Altheim (Blieskastel)

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Altheim
City of Blieskastel
Former Altheim municipal coat of arms
Coordinates: 49 ° 10 ′ 20 ″  N , 7 ° 18 ′ 44 ″  E
Height : 258 m above sea level NHN
Residents : 556  (Dec. 31, 2019)
Incorporation : 1st January 1974
Postal code : 66440
Area code : 06844
Altheim (Saarland)
Altheim

Location of Altheim in Saarland

View from the north-east towards Altheim.  In the center of the picture is the parish church of St. Andrew.
View from the north-east towards Altheim. In the center of the picture is the parish church of St. Andrew .

Altheim is a district of Blieskastel in the Saarpfalz district ( Saarland ). Until the end of 1973 Altheim was an independent municipality in the Homburg district . The current head of the village is Beate Lambert.

geography

Altheim lies in the valley of the Bickenalb at 258  m above sea level. NHN , a little west of the state border to Rhineland-Palatinate and 6 km north of France in a hilly landscape.

history

Altheim is one of the oldest settlements in the Bliesgau . The earliest traces of settlement date from the Neolithic Age (2500–2000 BC). A stone ax and arrowhead were found during excavations of barrows in 1928–1935. 54 burial mounds from the Bronze Age (1800–800 BC), the Hallstatt Period ( 800–480 BC) and the Latène Age ( 480 BC) were recovered. Besides skeletons, knives, chains and various jewelry were found in the graves. The Romans can also be found here, as in most other places in the Bliesgau. Various country houses are secured.

The development of today's place probably falls in the 6th century, as the establishment of a Merovingian burial field occurs during this period . The burial ground discovered during construction work in the mid-1970s is a specialty, as it is still the largest known burial ground of the Merovingian era in Saarland. The archaeological investigations carried out in the area of ​​today's Merowingerstrasse up to 1986 revealed a total of 115 burials with 119 individuals. The systematic examination of the cemetery showed that the Altheim cemetery was exposed to both Alemannic and West Franconian influences. The oldest graves date back to the second half of the 6th century; the end of the occupancy can be assumed for the end of the 7th century (see illustration).

Occupancy sequence on the Altheim burial ground

An early medieval settlement, which could probably belong to the burial ground dealt with here, is suspected under the present center of Altheim. The town of Altheim was first mentioned in a document in 1275: The pastor Folmar zu Altheim bequeathed his property to the Hornbach monastery, only a few kilometers away, in his will . The counts of two bridges at this time are masters of Altheim, later territorial division the house Zweibrücken-Bitsch . Around 1500 there were already over 100 people living in the village. The Thirty Years War (1618–1648), however, led to an almost complete desertification. For the years from 1643 to 1686, hardly more than two to four residents are counted. Only from the year 1688 did things start to improve again. The prospect of numerous privileges (for example tax exemption for 10 years) attracts people to the place again. In 1689 the parish was reorganized. Since the middle of the 18th century, the population has stabilized at 600. Altheim belonged to the Duchy of Lorraine for a long time and thus to France after its annexation in 1766 . A few bannstones from the 17th century with the Lorraine double cross have been preserved in the area. In 1749 a royal French post office was set up. The old post house was demolished in 1973. In 1781 the exclave Altheim (with Neualtheim) came into the possession of the Counts of Leyen through an exchange of territory . The residents were not happy about this. In a landscape meeting in Ommersheim in 1789, representatives demanded: "We want to be and remain Lorraine". This wish was then fulfilled in the course of the French Revolution. But only for a short time, because after the fall of Napoleon Altheim came to the Kingdom of Bavaria in 1816 . The place survived the Franco-German War of 1870/71 and the First World War (1914-18) without any material damage. After the war the place came to the Saar area . During the Second World War , the population of the Red Zone was evacuated twice. After the war, 85% of the place was destroyed.

In contrast to many other places, the place name has hardly changed over the centuries. 'Altheym' in the 13th century and Altheim as early as the 14th century. In the 19th century it was sometimes also called Alt-Altheim to distinguish it from Neualtheim.

As part of the regional and administrative reform in Saarland , the previously independent municipality of Altheim was assigned to the city of Blieskastel on January 1, 1974 . Altheim has been a district and a municipality since then.

politics

Result of the federal election on September 24, 2017.

The turnout was 79.9%

Worth seeing

Worth seeing in the center of Altheim is the tower of the Catholic parish church of St. Andreas , the basement of which dates from the 14th century. The tower was raised in 1499, which shows the year on the upper sound hole on the north side. In the basement of the tower, the former chancel of the church, in which the sacristy is located today , a ribbed vault can be seen. In the east wall there is a sacrament niche with remains of a wall painting . In 1760/62 a new church building was built, which was attached to the side of the Gothic tower. It is a hall building with five window axes . During the Second World War, the church building suffered severe damage and the inventory was destroyed. The choir, closed on three sides, was replaced by a retracted rectangular choir during the reconstruction in 1948/49 and the tower was given its pointed helmet back in 1957 .

Tourism and leisure

Altheim is located on the European Mill Cycle Route , which leads through Saarland, Rhineland-Palatinate and Lorraine. From Guiderkirch via Peppenkum and Altheim to Ixheim , this path follows the valley of the Bickenalb.

In the Altheim local history museum , evidence of past craftsmanship is exhibited alongside finds from early history.

Web links

Commons : Altheim  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. Blieskasteler Nachrichten, January 17, 2020 - Population statistics
  2. ^ Michael Merkel: The early medieval burial ground of Altheim, town of Blieskastel, Saar-Palatinate district . Christian-Albrechts-Universität zu Kiel, 2002 ( PDF - dissertation).
  3. ^ Federal Statistical Office (ed.): Historical municipality directory for the Federal Republic of Germany. Name, border and key number changes in municipalities, counties and administrative districts from May 27, 1970 to December 31, 1982 . W. Kohlhammer, Stuttgart / Mainz 1983, ISBN 3-17-003263-1 , p. 809 .
  4. Blieskastel: Elections | Blieskastel. Accessed June 20, 2018 (German).
  5. On the history of Altheim and Neualtheim. In: Homepage of the city of Blieskastel. Retrieved March 15, 2019 .