Nußbach, Rhineland-Palatinate
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Nußbach (or ''Nussbach'') is an ''
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 ...
. It belongs to the ''Verbandsgemeinde'' Lauterecken-Wolfstein.


Geography


Location

Nußbach lies in the valley of the like-named brook, the Nußbach (“Nutbrook”), which empties into the Odenbach some two kilometres downstream from the village, 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 ...
. It sits at an elevation of some 200 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 ...
, although outlying elevations within municipal limits reach heights of almost 450 m above sea level (Galgenkopf 305 m, Flettersberg 366 m, Erlenberg 399 m, Anzenthaler Hüberl 420 m, Sohlberg 433 m, Roßberg 448 m). The road that runs by, ''
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 ...
'' 386, links the Odenbach valley with the Alsenz valley. The municipal area measures 811 ha, of which roughly 36 ha is settled and 105 ha is wooded.


Neighbouring municipalities

Nußbach borders in the north on the municipality of
Waldgrehweiler Waldgrehweiler is a municipality in the Donnersbergkreis district, in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europ ...
, in the northeast on the municipality of Bisterschied, in the east on the municipality of Teschenmoschel, in the southeast on the municipality of Rathskirchen, in the south on the municipality of Hefersweiler, in the southwest on the municipality of Reipoltskirchen and in the northwest on the municipality of Becherbach.


Municipality’s layout

Nußbach is a clump village lying on a broadening of the dale in the area of the so-called Dorfbach (“Village Brook”), which flows by from the Roßberg (“Steed Mountain”) and here empties into the Nußbach. The built-up area stretches almost exclusively along the Nußbach's right bank, and reaches its greatest concentration where Bachstraße, a road running alongside the Dorfbach, meets Hauptstraße (“Main Street”), which runs alongside the Nußbach. Within the village, a few architecturally noteworthy buildings are to be found. The interesting
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 ...
village
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 * Chris ...
was built in the
Art Nouveau Art Nouveau (; ) is an international style of art, architecture, and applied art, especially the decorative arts. The style is known by different names in different languages: in German, in Italian, in Catalan, and also known as the Modern ...
style in 1911–1912 to plans by
Nuremberg Nuremberg ( ; german: link=no, Nürnberg ; in the local East Franconian dialect: ''Nämberch'' ) is the second-largest city of the German state of Bavaria after its capital Munich, and its 518,370 (2019) inhabitants make it the 14th-largest ...
architect Dünnbier. Across the street stands a house built in the same style. Particularly worthy of mention is the ''Laubenhaus'' or ''Haus Wildanger'' at Bachstraße 2, built as a
timber-frame Timber framing (german: Holzfachwerk) and "post-and-beam" construction are traditional methods of building with heavy timbers, creating structures using squared-off and carefully fitted and joined timbers with joints secured by large wooden ...
house. Since March 2002, it has served as the local history museum, called the ''Alte-Welt-Museum''. Also held to be of special interest among buildings are farmhouses built as three-side estates (open at one side, bordered by buildings on the other three) or corner estates and a belltower at the former graveyard. Both the sporting ground and the new graveyard lie in the village's northwest. Nußbach is today said to be a “residential community with rural character and emergent
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 ...
”.


History


Antiquity

There have been no reports of any
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 within Nußbach's limits from the
Stone Age The Stone Age was a broad prehistoric period during which stone was widely used to make tools with an edge, a point, or a percussion surface. The period lasted for roughly 3.4 million years, and ended between 4,000 BC and 2,000 BC, with t ...
, the
Bronze Age The Bronze Age is a historic period, lasting approximately from 3300 BC to 1200 BC, characterized by the use of bronze, the presence of writing in some areas, and other early features of urban civilization. The Bronze Age is the second pri ...
or the
Iron Age The Iron Age is the final epoch of the three-age division of the prehistory and protohistory of humanity. It was preceded by the Stone Age (Paleolithic, Mesolithic, Neolithic) and the Bronze Age (Chalcolithic). The concept has been mostly appl ...
. This is not to say that the area was not settled in
prehistoric times Prehistory, also known as pre-literary history, is the period of human history between the use of the first stone tools by hominins 3.3 million years ago and the beginning of recorded history with the invention of writing systems. The use of ...
, however. 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, there were certainly settlements in the area around what is now Nußbach. A
Roman road Roman roads ( la, viae Romanae ; singular: ; meaning "Roman way") were physical infrastructure vital to the maintenance and development of the Roman state, and were built from about 300 BC through the expansion and consolidation of the Roman Re ...
led over the nearby Roßberg, on whose peak – albeit outside Nußbach's limits in the neighbouring municipality of Becherbach – and near Gangloff (a constituent community of Becherbach), ''Viergöttersteine'' (“four-god stones”, pedestals on which a
Jupiter Column A Jupiter Column (german: Jupitergigantensäule or ) is a monument belonging to a type widespread in Roman Germania. Description Jupiter Column pillars express the religious beliefs of their time. They were erected in the 2nd and 3rd centuries ...
was customarily stood) have been unearthed. These are now kept at the Historical Museum of the Palatinate (''Historisches Museum der Pfalz'') in
Speyer Speyer (, older spelling ''Speier'', French: ''Spire,'' historical English: ''Spires''; pfl, Schbaija) is a city in Rhineland-Palatinate in Germany with approximately 50,000 inhabitants. Located on the left bank of the river Rhine, Speyer li ...
.


Middle Ages

An exact time in history when Nußbach was founded cannot be reckoned with any exactitude. It is likely that the village arose in the
Early Middle Ages The Early Middle Ages (or early medieval period), sometimes controversially referred to as the Dark Ages, is typically regarded by historians as lasting from the late 5th or early 6th century to the 10th century. They marked the start of the Mi ...
, perhaps in the 9th or 10th century. Nußbach originally lay in the
Nahegau The Nahegau was in the Middle Ages a county, which covered the environs of the Nahe and large parts of present-day Rhenish Hesse, after a successful expansion of the narrow territory, which did not reach the Rhine, to the disadvantage of the Worms ...
and thus later passed into the Rhinegraves’ and Raugraves’ ownership, making the village's history comparable to that experienced by other villages throughout the former ''
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 Grumbach. Hence, Nußbach belonged as of 1140 to the Waldgraviate and beginning in 1263 to the Lordship of Dhaun-Grumbach. In 1309, Nußbach had its first documentary mention. The Rhinegraves Georg and Konrad documented their parents’ bequest of a regular income from Nußbach to the Otterberg Monastery. In 1443, Waldgrave Friedrich at Dun and Rhinegrave at the Stone (''Wildgraf Friedrich zu Dun und Rheingraf zum Stein'') pledged the villages around
Grumbach Grumbach 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 Lauterecken-Wolfstein. ...
and also the farther-flung villages of Nußbach and
Bosenbach Bosenbach is an ''Ortsgemeinde'' – a municipality belonging to a ''Verbandsgemeinde'', a kind of collective municipality – in the Kusel district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It belongs to the ''Verbandsgemeinde'' of Kusel-Altenglan, whose ...
to Count Palatine Stephan of Zweibrücken and his then still living father-in-law Count Friedrich III of
Veldenz Veldenz is an ''Ortsgemeinde'' – a municipality belonging to a ''Verbandsgemeinde'', a kind of collective municipality – in the Bernkastel-Wittlich district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is the former main seat of the County of Veldenz, ...
. This pledge was repeated in 1447, although this time by Rhinegrave Gottfried to Duke Stephan of Palatinate-Zweibrücken (the same Stephan; Count Friedrich III by now had died). As part of the deal, Rhinegrave Gottfried reserved the right to by the territory back. It was Rhinegrave Johann zu Salm who actually exercised this option in 1477 when Duke Ludwig “the Black” resided at
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 ...
. At this time, the provostry of Offenbach am Glan was endowed with rights in Nußbach. The monastery had to perform transport services for the Duchy of Palatinate-Zweibrücken. This duty was abolished in 1536 against a payment of 13 ''Malter'' of grain, half corn (
wheat Wheat is a grass widely cultivated for its seed, a cereal grain that is a worldwide staple food. The many species of wheat together make up the genus ''Triticum'' ; the most widely grown is common wheat (''T. aestivum''). The archaeologi ...
or
rye Rye (''Secale cereale'') is a grass grown extensively as a grain, a cover crop and a forage crop. It is a member of the wheat tribe (Triticeae) and is closely related to both wheat (''Triticum'') and barley (genus ''Hordeum''). Rye grain is u ...
) and half
oat The oat (''Avena sativa''), sometimes called the common oat, is a species of cereal grain grown for its seed, which is known by the same name (usually in the plural, unlike other cereals and pseudocereals). While oats are suitable for human con ...
s, to Duke Wolfgang of Zweibrücken. The village of Nußbach had to come up with this grain. The agreement was renewed in 1543. In 1553, Waldgrave and Rhinegrave Philipp Franz traded Nußbach, together with Schönau and half of Rudolphskirchen for Hochstetten in the
Alsenz Alsenz () is a municipality in the Donnersbergkreis district, in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. Alsenz has an area of 12.88 km2 and a population of 1,647 (as of December 31, 2020). Culture and sights In the centre of the village is the Re ...
valley in the
Imperial Imperial is that which relates to an empire, emperor, or imperialism. Imperial or The Imperial may also refer to: Places United States * Imperial, California * Imperial, Missouri * Imperial, Nebraska * Imperial, Pennsylvania * Imperial, Texa ...
county of Reipoltskirchen under the then Baron Johann II. Thereafter, Nußbach's history was tightly bound to the Imperial county's. This lordship belonged to the
Upper Rhenish Circle The Upper Rhenish Circle (german: Oberrheinischer Reichskreis) was an Imperial Circle of the Holy Roman Empire established in 1500 on the territory of the former Duchy of Upper Lorraine and large parts of Rhenish Franconia including the Swabi ...
.


Modern times

Baron Johann II, who had been
Franz von Sickingen Franz von Sickingen (2 March 14817 May 1523) was an Imperial Knight who, with Ulrich von Hutten, led the so-called "Knights' Revolt," and was one of the most notable figures of the early period of the Protestant Reformation. Sickingen was nickn ...
’s contemporary, died in 1568. In the time that followed, tight bonds were forged with other counties through marriage, particularly with
Leiningen-Westerburg Leiningen-Westerburg was a historic state of the Holy Roman Empire, located in the vicinity of Leiningen and Westerburg in what is now the German state of Rhineland-Palatinate. Leiningen-Westerburg was formed in 1467, when the last Landgrave ...
through Johann’s daughter-in-law Amalia’s second marriage. The Imperial county, and thereby Nußbach, too, became
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 ...
. Through all the changes that characterized the Imperial county’s history during the 17th and 18th centuries, Nußbach always remained with the “core” Imperial county with its centre of Reipoltskirchen and thereby shared the same history as the other villages of Rathskirchen, Reichsthal, Hefersweiler, Relsberg,
Morbach Morbach is a municipality that belongs to no ''Verbandsgemeinde'' – a kind of collective municipality – in the Bernkastel-Wittlich district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is also a state-recognized climatic resort (''Luftkurort''). G ...
, Finkenbach-Gersweiler, Schönborn, Dörnbach and half of Rudolphskirchen until the lordship was dissolved in the course of the
French Revolution The French Revolution ( ) was a period of radical political and societal change in France that began with the Estates General of 1789 and ended with the formation of the French Consulate in November 1799. Many of its ideas are considere ...
. During this time, these villages were held wholly or partly by the following lordships: The County of
Leiningen-Westerburg Leiningen-Westerburg was a historic state of the Holy Roman Empire, located in the vicinity of Leiningen and Westerburg in what is now the German state of Rhineland-Palatinate. Leiningen-Westerburg was formed in 1467, when the last Landgrave ...
, the Lordship of Löwenhaupt, the Barons of Hillesheim, the Lordship of Manderscheid-Kell and
the Palatinate The Palatinate (german: Pfalz; Palatine German: ''Palz'') is a region of Germany. In the Middle Ages it was known as the Rhenish Palatinate (''Rheinpfalz'') and Lower Palatinate (''Unterpfalz''), which strictly speaking designated only the wes ...
(through Karoline von Isenburg, Elector Karl-Theodor's natural daughter).


Recent times

In 1793, French Revolutionary troops first
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 2 ...
the Imperial county, along with Nußbach. The lordly holdings were absorbed into the
French First Republic In the history of France, the First Republic (french: Première République), sometimes referred to in historiography as Revolutionary France, and officially the French Republic (french: République française), was founded on 21 September 1792 ...
’s national property. Nußbach thereby belonged between 1801 and 1814 to
France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...
, administratively to the ''Mairie'' (“Mayoralty”) of Becherbach, the Canton of Lauterecken, the
Arrondissement An arrondissement (, , ) is any of various administrative divisions of France, Belgium, Haiti, certain other Francophone countries, as well as the Netherlands. Europe France The 101 French departments are divided into 342 ''arrondissements' ...
of Kaiserslautern and 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, ...
of
Mont-Tonnerre Mont-Tonnerre was a department of the First French Republic and later the First French Empire in present-day Germany. It was named after the highest point in the Palatinate, the ''Donnersberg'' ("Thunder Mountain", possibly referring to Donar, ...
(or Donnersberg 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 ...
). In the regional new order laid out after the time of
French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...
rule by 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 ...
, the village passed to the
Kingdom of Bavaria The Kingdom of Bavaria (german: Königreich Bayern; ; spelled ''Baiern'' until 1825) was a German state that succeeded the former Electorate of Bavaria in 1805 and continued to exist until 1918. With the unification of Germany into the German E ...
, for the Palatinate had become an
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 that state. Within this ''bayerischer Rheinkreis'' (“Bavarian Rhine District”), Nußbach at first belonged to the ''Bürgermeisterei'' (“Mayoralty”) of Becherbach, but later became the seat of its own ''Bürgermeisterei'' in the Canton of Lauterecken and the ''Landkommissariat'' of Kusel. In the late 1920s and early 1930s, the
Nazi Party The Nazi Party, officially the National Socialist German Workers' Party (german: Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei or NSDAP), was a far-right politics, far-right political party in Germany active between 1920 and 1945 that crea ...
(NSDAP) became quite popular in Nußbach. In the 1928 Reichstag elections, none of the local votes went to
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 ...
’s party, but by the 1930 Reichstag elections, this had grown to 8.8%. By the time of the 1933 Reichstag elections, after Hitler had already seized power, local support for the Nazis had swollen to 39.7%. Hitler's success in these elections paved the way for his
Enabling Act of 1933 The Enabling Act (German: ') of 1933, officially titled ' (), was a law that gave the German Cabinet – most importantly, the Chancellor – the powers to make and enforce laws without the involvement of the Reichstag or Weimar Presi ...
(''Ermächtigungsgesetz''), thus starting 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 ...
in earnest. 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 ...
, Nußbach was grouped into the then newly founded
state State may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Literature * ''State Magazine'', a monthly magazine published by the U.S. Department of State * ''The State'' (newspaper), a daily newspaper in Columbia, South Carolina, United States * ''Our S ...
of
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 ...
. In the course of administrative restructuring in 1968, the ''Bürgermeisterei'' was dissolved. Since 1972, Nußbach has belonged as an ''
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 ...
'' to the ''Verbandsgemeinde'' of Wolfstein 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 ...
.


Population development

In earlier times, most of Nußbach's inhabitants earned their living at
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 ...
. Since then, however, there has been a great shift in the local economy, and the whole workforce is now employed in other occupations. Most of them must
commute Commute, commutation or commutative may refer to: * Commuting, the process of travelling between a place of residence and a place of work Mathematics * Commutative property, a property of a mathematical operation whose result is insensitive to th ...
elsewhere to their jobs, mainly to
Kaiserslautern Kaiserslautern (; Palatinate German: ''Lautre'') is a city in southwest Germany, located in the state of Rhineland-Palatinate at the edge of the Palatinate Forest. The historic centre dates to the 9th century. It is from Paris, from Frankfur ...
, Wolfstein,
Lauterecken Lauterecken () is a town in the Kusel district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is the seat of the ''Verbandsgemeinde'' Lauterecken-Wolfstein, to which it also belongs. Lauterecken bears the nickname ''Veldenzstadt'', after the comital family t ...
and
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 ...
. Even in these earlier times, though, there were other ways to earn a livelihood. There were the crafts, and also the mines and
quarries A quarry is a type of open-pit mine in which dimension stone, rock, construction aggregate, riprap, sand, gravel, or slate is excavated from the ground. The operation of quarries is regulated in some jurisdictions to reduce their environ ...
. There were once also
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 living in the village, who enhanced the craft businesses and trade. Since days of yore, Nußbach has had more inhabitants than the neighbouring former lordly seat of Reipoltskirchen. From the early 19th century onwards, Nußbach had between 500 and 600 inhabitants. Before 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 ...
, great population growth set in, but this did not continue after the war. Whereas most of the Kusel district's villages saw their population levels fall 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 ...
, even after ethnic Germans driven out of Germany's former eastern territories had come to settle, in Nußbach, further population growth set in, fostered by the village's relative proximity to the regional hub,
Kaiserslautern Kaiserslautern (; Palatinate German: ''Lautre'') is a city in southwest Germany, located in the state of Rhineland-Palatinate at the edge of the Palatinate Forest. The historic centre dates to the 9th century. It is from Paris, from Frankfur ...
. The following table shows 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 for Nußbach, with some figures broken down by religious denomination: ''NB:'' The 1818 Palatine Union saw the Lutheran and Reformed Churches unite into the Evangelical Church.


Municipality’s name

The name is made up of the first syllable, ''Nuß—'', which means “
nut Nut often refers to: * Nut (fruit), fruit composed of a hard shell and a seed, or a collective noun for dry and edible fruits or seeds * Nut (hardware), fastener used with a bolt Nut or Nuts may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Com ...
” (but originally “
walnut A walnut is the edible seed of a drupe of any tree of the genus ''Juglans'' (family Juglandaceae), particularly the Persian or English walnut, '' Juglans regia''. Although culinarily considered a "nut" and used as such, it is not a true ...
tree”). To the word ''Nuß—'', the element ''—bach'' (
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 ...
for “brook”) was added, and the name might originally have been given a settlement that arose at a walnut tree. Older forms of the name are Nußbach (1309, in a 1360 copy) and ''Noßbach'' (1391).


Religion

Much is unknown about Nußbach's
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 ...
ecclesiastical organization. As early as the 14th century, a
church Church may refer to: Religion * Church (building), a building for Christian religious activities * Church (congregation), a local congregation of a Christian denomination * Church service, a formalized period of Christian communal worship * Chris ...
stood somewhere near the old graveyard that was consecrated to Saint John. Still standing now at the old graveyard, which was used until 1901, is a belltower, but this dates from the early 19th century. It is likely that the villagers 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" ...
to
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 ...
belief even before 1553, when Nußbach still belonged to the Waldgraviate-Rhinegraviate. In the time 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 ...
, the villages of Berzweiler and Nußbach, as well as the Ausbacherhof and the Naumburgerhof (estates) near
Ginsweiler Ginsweiler 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'' Lauterecken-Wolfstein. ...
, belonged to the Lutheran parish of Reipoltskirchen. Originally, the Lords of Reipoltskirchen promoted the
Protestant Protestantism is a Christian denomination, branch of Christianity that follows the theological tenets of the Reformation, Protestant Reformation, a movement that began seeking to reform the Catholic Church from within in the 16th century agai ...
, but after 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 ...
, the
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 ...
faith was able to reassert itself somewhat more strongly, and all the more so once the lordship itself chose to switch back to the old belief and even promote it. The church in Reipoltskirchen, which had become Protestant in the 16th century, was yielded back to the Catholic faith about 1700, whereupon the Protestants belonged to the parish of Rathskirchen, after having been tended for a short time by the parish of Finkenbach.
Franciscan The Franciscans are a group of related Mendicant orders, mendicant Christianity, Christian Catholic religious order, religious orders within the Catholic Church. Founded in 1209 by Italian Catholic friar Francis of Assisi, these orders include t ...
s from
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 ...
held church services in Reipoltskirchen. In those days, physical fights sometimes broke out between Protestant and Catholic
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 ...
. Also belonging to the Lutheran parish of Rathskirchen, which was likely founded as early as the introduction of the Reformation in the 16th century, were from then onwards the Protestants from Nußbach. In 1821, the Protestant church authority had the ecclesiastical boundaries newly drawn. This grouped the Protestants in the municipalities of Reichsthal, Seelen, Rudolphskirchen, Nußbach and Reipoltskirchen as well as the estates of Karlshof, Ingweilerhof, Bösodenbacherhof and Ausbacherhof into the parish of Rathskirchen. Essentially, this arrangement still stands today. Only the Ausbacherhof was split away and joined with Einöllen. In the early 19th century, one fourth of Nußbach's population once again clove to Catholic belief. Protestantism was represented foremost by the Lutheran faith, while only four villagers were
Calvinists 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 Ca ...
. In the Union of 1818, Lutherans and Calvinists were united. The church building that was still being used by the Protestants fell into disrepair and was torn down.
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 then attended services in Rathskirchen, while the Catholic Christians now, as before, belonged to the parish of Reipoltskirchen. In 1911–1912, a new church building was built on Hauptstraße for the Protestant community. In 1912, the new church got an
organ Organ may refer to: Biology * Organ (biology), a part of an organism Musical instruments * Organ (music), a family of keyboard musical instruments characterized by sustained tone ** Electronic organ, an electronic keyboard instrument ** Hammond ...
from the firm Walcker in
Ludwigsburg Ludwigsburg (; Swabian: ''Ludisburg'') is a city in Baden-Württemberg, Germany, about north of Stuttgart city centre, near the river Neckar. It is the largest and primary city of the Ludwigsburg district with about 88,000 inhabitants. It is ...
. A new church built in similar style was put up at about the same time in Rathskirchen. Today the Catholic Christians belong to the parish of Lauterecken.


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-Websterarms 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: A bend sinister wavy argent between gules a belltower Or and vert a hazelnut twig fructed of two, foiled of one and slipped of the third. The bend sinister wavy (diagonal wavy stripe) refers to the village's namesake brook, the Nußbach. The
hazelnut The hazelnut is the fruit of the hazel tree and therefore includes any of the nuts deriving from species of the genus ''Corylus'', especially the nuts of the species ''Corylus avellana''. They are also known as cobnuts or filberts according t ...
s in the green field are
canting ' (IPA: , VOS Spelling: ''tjanting'', jv, ꦕꦤ꧀ꦛꦶꦁ, Tjanting) is a pen-like tool used to apply liquid hot wax ( jv, ) in the batik-making process in Indonesia, more precisely '' batik tulis'' (lit. "written batik"). Traditional ''T ...
for the village's name (''Nuß'' is
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 ...
for “nut”). The
tincture A tincture is typically an extract of plant or animal material dissolved in ethanol (ethyl alcohol). Solvent concentrations of 25–60% are common, but may run as high as 90%.Groot Handboek Geneeskrachtige Planten by Geert Verhelst In chemistr ...
s vert and argent (green and silver) are the ones formerly borne by the Lords of Reipoltskirchen, who were the local lords of Nußbach before 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 municipality's belltower served a political purpose from 1811 to 1914. The bells come from Saint John’s
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 ...
(''Johanneskapelle''), which once stood at the old graveyard. The arms have been borne since 29 March 1985 when they were approved by the ''
Regierungsbezirk A ' () means "governmental district" and is a type of administrative division in Germany. Four of sixteen ' ( states of Germany) are split into '. Beneath these are rural and urban districts. Saxony has ' (directorate districts) with more res ...
'' administration in
Neustadt an der Weinstraße Neustadt an der Weinstraße (, formerly known as ; lb, Neustadt op der Wäistrooss ; pfl, Naischdadt) is a town in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. With 53,300 inhabitants , it is the largest town called ''Neustadt''. Geography Location T ...
.


Town partnerships

Nußbach fosters partnerships with the following places: * Reifland,
Erzgebirgskreis Erzgebirgskreis is a district ('' Kreis'') in the Free State of Saxony, Germany. It is named after the Erzgebirge ("Ore Mountains"), a mountain range in the southern part of the district which forms part of the Germany–Czech Republic border. I ...
,
Saxony Saxony (german: Sachsen ; Upper Saxon: ''Saggsn''; hsb, Sakska), officially the Free State of Saxony (german: Freistaat Sachsen, links=no ; Upper Saxon: ''Freischdaad Saggsn''; hsb, Swobodny stat Sakska, links=no), is a landlocked state of ...
Since 1999, Reifland has been a constituent community (''
Ortsteil A village is a clustered human settlement or Residential community, community, larger than a hamlet (place), hamlet but smaller than a town (although the word is often used to describe both hamlets and smaller towns), with a population t ...
'') of
Lengefeld Lengefeld is a town and a former municipality in the district Erzgebirgskreis, in the Free State of Saxony, Germany. It is situated in the Ore Mountains, 23 km southeast of Chemnitz. On 1 January 2014 it was merged with the municipality Pock ...
.


Struggle with neo-Nazis

Early in 2002, Nußbach found itself beset by a great number of members of the
National Democratic Party of Germany The National Democratic Party of Germany (german: Nationaldemokratische Partei Deutschlands or NPD) is a far-right Neo-Nazi and ultranationalist political party in Germany. The party was founded in 1964 as successor to the German Reich Party ...
(NPD), a
neo-Nazi Neo-Nazism comprises the post–World War II militant, social, and political movements that seek to revive and reinstate Nazism, Nazi ideology. Neo-Nazis employ their ideology to promote hatred and Supremacism#Racial, racial supremacy (ofte ...
organization. Several hundred of these neo-Nazis “invaded” the village, causing more than muted reaction.
Petition A petition is a request to do something, most commonly addressed to a government official or public entity. Petitions to a deity are a form of prayer called supplication. In the colloquial sense, a petition is a document addressed to some offici ...
s against the NPD's activities in Nußbach were set up by former mayor Rudi Zapp in local shops and were quickly filled with signatures. When the NPD announced only a week after their nighttime gathering that they would hold a demonstration on 24 February 2002, local residents decided to stage a counterdemonstration. While the neo-Nazis held their gathering at the former public house, several hundred citizens – their numbers were bolstered by demonstrators from other nearby villages – demonstrated against them, waving banners with messages such as “''Nußbach lässt sich nicht knacken''” (“Nußbach will not crack”).


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 Christian denomination, branch of Christianity that follows the theological tenets of the Reformation, Protestant Reformation, a movement that began seeking to reform the Catholic Church from within in the 16th century agai ...
church, Hauptstraße 13 – picturesque group of buildings in
Swiss chalet style Swiss chalet style (german: Schweizerstil, no, Sveitserstil) is an architectural style of Late Historicism, originally inspired by rural chalets in Switzerland and the Alpine (mountainous) regions of Central Europe. The style refers to traditi ...
, 1911/1912, architect Dünnbier,
Nuremberg Nuremberg ( ; german: link=no, Nürnberg ; in the local East Franconian dialect: ''Nämberch'' ) is the second-largest city of the German state of Bavaria after its capital Munich, and its 518,370 (2019) inhabitants make it the 14th-largest ...
; furnishings, Walcker
organ Organ may refer to: Biology * Organ (biology), a part of an organism Musical instruments * Organ (music), a family of keyboard musical instruments characterized by sustained tone ** Electronic organ, an electronic keyboard instrument ** Hammond ...
from 1912 * Bachstraße 2 – house with covered walk,
timber-frame Timber framing (german: Holzfachwerk) and "post-and-beam" construction are traditional methods of building with heavy timbers, creating structures using squared-off and carefully fitted and joined timbers with joints secured by large wooden ...
house, partly solid, with open
loggia In architecture, a loggia ( , usually , ) is a covered exterior gallery or corridor, usually on an upper level, but sometimes on the ground level of a building. The outer wall is open to the elements, usually supported by a series of columns ...
, about 1700, stable-barn; characterizes village’s appearance * Hauptstraße 12 – building with half-hipped roof, Swiss chalet style, 1913, architect Dünnbier,
Kaiserslautern Kaiserslautern (; Palatinate German: ''Lautre'') is a city in southwest Germany, located in the state of Rhineland-Palatinate at the edge of the Palatinate Forest. The historic centre dates to the 9th century. It is from Paris, from Frankfur ...
* Hauptstraße 42 – corner estate; house, partly timber-frame, marked 1717 * Near Hohlstraße 4 – belltower, (in modern times) marked 1811 The timber-frame house at Bachstraße 2 is the one that now houses the local history museum.


Regular events

The
kermis Kermesse, or kermis, or kirmess, is a Dutch language term derived from 'kerk' (church) and 'mis' (mass) that became borrowed in English, French, Spanish and many other languages, originally denoting the mass said on the anniversary of the foundat ...
(church consecration festival) is held on the third weekend in August.


Clubs

Cultural life is also characterized by a lively club life. Among the clubs are the ''Sportverein Nußbach 1931'' (
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 ...
) with a clubhouse, the 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 ...
promotional association and a local chapter of the
German Red Cross The German Red Cross (german: Deutsches Rotes Kreuz ; DRK) is the national Red Cross Society in Germany. With 4 million members, it is the third largest Red Cross society in the world. The German Red Cross offers a wide range of services within ...
.


Museums

Also found in Nußbach is the ''Alte-Welt-Museum'' (“Old World
Museum A museum ( ; plural museums or, rarely, musea) is a building or institution that cares for and displays a collection of artifacts and other objects of artistic, cultural, historical, or scientific importance. Many public museums make these ...
”), which houses old craft exhibits and, among other things, an 18th-century
loom A loom is a device used to weave cloth and tapestry. The basic purpose of any loom is to hold the warp threads under tension to facilitate the interweaving of the weft threads. The precise shape of the loom and its mechanics may vary, but th ...
. The dedication took place on 15 March 2002, and there was an “open house” the next day for all who were interested. The museum is housed in a newly renovated
timber-frame Timber framing (german: Holzfachwerk) and "post-and-beam" construction are traditional methods of building with heavy timbers, creating structures using squared-off and carefully fitted and joined timbers with joints secured by large wooden ...
house, the ''Haus Wildanger'' at Bachstraße 2. It has a “great gallery” that can be used as extra room for exhibitions. Planning for the museum began in 1996 in the course of a village renewal programme.
Weaving Weaving is a method of textile production in which two distinct sets of yarns or threads are interlaced at right angles to form a fabric or cloth. Other methods are knitting, crocheting, felting, and braiding or plaiting. The longitudinal th ...
is a traditional craft in Nußbach, with an address book from 1877 listing six
linen Linen () is a textile made from the fibers of the flax plant. Linen is very strong, absorbent, and dries faster than cotton. Because of these properties, linen is comfortable to wear in hot weather and is valued for use in garments. It also ...
weavers in the village. Exhibits show how
flax Flax, also known as common flax or linseed, is a flowering plant, ''Linum usitatissimum'', in the family Linaceae. It is cultivated as a food and fiber crop in regions of the world with temperate climates. Textiles made from flax are known in ...
is woven into finished linen. In a key exhibit at the museum, ladies’ historical costume from the 19th and 20th centuries is displayed. On show in the arcade are pictures of timber-frame houses in the district, both still standing and bygone.


Economy and infrastructure


Economic structure

While in earlier times
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 a main source of income, nowadays only 20% of the people in Nußbach earn their livelihoods by working the land. Other occupations that were available in bygone days were
forestry Forestry is the science and craft of creating, managing, planting, using, conserving and repairing forests, woodlands, and associated resources for human and environmental benefits. Forestry is practiced in plantations and natural stands. Th ...
,
mining Mining is the extraction of valuable minerals or other geological materials from the Earth, usually from an ore body, lode, vein, seam, reef, or placer deposit. The exploitation of these deposits for raw material is based on the economic via ...
and
quarry A quarry is a type of open-pit mine in which dimension stone, rock, construction aggregate, riprap, sand, gravel, or slate is excavated from the ground. The operation of quarries is regulated in some jurisdictions to reduce their envi ...
ing. There were
coal Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock, formed as rock strata called coal seams. Coal is mostly carbon with variable amounts of other elements, chiefly hydrogen, sulfur, oxygen, and nitrogen. Coal is formed when dea ...
mines near Reipoltskirchen, Hefersweiler, Relsberg,
Adenbach Adenbach 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'' Lauterecken-Wolfstein. Ge ...
and Rathskirchen. It is likely that workers from Nußbach were also employed in these places. In the village itself, there were also the customary craft occupations. Found in the village today are
grocery A grocery store ( AE), grocery shop ( BE) or simply grocery is a store that primarily retails a general range of food products, which may be fresh or packaged. In everyday U.S. usage, however, "grocery store" is a synonym for supermarket, an ...
shops, a clothing shop, a
pizzeria A pizzeria is a restaurant focusing on pizza. As well as pizza, dishes at pizzerias can include kebab, salads and pasta. Many pizzerias offer take-away, where the customer orders their food either in advance or at the restaurant and then take ...
and a
filling station A filling station, also known as a gas station () or petrol station (), is a facility that sells fuel and engine lubricants for motor vehicles. The most common fuels sold in the 2010s were gasoline (or petrol) and diesel fuel. Gasoli ...
. For a long time, there was a wildlife park near the village, but this has closed. There are plans to build a great leisure and conference centre where the old wildlife park lay, with a
hotel A hotel is an establishment that provides paid lodging on a short-term basis. Facilities provided inside a hotel room may range from a modest-quality mattress in a small room to large suites with bigger, higher-quality beds, a dresser, a ref ...
complex, an adventure
swimming pool A swimming pool, swimming bath, wading pool, paddling pool, or simply pool, is a structure designed to hold water to enable Human swimming, swimming or other leisure activities. Pools can be built into the ground (in-ground pools) or built ...
, a riding sport centre, a
shopping centre A shopping center (American English) or shopping centre (Commonwealth English), also called a shopping complex, shopping arcade, shopping plaza or galleria, is a group of shops built together, sometimes under one roof. The first known collec ...
and holiday houses. Such a complex could create many jobs for villagers and others from the local area. At this time, only a few people can actually pursue their profession within the village. Most seek work in the bigger towns in the broader area.


Education

Establishing a schooling system in such a small lordly domain was something that the Lords of Reipoltskirchen could not bring off without problems. Thus, for a time, the school was trusted to the Duchy of Palatinate-Zweibrücken through its '' Oberamt'' of Meisenheim. In Bavarian times, there were originally two
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 compuls ...
s in Nußbach, one
Catholic The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...
and one
Protestant Protestantism is a Christian denomination, branch of Christianity that follows the theological tenets of the Reformation, Protestant Reformation, a movement that began seeking to reform the Catholic Church from within in the 16th century agai ...
. Mainly on financial grounds, the two schools were merged about 1875 and the resulting institution was run as a denominationally mixed school. It was split into two classes and thus employed two schoolteachers, one of each denomination. The first known schoolteacher at the Protestant school was Johannes Lehmann, born in 1809 in Relsberg. He was assistant teacher in 1829 before becoming full teacher in 1833. In 1834 he asked for his salary to be raised, but this was not approved, because the pastor was at odds with Lehmann over the schoolteacher's broad mindset. In 1841, Lehmann got himself into a dispute with the municipality over
sheep Sheep or domestic sheep (''Ovis aries'') are domesticated, ruminant mammals typically kept as livestock. Although the term ''sheep'' can apply to other species in the genus ''Ovis'', in everyday usage it almost always refers to domesticated s ...
grazing In agriculture, grazing is a method of animal husbandry whereby domestic livestock are allowed outdoors to roam around and consume wild vegetations in order to convert the otherwise indigestible (by human gut) cellulose within grass and other ...
. The ongoing differences of opinion between Lehmann on the one hand and the pastor and the municipality on the other eventually led to neglect of the school and the teaching. In 1842, Lehmann's wife opened a general store, which led to complaints to the school inspectorate. In 1856, the municipality bought a cropfield that was to be used by both schoolteachers for their own needs. In 1871, the school administrator Heyl was sent to be Lehmann's assistant, but Heyl soon found himself doing all the teaching when Lehmann retired. In 1874, the teaching post was once again vacant, and schoolteachers Karl Keller, who had been working in Sitters, and Jakob Brosius, from
Feilbingert Feilbingert is an ''Ortsgemeinde'' – a municipality belonging to a ''Verbandsgemeinde'', a kind of collective municipality – in the Bad Kreuznach district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It belongs to the ''Verbandsgemeinde'' of Bad Kreuzna ...
, taught temporarily. The first known Catholic schoolteacher was Friedrich Groß from Würzweiler, born in 1821, who received a yearly salary of 175
Rhenish guilder The Rhenish ''gulden'' or Rhenish ''guilder'' (german: Rheinischer Gulden; la, florenus Rheni) was a gold, standard currency coin of the Rhineland in the 14th and 15th centuries. They weighed between 3.4 and 3.8 grams (). History The Rhenish ...
s, which was raised by 25 guilders from the district school fund. A report about him in 1853 said that he was hardworking, regularly attended church, received the
Sacraments A sacrament is a Christian rite that is recognized as being particularly important and significant. There are various views on the existence and meaning of such rites. Many Christians consider the sacraments to be a visible symbol of the real ...
and also held
Sunday school A Sunday school is an educational institution, usually (but not always) Christian in character. Other religions including Buddhism, Islam, and Judaism have also organised Sunday schools in their temples and mosques, particularly in the West. Su ...
. In 1887, Groß, at the age of 66, took “early” retirement owing to illness. The other schoolteachers all taught at the merged, denominationally mixed school, where Protestant schoolchildren were the majority (1874: 15 Catholic, 17 Protestant). For the most part, the Catholic schoolteacher taught the lower class while the Protestant schoolteacher taught the upper class. Schoolteachers in the time that followed were Xaver Knörr, Christian Zimmer, Eduard Biermeier, Karl Baum, Andreas Streets, Pius Heiß, Adolf Braun, Karl Karsch, Ludwig Liebel, Josef Laux, Jakob Schild and Otto Anthes. Knörr came in 1884 from Wasserzell. He was sick with
emphysema Emphysema, or pulmonary emphysema, is a lower respiratory tract disease, characterised by air-filled spaces ( pneumatoses) in the lungs, that can vary in size and may be very large. The spaces are caused by the breakdown of the walls of the alve ...
and bronchial
catarrh Catarrh is an exudate of inflamed mucous membranes in one of the airways or cavities of the body, usually with reference to the throat and paranasal sinuses. It can result in a thick exudate of mucus and white blood cells caused by the swelling o ...
and forthwith sought retirement. The request was temporarily granted in 1884, becoming permanent by 1896. Biermeier had very good marks at teacher's college. In 1889, he wed a
surgeon In modern medicine, a surgeon is a medical professional who performs surgery. Although there are different traditions in different times and places, a modern surgeon usually is also a licensed physician or received the same medical training as ...
’s daughter, Maria Barnstein from Asbach in
Lower Bavaria Lower Bavaria (german: Niederbayern, Bavarian: ''Niedabayern'') is one of the seven administrative regions of Bavaria, Germany, located in the east of the state. Geography Lower Bavaria is subdivided into two regions () – Landshut and Donau-W ...
. Baum came from
Münchweiler an der Alsenz Münchweiler an der Alsenz is a municipality in the Donnersbergkreis district, in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. References

Municipalities in Rhineland-Palatinate Donnersbergkreis {{Donnersbergkreis-geo-stub ...
. Heiß was from
Middle Franconia Middle Franconia (german: Mittelfranken, ) is one of the three administrative regions of Franconia in Bavaria, Germany. It is located in the west of Bavaria and borders the state of Baden-Württemberg. The administrative seat is Ansbach; however, ...
and had taught in Contwig before being transferred to Nußbach. In 1919, he went to the school in
Ginsweiler Ginsweiler 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'' Lauterecken-Wolfstein. ...
. Braun came from
Rammelsbach Rammelsbach 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, Ger ...
in 1904, marrying Albertine Reinhardt from Hornbach in 1906. Beginning in 1889, a change began with Baum. Many Catholic schoolchildren saw fit to attend the Catholic school in nearby Reipoltskirchen, where Josef Laux was transferred in 1907. The first woman to teach school in Nußbach was Hedwig Betzler, who came to the village 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 ...
. Nowadays,
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 ...
pupils and
Hauptschule A ''Hauptschule'' (, "general school") is a secondary school in Germany, starting after four years of elementary schooling (''Grundschule''), which offers Lower Secondary Education (Level 2) according to the International Standard Classification ...
students attend their respective schools in Wolfstein.


Famous people


Sons and daughters of the town

Aloys Schirmer (b. 4 December 1911; d. 7 October 1981 in
Landau Landau ( pfl, Landach), officially Landau in der Pfalz, is an autonomous (''kreisfrei'') town surrounded by the Südliche Weinstraße ("Southern Wine Route") district of southern Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is a university town (since 1990 ...
) — After his
Abitur ''Abitur'' (), often shortened colloquially to ''Abi'', is a qualification granted at the end of secondary education in Germany. It is conferred on students who pass their final exams at the end of ISCED 3, usually after twelve or thirteen year ...
at the episcopal
boarding school A boarding school is a school where pupils live within premises while being given formal instruction. The word "boarding" is used in the sense of "room and board", i.e. lodging and meals. As they have existed for many centuries, and now exten ...
in 1932, Schirmer studied
theology Theology is the systematic study of the nature of the divine and, more broadly, of religious belief. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of analyzing the ...
in
Innsbruck Innsbruck (; bar, Innschbruck, label=Bavarian language, Austro-Bavarian ) is the capital of Tyrol (state), Tyrol and the List of cities and towns in Austria, fifth-largest city in Austria. On the Inn (river), River Inn, at its junction with the ...
and
Vienna en, Viennese , iso_code = AT-9 , registration_plate = W , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = , timezone = CET , utc_offset = +1 , timezone_DST ...
. In 1937, he was
ordained Ordination is the process by which individuals are consecrated, that is, set apart and elevated from the laity class to the clergy, who are thus then authorized (usually by the denominational hierarchy composed of other clergy) to perform va ...
a priest. He was assistant at the Maria Rosenberg
seminary A seminary, school of theology, theological seminary, or divinity school is an educational institution for educating students (sometimes called ''seminarians'') in scripture, theology, generally to prepare them for ordination to serve as clergy, ...
and prefect at the girls’
orphanage An orphanage is a Residential education, residential institution, total institution or group home, devoted to the Childcare, care of orphans and children who, for various reasons, cannot be cared for by their biological families. The parent ...
. After wartime service and
imprisonment Imprisonment is the restraint of a person's liberty, for any cause whatsoever, whether by authority of the government, or by a person acting without such authority. In the latter case it is "false imprisonment". Imprisonment does not necessari ...
, he became assistant priest in
Ruppertsberg Ruppertsberg is an ''Ortsgemeinde'' – a municipality belonging to a ''Verbandsgemeinde'', a kind of collective municipality – in the Bad Dürkheim district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. Geography Location The municipality is a winegro ...
, and as of 1950
docent The title of docent is conferred by some European universities to denote a specific academic appointment within a set structure of academic ranks at or below the full professor rank, similar to a British readership, a French " ''maître de conf ...
at the
Landau Landau ( pfl, Landach), officially Landau in der Pfalz, is an autonomous (''kreisfrei'') town surrounded by the Südliche Weinstraße ("Southern Wine Route") district of southern Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is a university town (since 1990 ...
Paedagogical Academy. He was pastor in
Hauenstein Hauenstein is a municipality in the Südwestpfalz district, in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is situated in the Palatinate forest, approximately 20 km east of Pirmasens, and 20 km west of Landau. Hauenstein is the seat of the ''Ver ...
in 1957, and in Göcklingen in 1964. About this latter municipality he wrote an extensive local history, and he also became an honorary citizen there.Famous people
/ref>


References


External links


Municipality’s official webpage

Nußbach in the collective municipality’s webpages
{{DEFAULTSORT:Nussbach, Rhineland-Palatinate Municipalities in Rhineland-Palatinate Kusel (district)