanished
hill castle
A hill castle or mountain castle is a castle built on a natural feature that stands above the surrounding terrain. It is a term derived from the German ''Höhenburg'' used in categorising castle sites by their topographical location. Hill castles a ...
, the ''Burg Liebsthal'', on hilly land now called the Schlossberg – “Castle Mountain”.
Modern times
Quirnbach kept its importance as a parish hub and a major market village throughout 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 ...
. Even its place in the then dominant
feudal
Feudalism, also known as the feudal system, was the combination of the legal, economic, military, cultural and political customs that flourished in medieval Europe between the 9th and 15th centuries. Broadly defined, it was a way of structur ...
structure did not change. Nonetheless, an end was put to any development time and again by the 16th century's wars (the
Thirty Years' War
The Thirty Years' War was one of the longest and most destructive conflicts in European history, lasting from 1618 to 1648. Fought primarily in Central Europe, an estimated 4.5 to 8 million soldiers and civilians died as a result of batt ...
and
French
French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to France
** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents
** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...
King Louis XIV's wars of conquest), particularly any population growth. Only in the 18th century did a continuous population growth once again set in, continuing until feudalism itself was swept away in the events of the
French Revolution
The French Revolution ( ) was a period of radical political and societal change in France that began with the Estates General of 1789 and ended with the formation of the French Consulate in November 1799. Many of its ideas are conside ...
.
Recent times
After
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 ...
had
annexed
Annexation (Latin ''ad'', to, and ''nexus'', joining), in international law, is the forcible acquisition of one state's territory by another state, usually following military occupation of the territory. It is generally held to be an illegal act ...
the German lands on the
Rhine
), Surselva, Graubünden, Switzerland
, source1_coordinates=
, source1_elevation =
, source2 = Rein Posteriur/Hinterrhein
, source2_location = Paradies Glacier, Graubünden, Switzerland
, source2_coordinates=
, source ...
’s left bank, Quirnbach, now the seat of a ''mairie'' (“mayoralty”), lay in the
Canton
Canton may refer to:
Administrative division terminology
* Canton (administrative division), territorial/administrative division in some countries, notably Switzerland
* Township (Canada), known as ''canton'' in Canadian French
Arts and ente ...
of Kusel, 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 of
Sarre. Also belonging to the ''Mairie'' of Quirnbach were the villages of
Hüffler
Hüffler 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 Oberes Glantal.
Geogra ...
,
Wahnwegen
Wahnwegen 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 Oberes Glantal.
Geog ...
, Liebsthal,
Rehweiler,
Trahweiler with Sangerhof and
Frutzweiler. In 1814, the French were driven out, and after a transitional period, the ''Baierischer Rheinkreis'' (Bavarian Rhine District) was founded, which was later called the ''Rheinpfalz'' (Rhenish Palatinate). By any name, though, it was the territory on the
Rhine
), Surselva, Graubünden, Switzerland
, source1_coordinates=
, source1_elevation =
, source2 = Rein Posteriur/Hinterrhein
, source2_location = Paradies Glacier, Graubünden, Switzerland
, source2_coordinates=
, source ...
that 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 ...
awarded to 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 ...
. As of 1816, Quirnbach and Liebsthal lay within this new Bavarian
exclave in the Canton of Kusel and the ''Landcommissariat'' of Kusel, with Quirnbach retaining its status as a mayoral seat, although the official term for this was now
German
German(s) may refer to:
* Germany (of or related to)
** Germania (historical use)
* Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language
** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law
**Ge ...
instead of
French: ''Bürgermeisterei''. During the
Palatine
A palatine or palatinus (in Latin; plural ''palatini''; cf. derivative spellings below) is a high-level official attached to imperial or royal courts in Europe since Roman times. -
Badish Uprising in 1849, Quirnbach played a special role through Mayor Jakob Munzinger's activities. Munzinger represented the Canton of Kusel in the Revolutionary Government in
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 Frankfu ...
. In the mid 19th century, Quirnbach held the right to hold 24 markets each year. In 1877, for the first time, the
horse
The horse (''Equus ferus caballus'') is a domesticated, one-toed, hoofed mammal. It belongs to the taxonomic family Equidae and is one of two extant subspecies of ''Equus ferus''. The horse has evolved over the past 45 to 55 million yea ...
market was held on Penance Day, the Wednesday before 23 November (this day is known in Germany as ''
Buß- und Bettag'', an
Evangelical
Evangelicalism (), also called evangelical Christianity or evangelical Protestantism, is a worldwide interdenominational movement within Protestant Christianity that affirms the centrality of being " born again", in which an individual expe ...
observance), for which 24,000 lots were sold throughout the Palatinate. Today, the horse market is only held on the second Wednesday in November, once again tied to a lottery. Territorial changes in the region came 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 ...
beginning in 1968. It was only in 1972 that Quirnbach lost its function as a mayoral seat, which was now taken over by the then newly founded
''Verbandsgemeinde'' of Glan-Münchweiler. Meanwhile, Quirnbach and Liebsthal were both dissolved as municipalities. On 9 March 1975, the municipality of ''Quirnbach bei Kusel'' was newly formed out of these two dissolved municipalities, and on 1 May 1976, the name was changed to Quirnbach/Pfalz.
Population development
About 1800, 500 people lived in Quirnbach proper while 160 lived in outlying Liebsthal. The population figures rose continually, albeit slowly, in the 19th century, only to sink somewhat towards the end of the century because of
emigration
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 permanent ...
and loss of population to the nearby
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 ...
. In the 20th century, there was once again considerable population growth, although the trend was not likely to have held. The village itself was a
farming
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 peopl ...
village with a few small craft businesses. Beginning in 1900, many villagers were employed at the mine or the ironworks. The village, though, was also blessed with a great number of
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 ...
s because it was such an active market centre. In 1911, there were eleven of these, in a village whose population was roughly 450. With depletion of Saar collieries and the closure of ironworks there, many people from Quirnbach lost their jobs. Almost all farmers forsook their farms and found work with the
Americans
Americans are the citizens and nationals of the United States of America.; ; Although direct citizens and nationals make up the majority of Americans, many dual citizens, expatriates, and permanent residents could also legally claim Ame ...
. Today, most people are employed in 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 Frankfu ...
area.
The following table shows population development over the centuries for Quirnbach, with some figures broken down by religious denomination, and including figures for the outlying centre of Liebsthal after 1961:
The following table shows population development over the centuries for Liebsthal up to 1961, with some figures broken down by religious denomination:
Municipality’s names
Quirnbach was at first only a brook's name, and it was so called by villagers in
Rehweiler,
Trahweiler and
Frutzweiler, too. As early as 1588, Johannes Hofmann wrote in his description of the ''
Oberamt'' of Lichtenberg: “The Heinsbach (Henschbach) empties into the
Glan taking up the Quirnbach before this. That is today’s Wehrbach, whose name became through Quirnbach and Querbach, Wehrbach. The course of the brook, which empties into the Henschbach at a right angle but runs slantwise to the Henschbach, may have been the reason it was given this name.” Hofmann was referring to 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
**Ge ...
word ''quer'', which can mean either “slantwise” or “at a right angle”. Actually, ''Quirn'' or ''Kurn'' is an old German word for a mill (cognate with the
English
English usually refers to:
* English language
* English people
English may also refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England
** English national ide ...
word
“quern”). The Quirnbach was therefore a brook on which stood many mills. Names that the village has borne over time are ''Querenbach'' (1152), ''Kerembac'' (1154) and Quirnbach (1588). Liebsthal was originally called ''Liebesstatt'' (in 1349 ''Lybestatt''), and thus the settlement, perhaps a
castle, bore a name that was meant to be understood as “Liebo’s Place”. The placename ending ''—statt'' changed over time into ''—stall'' along the lines of the neighbouring vanished village of Leidentall, and then to ''—tal'' or ''—thal'' (“dale”). Hence, the name Liebsthal only first cropped up in the 19th century.
Religion
Tightly bound with secular events was Quirnbach's ecclesiastical development. Mentioned as the first
Protestant
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 ...
pastor in 1538 was Oswald Scherer, the overseer of the ''Kapell Quirenbach'' (
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 type ...
). The Quirnbach clergyman Emil Müller wrote in his chronicle in 1890 that there had been an autonomous parish in Quirnbach even before 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 ...
. The oldest record relevant to this states that after the Reverend Kayser's death on 15 March 1518, his post was awarded to the priest Lorenz from
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 ...
by the Papal
Prothonotary
The word prothonotary is recorded in English since 1447, as "principal clerk of a court," from L.L. ''prothonotarius'' ( c. 400), from Greek ''protonotarios'' "first scribe," originally the chief of the college of recorders of the court of the B ...
Marianus Carraciolus. Hence, there was then already 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
* Chri ...
in the village; it is described as Saint Bartholomew's (''Bartholomäuskirche''). In May 1773, the then pastor Heintz reported that the church was threatening to cave in on three sides. In 1777, work finally began on building a new church, the one that still stands today. It was consecrated on 6 December 1778. The church has no belltower, but is rather a typical village church with a
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 ...
instead. The village was still thoroughly
Evangelical
Evangelicalism (), also called evangelical Christianity or evangelical Protestantism, is a worldwide interdenominational movement within Protestant Christianity that affirms the centrality of being " born again", in which an individual expe ...
in 1900. In 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 opposi ...
, two of the church's three bells were taken away to be melted down, but these were replaced in the 1950s. The church lost many of its former characteristic peculiarities in the thorough renovation work done on it in the 1960s, but perhaps a bit of this was regained when the “Luther Window”, which had gone missing at the time of the renovations, was reinstalled. Today, 75% of the inhabitants are Evangelical, 15% are
Catholic
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...
and 10% belong to other faiths or profess none. Now belonging to the Evangelical parish are the municipalities of
Steinbach with Frutzweiler,
Henschtal with Sangerhof, Quirnbach with Liebsthal and
Rehweiler. The Catholics attend church in
Glan-Münchweiler
Glan-Münchweiler 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 Oberes Glanta ...
.
Politics
Municipal council
The council is made up of 12 council members, who were elected by
majority vote at the municipal election held on 7 June 2009, and the honorary mayor as chairman.
Mayor
Quirnbach's mayor is Stefanie Körbel.
[
]
Coat of arms
The municipality's arms
Arms or ARMS may refer to:
*Arm or arms, the upper limbs of the body
Arm, Arms, or ARMS may also refer to:
People
* Ida A. T. Arms (1856–1931), American missionary-educator, temperance leader
Coat of arms or weapons
*Armaments or weapons
**Fi ...
might be described thus: Or a lion rampant reguardant sable armed and langued gules.
The lone charge
Charge or charged may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Films
* '' Charge, Zero Emissions/Maximum Speed'', a 2011 documentary
Music
* ''Charge'' (David Ford album)
* ''Charge'' (Machel Montano album)
* ''Charge!!'', an album by The Aqu ...
in these arms, a lion looking back over his shoulder (“reguardant”) is drawn from an old seal, although the tincture
A tincture is typically an extract of plant or animal material dissolved in ethanol (ethyl alcohol). Solvent concentrations of 25–60% are common, but may run as high as 90%.Groot Handboek Geneeskrachtige Planten by Geert Verhelst In chemistr ...
s have been transposed, for the seal in question showed a gold lion on a black field. According to Karl Heinz Debus, author of ''Das große Wappenbuch der Pfalz'' (“The Great Armorial Book of the Palatinate”, Neustadt an der Weinstraße 1988), the first form of the arms was approved by the Government of Bavaria
Bavaria ( ; ), officially the Free State of Bavaria (german: Freistaat Bayern, link=no ), is a state in the south-east of Germany. With an area of , Bavaria is the largest German state by land area, comprising roughly a fifth of the total lan ...
in 1937, and the second form is supposedly now only still in use as a matter of custom. In the village itself, this interpretation is denied.
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:
Quirnbach (main centre)
* Protestant
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 ...
parish church, Marktstraße 4 – aisleless church
An aisleless church (german: Saalkirche) is a single-nave church building that consists of a single hall-like room. While similar to the hall church, the aisleless church lacks aisles or passageways on either side of the nave and separated fr ...
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 ...
, 1777/1778, architect Philipp Heinrich Hellermann, 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'; old ...
; furnishings, Walcker organ from 1872
* Hauptstraße 18 – 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 ...
-framed building with hipped roof on stone-block pedestal, 1856
* Marktstraße 2 – former 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 co ...
; building with hipped roof on high quarrystone pedestal, 1837/1838, architect possibly Johann Schmeisser, Kusel
Kusel (; written ''Cusel'' until 1865) is a town in the Kusel district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is the seat of the Kusel-Altenglan ''Verbandsgemeinde'' and is also the district seat.
The well-known operatic tenor Fritz Wunderlich was ...
; characterizes village’s appearance
* Schulstraße 6 – Protestant rectory; plastered building on pedestal, 1849, one-and-a-half-floor stable-barn
Liebsthal
* Siedlungsstraße 3 – hook-shaped estate; complex with single roof peak, 1850, 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 ...
shed
Regular events
The whole Quirnbach area celebrates on the second Sunday in August the ''Quermbacher Kerb'', as 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 foundati ...
(church consecration festival) is known in the local speech. Formerly, the kermis’s timing was reckoned by Saint Bartholomew’s Day (24 August), which meant that it fell on either the third or the fourth Sunday in the month. Out of economic considerations, the new timing was chosen a few years ago. Even weeks beforehand, the ''Straußburschen'' and ''Straußmädchen'' (“bouquet lads and lasses”) meet to tie bands onto the ''Kerwestrauß'' (“kermis bouquet” – which is, in fact, a tree). Also in this time, the ''Kerweredd'' (“kermis speech”) is put together to be called out on Kermis Sunday at the market hall. It summarizes the year's events in the village. It also takes the odd poke at certain villagers with a moral, but humorous, “sermon”. The kermis lasts until Tuesday evening (''Dienstagowent'' in the local speech). There is another dance and at nightfall, the kermis is “buried”. In the graveside speech, the events during the kermis are reported in humorous fashion, and amid the bouquet lads’ howling and loud music, the villagers return to their dancing. The kermis is hardly over before the villagers begin to ready themselves for the next festival, one for which Quirnbach is known far and wide: its yearly Horse Market (''Quirnbacher Pferdemarkt''), held on the second Wednesday in November. It is regularly attended by 19,000 to 30,000 people. Early on, the sale begins of the ''Quirnbacher Lotterie'', as do the organizational preparations, which demand every villager's efforts. On the new marketplace and the village streets, some 75 to 80 sales booths are set up, a great horse show is staged and the lottery winner is drawn under the marquee. Without the local clubs’ collaboration, staging the Horse Market would be impossible.
Clubs
The Quirnbach singing club has been in existence for 125 years, the workers’ support club for 100 and 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 ...
for 50. Many villagers, though, are also members of several other clubs.
Economy and infrastructure
Economic structure
Quirnbach was known throughout the Middle Rhine
Between Bingen and Bonn, Germany, the river Rhine flows as the Middle Rhine (german: Mittelrhein) through the Rhine Gorge, a formation created by erosion, which happened at about the same rate as an uplift in the region, leaving the river a ...
region and far into Lotharingia
Lotharingia ( la, regnum Lotharii regnum Lothariense Lotharingia; french: Lotharingie; german: Reich des Lothar Lotharingien Mittelreich; nl, Lotharingen) was a short-lived medieval successor kingdom of the Carolingian Empire. As a more durable ...
as a market village. The village was also the hub of Glan-Donnersberger cattle
Cattle (''Bos taurus'') are large, domesticated, cloven-hooved, herbivores. They are a prominent modern member of the subfamily Bovinae and the most widespread species of the genus '' Bos''. Adult females are referred to as cows and adult ...
breeding country. Until 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 opposi ...
, the village's economic mainstay was 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 t ...
, although many workers also commuted to work at the mines, ironworks and foundries in 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 ...
. After the war, the villagers saw their farming village transform itself into a service-sector village. Besides one farm, there are today 13 craft and retail
Retail is the sale of goods and services to consumers, in contrast to wholesaling, which is sale to business or institutional customers. A retailer purchases goods in large quantities from manufacturers, directly or through a wholesaler, and ...
businesses in Quirnbach, working at which is no small number of commuters from elsewhere. Likewise, many people from Quirnbach travel to jobs in industry in 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 Frankfu ...
, Homburg and even Ludwigshafen.
Education
In 1798, Quirnbach had a one-room school
One-room schools, or schoolhouses, were commonplace throughout rural portions of various countries, including Prussia, Norway, Sweden, the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, Ireland, and Spain. In most rural and s ...
house. In 1840, the old schoolhouse was torn down and a new one with a teacher's dwelling was built. Attached to this, in the lower rooms, were a stable and a small barn. In those days, schoolteachers had to earn extra income by farming a plot, as did the village pastor, who in 1840 likewise got a new rectory, complete with a stable and a barn. In 1910, the school was split into two classes, but there was still only one schoolteacher, who then had to handle each class in shifts. In 1933, year level 8 was introduced, and was attended by pupils from Quirnbach, Rehweiler and Liebsthal. In 1929, Liebsthal got a new schoolhouse and Quirnbach got a new teacher's dwelling. In 1964, a new school was dedicated, but this was closed only eight years later, in 1972, as was the school in Liebsthal. The children from the then newly merged municipality now attend kindergarten
Kindergarten is a preschool educational approach based on playing, singing, practical activities such as drawing, and social interaction as part of the transition from home to school. Such institutions were originally made in the late 18th ce ...
, 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 ...
or 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 ...
in Glan-Münchweiler
Glan-Münchweiler 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 Oberes Glanta ...
.
Transport
With help from the municipality of Quirnbach, the ''Kuseler Land'' (region around Kusel
Kusel (; written ''Cusel'' until 1865) is a town in the Kusel district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is the seat of the Kusel-Altenglan ''Verbandsgemeinde'' and is also the district seat.
The well-known operatic tenor Fritz Wunderlich was ...
) was opened to transport in 1868 by the Landstuhl–Kusel railway. In the neighbouring villages of Rehweiler and Glan-Münchweiler
Glan-Münchweiler 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 Oberes Glanta ...
, loading ramps were installed to enable better service to the markets
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 ...
in Quirnbach by improving 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 animal ...
delivery. Running by the village 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'' ...
'' 423, leading from 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 ...
to Sarreguemines, while through the village itself runs the linking road from Rehweiler to Herschweiler-Pettersheim
Herschweiler-Pettersheim 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 Oberes ...
, ''Landesstraße
''Landesstraßen'' (singular: ''Landesstraße'') are roads in Germany and Austria that are, as a rule, the responsibility of the respective German or Austrian federal state. The term may therefore be translated as "state road". They are roads t ...
'' 352. Directly north lies the Autobahn
The (; German plural ) is the federal controlled-access highway system in Germany. The official German term is (abbreviated ''BAB''), which translates as 'federal motorway'. The literal meaning of the word is 'Federal Auto(mobile) Track' ...
A 62 (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 Frankfu ...
–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 ...
), the nearest interchange onto which is found in neighbouring Glan-Münchweiler, 3 km away. Serving nearby Glan-Münchweiler and Rehweiler are 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 prep ...
s on the Landstuhl–Kusel railway, served by the hourly Regionalbahn service RB 67, called the ''Glantalbahn'', even though this name refers to a largely closed railway line, part of which is still used by this service, which also runs through to Kaiserslautern. Bus links lead by way of Wahnwegen
Wahnwegen 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 Oberes Glantal.
Geog ...
to Kusel and by way of Brücken to Homburg.
Famous people
Sons and daughters of the town
*Hermann August Maurer (b. 1861; d. 1934 in Landau
Landau ( pfl, Landach), officially Landau in der Pfalz, is an autonomous (''kreisfrei'') town surrounded by the Südliche Weinstraße ("Southern Wine Route") district of southern Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is a university town (since 1990) ...
)
::Himself a clergyman and famous painter, Maurer’s father was the deacon Karl Konrad Ludwig Maurer (see below), who from 1854 to 1862 worked in Quirnbach as a pastor. The younger Maurer, while born in Quirnbach, spent his youth in Bergzabern
Bad Bergzabern () is a municipality in the Südliche Weinstraße district, on the German Wine Route in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is situated near the border with France, on the south-eastern edge of the Palatinate forest, approximately ...
and attended the Gymnasium in Landau
Landau ( pfl, Landach), officially Landau in der Pfalz, is an autonomous (''kreisfrei'') town surrounded by the Südliche Weinstraße ("Southern Wine Route") district of southern Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is a university town (since 1990) ...
. He studied theology
Theology is the systematic study of the nature of the divine and, more broadly, of religious belief. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of analyzing the ...
and after several lesser posts became pastor in Annweiler
Annweiler am Trifels (), or Annweiler is a town in the Südliche Weinstraße district, in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is situated on the river Queich, 12 km west of Landau. Annweiler am Trifels station is on the Landau–Saarbrücken r ...
in 1887. The church’s governing body raised him to the church council in 1925.
*Karl Munzinger (b. 1864; d. 1937 in Heidelberg
Heidelberg (; Palatine German language, Palatine German: ''Heidlberg'') is a city in the States of Germany, German state of Baden-Württemberg, situated on the river Neckar in south-west Germany. As of the 2016 census, its population was 159,914 ...
)
::Jakob Munzinger’s grandson (see below) and Adolf Munzinger’s son, like his grandfather, Munzinger was the mayor, a farmer, an innkeeper and a brewer
Brewing is the production of beer by steeping a starch source (commonly cereal grains, the most popular of which is barley) in water and fermenting the resulting sweet liquid with yeast. It may be done in a brewery by a commercial brewer ...
in Quirnbach. He studied theology, was beginning in 1887 a parochial administrator in Otterberg
Otterberg is a town in the district of Kaiserslautern in the German state of Rhineland-Palatinate with about 7,350 (as of 6/2006) inhabitants. It is situated approximately north of Kaiserslautern.
Otterberg is the seat of the ''Verbandsgemeinde ...
and Bosenbach
Bosenbach 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 a town vicar in Kusel
Kusel (; written ''Cusel'' until 1865) is a town in the Kusel district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is the seat of the Kusel-Altenglan ''Verbandsgemeinde'' and is also the district seat.
The well-known operatic tenor Fritz Wunderlich was ...
. From 1889 to 1895, he was a missionary
A missionary is a member of a religious group which is sent into an area in order to promote its faith or provide services to people, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care, and economic development.Thomas Hale 'On Being a Mi ...
in Japan. Back in Germany, he became pastor in Sausenheim and 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'; old ...
, and eventually deacon in Kusel and Landau, then church councillor and chief church councillor. The Universities
A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, ...
of Strasbourg and Heidelberg
Heidelberg (; Palatine German language, Palatine German: ''Heidlberg'') is a city in the States of Germany, German state of Baden-Württemberg, situated on the river Neckar in south-west Germany. As of the 2016 census, its population was 159,914 ...
both awarded him honorary doctorates. During the French
French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to France
** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents
** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...
occupation
Occupation commonly refers to:
*Occupation (human activity), or job, one's role in society, often a regular activity performed for payment
*Occupation (protest), political demonstration by holding public or symbolic spaces
*Military occupation, th ...
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 ...
, he turned against the Separatists’ efforts. He also made a name for himself as a writer.
Famous people associated with the municipality
*Karl Konrad Ludwig Maurer (b. 1819 in Lauenstein; d. in Bad Bergzabern)
::Pastor from 1854 to 1862 in Quirnbach, Maurer was also the pastor and “ Wasgau Painter” Hermann August Maurer’s father (see above). He moved from Quirnbach to Bergzabern, where he concerned himself with the town’s history and the care of the poor. He held important positions in several Protestant
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 ...
associations.
*Emil Müller (b. 1864 in Eppstein
Eppstein is a town in the Main-Taunus-Kreis, in Hesse, Germany. Eppstein lies west of Frankfurt am Main, around 12 km north east of the state capital Wiesbaden, and is at the edge of the Taunus mountains. The ruins of the Eppstein castle is ...
; d. 1918 in Münchweiler an der Alsenz
Münchweiler an der Alsenz is a municipality in the Donnersbergkreis district, in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany.
References
Municipalities in Rhineland-Palatinate
Donnersbergkreis
{{Donnersbergkreis-geo-stub ...
)
::As a clergyman, Müller was first a town vicar in 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 Frankfu ...
, then an administrator in Göllheim and Quirnheim
Quirnheim ( Palatine German: ''Querem'') is an ''Ortsgemeinde'' – a municipality belonging to a ''Verbandsgemeinde'', a kind of collective municipality – in the Bad Dürkheim district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It lies in the northwest o ...
, where the Church turned the pastor’s post over to him in 1890. In 1901, he moved to Sausenheim, and in 1908 to Münchweiler an der Alsenz. Müller busied himself with a secondary occupation in writing and put together, among other things, writings about the ''Kuseler Land’s'' regional history, such as ''Der Brand von Kusel im Jahre 1794'' (“The Fire of Kusel in the Year 1794”) and ''Kleine Dorfgeschichte von Quirnbach'' (“Little Village History of Quirnbach”).
*Jakob Munzinger (b. 1807 in Gerhardsbrunn; d. 1874 in Quirnbach)
::As a Gerhardsbrunn farmer’s son, Munzinger wed Karoline Drum from Quirnbach, a farmer’s, innkeeper’s and brewer’s daughter. In Quirnbach, Munzinger assumed the mayor’s office. He advanced the ideas of the Palatine
A palatine or palatinus (in Latin; plural ''palatini''; cf. derivative spellings below) is a high-level official attached to imperial or royal courts in Europe since Roman times. Uprising in 1849 and voted as a representative of the Canton of Kusel in May against the cantonal council’s proposal to put into place a state defence board, and for the founding of a provisory government. He thereby actively supported the planned uprising, and was later arrested because of his vote and tried at Zweibrücken, where he was acquitted after he had distanced himself from his original revolutionary ideas. He could, however, no longer thereafter exercise the office of mayor, and this was taken over by his son Adolf, and held by him until his own death in 1892.Jakob Munzinger
/ref>
*The Goeddel Family
References
External links
Municipality’s official webpage
{{Authority control
Kusel (district)