Ortsgemeinde
A Verbandsgemeinde (; plural Verbandsgemeinden) is a low-level administrative division, administrative unit in the Germany, German States of Germany, federal states of Rhineland-Palatinate and Saxony-Anhalt. A Verbandsgemeinde is typically compose ...
'' – 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.
Rhineland- ...
'', a kind of collective municipality – in the
Kusel
Kusel (; written ''Cusel'' until 1865) is a town in the Kusel (district), Kusel Districts of Germany, district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is the seat of the Kusel-Altenglan ''Verbandsgemeinde'' and is also the district seat.
The well-kno ...
district
A district is a type of administrative division that, in some countries, is managed by the local government. Across the world, areas known as "districts" vary greatly in size, spanning regions or counties, several municipalities, subdivisions o ...
in
Rhineland-Palatinate
Rhineland-Palatinate ( , ; german: link=no, Rheinland-Pfalz ; lb, Rheinland-Pfalz ; pfl, Rhoilond-Palz) is a western state of Germany. It covers and has about 4.05 million residents. It is the ninth largest and sixth most populous of the ...
,
Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
Kusel
Kusel (; written ''Cusel'' until 1865) is a town in the Kusel (district), Kusel Districts of Germany, district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is the seat of the Kusel-Altenglan ''Verbandsgemeinde'' and is also the district seat.
The well-kno ...
.
Geography
Location
The municipality lies in the Kusel ''
Musikantenland The Musikantenland ("Musician's Land") is an area of the northern West Palatinate in Germany, north of the Landstuhler Bruch in the area of the rivers Glan (Palatinate), Glan and Lauter (Glan), Lauter. On the fringes of this region are the city of K ...
'' in the Western Palatinate. The municipal area measures 571 ha, of which 163 ha is wooded. Thallichtenberg lies roughly 300 m above
sea level
Mean sea level (MSL, often shortened to sea level) is an average surface level of one or more among Earth's coastal bodies of water from which heights such as elevation may be measured. The global MSL is a type of vertical datuma standardised g ...
northwest of Lichtenberg Castle (382 m above sea level) in a broad hollow between the Burgberg (“Castle Mountain”) and the so-called Prussian Mountains (''Preußische Berge''), which here, on the heights of the Wolfsbösch, reach 572 m above sea level. Down in the dale, the village site abuts the Pfeffelbach (brook), which here turns from its south-to-north direction of flow towards the east, forming a narrow gorge between the Burgberg and the Niederberg within
Ruthweiler
Ruthweiler is an ''Ortsgemeinde'' – a Municipalities of Germany, municipality belonging to a ''Verbandsgemeinde'', a kind of collective municipality – in the Kusel (district), Kusel Districts of Germany, district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germa ...
’s limits. Several small brooks (Löschbach, Bisterbach, Kurzer Bach) flow into the Pfeffelbach within Thallichtenberg.
Neighbouring municipalities
Thallichtenberg borders in the north on the town of
Baumholder
Baumholder () is a town in the Birkenfeld district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany, in the Westrich, an historic region that encompasses areas in both Germany and France. The town of Baumholder is the administrative seat of the like-named ''Verb ...
, in the northeast and east on the municipality of
Körborn
Körborn is an ''Ortsgemeinde'' – a municipality belonging to a ''Verbandsgemeinde'', a kind of collective municipality – in the Kusel district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It belongs to the ''Verbandsgemeinde'' of Kusel-Altenglan, whose ...
, in the southeast on the municipality of
Ruthweiler
Ruthweiler is an ''Ortsgemeinde'' – a Municipalities of Germany, municipality belonging to a ''Verbandsgemeinde'', a kind of collective municipality – in the Kusel (district), Kusel Districts of Germany, district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germa ...
, in the south on the municipality of
Pfeffelbach
Pfeffelbach is an ''Ortsgemeinde'' – a municipality belonging to a ''Verbandsgemeinde'', a kind of collective municipality – in the Kusel district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It belongs to the ''Verbandsgemeinde'' of Kusel-Altenglan, who ...
Also belonging to Thallichtenberg are the outlying homesteads of Burg Lichtenberg and Berghof.
Municipality’s layout
The village of Thallichtenberg shows the attributes of a typical clump village, with streets spreading out in a starlike shape from the midpoint into the dales through which the smaller brooks flow and over the heights in between. The road leading to the
castle
A castle is a type of fortified structure built during the Middle Ages predominantly by the nobility or royalty and by military orders. Scholars debate the scope of the word ''castle'', but usually consider it to be the private fortified r ...
branches off from the village thoroughfare at the village's southern end. About halfway up, on both sides of the road, lies the graveyard. The former
Jewish
Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...
graveyard, which now stands under monumental protection, can be found in the municipality's northwest near the sporting ground. New building areas have been laid out mainly in the north. On the heights far out of the village, below the Wolfsbösch and near the Breitsesterhof, which belongs to
Baumholder
Baumholder () is a town in the Birkenfeld district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany, in the Westrich, an historic region that encompasses areas in both Germany and France. The town of Baumholder is the administrative seat of the like-named ''Verb ...
, lies the Berghof, one of Thallichtenberg's outlying homesteads.
Institutions of national importance are housed within the old castle complex, the ''Musikantenlandmuseum'', for instance, which deals with the history of travelling musicians from this region, and also the ''Geoskop'' (museum of primitive times), a branch location of the
Bad Dürkheim
Bad Dürkheim () is a spa town in the Rhine-Neckar urban agglomeration, and is the seat of the Bad Dürkheim district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany.
Geography
Location
Bad Dürkheim lies at the edge of Palatinate Forest on the German Wine ...
Palatine Museum (''Pfalzmuseum Bad Dürkheim''). Also found at Lichtenberg Castle are the
Evangelical
Evangelicalism (), also called evangelical Christianity or evangelical Protestantism, is a worldwide Interdenominationalism, interdenominational movement within Protestantism, Protestant Christianity that affirms the centrality of being "bor ...
church for the villages of Thallichtenberg and Ruthweiler, the
youth hostel
A hostel is a form of low-cost, short-term shared sociable lodging where guests can rent a bed, usually a bunk bed in a dormitory, with shared use of a lounge and sometimes a kitchen. Rooms can be mixed or single-sex and have private or shared ba ...
, the herb garden, a well visited
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 ...
with a nice view and a registry office. The castle complex, with a length of 425 m, is one of Germany's biggest. Areas in both the Palatinate and 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 ...
can be seen from the top of the
keep
A keep (from the Middle English ''kype'') is a type of fortified tower built within castles during the Middle Ages by European nobility. Scholars have debated the scope of the word ''keep'', but usually consider it to refer to large towers in c ...
.
History
Antiquity
In the late
New Stone Age
The Neolithic period, or New Stone Age, is an Old World archaeological period and the final division of the Stone Age. It saw the Neolithic Revolution, a wide-ranging set of developments that appear to have arisen independently in several parts ...
,
nomad
A nomad is a member of a community without fixed habitation who regularly moves to and from the same areas. Such groups include hunter-gatherers, pastoral nomads (owning livestock), tinkers and trader nomads. In the twentieth century, the popu ...
s were found in the area around what is now Thallichtenberg, as
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 from neighbouring places bear witness. The immediate area, though, was quite heavily settled in
Gallo-Roman
Gallo-Roman culture was a consequence of the Romanization of Gauls under the rule of the Roman Empire. It was characterized by the Gaulish adoption or adaptation of Roman culture, language, morals and way of life in a uniquely Gaulish context ...
times. An article by Daniel Hinkelmann in the first postwar edition of the ''Westricher Heimatblätter'' was headlined “Three
Roman
Roman or Romans most often refers to:
*Rome, the capital city of Italy
*Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD
*Roman people, the people of ancient Rome
*''Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a letter ...
Estates in the Thallichtenberg Municipal Area” (''Drei römische Gutshöfe auf der Gemarkung Thallichtenberg''). A Roman bathing facility had already been unearthed about the middle of the 18th century in the municipality. Pictures of this were published in
Strasbourg
Strasbourg (, , ; german: Straßburg ; gsw, label=Bas Rhin Alsatian, Strossburi , gsw, label=Haut Rhin Alsatian, Strossburig ) is the prefecture and largest city of the Grand Est region of eastern France and the official seat of the Eu ...
in 1751 by the magazine ''Alsatia illustrata''. This bathing facility had likely been part of a Gallo-Roman estate, a
villa rustica
Villa rustica () was the term used by the ancient Romans to denote a farmhouse or villa set in the countryside and with an agricultural section, which applies to the vast majority of Roman villas. In some cases they were at the centre of a large ...
. Another villa rustica was discovered in 1964 by a farmer who was ploughing. It was unearthed in 1967 under the leadership of the archaeologist Wolfgang Binsfeld from
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 ...
by Daniel Hinkelmann and Karlheinz Schultheiß in collaboration with members of the Lichtenberg Castle Local History Club (Heimatverein “Burg Lichtenberg”). An even bigger Gallo-Roman complex was discovered by the local historian soon afterwards not far from this last one. This one was excavated in 1970, with Dr. Binsfeld once again overseeing the work, and was precisely documented and later filled in again.
Middle Ages
The village of Thallichtenberg might have been founded only once the castle was built in the early 13th century. Thallichtenberg, and also a number of villages that have since vanished, only appear in documents dating from after the castle's completion. It would therefore seem that a number of places sprang up in the area around Lichtenberg Castle, of which Thallichtenberg is the only one that still exists. The village of Ruthweiler at the foot of the castle, though, was likely already standing at the time when work on the castle began. At the first documentary mention of Lichtenberg as ''Castrum Lichtenberg'' in 1214, only Lichtenberg Castle is mentioned, and no village named Lichtenberg. When the
Counts of Veldenz
The County Palatine of Veldenz was a principality in the contemporary Land Rhineland-Palatinate with full voting rights to the Reichstag. The county was located partially between Kaiserslautern, Sponheim and Zweibrücken, partially on the Mose ...
were given their jobs as ''
Vögte
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 ...
'' over the so-called ''Remigiusland'' as far back as the early 12th century, they began, unlawfully, to build a castle in this domain that belonged to the
Abbey of Saint-Remi
An abbey is a type of monastery used by members of a religious order under the governance of an abbot or abbess. Abbeys provide a complex of buildings and land for religious activities, work, and housing of Christian monks and nuns.
The conc ...
in
Reims
Reims ( , , ; also spelled Rheims in English) is the most populous city in the French department of Marne, and the 12th most populous city in France. The city lies northeast of Paris on the Vesle river, a tributary of the Aisne.
Founded by ...
, against which misdeed the abbot fought back by registering a protest with Holy Roman Emperor Frederick II. The actual protest document is lost to history; however, a text of the Emperor's ruling on the matter, handed down in
in 1214, has survived. In part, this reads: “''… quod nos auctoritate regia castrum Lichtenberg, quod comes de Veldenzen in allodio Sancti Remigii Remensis, … violenter et iniuxte construxit, juste destruere debeamus.''” (“By
our
Our or OUR may refer to:
* The possessive form of " we"
* Our (river), in Belgium, Luxembourg, and Germany
* Our, Belgium, a village in Belgium
* Our, Jura, a commune in France
* Office of Utilities Regulation (OUR), a government utility regulato ...
kingly authority, we are forced to lawfully tear down Castle Lichtenberg, which the Count of Veldenz has forcibly and wrongfully built on
Saint Remigius
Remigius (french: Remi or ; – January 13, 533), was the Bishop of Reims and "Apostle of the Franks". On 25 December 496, he baptised Clovis I, King of the Franks. The baptism, leading to about 3000 additional converts, was an important event ...
’s property.”). The Count of Veldenz in this case was Gerlach IV, and he did not bow to the Emperor's ruling, and hence, the castle remained standing. Lichtenberg Castle is actually made up of two castles, the ''Oberburg'' (“Upper Castle”) and the ''Unterburg'' (“Lower Castle”). The Upper Castle with its three palatial halls and tall
keep
A keep (from the Middle English ''kype'') is a type of fortified tower built within castles during the Middle Ages by European nobility. Scholars have debated the scope of the word ''keep'', but usually consider it to refer to large towers in c ...
was reserved as the lordly living quarters, while the Lower Castle was where the ''
Burgmann
From the 12th century in central Europe, a ''Burgmann'' (plural: ''Burgmannen'' or modern term ''Burgmänner'', Latin: ''oppidanus'', ''castrensus'') was a knight ministeriales or member of the nobility who was obliged to guard and defend castles. ...
en'' and their families lived. Only later were other buildings built between the two castles, thus making the two separate complexes into one. The Counts of Veldenz (1112-1444), as lords of the castle, actually lived in
Meisenheim
Meisenheim () is a town in the Bad Kreuznach (district), Bad Kreuznach Districts of Germany, district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It belongs to the Meisenheim (Verbandsgemeinde), like-named ''Verbandsgemeinde'', and is also its seat. Meise ...
, but they presented their claim to power in the mighty castle complex. The castle was even then held to be the administrative seat of the ''
Amt
Amt is a type of administrative division governing a group of municipalities, today only in Germany, but formerly also common in other countries of Northern Europe. Its size and functions differ by country and the term is roughly equivalent to ...
'' of Lichtenberg. The most important
mediaeval
In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire a ...
''Burgmannen'' at Lichtenberg Castle were the family Blicke von Lichtenberg (1343-1788), the family Gauer (1285-1450), the family Sötern (1376-1483), the family Ballwein (1402-1677), the family Genge (1328-1356), the family Finchel (1300-1374), the family Winterbecher (1409-1446) and the family Raubesak (1270-~1400). 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'; olde ...
: the County Palatine – later Duchy – of Palatinate-Zweibrücken. From 1444 on, Frutzweiler thus lay in the Duchy of Palatinate-Zweibrücken.
Modern times
From Zweibrücken times it is clear that only the part of Thallichtenberg that lay on the brook's left bank was counted as one of the villages within the ''
Burgfrieden
The or 'c.fBurgfriedeat Duden online. was a German medieval term that referred to imposition of a state of truce within the jurisdiction of a castle, and sometimes its estate, under which feuds, i.e. conflicts between private individuals, were ...
'' (the castle's sovereign area). It was also then that grand, lordly buildings sprang up within the castle limits, especially at the Upper Castle, spreading out from the core of the castle all round the keep: South Palace, East Palace, West Palace together with the obligatory fortifications. On the unprotected south side arose a broad bailey ringed with a high outer wall with a battlement parapet. At the beginning of the
Thirty Years' War
The Thirty Years' War was one of the longest and most destructive conflicts in European history
The history of Europe is traditionally divided into four time periods: prehistoric Europe (prior to about 800 BC), classical antiquity (80 ...
, craftsmen and farmers from the castle area built, shortly before
Spanish
Spanish might refer to:
* Items from or related to Spain:
**Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain
**Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries
**Spanish cuisine
Other places
* Spanish, Ontario, Cana ...
troops advanced in 1620, the so-called ''Hufeisenturm'' (“Horseshoe Tower”) with particularly thick walls that were supposed to stand up even to
cannon
A cannon is a large- caliber gun classified as a type of artillery, which usually launches a projectile using explosive chemical propellant. Gunpowder ("black powder") was the primary propellant before the invention of smokeless powder ...
balls. The castle's entrance was secured by three nested gates. During the expansion work in the open area between the Upper Castle and the Lower Castle, the mighty
tithe barn
A tithe barn was a type of barn used in much of northern Europe in the Middle Ages for storing rents and tithes. Farmers were required to give one-tenth of their produce to the established church. Tithe barns were usually associated with the vi ...
arose, along with a new castle church, extensive administration buildings along the castle road and beside the ''Kellerei'' (“stewardship”, in fact the tithe barn) more buildings for the ''
Amtmann
__NOTOC__
The ''Amtmann'' or ''Ammann'' (in Switzerland) was an official in German-speaking countries of Europe and in some of the Nordic countries from the time of the Middle Ages whose office was akin to that of a bailiff. He was the most seni ...
'' and the scrivener. While only a few of the inhabitants down below in the dale on the brook's right bank were the ''Burgmannen''’s
serfs
Serfdom was the status of many peasants under feudalism, specifically relating to manorialism, and similar systems. It was a condition of debt bondage and indentured servitude with similarities to and differences from slavery, which developed ...
, those living within the ''Burgfrieden'' continually had to perform compulsory labour for the lordship at the castle. The serfs complained about this and managed to have their compulsory labour duties precisely regulated. This happened in a time when French Revolutionary troops were already advancing on the lands around the castle. Lichtenberg Castle was never actually conquered by foreign troops, not even in the Thirty Years’ War. Nevertheless, during both King Louis XIV's wars and the French Revolutionary Wars, the castle accommodated French troops. In 1758, the '' Oberamt'' administration moved to new offices on Landschaftsstraße in
Kusel
Kusel (; written ''Cusel'' until 1865) is a town in the Kusel (district), Kusel Districts of Germany, district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is the seat of the Kusel-Altenglan ''Verbandsgemeinde'' and is also the district seat.
The well-kno ...
.
Recent times
In 1799, there was a great fire at Lichtenberg Castle that burnt most of the buildings, after which – as before the blaze – the castle was subject to plundering. Thallichtenberg and the castle belonged at the time of French
annexation
Annexation (Latin ''ad'', to, and ''nexus'', joining), in international law, is the forcible acquisition of one state's territory by another state, usually following military occupation of the territory. It is generally held to be an illegal act ...
beginning in 1801 to the ''Mairie'' (“Mayoralty”) of Burglichtenberg, the
Department
Department may refer to:
* Departmentalization, division of a larger organization into parts with specific responsibility
Government and military
*Department (administrative division), a geographical and administrative division within a country, ...
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 Canton of Kusel. The French authorities declared the castle national property. Bit by bit, buildings were auctioned off, walls torn down and stones from the whole area sold as building materials. The first craftsmen were then already settling on the castle domain. At the same time, the now once again inhabited complex became the seat of the ''Mairie'' of Château Lichtenberg, to which the following villages belonged: Lichtenberg la vallée (Thallichtenberg), Routweiler,
Pfeffelbach
Pfeffelbach is an ''Ortsgemeinde'' – a municipality belonging to a ''Verbandsgemeinde'', a kind of collective municipality – in the Kusel district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It belongs to the ''Verbandsgemeinde'' of Kusel-Altenglan, who ...
,
Reichweiler
Reichweiler is an '' Ortsgemeinde'' – a municipality belonging to a ''Verbandsgemeinde'', a kind of collective municipality – in the Kusel district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It belongs to the ''Verbandsgemeinde'' of Kusel-Altenglan, wh ...
,
Schwarzerden
Schwarzerden 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 Rhinelan ...
,
Albessen
Albessen 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
Herchweiler
Herchweiler is an '' Ortsgemeinde'' – a municipality belonging to a ''Verbandsgemeinde'', a kind of collective municipality – in the Kusel district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It belongs to the ''Verbandsgemeinde'' of Kusel-Altenglan, wh ...
(some of these names were Gallicized). After French troops withdrew in 1814, there was yet again a reorganization of territories by an administration commission and 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 ...
. In 1816, the
Principality of Lichtenberg
The Principality of Lichtenberg (german: Fürstentum Lichtenberg) on the Nahe River was an exclave of the Duchy of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld from 1816 to 1826 and the Duchy of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha from 1826 to 1834, when it was sold to the Kingdom of ...
, a newly created
exclave
An enclave is a territory (or a small territory apart of a larger one) that is entirely surrounded by the territory of one other state or entity. Enclaves may also exist within territorial waters. ''Enclave'' is sometimes used improperly to deno ...
of the Duchy of
Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld
Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld () was one of the Saxon Duchies held by the Ernestine line of the Wettin Dynasty. Established in 1699, the Saxe-Coburg-Saalfield line lasted until the reshuffle of the Ernestine territories that occurred following the extinct ...
(which as of 1826 became the Duchy of
Saxe-Coburg and Gotha
Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (german: Sachsen-Coburg und Gotha), or Saxe-Coburg-Gotha (german: Sachsen-Coburg-Gotha, links=no ), was an Ernestine, Thuringian duchy ruled by a branch of the House of Wettin, consisting of territories in the present-d ...
) came into being, comprising the cantons of Sankt Wendel, Baumholder and Grumbach. These cantons were split into ''Bürgermeisterämter'' (“mayoral offices”). One of these was called Burglichtenberg (a fusion of the
German
German(s) may refer to:
* Germany (of or related to)
**Germania (historical use)
* Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language
** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law
**Ger ...
name for Lichtenberg Castle, ''Burg Lichtenberg''), to which belonged the villages of Thallichtenberg, Ruthweiler, Pfeffelbach, Reichweiler and Schwarzerden. This ''Amt'' was merged in 1821 with its neighbour, the ''Amt'' of Berschweiler. The resulting bigger ''Amt'' retained the name Burglichtenberg, but its seat was at Berschweiler. Also belonging to the ''Amt'' were the villages of Berglangenbach, Eckersweiler, Fohren-Linden, Hahnweiler, Leitzweiler,
Rohrbach Rohrbach or Röhrbach may refer to:
Places Municipalities in Switzerland
*Rohrbach, Switzerland, in the canton of Bern
Municipalities in Germany
*Rohrbach, Bavaria, in the district of Pfaffenhofen, Bavaria
*Rohrbach, Birkenfeld, in the district o ...
and Rückweiler. In the meantime, living in the village within the castle complex were about 100 inhabitants. The village became self-administering in 1831. The settlers there were cutlers and nailers who travelled about to sell their wares. The best known of these nailers was Christian Forsch, whose secondary occupation was local poet. In 1834, Saxe-Coburg sold the principality on the
Prussia
Prussia, , Old Prussian: ''Prūsa'' or ''Prūsija'' was a German state on the southeast coast of the Baltic Sea. It formed the German Empire under Prussian rule when it united the German states in 1871. It was ''de facto'' dissolved by an em ...
at first for an annuity of 80,000 ''
Thaler
A thaler (; also taler, from german: Taler) is one of the large silver coins minted in the states and territories of the Holy Roman Empire and the Habsburg monarchy during the Early Modern period. A ''thaler'' size silver coin has a diameter of ...
''. Thallichtenberg and Burglichtenberg now became part of Prussia’s
Rhine Province
The Rhine Province (german: Rheinprovinz), also known as Rhenish Prussia () or synonymous with the Rhineland (), was the westernmost province of the Kingdom of Prussia and the Free State of Prussia, within the German Reich, from 1822 to 1946. It ...
, in the Sankt Wendel district, which was divided into the ''Amtsbezirke'' of Sankt Wendel, Baumholder, Burglichtenberg (seat at Berschweiler) and Grumbach. The ''Amt'' of Burglichtenberg existed until 1963. In 1894, the Prussian state bought the Upper Castle from its private owners and placed the castle complexes under monumental protection. The first safety and reconstruction repair work began. In 1910, the village of Burglichtenberg lost its self-administration and was amalgamated with Thallichtenberg. The road to the castle was paved with
tar
Tar is a dark brown or black viscous liquid of hydrocarbons and free carbon, obtained from a wide variety of organic materials through destructive distillation. Tar can be produced from coal, wood, petroleum, or peat. "a dark brown or black bit ...
in 1922 so that it could now also be reached by car. That same year, a
youth hostel
A hostel is a form of low-cost, short-term shared sociable lodging where guests can rent a bed, usually a bunk bed in a dormitory, with shared use of a lounge and sometimes a kitchen. Rooms can be mixed or single-sex and have private or shared ba ...
opened at the castle site, and is still quite popular today. Later, after the
First World War
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
, the
Treaty of Versailles
The Treaty of Versailles (french: Traité de Versailles; german: Versailler Vertrag, ) was the most important of the peace treaties of World War I. It ended the state of war between Germany and the Allied Powers. It was signed on 28 June ...
stipulated, among other things, that 26 of the Sankt Wendel district’s 94 municipalities, including the namesake district seat, had to be
ceded
The act of cession is the assignment of property to another entity. In international law it commonly refers to land transferred by treaty. Ballentine's Law Dictionary defines cession as "a surrender; a giving up; a relinquishment of jurisdictio ...
to the
British
British may refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies.
** Britishness, the British identity and common culture
* British English, ...
- and French-
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 ...
Saar
Saar or SAAR has several meanings:
People Given name
*Saar Boubacar (born 1951), Senegalese professional football player
* Saar Ganor, Israeli archaeologist
*Saar Klein (born 1967), American film editor
Surname
* Ain Saar (born 1968), Est ...
, a newly created entity. The remaining 68 municipalities in the ''Ämter'' of Baumholder, Burglichtenberg and Grumbach then bore the designation “Restkreis St. Wendel-Baumholder”, with the first syllable of ''Restkreis'' having the same meaning as in English, in the sense of “left over”. In 1935, after a
referendum
A referendum (plural: referendums or less commonly referenda) is a direct vote by the electorate on a proposal, law, or political issue. This is in contrast to an issue being voted on by a representative. This may result in the adoption of a ...
on the question, the Saar, now known as the “Saarland”, chose to rejoin Germany where, by this time,
Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler (; 20 April 188930 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was dictator of Nazi Germany, Germany from 1933 until Death of Adolf Hitler, his death in 1945. Adolf Hitler's rise to power, He rose to power as the le ...
and the
Nazis
Nazism ( ; german: Nazismus), the common name in English for National Socialism (german: Nationalsozialismus, ), is the far-right totalitarian political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in Na ...
had taken over and established the
Third Reich
Nazi Germany (lit. "National Socialist State"), ' (lit. "Nazi State") for short; also ' (lit. "National Socialist Germany") (officially known as the German Reich from 1933 until 1943, and the Greater German Reich from 1943 to 1945) was ...
. Political arrangements did not return to what they were before the Treaty of Versailles. Instead, the ''Restkreis Baumholder'' united in 1937 with the former
Oldenburg Oldenburg may also refer to:
Places
*Mount Oldenburg, Ellsworth Land, Antarctica
*Oldenburg (city), an independent city in Lower Saxony, Germany
**Oldenburg (district), a district historically in Oldenburg Free State and now in Lower Saxony
*Olde ...
territory around
Birkenfeld
Birkenfeld () is a town and the district seat of the Birkenfeld district in southwest Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is also the seat of the like-named ''Verbandsgemeinde''. The town itself has approximately 7,000 inhabitants.
Geography
...
and
Idar-Oberstein
Idar-Oberstein () is a town in the Birkenfeld district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. As a ''Große kreisangehörige Stadt'' (large city belonging to a district), it assumes some of the responsibilities that for smaller municipalities in ...
, which had also remained with Germany, to form the new Prussian district of Birkenfeld. Through administrative reform in 1969, the so-called ''Unterberggemeinden'' (roughly “municipalities at the foot of the mountain”) in this district, namely Ruthweiler, Pfeffelbach, Reichweiler and Thallichtenberg with Lichtenberg Castle, were transferred from the Birkenfeld district to the Kusel district. The development of the castle complexes, which the Birkenfeld district had already begun undertaking after the
Second World War
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
, experienced continued work under the Kusel district's administration.
Population development
Until the
French Revolution
The French Revolution ( ) was a period of radical political and societal change in France that began with the Estates General of 1789 and ended with the formation of the French Consulate in November 1799. Many of its ideas are considere ...
, the castle itself defined life for the villages in the castle domain, including Thallichtenberg. At the castle lived not only servants of the most varied kinds but also '' Oberamt'' officials. Many of these feudal castle dwellers’ family names can still be found today in the region around the castle. For its part, the village of Thallichtenberg was characterized by
agriculture
Agriculture or farming is the practice of cultivating plants and livestock. Agriculture was the key development in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that enabled people to ...
, though already in the 18th and 19th centuries, men were working in mines and quarries in the area. Only a few villagers work the land nowadays.
Tourism
Tourism is travel for pleasure or business; also the theory and practice of touring (disambiguation), touring, the business of attracting, accommodating, and entertaining tourists, and the business of operating tour (disambiguation), tours. Th ...
is now a growing industry. First and foremost, Thallichtenberg today is a residential community for people from all walks of life, most of whom earn their livelihoods outside the village. According to a 1609 ''Oberamt'' of Lichtenberg church Visitation protocol, 111 people lived in the dale (Thallichtenberg) and 61 at the castle. It is not known how many people survived the Thirty Years' War; it would not have been many. Since the castle itself was never overrun by invaders, it might have offered more security. It could therefore be that more people survived here than down in the dale. The population only began building again in the 18th century, and the trend held until the early 20th century, when the people living at the castle were also no longer counted separately. After a temporary fall in the population about 1960, a new rise set in towards the end of the century. Such fluctuations did not characterize population development at the castle itself. Throughout
feudal
Feudalism, also known as the feudal system, was the combination of the legal, economic, military, cultural and political customs that flourished in Middle Ages, medieval Europe between the 9th and 15th centuries. Broadly defined, it was a wa ...
times, the figure was always about 60, and in the “nailers’ times”, always about 80. Today some 10 people live permanently at the castle.
The following table shows population development over the centuries for Thallichtenberg. Separate figures are shown for “Thal” (Thallichtenberg) and “Burg” (castle). Since 1960, however, castle dwellers have not been counted separately, and figures for the municipality as a whole are given under “Thal”; there have been about 10 dwellers at the castle (included in the “Thal” total) in recent times:
Municipality’s name
The village's name, Thallichtenberg, has its origin in the castle's name, Lichtenberg. This fortification was held to be a castle on a light (in colour, that is) mountain, or ''Burg auf dem lichten Berg'' in
German
German(s) may refer to:
* Germany (of or related to)
**Germania (historical use)
* Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language
** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law
**Ger ...
. Of course, the slopes beneath the castle were cleared. Thallichtenberg, therefore, was held to be the settlement in the dale (''Tal'', or archaically ''Thal''; this latter spelling is preserved in “Thallichtenberg”) below the light mountain. Throughout
German-speaking Europe
This article details the geographical distribution of speakers of the German language, regardless of the legislative status within the countries where it is spoken. In addition to the German-speaking area (german: Deutscher Sprachraum) in Europe, ...
, some 20 castles with the name “Lichtenberg” are known. The castle's name first appears in documents in 1214. One from 1377 says “''in dem Dayle zu Lichtenberg''”, and one from 1480 “''im Dale zu Liechtinberg''” (both these examples show forms of ''Tal'' rather more similar to the word's
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 ...
cognate
In historical linguistics, cognates or lexical cognates are sets of words in different languages that have been inherited in direct descent from an etymology, etymological ancestor in a proto-language, common parent language. Because language c ...
). Another document in 1445 read “''zu Dalen''”, and indeed, it is still customary nowadays to refer to Thallichtenberg as ''de Dal'' in the local speech. The distinction between Thallichtenberg and Burglichtenberg became necessary once a new village had arisen within the castle ruins in the 19th century, and then also because for a long while, the seat of a Prussian ''Amtsbezirk'' was there.
Vanished villages
Within what are today Thallichtenberg's municipal limits once lay a whole series of villages, most of which vanished even before the Thirty Years' War. In 1371, a village named Berweiler (''Berwilre'') was mentioned, which was described in 1588 by Johannes Hoffmann as “''ehemalige Dorfstadt''” (“former village-town”); it might have lain west of Thallichtenberg. To Thallichtenberg's north lay Bistert, likely in the area of the road that today leads to
Baumholder
Baumholder () is a town in the Birkenfeld district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany, in the Westrich, an historic region that encompasses areas in both Germany and France. The town of Baumholder is the administrative seat of the like-named ''Verb ...
. This village had its first documentary mention as early as 1270, then bearing the name ''Pistereit'', and was mentioned again in a 1580 ''Burgfrieden'' ordinance, as well as in Johannes Hoffmann's 1588 description. Most likely, this village fell during the Thirty Years' War (1618-1648). Altpeter also names the vanished villages of Friedberg and Steinbach, which are not listed in Dolch's and Greule's ''Historisches Siedlungsnamenbuch'' (“Historical Settlement Name Book”). Also to the north, near the Kurzenbach (brook) lay Stolzenhausen, which was mentioned in 1347 as ''Stolbeshußen''. This village, too, had vanished by 1588. Quite likely to have lain right near Stolzenhausen was another now long vanished village, Wadenau, which was mentioned in the same 1270 document as Bistert. Indeed, the name Wadenau appeared quite often in documents from the
Counts of Veldenz
The County Palatine of Veldenz was a principality in the contemporary Land Rhineland-Palatinate with full voting rights to the Reichstag. The county was located partially between Kaiserslautern, Sponheim and Zweibrücken, partially on the Mose ...
; it was so nearby that knights from the castle long made it their residence. Lastly, there was a village called Warneshoben that cropped up in documents about 1300. This probably lay to Thallichtenberg's southwest.
Religion
Throughout
feudal
Feudalism, also known as the feudal system, was the combination of the legal, economic, military, cultural and political customs that flourished in Middle Ages, medieval Europe between the 9th and 15th centuries. Broadly defined, it was a wa ...
times, the villagers of Thallichtenberg attended the churches at Lichtenberg Castle, during the
Middle Ages
In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire a ...
and early modern times Saint George's Chapel (''St. Georgskapelle'') and as of 1758, the then newly built church near the tithe barn. Duke Ludwig II, who died in 1532, was already a friend of 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 ...
, which in 1536, under Ludwig's brother Ruprecht, then acting for the underaged Duke Wolfgang, was introduced into the Duchy of Palatinate-Zweibrücken and made binding on all its subjects. During the time of the Reformation, the reformer
Ulrich Zwingli
Huldrych or Ulrich Zwingli (1 January 1484 – 11 October 1531) was a leader of the Reformation in Switzerland, born during a time of emerging Swiss patriotism and increasing criticism of the Swiss mercenary system. He attended the Unive ...
twice stayed at the castle, once on the way to the 1529
Marburg Colloquy
The Marburg Colloquy was a meeting at Marburg Castle, Marburg, Hesse, Germany, which attempted to solve a disputation between Martin Luther and Ulrich Zwingli over the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist. It took place between 1 October and 4 ...
and again on the way back home to Zurich. In 1588, all the duchy's subjects had to
convert
Conversion or convert may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media
* "Conversion" (''Doctor Who'' audio), an episode of the audio drama ''Cyberman''
* "Conversion" (''Stargate Atlantis''), an episode of the television series
* "The Conversion" ...
once again when Duke Johannes I introduced
Calvinism
Calvinism (also called the Reformed Tradition, Reformed Protestantism, Reformed Christianity, or simply Reformed) is a major branch of Protestantism that follows the theological tradition and forms of Christian practice set down by John Cal ...
. After the Thirty Years' War, the odd
Lutheran
Lutheranism is one of the largest branches of Protestantism, identifying primarily with the theology of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German monk and reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practice of the Catholic Church launched th ...
or
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 ...
settled in the village. Because Thallichtenberg and Burglichtenberg lay in the
Principality of Lichtenberg
The Principality of Lichtenberg (german: Fürstentum Lichtenberg) on the Nahe River was an exclave of the Duchy of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld from 1816 to 1826 and the Duchy of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha from 1826 to 1834, when it was sold to the Kingdom of ...
, which was part of the Duchy of
Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld
Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld () was one of the Saxon Duchies held by the Ernestine line of the Wettin Dynasty. Established in 1699, the Saxe-Coburg-Saalfield line lasted until the reshuffle of the Ernestine territories that occurred following the extinct ...
, and later in Prussia's
Rhine Province
The Rhine Province (german: Rheinprovinz), also known as Rhenish Prussia () or synonymous with the Rhineland (), was the westernmost province of the Kingdom of Prussia and the Free State of Prussia, within the German Reich, from 1822 to 1946. It ...
, the
Evangelical
Evangelicalism (), also called evangelical Christianity or evangelical Protestantism, is a worldwide Interdenominationalism, interdenominational movement within Protestantism, Protestant Christianity that affirms the centrality of being "bor ...
Christians
Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...
in the village today belong to the
Evangelical Church in the Rhineland
Protestant Church in the Rhineland (german: Evangelische Kirche im Rheinland; EKiR) is a United Protestant church body in parts of the German states of North Rhine-Westphalia, Rhineland-Palatinate, Saarland and Hesse (Wetzlar). This is actually th ...
. In 1818, the Duke of Saxe-Coburg brought about the merger of the two
Reformed
Reform is beneficial change
Reform may also refer to:
Media
* ''Reform'' (album), a 2011 album by Jane Zhang
* Reform (band), a Swedish jazz fusion group
* ''Reform'' (magazine), a Christian magazine
*''Reforme'' ("Reforms"), initial name of the ...
denominations, and the resolution of an 1820 synod in Baumholder in turn brought about the “full unification” of these two denominations. In Prussian times, after 1834, the church district of Sankt Wendel came into being within the Rhenish Church. Fundamentally, this organizational scheme persists to this day. The first graveyard for the whole ''Burgfrieden'' was laid out in 1750. The village's Roman Catholic Christians, in line with their historical development, belong to the deaconry of Kusel. During the 18th century,
Jew
Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""Th ...
s also settled in Thallichtenberg, earning their livelihoods from trade and crafts. Buried at the Thallichtenberg
Jewish
Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...
graveyard, which nowadays stands under monumental protection, were Jews from the villages in the castle area and also from the town of Kusel.
Politics
Municipal council
The council is made up of 12 council members, who were elected by
majority vote
A majority, also called a simple majority or absolute majority to distinguish it from related terms, is more than half of the total.Dictionary definitions of ''majority'' aMerriam-Webster
Coat of arms
The German blazon reads: '
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 in English
heraldic
Heraldry is a discipline relating to the design, display and study of armorial bearings (known as armory), as well as related disciplines, such as vexillology, together with the study of ceremony, rank and pedigree. Armory, the best-known branc ...
language be described thus: Per fess argent a demilion azure armed and langued gules and barry of four vert and argent, the bars charged with five roundels of the first, three and two.
The charge (heraldry), charge in the escutcheon (heraldry), escutcheon’s upper field, the demilion, is the heraldic device once borne by the
Counts of Veldenz
The County Palatine of Veldenz was a principality in the contemporary Land Rhineland-Palatinate with full voting rights to the Reichstag. The county was located partially between Kaiserslautern, Sponheim and Zweibrücken, partially on the Mose ...
, the local rulers until 1444. The roundels, called ''Kugeln'' in
German
German(s) may refer to:
* Germany (of or related to)
**Germania (historical use)
* Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language
** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law
**Ger ...
, suggesting a spherical shape (whereas the English term “roundels” suggests a flat shape), appear in several coats of arms once borne by ''Burgmannen'' at Lichtenberg Castle.
The arms have been borne since 1963 when they were approved by the Rhineland-Palatinate Ministry of the Interior.
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:
* Jewish graveyard (monumental zone) – older part laid out in 1725, newer part in 1845; 140 gravestones, beginning from 1747
* Lichtenberg Castle (monumental zone) – built by Count Gerlach III of Veldenz, first mentioned in 1214, burnt down in 1799; girding walls, gateway arch and wall remnants of the Lower Castle begun about 1200,
keep
A keep (from the Middle English ''kype'') is a type of fortified tower built within castles during the Middle Ages by European nobility. Scholars have debated the scope of the word ''keep'', but usually consider it to refer to large towers in c ...
with inner ringwall of the Upper Castle begun about 1270 with 16th-century battery tower and two palatial buildings, earlier half of the 14th century and earlier half of the 15th century, Evangelical church and state scrivener’s office from the 18th century; Palatinate’s biggest castle complex
*
Evangelical
Evangelicalism (), also called evangelical Christianity or evangelical Protestantism, is a worldwide Interdenominationalism, interdenominational movement within Protestantism, Protestant Christianity that affirms the centrality of being "bor ...
church, Burgstraße 18 – rectangular plastered building with ridge turret, 1755-1758, ridge turret’s pointed spire 1874
Regular events
The municipality celebrates a May Day Festival (''Maifest'') on 30 April and 1 May, while ''Kirchweih'', the church consecration festival, is held on the second weekend in August.
Clubs
There are several clubs in Thallichtenberg, currently an 1. FC Kaiserslautern, FCK-Fanclub Burgteufel, the volunteer fire brigade promotional association, a mixed choir, a countrywomen’s club, the Burg Lichtenberg – Thallichtenberg Pensioners’ Club, the Lichtenberg Chess Club, the Edelweiß Shooting Club, an Social Democratic Party of Germany, SPD local association and the Burg Lichtenberg Gymnastic and Sport Association.
Economy and infrastructure
Economic structure
At the time of the feudal lordship, the villagers were to a great extent dependent on the castle, which was for them an important basis on which livelihoods were earned. During the 19th and early 20th centuries, the castle served the cutlers and nailers as a dwelling place. Even today, it is regarded as an important income earner, although now its use as such comes from tourism and the many thousands of visitors that that draws to the castle each year. Apart from that,
agriculture
Agriculture or farming is the practice of cultivating plants and livestock. Agriculture was the key development in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that enabled people to ...
was also held to be the most important source of income in earlier times. It must be borne in mind, too, that in farming households, especially in winter, wool was spun, and many looms were to be found in houses. Farmers drove their horsecarts to town, particularly to Idar-Oberstein, Oberstein, and to market in Sankt Wendel to sell their wares. Within Thallichtenberg's limits were no collieries, but there may have been some nearby. Tourism now offers some opportunities. Thallichtenberg is otherwise a commuter community.
Education
Education history
In 1577, for the first time, a schoolmaster's name appeared in the historical record. He taught at the Lichtenberg Castle school and his name was Jam Thein; he was from Lauterecken. Children from the whole ''Burgfrieden'' were meant to attend this school. Classes were only sparsely attended for the children had to walk a long, arduous way to school and back each day, unless they happened to live right at the castle. The schoolroom itself changed, moving from one place to another according to whatever space was available at any given time. One teacher, Antonius Wahl, even opened the school without any particular assignment. Even during the Thirty Years' War, classes could still be held, and later even pupils from Pfeffelbach attended the school at the castle. In 1671, there were three schoolchildren from Körborn, five from Dennweiler-Frohnbach, Dennweiler, nine from the castle itself, three from Ruthweiler and a further three from Thallichtenberg below the castle. This was fewer than half the children in the named communities who had reached school age. Especially with younger children, absences were excused if they were due to bad weather. Older pupils, too, often had to stay at home to take care of livestock. In 1777, a storm tore parts of the schoolhouse that then stood down. The castle stood throughout the 18th century as the schooling centre for all the villages in the ''Burgfrieden''. Only after French Revolutionary Wars, French Revolutionary and Napoleonic times did the surrounding villages, one by one, begin to get their own schools. It was also at this time that Dennweiler, Frohnbach and Körborn found themselves in the Kingdom of Bavaria anyway as a result of what had been decided at 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 ...
. In 1835, the then ''Amtsbürgermeister'', named Sohns, bought the former Lichtenberg Castle scrivener's building at auction to set up a school within it for the pupils from Burglichtenberg, Thallichtenberg and Ruthweiler. Thallichtenberg got its own school in 1845, while in 1870, the schoolhouse at the castle burnt down, and then a new one was built in Ruthweiler to serve Burglichtenberg and Ruthweiler. When the village of Burglichtenberg was dissolved in 1910, all families living there were counted as inhabitants of Thallichtenberg. Since Thallichtenberg was now also asserting ownership rights on the schoolhouse in Ruthweiler and was demanding a financial adjustment, a court case ensued that was put to an end only after the
Second World War
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
by a compromise. In 1928, the municipality of Thallichtenberg built its own schoolhouse on the road to Baumholder.
Schooling today
Since Thallichtenberg's transfer to the Kusel district in 1969, primary school pupils attend classes in Pfeffelbach, while Hauptschule students go to schools in Kusel. Other kinds of schools, such as Gymnasium (school), Gymnasium, Realschule, ''Berufsbildende Schulen'' (vocational training schools) and ''Förderschulen'' (Special education, special schools), are represented in Kusel.
Transport
To the south runs the Autobahn Bundesautobahn 62, A 62 (Kaiserslautern–
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 Autobahn interchange (road), interchanges are at Reichweiler and Kusel, each about 5 or 6 km. ''Landesstraße'' 176 between Kusel and Baumholder crosses the village, while ''Landesstraße'' 349 branches off at Thallichtenberg, going towards
Pfeffelbach
Pfeffelbach is an ''Ortsgemeinde'' – a municipality belonging to a ''Verbandsgemeinde'', a kind of collective municipality – in the Kusel district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It belongs to the ''Verbandsgemeinde'' of Kusel-Altenglan, who ...
. ''Kreisstraße'' 23 leads by way of Lichtenberg Castle to
Körborn
Körborn is an ''Ortsgemeinde'' – a municipality belonging to a ''Verbandsgemeinde'', a kind of collective municipality – in the Kusel district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It belongs to the ''Verbandsgemeinde'' of Kusel-Altenglan, whose ...
. Serving
Kusel
Kusel (; written ''Cusel'' until 1865) is a town in the Kusel (district), Kusel Districts of Germany, district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is the seat of the Kusel-Altenglan ''Verbandsgemeinde'' and is also the district seat.
The well-kno ...
is a Kusel station, railway station on the Landstuhl–Kusel railway. There are hourly trains at this Railway station, station throughout the day, namely Regionalbahn service RB 67 between Kaiserslautern Central Station, Kaiserslautern and Kusel station, Kusel, named ''Glan Valley Railway, Glantalbahn'' after a former railway line that shared a stretch of its tracks with the Landstuhl–Kusel railway, including the former junction at Glan-Münchweiler. Formerly, Thallichtenberg itself had a railway connection on the Kusel-Ottweiler railway line (''Ostertalbahn''), which ran from 1936 to 1969. The right-of-way nowadays serves as a hiking and cycling path.Transport in Thallichtenberg /ref>
Famous people
Sons and daughters of the town
* Christian Dingert (1980–), Association football, football referee, FIFA Level (2012)
File:Thallichtenberg_Ort.jpg, View of the village
File:Thallichtenberg.jpg
File:BurgLichtenberg Fensterblick.jpg, View through a window