Hambuch | |
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 Coat of arms | |
Location of Hambuch within Cochem-Zell district  | |
  Hambuch  Hambuch | |
| Coordinates:50°13′33″N7°10′57″E / 50.22583°N 7.18250°E /50.22583; 7.18250 | |
| Country | Germany |
| State | Rhineland-Palatinate |
| District | Cochem-Zell |
| Municipal assoc. | Kaisersesch |
| Government | |
| • Mayor(2019–24) | Matthias Hetger[1] |
| Area | |
• Total | 4.81 km2 (1.86 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 400 m (1,300 ft) |
| Population (2022-12-31)[2] | |
• Total | 736 |
| • Density | 150/km2 (400/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+01:00 (CET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+02:00 (CEST) |
| Postal codes | 56761 |
| Dialling codes | 02653 |
| Vehicle registration | COC |
Hambuch is anOrtsgemeinde – amunicipality belonging to aVerbandsgemeinde, a kind of collective municipality – in theCochem-Zelldistrict inRhineland-Palatinate,Germany. It belongs to theVerbandsgemeinde of Kaisersesch, whose seat is in thelike-named town.
The municipality lies in theEifel, on theAutobahnA 48.[3]
Hambuch's long history makes it one of the oldest settlements in the area. It had its first documentary mention as early as 866 when AbbotAnsbald of Prüm documented the donation of an estate in the village namedHaganbahc in the Mayengau (the country aroundMayen) by hismonastery to the dowager Higilda. The donation, however, apparently did not include the village church. The mention of a church does, however, imply that the village was founded quite some time before 866, but there is no documentary evidence dating from before Abbot Ansbald's record.
The name “Hambuch” itself could have the following origins. The root wordhag refers to an enclosed piece of land, which could be of any size, ringed withpollarded shrubs. Used for this would have been thorny shrubs such ashawthorn ordog rose, or thickly growing plants such ashornbeam, a sprig of which appears as acharge in the municipality'scoat of arms. The—anbach ending might simply refer to the village's location near the brook (Bach inGerman) known as the Pommerbach.
The name changed often throughout time. Another spelling was to be seen in 893 inPrüm Abbey’s official directory of holdings, thePrümer Urbar. In 1222, Abbot Caesarius noted that the Count of Are had a valuable estate on theMayfeld calledHaynbahc. In the 12th century, the village was listed in theCarden Foundation’s directory of holdings under the nameHagenbach. In 1395, a document from Archbishop of Trier Werner records that he enfeoffed “Johann, the Lord atDaun” with a share of the court atHaenbach.
Other name variants recorded over time have beenHambach,Heimbach andHarnbach.
In theMiddle Ages, the lordship over the village was held jointly, with half inElectoral-Trier hands and the other half shared between theElectorate of Cologne and theCounts of Leyen. The border between the two archbishoprics ran straight through the village. The two streets, Eulgemer Straße and Brunnenstraße, are even today perceived as a boundary of sorts, setting apart theHinnewäldtje and theEwwewäldtje, the local names for the lower and upper village respectively.
Beginning in 1794, Hambuch lay underFrench rule. In 1814 it was assigned to the Kingdom ofPrussia at theCongress of Vienna. Since 1947, it has been part of the then newly foundedstate ofRhineland-Palatinate.[4]
In 2005 the projectDorfakademie Hambuch, which had set itself the goal of “making life in the rural area even more attractive”,[5] won first place in Rhineland-Palatinate's second volunteer contest, in which outstanding community projects earn recognition.[6][7]
The council is made up of 12 council members, who were elected bymajority vote at the municipal election held on 7 June 2009, and the honorary mayor as chairman.[8]
Hambuch's mayor is Matthias Hetger.[1]
The municipality'sarms might be described thus: Vert an abbot's staff with sudarium and ensigned with a cross bottonnée bendwise Or between, in sinister chief, a hornbeam twig couped and leafed of three and, in dexter base, an urn, both argent.
The following are listed buildings or sites inRhineland-Palatinate’s Directory of Cultural Monuments:
Hambuch has onekindergarten and oneprimary school.[10]
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