Reiffelbach is an ''
Ortsgemeinde
A Verbandsgemeinde (; plural Verbandsgemeinden) is a low-level administrative unit in the German federal states of Rhineland-Palatinate and Saxony-Anhalt. A Verbandsgemeinde is typically composed of a small group of villages or towns.
Rhineland ...
'' – a
municipality
A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate.
The term ''municipality'' may also mean the go ...
belonging to a ''
Verbandsgemeinde
A Verbandsgemeinde (; plural Verbandsgemeinden) is a low-level administrative unit in the German federal states of Rhineland-Palatinate and Saxony-Anhalt. A Verbandsgemeinde is typically composed of a small group of villages or towns.
Rhinelan ...
'', a kind of collective municipality – in the
Bad Kreuznach district
A district is a type of administrative division that, in some countries, is managed by the local government. Across the world, areas known as "districts" vary greatly in size, spanning regions or county, counties, several municipality, municipa ...
in
Rhineland-Palatinate
Rhineland-Palatinate ( , ; german: link=no, Rheinland-Pfalz ; lb, Rheinland-Pfalz ; pfl, Rhoilond-Palz) is a western state of Germany. It covers and has about 4.05 million residents. It is the ninth largest and sixth most populous of the ...
,
Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
. It belongs to the
''Verbandsgemeinde'' of Meisenheim, whose seat is in the
like-named town.
Geography
Location
Reiffelbach, a clump village, lies on the like-named brook, the Reiffelbach, east of the
Glan 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 ...
. The municipal area measures 446 ha and the village sits at an elevation of 326 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 standardise ...
.
Land use
Woodlands today occupy more than 100 ha of the municipal area. Until the first
afforestation efforts in the 1950s, there were only
broadleaf forests in Reiffelbach, with the predominant species being
beeches and
oak
An oak is a tree or shrub in the genus ''Quercus'' (; Latin "oak tree") of the beech family, Fagaceae. There are approximately 500 extant species of oaks. The common name "oak" also appears in the names of species in related genera, notably ''L ...
s. Subsequent private afforestation projects were undertaken, on the forestry office's advice, with
spruce and
Douglas-fir
The Douglas fir (''Pseudotsuga menziesii'') is an evergreen conifer species in the pine family, Pinaceae. It is native to western North America and is also known as Douglas-fir, Douglas spruce, Oregon pine, and Columbian pine. There are three va ...
trees. In 1932, the forest in the “Muhl” (rural cadastral area) was cleared and meadows were laid out there. In 1963, the “Kleeberg” (“Clover Mountain”) was bought by the forestry office, as was the “Frauenhölle” (“Women’s Hell”) in 1965, and both were afforested with
coniferous forest
Conifers are a group of cone-bearing seed plants, a subset of gymnosperms. Scientifically, they make up the division Pinophyta (), also known as Coniferophyta () or Coniferae. The division contains a single extant class, Pinopsida. All exta ...
(
larch
Larches are deciduous conifers in the genus ''Larix'', of the family Pinaceae (subfamily Laricoideae). Growing from tall, they are native to much of the cooler temperate northern hemisphere, on lowlands in the north and high on mountains fur ...
trees, among others). Until the early 20th century, the foremost uses of the local woodlands were for building material, mine timbers and firewood, and oak bark was harvested and shipped to
Meisenheim
Meisenheim () is a town in the Bad Kreuznach district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It belongs to the like-named ''Verbandsgemeinde'', and is also its seat. Meisenheim is a state-recognized recreational resort (''Erholungsort'') and it is s ...
for
tanning
Tanning may refer to:
*Tanning (leather), treating animal skins to produce leather
*Sun tanning, using the sun to darken pale skin
**Indoor tanning, the use of artificial light in place of the sun
**Sunless tanning, application of a stain or dye t ...
. Today, the only commercial use is as firewood.
Neighbouring municipalities
Clockwise from the north, Reiffelbach's neighbours are the town of
Meisenheim
Meisenheim () is a town in the Bad Kreuznach district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It belongs to the like-named ''Verbandsgemeinde'', and is also its seat. Meisenheim is a state-recognized recreational resort (''Erholungsort'') and it is s ...
and the municipalities of
Callbach,
Schmittweiler
Schmittweiler is an ''Ortsgemeinde'' – a Municipalities of Germany, municipality belonging to a ''Verbandsgemeinde'', a kind of collective municipality – in the Bad Kreuznach (district), Bad Kreuznach Districts of Germany, district in Rhineland ...
,
Becherbach and
Odenbach
Odenbach 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, Germany ...
, all of which likewise lie within the Bad Kreuznach district but for Odenbach, which lies in the neighbouring
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.
History
In 1293, Reiffelbach had its first documentary mention as ''Rifelbach''. At this time, one third of the
tithe
A tithe (; from Old English: ''teogoþa'' "tenth") is a one-tenth part of something, paid as a contribution to a religious organization or compulsory tax to government. Today, tithes are normally voluntary and paid in cash or cheques or more ...
s were given as a
fief
A fief (; la, feudum) was a central element in medieval contracts based on feudal law. It consisted of a form of property holding or other rights granted by an overlord to a vassal, who held it in fealty or "in fee" in return for a form ...
by the knight Sir Eberhard of Odenbach to his wife Agnes. In 1321 came the first documentary mention of a
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 ...
in Reiffelbach, belonging to the
Order of Malta
The Sovereign Military Order of Malta (SMOM), officially the Sovereign Military Hospitaller Order of Saint John of Jerusalem, of Rhodes and of Malta ( it, Sovrano Militare Ordine Ospedaliero di San Giovanni di Gerusalemme, di Rodi e di Malta; ...
. In 1370, Reiffelbach was mentioned as ''Ryffelbach'' and ''Riffelbach''. In 1387, Reiffelbach was bound to the mill on the
Glan in
Odenbach
Odenbach 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, Germany ...
, making that mill, as part of the
feudal estate, the only one that villagers from Reiffelbach could use. This mill ran until 1938. In the early 15th century, the village's name appeared in documents in several different forms, among which were ''Rifelbach'' (1401), ''Ryffelbach'' (1404), ''Riffelbach'' (1406) and ''Rieffelbach'' (1440). In 1453, the first miners were recorded in neighbouring Odenbach. In 1485, the Reiffelbach
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
* C ...
was transferred to the Otterberg Monastery at
Meisenheim
Meisenheim () is a town in the Bad Kreuznach district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It belongs to the like-named ''Verbandsgemeinde'', and is also its seat. Meisenheim is a state-recognized recreational resort (''Erholungsort'') and it is s ...
. In 1510, the village's name was recorded as ''ryffelbach''. The earliest mention of
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 ...
dates from 1516, and this continued for centuries, finally ending in the 1960s. In 1526, 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 ...
was introduced into Meisenheim, with its inevitable attendant effect in Reiffelbach, given the ecclesiastical link. In the years leading up to 1600, there was
coal mining in Reiffelbach. Dating from 1601 is a boundary stone that was found on the Lehenberg, at the limit with
Schmittweiler
Schmittweiler is an ''Ortsgemeinde'' – a Municipalities of Germany, municipality belonging to a ''Verbandsgemeinde'', a kind of collective municipality – in the Bad Kreuznach (district), Bad Kreuznach Districts of Germany, district in Rhineland ...
. In 1667, the village's name was recorded as ''Reyffelbach''. In 1683, some
Franciscan
, image = FrancescoCoA PioM.svg
, image_size = 200px
, caption = A cross, Christ's arm and Saint Francis's arm, a universal symbol of the Franciscans
, abbreviation = OFM
, predecessor =
, ...
s came to Meisenheim. These were the first
Catholics to show up in the area since the Reformation. After the
Nine Years' War (1688-1697; known in Germany as the ''Pfälzischer Erbfolgekrieg'', or War of the Palatine Succession), Reiffelbach's chapel had fallen into disrepair, but it was not until 1721 that it was put back in order. Then, it was used by all three faiths, Catholics,
Lutherans
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 ...
and
Calvinists. In 1724, the village's name was recorded as ''Reifelbach''. In 1739, some families
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 ...
. In 1740, new applications were being made for leave to
prospect for coal. From 1750 to 1758, there was a glassworks, the ''Christianshütte'', in Reiffelbach which employed 23 workers and made windowglass. Dating from 1776 is another boundary stone that was found in the Scherbelswald (forest). That same year, a
homage list was published. In 1786, there were four coal pits being worked in Hollerbach (rural cadastral area). In 1815, as a result of 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 ...
, Reiffelbach found itself in the ''
Oberamt'' of Meisenheim in the Landgraviate of
Hesse-Homburg
Hesse-Homburg was formed into a separate landgraviate in 1622 by the landgrave of Hesse-Darmstadt; it was to be ruled by his son, although it did not become independent of Hesse-Darmstadt until 1668. It was briefly divided into Hesse-Homburg and ...
. In 1832, a new
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 comp ...
house was built in the village centre. In 1835, the chapel was torn down and
auction
An auction is usually a process of buying and selling goods or services by offering them up for bids, taking bids, and then selling the item to the highest bidder or buying the item from the lowest bidder. Some exceptions to this definition ex ...
ed. In 1846, coal mining occupied 378 ha. In 1849, a new church was built. In 1869, a miners’ association was founded. In 1870, during the
Franco-Prussian War, passing troops
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 ...
the village. In 1875, the men's singing club was founded. In 1885, a new alignment for the road to
Roth/Odenbach was laid out. Reiffelbach,
Gangloff and Becherbach were beset by a heavy storm. In 1910, the Reiffelbach villager Peter Stein earned the village's first
driving licence
A driver's license is a legal authorization, or the official document confirming such an authorization, for a specific individual to operate one or more types of motorized vehicles—such as motorcycles, cars, trucks, or buses—on a public ...
. In 1912, the
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 ...
was built. Only two years later, 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 ...
broke out. After it ended, those men from the village who had fallen or
gone missing had their names engraved on the local war memorial. In 1920, electric light made its first appearance in Reiffelbach, while the Hollerbach and Pfarrwiese coal pits were closed; the Abrech I and II pits remained open, however. In 1921, the municipality decided that it was going to keep
wild boar
The wild boar (''Sus scrofa''), also known as the wild swine, common wild pig, Eurasian wild pig, or simply wild pig, is a suid native to much of Eurasia and North Africa, and has been introduced to the Americas and Oceania. The species is ...
s and
goat
The goat or domestic goat (''Capra hircus'') is a domesticated species of goat-antelope typically kept as livestock. It was domesticated from the wild goat (''C. aegagrus'') of Southwest Asia and Eastern Europe. The goat is a member of the a ...
s, and also that year, a
fire brigade
A fire department (American English) or fire brigade (Commonwealth English), also known as a fire authority, fire district, fire and rescue, or fire service in some areas, is an organization that provides fire prevention and fire suppression se ...
was established in which all the village's men between the ages of 16 and 50 were required to serve. Although electric light was first seen in Reiffelbach in 1920, it was only in 1925 that the village was hooked up to the
electrical grid. In 1926, the village's first
threshing machine
A threshing machine or a thresher is a piece of farm equipment that threshes grain, that is, it removes the seeds from the stalks and husks. It does so by beating the plant to make the seeds fall out.
Before such machines were developed, thre ...
went into use,
threshing
Threshing, or thrashing, is the process of loosening the edible part of grain (or other crop) from the straw to which it is attached. It is the step in grain preparation after reaping. Threshing does not remove the bran from the grain.
History ...
the harvest at each of the local farms. The first
motorcycle
A motorcycle (motorbike, bike, or trike (if three-wheeled)) is a two or three-wheeled motor vehicle steered by a handlebar. Motorcycle design varies greatly to suit a range of different purposes: long-distance travel, commuting, cruising ...
ever seen in Reiffelbach was ridden by villager Eduard Gräff in 1927. In 1929, an
almshouse was built, and a
postbus
A postbus is a public bus service that is operated as part of local mail delivery as a means of providing public transport in rural areas with lower levels of patronage, where a normal bus service would be uneconomic or inefficient. Postbus ser ...
route was established from Odenbach by way of Reiffelbach to
Dielkirchen. In 1931 the village saw its first
reaper-binder
The reaper-binder, or binder, is a farm implement that improved upon the simple reaper. The binder was invented in 1872 by Charles Baxter Withington, a jeweler from Janesville, Wisconsin. In addition to cutting the small-grain crop, a binder also ...
go into service. In 1933, ''
Flurbereinigung'' was undertaken in Reiffelbach by the ''Flurbereinigungsamt Neustadt'' (
Neustadt Land Consolidation Office), and also in that year, a sporting ground was laid out in the Hartwiesen (this is now
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). From 1934 to 1936, the municipal woodland “In der Muhl” was cleared; today this land is meadows. In 1935, another postbus route was established, this one running from Meisenheim by way of Reiffelbach to Dielkirchen. Despite the years of postbus service that the village had already seen, it was not until 1936 that Reiffelbach had its first
car owner. It was the village schoolteacher, Müller. In 1938, the eighth school year was introduced, as was
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 task ...
, which was compulsory. Also compulsory for many was service 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 previo ...
, which became all too common with the outbreak 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 opposi ...
in 1939. In 1945, German soldiers –
Prussians – retreated through the village on their way to Roth; for a while, an
artillery
Artillery is a class of heavy military ranged weapons that launch munitions far beyond the range and power of infantry firearms. Early artillery development focused on the ability to breach defensive walls and fortifications during siege ...
unit was stationed in the “Muhl”, which had been cleared some years earlier. That same year, the war ended and Germany was
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 ...
by the victorious
Allies (Reiffelbach found itself in the
French zone). Once again, the fallen and missing had their names engraved on the local war memorial. This time also saw some private coal mining at the Hollerbach pit. Yet another postbus route, ''Landkraftpostlinie II'' (beginning from
Rockenhausen
Rockenhausen is a town in the Donnersbergkreis, in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is situated on the river Alsenz, approx. north of Kaiserslautern.
Rockenhausen is the seat of the ''Verbandsgemeinde'' ("collective municipality") Nordpfälzer ...
), was instituted in 1948, and also that year, the farmers’ and winegrowers’ association was founded, although
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 ...
would only continue in the village for another two decades or so; a conversation club was founded the next year. In 1952, a new, second bell was dedicated at the church, and it was decided that the village would keep a municipal
bull
A bull is an intact (i.e., not castrated) adult male of the species ''Bos taurus'' (cattle). More muscular and aggressive than the females of the same species (i.e., cows), bulls have long been an important symbol in many religions,
includin ...
. In 1953, the local chapter of the VdK, a social advocacy group, was founded. In 1954, some major work was undertaken on the waterworks, formerly centred at the coal galleries at the Hollerbach pits. There was now a high water cistern to pipe water into houses. Also in 1954, the monument of honour was built at the graveyard. In 1958, the
shooting
Shooting is the act or process of discharging a projectile from a ranged weapon (such as a gun, bow, crossbow, slingshot, or blowpipe). Even the acts of launching flame, artillery, darts, harpoons, grenades, rockets, and guided missiles ...
club “Tell” was founded, and the old schoolteacher's dwelling in the village centre was torn down. The same was done with the schoolhouse itself the following year, and the
hunting
Hunting is the human practice of seeking, pursuing, capturing, or killing wildlife or feral animals. The most common reasons for humans to hunt are to harvest food (i.e. meat) and useful animal products ( fur/ hide, bone/tusks, horn/antler, ...
association was founded. In 1960, the village's namesake brook, the Reiffelbach, was channelled into an underground pipe, and
sewerage was laid in the streets. A new schoolteacher's dwelling was built in the lower village in 1961. In 1962, the
football and
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 ...
FSV Reiffelbach was founded. Also in the early and mid 1960s, a number of measures were undertaken by the forestry office to expand the village's woodlands. See
Land use above. In 1966, a sporting ground was laid out in the Hollerbach, where the shooting club's clubhouse was also built at about the same time. In 1967, school grade levels 5 to 8 were transferred to the ''Gemeinschaftsschule'' (roughly “
comprehensive school”) in nearby Meisenheim. In 1968, the “women’s singing circle” was founded. In 1968, the old parish hall in the village centre was torn down. 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 ...
, Reiffelbach was transferred from 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 to the
Bad Kreuznach district in 1969. That same year, the church
organ was dedicated. In 1970, school grade levels 1 to 4, too, were transferred to Meisenheim, and thereafter the schoolhouse was used as the parish hall. The compulsory-service fire brigade that had been set up in 1921 at last became a volunteer fire brigade in 1971. In 1972, the old schoolhouse was converted into a church hall with
kitchen
A kitchen is a room or part of a room used for cooking and food preparation in a dwelling or in a commercial establishment. A modern middle-class residential kitchen is typically equipped with a stove, a sink with hot and cold running wate ...
and side rooms. In 1975, a fire brigade promotional association was founded. There was a change in ecclesiastical organization this year, too, one that saw the
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 ...
community transferred from the parish of Gangloff to the parish of Odenbach. In 1979, Gangloff was hooked up to the sewage treatment plant in Reiffelbach. In 1981, Reiffelbach was granted the right to bear a
coat of arms
A coat of arms is a heraldic visual design on an escutcheon (i.e., shield), surcoat, or tabard (the latter two being outer garments). The coat of arms on an escutcheon forms the central element of the full heraldic achievement, which in its ...
. The
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 ...
club was founded in 1982. In 1985, a clock was built into the churchtower. In 1987, the village was connected to the ''Westpfalz'' (West Palatinate) drinking water supply. Work began in 1990 on a new fire station, and it was dedicated in 1992. In 1993, Reiffelbach celebrated 700 years of existence (at least since the first documentary mention), and a municipal flag was approved for use. Ecclesiastically, Reiffelbach belongs, as it long has, to the
Evangelical Church of the Palatinate
Evangelical Church of the Palatinate (german: Evangelische Kirche der Pfalz (Protestantische Landeskirche)) is a United Protestant church in parts of the German states of Rhineland-Palatinate and Saarland, endorsing both Lutheran and Calvinist o ...
and the
Roman Catholic Diocese of Speyer.
Population development
Reiffelbach's population development since
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 ...
ic times is shown in the table below. The figures for the years from 1871 to 1987 are drawn from census data:
[Statistisches Landesamt Rheinland-Pfalz – Regionaldaten](_blank)
/ref>
Religion
As at 2 January 2014, there are 236 full-time residents in Reiffelbach, and of those, 154 are 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 ...
(65.254%), 46 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 ...
(19.492%), 1 belongs to the Palatinate State Free Religious Community (0.424%), 1 is Russian Orthodox
Russian Orthodoxy (russian: Русское православие) is the body of several churches within the larger communion of Eastern Orthodox Christianity, whose liturgy is or was traditionally conducted in Church Slavonic language. Most ...
(0.424%), 3 (1.271%) belong to other religious groups and 31 (13.136%) either have no religion or will not reveal their religious affiliation.
Politics
Municipal council
The council is made up of 6 council members, who were elected by majority vote at the municipal election held on 7 June 2009, and the honorary mayor as chairman.
Mayors
Listed in the following table are the known heads of the village and municipality of Reiffelbach. Under earlier territorial organizations, the village's leader sometimes bore a subordinate title because the village was part of a greater municipality that itself had a mayor for several villages:
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: Azure a bend sinister wavy argent between an annulet and a trident bendwise sinister, both Or.
The arms have been borne since 1981.
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:
* 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 ...
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
* C ...
, Friedhofstraße 8 – Late Classicist 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 ...
, 1849
* Glastalstraße 6 – estate complex; post-Baroque building with half-hip roof, about 1800
* Glastalstraße 21 – former mill (?); Baroque building with half-hip roof, quarrystone, 18th century
Clubs
The following clubs are active in Reiffelbach:
*''Frauensingkreis'' — women's singing circle
*''Freiwillige Feuerwehr Reiffelbach'' — volunteer fire brigade
A fire department (American English) or fire brigade (Commonwealth English), also known as a fire authority, fire district, fire and rescue, or fire service in some areas, is an organization that provides fire prevention and fire suppression se ...
Economy and infrastructure
Transport
Reiffelbach lies on ''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 ...
'' 380, which is met in the village centre by ''Kreisstraße
A Kreisstraße (literally: "district road" or "county road") is a class of road in Germany. It carries traffic between the towns and villages within a '' Kreis'' or district or between two neighbouring districts. In importance, the ''Kreisstraße ...
'' 75. ''Landesstraße'' 380 leads northwards towards Callbach where it links with ''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, whence it is a very short drive into Meisenheim
Meisenheim () is a town in the Bad Kreuznach district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It belongs to the like-named ''Verbandsgemeinde'', and is also its seat. Meisenheim is a state-recognized recreational resort (''Erholungsort'') and it is s ...
. ''Kreisstraße'' 75 leads westwards to Odenbach
Odenbach 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, Germany ...
, becoming ''Kreisstraße'' 51 when it crosses into 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. This also links with ''Bundesstraße'' 420. Serving Staudernheim is a 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 ...
on the Nahe Valley Railway
The Nahe Valley Railway (german: Nahetalbahn) is a two-track, partially electrified main line railway in the German states of Rhineland-Palatinate and Saarland, which runs for almost 100 kilometres along the Nahe. It was built by the Rhine-Nahe R ...
( Bingen– Saarbrücken). The railway running through nearby Meisenheim is nowadays only used for recreational draisine
A draisine () is a light auxiliary rail vehicle, driven by service personnel, equipped to transport crew and material necessary for the maintenance of railway infrastructure.
The eponymous term is derived from the German inventor Baron Karl ...
touring.
Public institutions
Reiffelbach has a parish hall, a grilling pavilion with a festival hall, a graveyard and a church community.Public institutions
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References
External links
Municipality’s official webpage
Reiffelbach in the collective municipality’s webpages
{{Authority control
Bad Kreuznach (district)