Spay is a municipality in the
district of Mayen-Koblenz in Rhineland-Palatinate, western Germany. It is located on the left bank of the
Rhine. It lies within the
Rhine Gorge which became a UNESCO
World Heritage Site in 2002.
Spay was probably founded by the
ancient Celts
The Celts (, see Names of the Celts#Pronunciation, pronunciation for different usages) or Celtic peoples () are. "CELTS location: Greater Europe time period: Second millennium B.C.E. to present ancestry: Celtic a collection of Indo-Europea ...
from whom the name "Spay" stems. There exists also evidence of an
ancient Roman
In modern historiography, ancient Rome refers to Roman civilisation from the founding of the city of Rome in the 8th century BC to the collapse of the Western Roman Empire in the 5th century AD. It encompasses the Roman Kingdom (753–509 BC ...
Presence in the 4th century. Historically Spay was first mentioned 821 in a deed that placed the village under the protection of
Louis the Pious. During the
Holy Roman Empire Spay was owned by various feudal Lords and belonged to the
archbishop elector of Trier who placed it under the administration of
Boppard. It remained in the possession of the electors until it was absorbed by France during the
Revolutionary
A revolutionary is a person who either participates in, or advocates a revolution. The term ''revolutionary'' can also be used as an adjective, to refer to something that has a major, sudden impact on society or on some aspect of human endeavor.
...
epoch. It was assigned by the
Congress of Vienna in 1815 to
Prussia.
Spay is home to
Schottel GmbH
Schottel is a manufacturer of propulsion and steering systems for ships and offshore applications. The company founder Josef Becker invented the rudderpropeller, a z-drive, in 1950. Today the company develops and manufactures azimuth propulsion, ...
, a
propulsor {{short description, Mechanical device to propel a vessel
A propulsor is a mechanical device that gives propulsion. The word is commonly used in the marine vernacular, and implies a mechanical assembly that is more complicated than a propeller. The ...
-producing company. The village is also known for its excellent wines (mostly
Riesling produced by the local winemakers.
References
Mayen-Koblenz
Middle Rhine
{{MayenKoblenz-geo-stub