Bennhausen | |
|---|---|
 | |
 Coat of arms | |
Location of Bennhausen within Donnersbergkreis district
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 Location of Bennhausen | |
  Bennhausen  Bennhausen | |
| Coordinates:49°37′20.88″N7°58′44.54″E / 49.6224667°N 7.9790389°E /49.6224667; 7.9790389 | |
| Country | Germany |
| State | Rhineland-Palatinate |
| District | Donnersbergkreis |
| Municipal assoc. | Kirchheimbolanden |
| Government | |
| • Mayor(2019–24) | Reinhard Horsch[1] |
| Area | |
• Total | 1.49 km2 (0.58 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 281 m (922 ft) |
| Population (2023-12-31)[2] | |
• Total | 151 |
| • Density | 101/km2 (262/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+01:00 (CET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+02:00 (CEST) |
| Postal codes | 67808 |
| Dialling codes | 06357 |
| Vehicle registration | KIB |
| Website | kirchheimbolanden.de |
Bennhausen is a municipality in theDonnersbergkreis district, inRhineland-Palatinate,Germany. It belongs to theVerbandsgemeinde of Kirchheimbolanden.
Bennhausen has an area of 1.49 km². It is situated in theNorth Palatine Uplands, at the foot of theDonnersberg, which lies about 3 km west of the village. The land to the west and north of the hilly landscape is mainly planted with orchards, and the forest almost reaches the outskirts of the village. The land to the south and east consists mainly of agricultural farmland.
The neighboring municipalities areWeitersweiler (south-east),Jakobsweiler (west),Dannenfels (north-west) andBolanden (east).
Bennhausen was documented for the first time, in 1252, asBenninhusen. In 1376, the city belonged to thePalatinate. During theThirty Years' War, Bennhausen was completely destroyed. In 1706, it was given to the Earls ofNassau-Weilburg. Since 1816, Bennhausen has belonged to the municipality of Dannenfels.
 | This section needs to beupdated. Please help update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information.(January 2013) |
Thelocal council in Bennhausen consists of six members, elected in amajority vote, and thehonorarymayor as chairman. The lastlocal elections took place on 7 June 2009.[3]
| 1960–1974 | Richard Zerger |
| 1974–1982 | Erich Eymann |
| 1983–1993 | Reinhold Huy |
| 1994– | Reinhard Horsch |
Thecoat of arms is a "red and silver diagonally divided, top right six-spoked silver wheel, bottom left a red deer pierced by a red arrow". It was approved in 1976 by thegovernment of the Neustadt district.
TheWheel of Mainz recalls that Bennhausen belongs to thediocese of Mainz. The doe is the attribute ofSaint Giles, one of theFourteen Holy Helpers, to which an earlier chapel was dedicated.
As is typical of similar villages, the place was characterized, till the 1960s, by agriculture. Today, commuters dominate, in economic terms. Two new settlements were established around 1980 and 2005, respectively. In the original center, some houses have been renovated by both locals and newcomers. There are also former agricultural properties.
The formerelementary school, operated until 1960, has been fully renovated and greatly expanded; it now serves as a community center for various purposes. Bennhausen has avolunteer fire department, including aYouth Fire Brigade. Community patrons organize cultural events, festivals and the fairs, which take place on the 3rd weekend of August.
TheL 397 passes through the village. Approximately 3 km southeast, at theGöllheim exit, it connects with theA 63 (Kaiserslautern -Mainz). In the southwestern direction, Kaiserslautern is approximately 30 km. To the north, Mainz is about 50 km away. InDreisen, 4 km away from Bennhausen, the railway line has been closed down and operates only on weekends during the summer months, through theZellertal railway. The nearest regular railway station is inKirchheimbolanden, with connection toAlzey andMainz, as well as toWinnweiler, connecting there withKaiserslautern andBad Kreuznach.
Bennhausen has a population of 156 (as of December 31, 2011).
| 2004 | 2006 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 |
| 141 | 148 | 145 | 157 | 156 |
