Kornelimünster () is a town in the rural ''Münsterländchen'' area of Kornelimünster/Walheim, a

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 county, counties, several municipality, municip ...

Aachen Aachen is the List of cities in North Rhine-Westphalia by population, 13th-largest city in North Rhine-Westphalia and the List of cities in Germany by population, 27th-largest city of Germany, with around 261,000 inhabitants. Aachen is locat ...

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

History

The

Kornelimünster Abbey Kornelimünster Abbey (), also known as Abbey of the Abbot Saint Benedict of Aniane and Pope Cornelius, is a Order of Saint Benedict, Benedictine monastery that has been integrated since 1972. The abbey is located in Aachen (in the Stadtbezirk, ...

was founded in 814 on the Inde River by

Benedict of Aniane Benedict of Aniane (; ; 747 – 12 February 821 AD), born Witiza and called the Second Benedict, was a Benedictine monk and monastic reformer who had a substantial impact on the religious practice of the Carolingian Empire. His feast day is ...

(750–821), at the suggestion of

Louis the Pious Louis the Pious (; ; ; 16 April 778 – 20 June 840), also called the Fair and the Debonaire, was King of the Franks and Holy Roman Emperor, co-emperor with his father, Charlemagne, from 813. He was also King of Aquitaine from 781. As the only ...

, son and successor of

Charlemagne Charlemagne ( ; 2 April 748 – 28 January 814) was List of Frankish kings, King of the Franks from 768, List of kings of the Lombards, King of the Lombards from 774, and Holy Roman Emperor, Emperor of what is now known as the Carolingian ...

. The cloister was originally called Redeemer Cloister on the Inde (''Erlöserkloster an der Inde''). In the middle of the 9th century, the cloister was given

imperial immediacy In the Holy Roman Empire, imperial immediacy ( or ) was the status of an individual or a territory which was defined as 'immediate' () to Emperor and Empire () and not to any other intermediate authorities, while one that did not possess that stat ...

and subsequently came into possession of a large swath of area surrounding the church. In 875, certain reliquaries were exchanged for one belonging to the martyr saint,

Pope Cornelius Pope Cornelius () was the bishop of Rome from 6th or 13 March 251 until his martyrdom in June 253. He was pope during and following a period of persecution of the church, while a schism occurred over how Lapsi (Christianity), repentant church mem ...

(who died in 253). The cloister thereafter became known as Sancti Cornelii ad Indam (St Cornelius on the Inde), and then Kornelimünster. Today, the official title of the abbey is the Abbey of St Benedict of Aniane and Pope Cornelius. In 1500 the abbey became part of the

Lower Rhenish–Westphalian Circle The Lower Rhenish–Westphalian Circle (, ) was an Imperial Circle of the Holy Roman Empire. It comprised territories of the former Duchy of Lower Lotharingia, Frisia and the Westphalian part of the former Duchy of Saxony. The circle was mad ...

, and in 1802, the area fell to the French. Along with other abbeys in French controlled areas, the abbey at Kornelimünster was abolished and the monks were forced to leave. During this time, the community of Kornelimünster came under administration of the French, under the Mairie system. In 1815

Prussia Prussia (; ; Old Prussian: ''Prūsija'') was a Germans, German state centred on the North European Plain that originated from the 1525 secularization of the Prussia (region), Prussian part of the State of the Teutonic Order. For centuries, ...

came into possession of Kornelimünster and was subsequently administered as part of the old district of Aachen (before the administrative restructuring of 1972). Benedictine monks returned to the Kornelimünster Abbey in 1906 to found the New Benedictine Kornelimünster Abbey. The St Cornelius Church of the former abbey is today the

parish church A parish church (or parochial church) in Christianity is the Church (building), church which acts as the religious centre of a parish. In many parts of the world, especially in rural areas, the parish church may play a significant role in com ...

of the community and is the oldest abbey building still used in the state of

North Rhine-Westphalia North Rhine-Westphalia or North-Rhine/Westphalia, commonly shortened to NRW, is a States of Germany, state () in Old states of Germany, Western Germany. With more than 18 million inhabitants, it is the List of German states by population, most ...

. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

U.S. forces reached the area south of

in the fall of 1944. On 19 September Kornelimünster was captured without major damage. The first summary court in Germany during World War II opened in Kornelimünster late in September. In 1971 Kornelimünster joined together with other area communities such as Breinig, Mulartshütte,

Roetgen Roetgen () is a municipality in the district of Aachen, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Geography Roetgen is located approximately 16 km (10 mi) south-east of Aachen, near the border with Belgium. It is in the north of the High F ...

, Venwegen and Walheim to argue in favor of creating a Münsterland district. Instead, on 1 January 1972, the area was divided as follows: the Kornelimünster and Walheim communities were combined into the Kornelimünster/Walheim

, while Breinig and Venwegen went to Stolberg. The remaining communities of Mulartshütte, Rott and Roetgen were combined into the Roetgen district.

Politics

Mayors

* 1945–1952: Karl Siemons * 1952–1956: Viktor Hoven, FDP * 1969–1971: Egon von Reth

Traffic

Kornelimünster no longer lies along the

Bundesstraße 258 The Bundesstraße 258 is a German federal highway. It starts in Aachen, crosses the Eifel from northwest to southeast and ends in Mayen. From Aachen, the road first runs south along the Belgian border. One curiosity on this part is a 3 ...

, which connected

to the

Eifel The Eifel (; , ) is a low mountain range in western Germany, eastern Belgium and northern Luxembourg. It occupies parts of southwestern North Rhine-Westphalia, northwestern Rhineland-Palatinate and the southern area of the German-speaking Com ...

. The nearest onramp of the Autobahn 44 ( E40) is in

Brand A brand is a name, term, design, symbol or any other feature that distinguishes one seller's goods or service from those of other sellers. Brands are used in business, marketing, and advertising for recognition and, importantly, to create and ...

, another district of Aachen. Kornelimünster is, however, reachable by bicycle along the

Vennbahn The (, "Fen Railway") is a former railway line that was built partly across what was then German territory by the Prussian state railways. It is now entirely in Belgium, because the trackbed of the line, as well as the stations and other insta ...

bike path.

Notable persons

* Johann Josef Brammertz (1668–1729), organ builder * Hubert Giesen (1898–1980), Pianist * Viktor Hoven (1909–1968), Politician (FDP), Member of Parliament (

Bundestag The Bundestag (, "Federal Diet (assembly), Diet") is the lower house of the Germany, German Federalism in Germany, federal parliament. It is the only constitutional body of the federation directly elected by the German people. The Bundestag wa ...

), Member of Parliament (

Landtag A ''Landtag'' (State Diet) is generally the legislative assembly or parliament of a federated state or other subnational self-governing entity in German-speaking nations. It is usually a unicameral assembly exercising legislative competence ...

)

Nearby towns

Historical fairs * Oberforstbach *

* Schleckheim *

Breinig Stolberg (, Ripuarian: ) is a town in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It has a long history as an industrial town and belongs to the district Aachen and the lower district court of Eschweiler. Geography Stolberg is located approximately 5&n ...

* Venwegen * Walheim * Nütheim *

Dorff Dorff is a surname, and may refer to: * Daniel Dorff, American composer * Elliot N. Dorff, American rabbi * Eugene Dorff, American politician * , a German botanist and phycologist using the author abbreviation Dorff * Stephen Dorff Stephen Ha ...

Regular events

Open-air Carnival * Open-air carnival * Christmas market * Historical fairs

Works cited

* ''Die Heiligthumsfahrt zu Cornelimünster : eine Festgabe für die frommen Wallfahrer zu derselben''. Urlichs, Aachen 1860 ()

External links

Information on the city district of Kornelimünster-Walheim
from the homepage of the city of Aachen
Website of the Kornelimünster Abbey gardens
with detailed information, pictures, and schedules related to Kornelimünster
“The minor sins of monks - The Choir Stalls of Kornelimünster”

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kornelimunster Aachen Towns in North Rhine-Westphalia