Kisselbach

Kisselbach
Municipality
Coat of arms
Location of Kisselbach within Rhein-Hunsrück-Kreis district
Kisselbach Show map of Germany Kisselbach Show map of Rhineland-Palatinate
Coordinates: 50°03′08″N 7°36′38″E
Country	Germany
State	Rhineland-Palatinate
District	Rhein-Hunsrück-Kreis
Municipal assoc.	Simmern-Rheinböllen
Government
• Mayor (2019–24)	Christine Düster[1]
Area
• Total	9.13 km^2 (3.53 sq mi)
Elevation	400 m (1,300 ft)
Population  (2022-12-31)[2]
• Total	606
• Density	66/km^2 (170/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+01:00 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+02:00 (CEST)
Postal codes	56291
Dialling codes	06766
Vehicle registration	SIM
Website	www.kisselbach.org

Community centre in the middle of the village on the bank of the Simmerbach

Forest Chapel, southwest of the village

Kisselbach is an Ortsgemeinde – a municipality belonging to a Verbandsgemeinde, a kind of collective municipality – in the Rhein-Hunsrück-Kreis (district) in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It belongs to the Verbandsgemeinde Simmern-Rheinböllen, whose seat is in Simmern.

Geography

Location

The municipality lies in the eastern Hunsrück at the foot of the Soonwald, a heavily wooded section of the Hunsrück, and some 15 km from the Rhine. The Simmerbach flows through the village. Kisselbach is the northernmost municipality in the Verbandsgemeinde of Rheinböllen.

History

In 1240, Kisselbach had its first documentary mention and from times of yore it was split by the Simmerbach into two like-named villages, one of which belonged to the Archbishopric of Trier while the other was held by Electoral Palatinate. Beginning in 1794, both villages lay under French rule. In 1814, they were assigned to the Kingdom of Prussia at the Congress of Vienna. The separate administration continued until 1939, when the two municipalities united. Since 1946, it has been part of the then newly founded state of Rhineland-Palatinate.

Population development

The table lists population figures for Kisselbach from selected years since the Congress of Vienna (at 31 December each time):^[3]

Historical population

Year Pop. ±% 1815 410 —     1835 545 +32.9% 1871 541 −0.7% 1905 544 +0.6% 1939 478 −12.1% 1950 511 +6.9% 1961 504 −1.4%

Year Pop. ±% 1965 530 +5.2% 1970 542 +2.3% 1975 510 −5.9% 1980 476 −6.7% 1985 475 −0.2% 1987 530 +11.6% 1990 534 +0.8%

Year Pop. ±% 1995 554 +3.7% 2000 575 +3.8% 2005 587 +2.1% 2006 561 −4.4% 2009 557 −0.7%

Politics

Municipal council

The council is made up of 12 council members, who were elected by majority vote at the municipal election held on 7 June 2009, and the honorary mayor as chairman.^[4]

Mayor

Kisselbach's mayor is Christine Düster.^[1]

Coat of arms

The German blazon reads: Unter goldenem Schildhaupt, darin ein rotbewehrter, schwarzer Adler, schräglinke Wellenteilung. Vorne in Schwarz ein goldener, rotgezungter und bewehrter Löwe nach links, hinten rotes Balkenkreuz in Silber.

The municipality's arms might in English heraldic language be described thus: Per bend sinister wavy sable a lion rampant sinister Or armed and langued gules and argent a cross of the third, on a chief of the second an eagle displayed of the first armed of the third.

The black eagle in the chief recalls the Imperial immediacy formerly held by “Königs-Kisselbach” (“King’s Kisselbach”). The wavy line of partition symbolizes the Simmerbach, which divided what was once two villages, both named Kisselbach: Diesseits (roughly “On This Side” or “Over Here”), as the Electoral-Palatinate side was called, is represented by the Palatine Lion on the dexter (armsbearer's right, viewer's left) side, while Jenseits (roughly “On That Side” or “Over There”), as the Electoral-Trier side was called, is represented by the Trier cross on the sinister (armsbearer's left, viewer's right) side.^[5]

Culture and sightseeing

Buildings

The following are listed buildings or sites in Rhineland-Palatinate’s Directory of Cultural Monuments:^[6]

• Saint Apollonia’s Catholic Church (St.-Apollonia-Kirche), Liebshausener Straße – originally three-naved, now one-naved Gothic Revival column basilica, after 1912; whole complex of buildings with graveyard

Other buildings

Another building worth seeing in Kisselbach is the Waldkapelle (“Forest Chapel”) consecrated to Mary, to which a procession of lights is made on the 13th day of every month from May to October by the local Catholic congregation.

Clubs

In Kisselbach there are a sport club with a tennis department, a volunteer fire brigade, a theatrical club and the Catholic Church's singing club. As well, Kisselbach has at its disposal its own open channel.

Economy and infrastructure

Transport

Kisselbach lies near the Autobahn A 61, Laudert/Kisselbach interchange.

References

1. Direktwahlen 2019, Rhein-Hunsrück-Kreis, Landeswahlleiter Rheinland-Pfalz, accessed 4 August 2021.
2. "Bevölkerungsstand 2022, Kreise, Gemeinden, Verbandsgemeinden" (PDF) (in German). Statistisches Landesamt Rheinland-Pfalz. 2023.
3. Statistisches Landesamt Rheinland-Pfalz
4. Municipal election results for Kisselbach
5. Description and explanation of Kisselbach’s arms
6. Directory of Cultural Monuments in Rhein-Hunsrück district

External links

• Municipality's official webpage (in German)