Morsbach is a municipality in Oberbergischer Kreis, a district in North Rhine-Westphalia near the border of Rhineland-Palatinate in Germany. In 2015, Morsbach's population was 10,600. The central village, also named Morsbach, has a population of 3,400. With a number of buildings dating back to the 12th century, it is a popular spot for hikers and other nature lovers.

Geography

Morsbach is east of Cologne, in the southern corner of the Oberbergischer Kreis of North Rhine-Westphalia near its border with Rhineland-Palatinate. In 2015, its population was 10,600.

Subdivisions

The municipality (''Gemeinde'') is divided into 66 subdivisions (''Ortsteile''). In alphabetical order, they are: *Alzen, Amberg, Appenhagen *Berghausen, Birken, Birzel, Bitze, Böcklingen, Breitgen, Burg Volperhausen *Ellingen, Erblingen, Euelsloch, Eugenienthal *Flockenberg, Frankenthal *Hahn, Halle, Hammer, Heide, Hellerseifen, Herbertshagen, Holpe, Hülstert *Katzenbach, Kömpel, Korseifen *Ley, Lichtenberg, Lützelseifen *Neuhöfchen, Niederasbach, Niederdorf, Niederwarnsbach, Niederzielenbach *Oberasbach, Oberholpe, Oberwarnsbach, Oberzielenbach, Ölmühle, Ortseifen *Reinshagen, Rhein, Ritterseifen, Rolshagen, Rom, Rosengarten, Rossenbach *Schlechtingen, Seifen, Siedenberg, Solseifen, Springe, Steimelhagen, Stentenbach, Stockshöhe, Straßerhof, Strick *Überasbach, Überholz *Volperhausen *Wallerhausen, Wendershagen, Wittershagen *Zinshardt

History

* 4000-1800 BC: First settlement in the region, dating back to the Neolithic Age. A stone hatchet and a fragment of a flint blade have been found. *800 AD: Morschbach is part of Charlemagne's Holy Roman Empire. The parish of Morsbach was administered by the court officials of Sayn. *895: Morsbach is first mentioned in ''Duplicate of an Archival Book of the Inhabitants of Bonn, Saint Cassius Parish'', which also mentions the Oberberg communities. *31 March 1131:

Pope Innocent II Pope Innocent II ( la, Innocentius II; died 24 September 1143), born Gregorio Papareschi, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 14 February 1130 to his death in 1143. His election as pope was controversial and the fi ...

mentions the Morsbach church. *1174: The counts along the Wupper received

Windeck Windeck is a municipality in the Rhein-Sieg district, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is situated on the river Sieg, approx. 35 km east of Bonn and 35 km west of Siegen. Many think the municipality is named after the ruined cast ...

Castle from Earl Heinrich Raps of Thuringia as a gift. *c. 1500: A chapel is built in Holpe as a branch church of Morsbach. *1563: The counts of Sayn-Homburg authorize a Lutheran church. The parish of Morsbach remains Catholic, and the Lutheran parish is in Holpe. *1634: Morsbach becomes a fiefdom of Count Hermann von Hatzfeldt. *1661: The fiefdom is reclaimed by Philipp Wilhelm von Berg. *1795: During the War of the First Coalition, French forces cross the Rhine, seize the Duchy of Berg and camp in Morsbach. *1805: Prince-elector Maximilian Joseph von Pfalz-Zweibrücken forms an alliance with

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 ...

and becomes the king of Bavaria. *1806: Berg becomes a grand duchy, with Joachim Murat (Napoleon's brother-in-law) its regent. *1932: Kreis Waldbröl and

Gummersbach Gummersbach (; ksh, Jummersbach) is a town in the States of Germany, state of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, being the district seat of the Oberbergischer Kreis. It is located east of Cologne. History In 1109 Gummersbach was mentioned in offic ...

are combined to form Oberbergischer Kreis. Morsbach has about 5,300 inhabitants, and its borders have been nearly unchanged for centuries. *1946: Oberbergischer Kreis becomes part of North Rhine-Westphalia in West Germany.

Coat of arms

Morsbach's coat of arms was granted on August 14, 1937. The upper part is a lion (symbolic of the Counts of Berg), and the lower part is a marshy brook.

Population

Points of interest

* The Romanesque Saint Gertrud basilica, whose tower dates to the second half of the 12th century; other sections date to the first half of the 13th century. * Castle Volperhausen * The heritage-protected Morsbach station building. According to its preservation order, "The preservation of this building is of public interest because of its locally influenced design of the uniform Prussian station building type and also because of its special roof design."

Twin towns

* Großrosseln ( state of Saarland, Germany) * Milly-la-Forêt ( département of Essonne, France)

References

Bibliography

* Christoph Buchen / Erwin Weber: ''Alt Morsbach. Die Gemeinde Morsbach in alten Bildern'', Meinerzhagen 1981 * ''Morsbach. Chronik einer oberbergischen Gemeinde'', hg. von der Gemeinde Morsbach, Meinerzhagen 1987 * ''1100 Jahre Morsbach. 895 - 1995'', hg. von der Gemeinde Morsbach, Waldbröl 1995

External links

Official site
{{Authority control Oberbergischer Kreis