Sargenroth is an '' Ortsgemeinde'' – 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 ...

belonging to a ''

Verbandsgemeinde A Verbandsgemeinde (; plural Verbandsgemeinden) is a low-level administrative unit in the German federal states of Rhineland-Palatinate and Saxony-Anhalt. A Verbandsgemeinde is typically composed of a small group of villages or towns. Rhinelan ...

'', a kind of collective municipality – in the

Rhein-Hunsrück-Kreis Rhein-Hunsrück-Kreis is a district (german: Kreis) in the middle of Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. The neighbouring districts are (from north clockwise) Mayen-Koblenz, Rhein-Lahn, Mainz-Bingen, Bad Kreuznach, Birkenfeld, Bernkastel-Wittlich, Co ...

(

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, subdivision ...

) 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 betwee ...

. It belongs to the ''Verbandsgemeinde''

Simmern-Rheinböllen Simmern-Rheinböllen is a ''Verbandsgemeinde'' ("collective municipality") in the Rhein-Hunsrück-Kreis, Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. The seat of the ''Verbandsgemeinde'' is in Simmern. It was formed on 1 January 2020 by the merger of the former ' ...

, whose seat is in

Simmern Simmern (; officially Simmern/Hunsrück) is a town of roughly 7,600 inhabitants (2013) in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany, the district seat of the Rhein-Hunsrück-Kreis, and the seat of the ''Verbandsgemeinde'' Simmern-Rheinböllen. In the Rhin ...

Geography

Location

The municipality lies in the central

Hunsrück The Hunsrück () is a long, triangular, pronounced mountain range, upland in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is bounded by the valleys of the Moselle (river), Moselle-Saar (north-to-west), the Nahe (south), and the Rhine (east). It is continued ...

, between the Simmerbach valley and the Soonwald, a heavily wooded section of the west-central Hunsrück, roughly 8 km east of Kirchberg and 5 km south of Simmern. Sargenroth's highest elevation is the ''Wildburghöhe'', 629 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 standardis ...

Name

The placename ending ''—roth'' denotes the location of a clearing made for expanding fields or for settling. The name “Sargenroth” is recorded in the following spellings over the ages: * 1276? – Sargenrucke * 1346 – Sarchinreid * 1442 – Sarchenrat * 1464 – Sarchenraidt * 1543 – Sarchenrat * 1600 – Sarchertt * 1608 – Sarchrot * 1693 – Sarchenrath * 1706 – Sargenroth After 1706, the name was usually spelt with a G. The rootword is the

Old High German Old High German (OHG; german: Althochdeutsch (Ahd.)) is the earliest stage of the German language, conventionally covering the period from around 750 to 1050. There is no standardised or supra-regional form of German at this period, and Old Hig ...

''rod'' and the

Middle High German Middle High German (MHG; german: Mittelhochdeutsch (Mhd.)) is the term for the form of German spoken in the High Middle Ages. It is conventionally dated between 1050 and 1350, developing from Old High German and into Early New High German. Hig ...

''rot'', meaning a place made tillable by clearing, or simply a clearing. The qualifier ''Sargen—'' might well go back to somebody named Saricho. Thus, the name would originally have meant “Saricho’s Clearing”. There is a further idea, propounded by several people named at the source given here, that the name might once have been associated with a convent.

History

On 18 May 1276, Sargenroth had its first documented mention when

Pope Innocent V Pope Innocent V ( la, Innocentius V; c. 1225 – 22 June 1276), born Pierre de Tarentaise, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 21 January to 22 June 1276. A member of the Order of Preachers, he acquired a reputatio ...

confirmed

Tholey Abbey Tholey Abbey (german: Abtei Tholey) in Tholey, in the district of Sankt Wendel in Saarland, is a Benedictine monastery dedicated to Saint Maurice. It is part of the Beuronese Congregation within the Benedictine Confederation. History As early as ...

’s holdings. These were already known to be myriad, but had been confined to the Abbey’s immediate area, Hermeskeil and

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 ''Verba ...

. However, following this document, outlying holdings were noted, among them Sargenroth. The document mentions “lands in the village of Sargenhrucha”. Further documented mentions are as follows: * 27 October 1346 – Sir Friedrich Valysen of

Leyen The House von der Leyen und zu Hohengeroldseck is an ancient German noble family of princely and historically sovereign rank. As a former ruling and mediatized family, it belongs to the Hochadel (high nobility). History The origin can be ...

was enfeoffed by Archbishop Baldwin with the tithes from Simmern, including those from ''Sarchenraid''. * About 1400 – The tithes from Simmern also included ''Sarchenroth''. * 5 March 1550 – The Archbishop of

Mainz Mainz () is the capital and largest city of Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. Mainz is on the left bank of the Rhine, opposite to the place that the Main joins the Rhine. Downstream of the confluence, the Rhine flows to the north-west, with Ma ...

had the parish of ''Sargenrot'' visited. * 1600 – The description of the villages under the Ravengiersburg provost's authority named ''Sarchert''. * 3 July 1728 – The inspector's acts named the village ''Sarchenroth''. Beginning in 1750, the current spelling became commonplace in the church books. The village belonged in 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 ...

to the court district of the ''Nunkirch'' (church), and was thereby under the Ravengiersburg provost's authority. In 1408, the Ravengiersburg holdings passed along with Sargenroth to the Counts Palatine, and then in 1410 to the newly created Duchy of Simmern, which in 1566 introduced 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 ...

. In 1673, the village passed back to

Electoral Palatinate The Electoral Palatinate (german: Kurpfalz) or the Palatinate (), officially the Electorate of the Palatinate (), was a state that was part of the Holy Roman Empire. The electorate had its origins under the rulership of the Counts Palatine of ...

. Beginning in 1794, Sargenroth lay under

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. In 1814 it was assigned to the Kingdom of

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 e ...

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 ...

. Since 1946, it has been part of 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 ...

Politics

Municipal council

The council is composed of eight 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 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: "Sable a bendlet sinister Or between a lion rampant sinister of the second armed and langued gules and a fess of the second couped at the bendlet sinister". Sargenroth lay in the Ravengiersburg provost's area of authority. The gold lion refers to the Dukes of Simmern and the Counts Palatine of the Rhine, who were the ''

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 ...

'' and the landholders. Duke George of Simmern secularized the monastery. Beginning in the 18th century, the ''

Schultheiß In medieval Germany, the ''Schultheiß'' () was the head of a municipality (akin to today's office of mayor), a ''Vogt'' or an executive official of the ruler. As official (''villicus'') it was his duty to order his assigned village or county (' ...

erei'' of Ravengiersburg-Sargenroth bore the lion as a

charge Charge or charged may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Films * '' Charge, Zero Emissions/Maximum Speed'', a 2011 documentary Music * ''Charge'' (David Ford album) * ''Charge'' (Machel Montano album) * ''Charge!!'', an album by The Aqu ...

in its seal. The gold fess (horizontal stripe) on the black field is the arms once borne by the Barons of Wiltberg, the owners of the Wildburg (

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 ...

) in the Soonwald (within Sargenroth's limits). In 1486, they sold their last holding to Count Palatine John I of Simmern. The arms have been borne since 9 September 1976.

Culture and sightseeing

Buildings

The following are listed buildings or sites in

’s Directory of Cultural Monuments:Directory of Cultural Monuments in Rhein-Hunsrück district
/ref> *

Evangelical Evangelicalism (), also called evangelical Christianity or evangelical Protestantism, is a worldwide interdenominational movement within Protestant Christianity that affirms the centrality of being " born again", in which an individual expe ...

parish church, Hauptstraße 66, north of Sargenroth on the Rochusfeld – so-called ''Nunkirche''; quire tower and parts of the nave wall, 12th century, conversion and extension 1745; whole complex of buildings with graveyard * ''Bismarckturm'' (“Bismarck Tower”) – quarrystone building with round pillars, about 1900 * Wildburg castle ruin –

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 ...

, possibly 13th or 14th century; lower part of the yard with wall

Regular events

The Rochusfeld, covered with rare

orchid Orchids are plants that belong to the family Orchidaceae (), a diverse and widespread group of flowering plants with blooms that are often colourful and fragrant. Along with the Asteraceae, they are one of the two largest families of floweri ...

s, between the ''Nunkirche'' and the Bismarck Tower, is where the traditional ''Nunkircher Markt'' (market) is held each September. On the Sunday before the market, there is also a festival, the ''Gau Bergfest'', staged by the ''Turngau Hunsrück'' (regional organization of the German Gymnastic Association).

Economy and infrastructure

Tourism

There is 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 ...

in Sargenroth. The ''

Schinderhannes Johannes Bückler (c.1778 – 21 November 1803) was a German outlaw who orchestrated one of the most famous crime sprees in German history. He has been nicknamed Schinderhannes and Schinnerhannes in German and John the Scorcher, John the Flaye ...

-Soonwald-Radweg'' (cycle path) runs between the village and the Soonwald.

References

External links

Municipality’s official webpage

{{Authority control Municipalities in Rhineland-Palatinate Rhein-Hunsrück-Kreis