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Birnbach

Coordinates: 50°42′13″N 7°35′7″E / 50.70361°N 7.58528°E / 50.70361; 7.58528
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Birnbach
Location of Birnbach within Altenkirchen (Westerwald) district
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Birnbach is located in Germany
Birnbach
Birnbach
Birnbach is located in Rhineland-Palatinate
Birnbach
Birnbach
Coordinates: 50°42′13″N 7°35′7″E / 50.70361°N 7.58528°E / 50.70361; 7.58528
CountryGermany
StateRhineland-Palatinate
DistrictAltenkirchen (Westerwald)
Municipal assoc.Altenkirchen-Flammersfeld
Government
 • Mayor (2019–24) Mario Müller[1]
Area
 • Total3.11 km2 (1.20 sq mi)
Elevation
270 m (890 ft)
Population
 (2022-12-31)[2]
 • Total668
 • Density210/km2 (560/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+01:00 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+02:00 (CEST)
Postal codes
57612
Dialling codes02681
Vehicle registrationAK
Websitevg-altenkirchen-flammersfeld.de

Birnbach is a municipality in the district of Altenkirchen, in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany.

Geography

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Location

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The municipality is located in the Westerwald, about five kilometers northwest of the district town Altenkirchen. From Birnbach, it is about five kilometers to the North Rhine-Westphalian state border.

Landscape

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The village is situated extensively along the village street; characterized by numerous green spaces, streams, and old tree stands in the village area. The very old village center is centered around the Evangelical Church.

Neighboring Communities

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Neighboring villages are Wölmersen to the northeast, Oberölfen to the east, Hemmelzen to the south, and Weyerbusch and Hilkhausen to the west.

History

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Middle Ages

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The first documented mention of the village occurred in a papal decree on March 31, 1131. This date was also the occasion for the 850th anniversary celebration held in Birnbach in 1981. However, the settlement of the area is believed to have occurred much earlier. The Birnbach High Court is mentioned as early as 1260 and was the only one in the southeastern part of the Auelgau. Shortly before 1464, it was demanded to be moved to Altenkirchen.

World War II

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Three of the four officers held responsible for the loss of the Ludendorff Bridge (March 7, 1945), sentenced to death on March 13 and 14, 1945, and executed, are buried in the local war cemetery. They are Majors Johann Scheller and August Krafft, as well as Lieutenant Karl-Heinz Peters. Originally, the fourth officer, Major Herbert Strobel, was also buried here; his remains were transferred to his homeland on the request of his son. The officers were sentenced to death by firing squad by a "Flying Tribunal" personally appointed by Hitler in Rimbach and Oberirsen, and executed immediately after the verdict. Field Marshal Model had set up the headquarters of his Army Group B in the Rimbacher Gasthaus "Katzmann." The tribunal, under the command of General Rudolf Huebner, was housed in the Oberirsener Gaststätte "Pick." The fifth officer, Captain Willi Oskar Bratge, had fallen into American captivity during the capture of the Ludendorff Bridge, thus escaping death.

Recent History

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Around 1990, Birnbach gained attention due to a conflict with a group of Bruderhofers who had settled in Birnbach and built a larger community there. A local citizens' initiative worked against the community until 1995 when the Bruderhofers eventually left the village. The properties of the Bruderhofers were taken over by the New Religious Movement Lectorium Rosicrucianum, which opened an administrative and conference center in Birnbach in 2000.

Population Development

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The development of the population of the municipality of Birnbach. The values from 1871 to 1987 are based on censuses.

Year Population
1815 140
1835 208
1871 252
1905 292
1939 307
1950 391
1961 442
Year Population
1970 423
1987 460
1997 582
2005 626
2011 599
2017 628
2016 634[3]

Politics

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Municipal Council

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The municipal council in Birnbach consists of twelve council members who were elected in a majority vote in the municipal elections on May 26, 2019, and the honorary mayor as chairman.

Mario Müller became the mayor of Birnbach on July 3, 2019.

Monuments

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  • The Evangelical Parish Church Birnbach dates back to the 13th century. The restoration of the church and tower took place from 1893 to 1900 by architect Ludwig Hofmann, financed by the patron Emil Weyerbusch.
  • In the town center stands one of the oldest half-timbered houses in the Altenkirchen district: a former post station from the 16th century.

Economy

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Birnbach is a residential community characterized by agriculture. Today, there are still four full-time agricultural enterprises, alongside several local craft businesses, grocery stores, and a publishing house.

References

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  1. ^ Direktwahlen 2019, Landkreis Altenkirchen, Landeswahlleiter Rheinland-Pfalz, accessed 3 August 2021.
  2. ^ "Bevölkerungsstand 2022, Kreise, Gemeinden, Verbandsgemeinden" (PDF) (in German). Statistisches Landesamt Rheinland-Pfalz. 2023.
  3. ^ Statistisches Bundesamt – number of inhabitants in the municipalities on 31 December 2016.