Senheim | |
|---|---|
 Coat of arms | |
Location of Senheim within Cochem-Zell district  | |
  Senheim  Senheim | |
| Coordinates:50°5′8″N7°12′47″E / 50.08556°N 7.21306°E /50.08556; 7.21306 | |
| Country | Germany |
| State | Rhineland-Palatinate |
| District | Cochem-Zell |
| Municipal assoc. | Cochem |
| Subdivisions | 2 |
| Government | |
| • Mayor(2019–24) | Volker Ahnen[1] |
| Area | |
• Total | 12.58 km2 (4.86 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 91 m (299 ft) |
| Population (2022-12-31)[2] | |
• Total | 571 |
| • Density | 45/km2 (120/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+01:00 (CET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+02:00 (CEST) |
| Postal codes | 56820 |
| Dialling codes | 02673 |
| Vehicle registration | COC |
| Website | www.senheim.de |
Senheim is anOrtsgemeinde – amunicipality belonging to aVerbandsgemeinde, a kind of collective municipality – in theCochem-Zelldistrict inRhineland-Palatinate,Germany. It belongs to theVerbandsgemeinde of Cochem, whose seat is in thelike-named town.
The municipality lies on both banks of the riverMoselle. The bigger of the two centres, also called Senheim, lies on the right bank at the foot of theHunsrück, while the considerably smaller centre of Senhals lies on the left bank, or the “Eifel side”. The two centres have been linked by bridge since 1967.
Senheim'sOrtsteile are Senheim and Senhals.
The earliest record, from 1067, establishes the existence of holdings of the Cologne Church in Senhals. Senheim had its first documentary mention in 1140.
Three lords held sway in Senheim, namely theElector of Trier, theCount of Sponheim and the Lords of Braunshorn-Metternich-Beilstein.
Senheim-Senhals was in theMiddle Ages an important way station on the trade road that ran from theNetherlands through the Eifel by way of Senheim, through the Hunsrück and on toFrankfurt am Main andAugsburg. As far back as the Middle Ages, Senheimers earned their livelihood inwinegrowing andagriculture (using a kind ofshifting cultivation). It can be seen from the 1702 Electoral-Trier taxation statistics thatvineyard holdings in the church's and the nobility's hands amounted to 300,000 vines. Winemakers held 200,000. The Sponheims held the other 100,000.
Beginning in 1778, the Electorate of Trier was the sole landholder. During theFrench Revolutionary Wars, the region was occupied byFrench troops in 1793 and 1794. In 1798, the region was made part of the Department ofRhin-et-Moselle, and thereby became part of France. In 1815 it was assigned to the Kingdom ofPrussia at theCongress of Vienna.
The Senheim of the 17th and 18th centuries with its fortifications, towers, crenellations and gates, and its great number of stately noble and monastic estates, came to a sudden end on 13 August 1839: a great fire reduced the mediaeval village in a short time to ashes and rubble. Burnt down in this catastrophe were 106 houses, 22 winepress houses and 7 barns. TheCatholic church, built in 1075 with its grand Baroque altar byJanuarius Zick and the rectory came through the fire unscathed. When reconstruction was undertaken, an extensive plan was developed which left 30 local families without a place to live in the village. For them, a new, outlying centre was established up on the Hunsrück's heights. It was named the “colony” ofHoch-Senheim (hoch means “high” inGerman), although soon after it was finished, it was given the nameMoritzheim to honour its sponsor, theLandrat (district chairman) Moritz.
Since 1946, Senheim has been part of the then newly foundedstate ofRhineland-Palatinate. Under theVerwaltungsvereinfachungsgesetz (“Administration Simplification Law”) of 18 July 1970, with effect from 7 November 1970, the municipality was grouped into theVerbandsgemeinde of Cochem.
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.[3]
Senheim's mayor is Volker Ahnen.[1]
The German blazon reads:Das Wappen der Gemeinde Senheim zeigt in Schwarz drei (2 : 1) rotbewehrte silberne Löwen..[4]
The municipality'sarms might in Englishheraldic language be described thus: Sable three lions rampant argent armed and langued gules.
Senheim fosters partnerships with the following places:
Recklinghausen,Recklinghausen,North Rhine-WestphaliaKirchhellen,district-free city of Bottrop, North Rhine-WestphaliaBoth these partnerships have been in place since 1935, and both take the form of a sponsorship, whose main aim is to “stabilize” Senheim's wine festival and other local events through participation of people from these two sponsoring places.[5]
The following are listed buildings or sites inRhineland-Palatinate’s Directory of Cultural Monuments:
| International | |
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| National | |
