Gymnich

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Gymnich
City of Erftstadt
Coordinates: 50 ° 50 ′ 2 ″  N , 6 ° 45 ′ 0 ″  E
Height : 88 m above sea level NHN
Area : 1.5 km²
Residents : 4828  (March 31, 2018)
Population density : 3,219 inhabitants / km²
Incorporation : 1st July 1969
Postal code : 50374
Area code : 02235
St. Kunibert

Gymnich is together with the Mellerhöfe a north-western part of Erftstadt in the Rhein-Erft district .

geography

Gymnich is located in the lowlands of the middle Erft in the Jülich-Zülpicher Börde . The village in the southern Rhein-Erft district borders on the local recreation area of ​​the Rhineland Nature Park and the foothills of the Villerücken .

history

Early history and Roman times

Traces of the early days were also found in the Gymnich region and thus prove that the area was settled far back in time. In 2007, a new building area called "Im Griesfeld" was built southeast of today's town, a ceramic band settlement from around 5000 BC. Discovered and documented. But four or five home ground plans with lengths of 21 to 40 meters and widths of 7.20 to 7.80 meters Mahlsteinunterlagen, potsherds of the Linear Pottery, arrowheads were flint and knife blades found. Individual finds of ceramic fragments could be assigned to the Latène period .

Three other areas in the vicinity of Gymnich produced findings on buildings from the Roman period. Such a villa rustica , a building complex on the southern outskirts and another of this type in the east. Other relics such as brick remains , ceramic fragments from a well, as well as coins from the 1st to the end of the 4th century documented centuries of settlement in this period of Gymnich's history.

middle Ages

Gymnich was first mentioned in 1121 as "Gimnich". The name is derived from Geminiacum, the settlement of Geminius.

Fortified village complex

Like many of the larger villages, the village was fortified during this period and protected by a ditch surrounding it and dense village hedges. Trap gates called falder had been erected at the village exits. The designations “Auf dem Graben” (today Brüggener Straße) and “Vorpforte” are reminiscent of the old village fortifications. The course of the street “Am Büschel”, in earlier documents “Am Büchel ” seems to indicate that there was a fortified structure, a tower hill castle ( Motte ), in the Middle Ages .

Possessions and dominions

At the beginning of the 12th century the possessions in the village were still divided between several landlords, the Archbishop of Cologne and the Counts of Wied . The imperial monastery of Essen owned farms or land in the local area , which belonged to the Fronhof of the monastery in Türnich , and the monastery of St. Andreas in Cologne, which had been given a long lease around 1230 .

After the Cologne Archbishop Anno of his possessions Gymnicher his Siegburger establishment, part Benedictine had given, this extended to 1125 their property on site due to the acquisition of a property of Ruker of Wied in exchange for other goods. This was a good ( "Prädium") with bailiwick and tithe rights . The "Azelin von Gimnich", an archiepiscopal ministerial , "ministerialis sancti Petri", named in 1139 and who took up the abbot's caminata as his residence, was enfeoffed with the bailiwick of the acquired manor . He belonged to the family of the Reichsministeriale von Gimmenich, who came from the Aachen area and whose descendants rose to knighthood a generation later . A relative of Azelin was "Reinhard von Gimmenich", the father of the Aachen mayor "Arnold von Gimmenich", whose descendants made claims to the bailiwick and possessions in Gymnich. After the Battle of Worringen in 1288, when there were clashes between the family of the bailiff Sterre and the Abbey Siegburg, was "Johann von Gymnich ", probably a grandson of Aachen mayor Arnold of Gimmenich, 1302 with the Bailiwick invested . He and his successors managed to expand their rights in Gymnich as bailiffs of the Siegburg manor.

In the 14th century, a development began to split the village in which a part of the village, the upper village, a the office Lechenich belonging and the court under standing Honschaft formed, the other part, the Lower Village, which also belongs to the office Lechenich glory in which the knights of Gymnich exercised the lower jurisdiction . The term glory has been in use since 1457, after Johann von Gymnich, Herr zu Vischel , had his rights in Niederdorf confirmed and notarized by the residents in 1448.

Modern times

Expansion to subordination

In the 15th and 16th centuries, the Knights of Gymnich were often creditors of the Archbishops of Cologne, but also officials of the Lechenich Office, which was pledged to them. As a result, the respective archbishops, as debtors of the Gymnich knights, tolerated their legal violations and expansion of power. As agreed, the bailiffs called themselves “Herr zu Gymnich”, as the abbots of Siegburg had given them for their manorial rule. Although it was established in 1620 that the elector had the high court rights in Gymnich and that criminals were to be handed over to the Lechenich officials, the gentlemen of Gymnich managed to get Elector Ferdinand in 1628 to grant them the rights of "high" jurisdiction for part of the village. Thus the “glory” was in fact a subordinate rule even if there was no official enfeoffment of the Lords of Gymnich with such in Gymnich.

Castle and palace buildings

Gymnich Castle around 1860, Alexander Duncker collection

The first fortified castle, built in 1354 on the western edge of the village, was an open house and fiefdom of the Cologne archbishops and was laid down in 1399 on the orders of Archbishop Friedrich . The unfortified castle, mentioned in 1419, was partially destroyed in 1642 and expanded into a baroque castle in the years after 1655 . Around 1738 Karl Otto Ludwig Theodat von und zu Gymnich had the rooms of the east wing built in 1722 furnished in the Rococo style. The von Gymnich castle and facilities passed to their heirs in 1825, Count Wolff Metternich . Between 1903 and 1930 the building was completely renovated. By marriage it came to Viscount de Maistre, then to Freiherr von Holzschuher, who sold the castle in 1990.

Gymnich foundations

A priest was employed for various mass foundations of the married couple Arnold von Gymnich and Margarethe von Buschfeld in the village church and in the castle chapel in 1504. He had his income by income from farmland and Benden the existing today "Arnold's foundation". Arnold's brother Johann, court master of Archbishop Hermann von Hessen (1450–1508) , buried in the village church, had donated several well-founded masses in 1506. Maria von der Leyen, born von Gymnich, who died in 1624, bequeathed 1000 “royal thalers” to the church, the interest of which supported three household arms in the glory of Gymnich and a student of the town.

Wisdom of the village of Gymnich

The rights and duties of the villagers were laid down in the farmers' book, called Weistum , which was newly recorded in 1579 . On the basis of these rules, the common property, the common land , called “the community” in the local area, and the community office were administered. The municipality had a the right field contactor to vote and to punish violations of applicable rules. After the division of the village, the Honschaft was headed by a "Honne" who called himself mayor in the 18th century. The head of glory was named as the representative of Herr von Gymnich Vogt or governor. The representatives of Honschaft and glory, Honne and Vogt, as well as the parishioners met once a year in the “Spilhaus” (meeting house of the parish ) to present the wisdom to the residents called “neighbors” every year. In the 17th century, the streets “Spilles” and Weinhausgasse, today's Schützenstraße, were called the two divisions between Oberdorf and Niederdorf.

Later life circumstances

The Honne had to raise the sovereign taxes in the Honschaft, compile lists, carry out cattle counts, supervise service work for the sovereign, visit the chimneys with local men and address petitions to the authorities. Together, the officials presented their municipal accounts to the bailiff or administrator. In the glory, the bailiff or governor took over these tasks. In other cases involving the village, the representatives of honor and glory usually acted together, with income and costs being divided equally. Parts of the communal land were leased together, the communal area in Broichlose was shared and leased, although there have been some byes since the middle of the 18th century. a. for the shooter king. Paths and footbridges were repaired together. At times even the chimneys of the houses were checked together. When a cattle disease (probably foot-and-mouth disease ) broke out in 1731 , the representatives of honor and glory called a veterinarian for support.

The Gymnicher lived from agriculture and their fields to be cultivated were located in both Oberdorf and Niederdorf. Most had only a few acres of land, but they all kept some livestock. Their economic situation remained modest, as the income from their work through land and long-term leases, taxes to the respective landowners, tithe payments and sovereign taxes were low. The effects of war, hailstorms , mouse bites or floods caused by the Erft often destroyed large parts of the harvest . In several years, petitions for flood damage were filed in order to obtain tax rebates, which were also met. In order to avoid the flooding of the strongly meandering Erft, Erft regulation took place between 1767 and 1774, in which part of the Erft was diverted and a new river bed was given.

The great courts

The large courtyards, Burghof and Siegburger Hof, which were managed by tenants, called Halfen , were located in Niederdorf.

In the survey of the property for tax assessment carried out on behalf of the Elector in 1661 in the Lechenich district, the non-taxable noble residence of the Lords of Gymnich in the glory apart from the castle courtyard with 131 acres of arable land and four acres of Benden, 57 acres of arable land, belonged to the several people were leased, and 67 acres of Benden, as well as 75 acres of arable land and 13 acres of Benden.

To the Fronhof of the Abbey Siegburg, called Siegburger Hof, Abtshof or Propsthof, had 154 acres of arable land and 21 acres of Benden in the glory when the property was surveyed, and a further 22 acres of arable land and six acres of Benden. The farm was run by a helper and his servants who, however, employed seasonal workers from the Siegburg area during the harvest and threshing. In addition, day laborers from Gymnich hired themselves out. This farm owned 20 farm estates, so-called “fiefs”, almost all of which were subject to Kurmud . The owners of these goods had to appear as court jury members at the court court, which was held three times a year under the chairmanship of the bailiff. Kurmud, usually 20 Cologne thalers, was then paid there and inheritance divisions were made. In the case of such a division of inheritance, the beneficiaries of a feudal estate chose one of their own, who became a court jury representative for the other heirs.

The estate of Neuerburg near the front gate, which was given as a fief together with the bailiwick, also belonged to the abbot's manorial rule.

The courtyard of the Benedictine monastery Groß St. Martin in Cologne with a court court responsible for property matters was also in Niederdorf. He had 20 so-called fiefdoms, which consisted of ½ to 4 acres. As at the Siegburger Hof, one of the beneficiaries of a feudal estate became a court jury for all other heirs.

Grave cross of the old churchyard
(after Weber 1724)

Parish and parish church of St. Kunibert

In 1255 the Siegburg Abbey, which had the right of patronage, was confirmed the incorporation of the Gymnich Church from 1247. As in many places in the Middle Ages, the parishioners had in Gymnich fraternities formed. These were the religious associations of the "Kirspelskirche" (parish church) St. Kunibert , whose members were men and women, "brothers and sisters". They belonged to the Marienbruderschaft and Sebastianusbruderschaft, both of which were first mentioned in 1510.

When a new building became necessary due to the dilapidation of the church, a new church was built between 1759 and 1763, whereby the patronage was retained. The abbot of Siegburg took over part of the construction costs of the nave, which was built by court architect Kees, but the parish had to raise the remaining part. For this purpose, she took out loans from the Capuchin monks in Cologne and the St. Andreas monastery. In the church tower, which was built in 1762 at the expense of the community, the bells, made in 1755 by bell founder Martin Legros from Malmedy, were installed.

After a re -Gothicization at the end of the 19th century, the church was converted to Baroque style again after the Second World War .

Three windows in the choir are works by the late Nazarists Ernst Deger and Franz Ittenbach . The lower part of the six nave windows from 1953 is decorated with a stained glass frieze, the "Rittfrie", a representation of the legend and celebration of the Gymnicher Ritt. The most important piece of equipment is the pulpit carved from oak by Bonn court sculptor JF van Helmont in 1718 from the broken church of Maria ad gradus in Cologne. The two side altars also come from this church. The structure of the main altar from 1703 from the former monastery church of the Augustinian nuns in Merten an der Sieg was erected in Gymnich after the restoration in 1962. From the previous church there is a St. Kunibert figure with a model of a church in his hand from around 1480, a Gothic choir stalls from around 1490, the misericordies of which depict scenes of a deer hunt, and a late Gothic font made of red sandstone from 1559.

The school of the castle chaplain Fabritius

The Gymnicher school, which all children could attend, was close to the church. A school building existed as early as 1569, but school lessons were only given sporadically until 1608. After the death of his predecessor, the castle chaplain Albert Fabritius taught in his own house from 1633 , where he looked after up to 50 children in the following years. His students also included Hieronymus, Johann Wilhelm and Hermann Werner, the sons of Baron Johann Adolf Wolff Metternich zur Gracht , as well as the two sons of the electoral head waiter in Lechenich. The school was funded with income from farmland, Benden and investment income (100 thalers from the church treasury) , so that poor children could also be taught without paying school fees. The new building of a vicarage house in 1638 was borne jointly by honor and glory.

Wars and fires

Gymnich, like the other places in today's city of Erftstadt , suffered heavily in the 17th and 18th centuries from numerous marches through the troops, billeting and looting that began in the Truchsessian War and lasted until the end of the Seven Years' War in 1763. In addition, there were financial burdens from services such as forage deliveries, contributions for the military and tension services that many residents could not afford. If you didn't pay, your property was confiscated. The villagers were forced to borrow money several times in order to avert an attachment.

In the so-called " Hessenkrieg ", part of the Thirty Years' War , the village and castle Gymnich were set on fire when the mercenary troops withdrew after the siege of Lechenich in 1642 . Something similar happened when the French allies of Elector Maximilian Heinrich von Bayern burned down houses in Gymnich before they withdrew from the castle in Lechenich in 1689. To compensate for the damage, the village, like other affected localities, only received a tax reduction.

In addition to the arson in times of war, fires also caused devastating damage to the village in other years. Six large village fires were recorded over a period of 200 years. The largest fire was that of 1787, in which the properties of more than 60 families in the village were affected. The most common fire promoters were the thatched roofs , so that donations from the Elector, Siegburg Abbey and other benefactors were used to cover the roofs with tiles . In spite of the donations, the personal burden remained high, so that years later the debts of the people affected had to be paid off by Mr. von Gymnich, who reclaimed the advance money for timber for the mostly half-timbered houses.

French time

Gymnich on the Tranchot map around 1807

As a result of the First Coalition War , the area on the left bank of the Rhine was occupied by French troops in 1794 . After the Peace of Campo Formio in 1797, new administrative districts were created as départements , arrondissements and cantons in 1798 . With the reorganization of the judiciary, the jurisdiction of the former subordinates was abolished and the small legal cases were assigned to the peace court in Lechenich.

After the constitution and administration were changed under Napoleon , Gymnich and Dirmerzheim formed a mairie in the canton of Lechenich .

After the Treaty of Lunéville in 1801, the areas on the left bank of the Rhine belonged to the French state and the residents of Gymnich became French citizens.

Gymnich's population had grown considerably between 1661 and 1801. In 1724 the Honschaft had 67 houses, the glory 40 houses and some large courtyards. In 1801 there were around 300 households in Gymnich, which were spread over around 150 houses. The population had grown to 891 adults and 304 children. Over 75 people described themselves as farmers, of whom the tenant of the castle courtyard and the widowed tenant of the Siegburger Hof ran large farms. 10 farmers had medium-sized farms, some others were smallholders. The rest of the villagers, about 40%, consisted of 125 families of day laborers. Another 10% of the families, like the six Jewish families, a total of 25 people, were counted as poor people in the area or described as miserable. Around 1800 Gymnich owned all the facilities that were needed for daily needs. There were tradespeople like bakers and shopkeepers and around 50 craftsmen , some of whom also found work in the surrounding villages. At that time Gymnich was with 1195 inhabitants the largest place among the places of today's city of Erftstadt.

In 1802, after the Concordat concluded in 1801 between Napoléon Bonaparte and Pope Pius VII, monasteries and monasteries were abolished. As a result of the secularization , the Siegburger Hof with its house, buildings, garden, around 62 hectares of arable land and 14 hectares of meadows was expropriated as spiritual property and auctioned in Aachen in 1812 . The property of St. Andrew and the goods of other monasteries and monasteries in the village were also sold.

Prussian time

The previous administrative structures of the Mairien were continued by the Prussian authorities as mayor's offices and from 1927 under the name of Amt .

Infrastructure improvement

The Neuss - Derkum ( Euskirchen ) road, which was built in 1854 and which ran through Gymnich, made the town better connected to the regional transport network. In 1867 a post office was set up in Gymnich , which from 1924 also served as a station for the post bus on the Cologne line via Liblar - Lechenich to Gymnich. The nearest railway connection was the station of the former narrow-gauge railway Horrem - Liblar in two kilometers away place Bruggen . The line was closed in 1961. In 1878 Gymnich received a telegraph line and in 1915 a telephone connection . In 1910 it was connected to the electricity grid, so that modern systems could now be operated and houses could be supplied with electric light. From 1929 onwards, the well or the Pütze were replaced by a water pipe.

Relocation of the cemetery

View over the St. Kunibert cemetery

The churchyard formerly located around the church was abandoned in 1841 and a new cemetery about 100 meters west of the church on the "Neuburg", an area acquired from Max Felix Reichsgraf Wolff-Metternich , was newly created.

Regulation of the Erft and floor reallocation

Until the middle of the 19th century, frequent floods of the Erft had swamped the meadows, which became a breeding ground for insects and mosquito bites became a plague. People often fell ill and died from mala fever. Another danger was the leaded water, the pollutants of which penetrated the soil when the Benden was irrigated . In 1858 the Erftflut Canal was built, which begins between Gymnich and Brüggen and was intended to straighten and drain the river and to reduce the risk of flooding. Around 1860 the marshy roads were drained and the flood ditches were filled. In 1932 the Erft below the Gymnicher Mühle was regulated by voluntary labor service. Before the Second World War, all of the small water ponds near Gymnich, known as maars, were drained.

The land reallocations that began in 1913 and which were gradually followed by more were important for agriculture, so that the fragmentation of the arable land into the smallest of plots was eliminated. In addition, the larger parcels were easier to manage and, thanks to a new network of paths, were now accessible and easier to work with using modern agricultural implements.

Brown coal

The Gymnich also benefited from the intensification of lignite mining . From around the end of the 19th to the middle of the 20th century, many residents earned their living in the pits or briquette factories of the Rhenish lignite companies , especially in nearby Brüggen. In addition, they continued to farm for their own use.

After the death of Baroness Johanna von Gymnich in 1825 the family of the baron had gone out of Gymnich. Heir was Max Felix Reichsgraf Wolff-Metternich, who received the entire Gymnich property including the brown coal fields.

As the landowner, he participated in the mining of lignite on the neighboring Villehanges with the Wolfswerk mine near Balkhausen , which then went up in the Friedrich-Wilhelm-Maximilian mine in 1832 .

Founding a monastery

The sisters of the order of poor servants of Jesus Christ , brought to Gymnich by Count Felix Wolff Metternich and his wife, moved into a new house built for them in the village in 1859. The nuns took over the outpatient nursing on site, but also looked after old people in need of care as inpatients and also ran a small child care school. In 1932 the sisters took over the management of a kindergarten and a sewing school.

In 1970 the monastery was closed and the buildings were sold to the parish of St. Kunibert in 1971. After extensive construction work and renovations, the parish center was established there.

Weimar Republic

Financial hardship in the Weimar Republic

After the end of the First World War , many families in Gymnich suffered financial losses due to inflation . As the economic situation after the introduction of the new currency improved in 1923, have been restored or rebuilt in the region roads and bridges, also built several houses in the village. The Great Depression of 1929 left many unemployed and the unemployed received only a small amount of support from the community. Most of them took on a non-occupational activity in agriculture in order to be able to provide themselves and their families with the essentials.

time of the nationalsocialism

Changes in 1933

Most of the gymnasts with their Catholic center tradition were distant towards National Socialism and its party, but many unemployed hoped that the party would improve their position through no fault of their own. Patriotically minded people also voted for the party of the “Führer”, which received 25% of the votes in the village in 1933 . Some streets were renamed, the main street became Hindenburgstraße, Kerpener Straße became Adolf-Hitler-Straße, the gate to Hermann-Göring-Straße and the street Ausleger became Horst-Wessel-Straße. After a few years, when Hitler achieved full employment through his politics and war preparations, approval grew and many residents were close to the "party".

Pogrom and extermination of the Jews

The long tradition of the Jewish community in Gymnich came to an end during this time. While only a few Jewish families lived in Gymnich in the 17th and 18th centuries, there had been a relatively large community since the 19th century, which had its own synagogue and cemetery.

The synagogue was burned down during the so-called Reichskristallnacht in 1938. Remaining walls were destroyed when the American troops marched in in 1945 during fighting. The Gymnich Jews, who did not succeed in emigrating after 1933, were brought together with the Liblar Jews and some Lechenich Jewish families in a “Judenhaus” on Kunibertusplatz. They were deported in 1942 and killed in the concentration camps .

Effects of war

Gymnich was hit several times in targeted bombing attacks during World War II , worst of all in 1943, when more than 100 high-explosive and incendiary bombs destroyed more than 20 houses, stables and barns and 19 people died. By artillery fire one-third of the houses were almost damaged by German troops after the engagement of Americans on March 2.

At times a field airfield was operated near the Gymnicher mill . From January 1940 to May 1940 air raids against Holland and Belgium took place from here. Then the airfield was abandoned and the stationed units were relocated to France. From September 4 to 15, 1944, the airfield was reopened for defense purposes against the allies advancing from the west.

Changes after World War II

Growth through displaced persons and newcomers

Gymnich's population rose sharply after the Second World War due to many expellees because the community had made building land available. By 1968 the population had grown to around 3200 inhabitants. However, the town received the greatest growth in the years after the municipal administrative reform, when immigrant families built or bought their own homes in the new residential areas.

After unsuccessful attempts to maintain the independence of the office that continued to exist after the establishment of the state of North Rhine-Westphalia in 1946, Gymnich was incorporated into the newly formed city of Erftstadt as part of the municipal reform on July 1, 1969.

Emmaus Church

Protestant church

As a result of the increase, the population structure also changed in the confessional composition of the local residents. For the large proportion of Protestant Christians in Gymnich, those who were expelled from their homeland and those who moved in later years and who belonged to the Lechenich parish, a community center with three building sections was built. The slightly raised central building is built as a room for the celebration of church services and as a meeting room. The community center, completed in 1982, was named Emmauskirche . The bell tower and bells were inaugurated in 1990.

School conditions

After the Second World War, a new school building became necessary, which was completed in several construction phases between 1953 and 1963. The new building replaces the old school building on Gymnicher Hauptstrasse, which was built in 1872. During the school reform in 1968, the community of Gymnich initially managed to maintain primary and secondary schools . But in 1970 the secondary school students were assigned to the secondary school in Lechenich.

Today's townscape

The parish church of St. Kunibert is equipped with an onion dome that is characteristic of baroque church buildings and is visible from afar and thus shapes the townscape. However, the village has largely lost its village character. Over 20 Aussiedlerhöfe, mostly on Siedlerweg, have changed the landscape around Gymnich significantly. The remaining farmers specialized in the production of agricultural products without the inclusion of traditional animal husbandry. Other farmers - such as B. a former seed company on Siedlerweg - set other priorities (2006) and installed a modern photovoltaic system on their site , which feeds the electricity generated into the grid.

In addition to the formerly numerous farmers, many craftsmen with a long tradition also gave up their businesses in the village. The employment of the former villagers has been subject to constant change in recent years. Commuters from many professions are oriented towards the greater Cologne area and work in the service sector.

Gymnich had grown to 4828 inhabitants by March 31, 2018. Local mayor is Fred Schmitz (as of April 2018).

The RVK bus line 920 connects Gymnich to the local traffic, but most households in the village have one or more vehicles that allow individual journeys. The next motorway junction is Erftstadt-Gymnich on the A 61 .

Gymnich still has good basic supplies. In the town center there are medical practices and a pharmacy, bakery, butcher, banks, a post office and a grocery store. A supermarket, a petrol station and craft shops have settled in the south of the village.

There are two day-care centers in the village , one municipal and one sponsored by the parish of St. Kunibert.

The Gymnicher elementary school is attended by children from the village, the neighboring Dirmerzheim and children from Mellerhöfe . Almost all of the older pupils attend secondary schools in Lechenich, Kerpen or Weilerswist.

The sports facilities with soccer field and tennis courts are close to the school.

Club life

Among the clubs, the St. Sebastianus Brotherhood and the St. Kunibertus Shooting Society , which was established in the year of the revolution in 1848, play a major role with their local events. The symphonic flute orchestra "Gut Klang" Erftstadt eV, founded in 1970, is also based in Gymnich. In 2008 it received the culture award of the Rhein-Erft-Kreis and in 2010, 2013, 2016 and 2019 it was German champion in the Federal Association of German Music Associations (BDMV). In 2016 the orchestra received the highest prize in Erftstadt, the Carl Schurz Medal. Among other things, the sports club SV Erfa 09 eV Gymnich ("Erfa" derived from Erft-Auen), founded in 1909, is active in football, American football and popular sports. The 3rd men's soccer team, which was only founded in the 2018/19 season, rose from the district league D to the district league C with 144 goals scored.

Gymnicher ride

The Gymnicher Ritt takes place every year on Ascension Day . The nationally known event is a procession through the village itself and the surrounding fields. A large number of riders and pedestrian groups take part in this. After the procession, participants and onlookers visit the many stalls distributed on the main street, as well as the fair held on Pater-Kentenich-Platz .

The Gymnicher Ritt was reorganized and redesigned in 1925 by Vicar Joseph Weissenfeld based on the model of southern German horseback processions. He led it back to the Aachen mayor Arnold von Gimmenich, who took part in the crusade of Damiette (1217-1221) and is said to have initiated this ride with a vow.

This vow, now known as legendary, was passed on by Vicar Weissenfeld: Knight Arnold von Gymnich got into a swamp near the Egyptian port city of Damiette with his horse, from which he could not free himself on his own. In the event of his rescue, he vowed that he and his descendants would hold a ride around Gymnich every year. A reed hen that suddenly flew up frightened his horse so much that it reared up and regained solid ground.

Gymnicher mill

Gymnicher mill

The Gymnicher Mühle , located outside the village , which was owned by the von Gymnich and their heirs for centuries, has been the property of the Rhein-Erft-Rur Mill Association since 2005. It was restored and integrated into the planned "Erftaue" landscape park with the established Rhenish Mill Documentation Center (RMDZ).

Meeting of EU foreign ministers

The district or the castle is also the namesake of the semi-annual informal meeting of the foreign ministers of the European Union , which first took place in 1974 at Gymnich Castle. Since then, the term “Gymnich-style meeting” has been an established term in diplomatic parlance. Outside of diplomacy, too, there is increasing talk of the Gymnich meeting when it comes to an informal meeting of EU foreign ministers.

Attractions

Gymnich Castle

Due to the historical development, Gymnich is characterized by several courtyards and historical buildings in the streets on both sides of Gymnicher Hauptstrasse. There are also clerical buildings such as the village church of St. Kunibert with its baroque furnishings, the mission chapel and the tombstones of the old churchyard, the former Joseph monastery and the house where Father Josef Kentenich was born .

Other important buildings protected as monuments are the Gymnich Castle , which was temporarily the guest house of the federal government and the residence of the Kelly Family , the Schützenhalle and the Gymnicher Mühle . The central cemetery and also the Jewish cemetery at the northern exit of the village, together with the old churchyard, represent the burial grounds in the village; a war cemetery with a memorial is located at Am Plexer.

In addition, there are numerous crossroads and court crosses, a Marian column, the wayside shrine foot drop and the Johannis Bridge with the statue of the bridge saint Johannes von Nepomuk on Balkhausener Straße.

Personalities

literature

  • Henriette Meynen: moated castles, palaces and country houses in the Erftkreis . 4th edition Cologne 1992. ISBN 3-7927-0904-X
  • Karl and Hanna Stommel: Sources on the history of the city of Erftstadt . Volume 1-5. Erftstadt 1990–1998.
  • Karl Stommel : The French population lists from Erftstadt . City of Erftstadt 1989.
  • Matthias Weber : Erftstadt-Gymnich. 1st edition 1984, JP Bachem Verlag Cologne. ISBN 3-7616-0757-1

Web links

Commons : Gymnich  - collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ http://www.erftstadt.de/web/infos-zu-erftstadt/die-stadt-in-zahlen
  2. ↑ Eric Biermann, From Stone Age farmers and Roman country estates, in: Erftstadt Yearbook 2009. Pages 19–30
  3. ↑ Erich Wisplinghoff, Siegburger Urkundenbuch I. Volume No. 34
  4. ^ Archives Schloss Gymnich, File 64
  5. ↑ HSTAD Siegburg Files No. 152
  6. ↑ HSTAD inventory Bottenbroich certificate No. 4 and HAStK inventory St. Johann and Cordula certificate No. 1/32
  7. ^ HAEK parish archive St. Andreas A II 40
  8. ↑ Erich Wisplinghoff, Siegburger Urkundenbuch I. Volume No. 46, translated and published in Stommel, Sources Volume I No. 11
  9. ↑ Erich Wisplinghoff, Siegburger Urkundenbuch I. Volume No. 180, translated and published in Stommel Quellen Volume I No. 171
  10. ↑ Lacomlet Archive VI No. 39 and HSTAD inventory Siegburg Akten 148, published in Stommel Sources Volume I No. 653
  11. ↑ Archive Schloss Gymnich Certificate No. 173, published in Stommel Volume II No. 1063
  12. ↑ HAStK inventory Domstift deed 3/1878 and archives Schloss Gymnich deeds No. 333 and 398, published in Stommel, Sources Volume II No. 1339
  13. ↑ Archive Schloss Gymnich Certificate No. 204, published in Stommel, Sources Volume II No. 1108
  14. ↑ HSTAD inventory Siegburg Act 143
  15. ↑ HSTAD inventory Siegburg acts 149/2
  16. ↑ Archive Schloss Gymnich Repertory No. 810, published in Stommel, Sources Volume IV No. 2327
  17. ↑ HSTAD Kurköln, Kartular 1, published in Stommel, Sources Volume I No. 401
  18. ↑ HSTAD Kurköln Certificate No. 1315, published in Stommel, Sources Volume I No. 756
  19. ^ Repertory Archive Gymnich No. 105b, published in Stommel, Sources Volume II No. 888
  20. ↑ Henriette Meynen, moated castles, palaces and country seats in the Erftkreis. 4th edition Cologne 1992. Pages 122–128
  21. ↑ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n Matthias Weber, Erftstadt-Gymnich, Heimatbuch
  22. ^ Archive Castle Gymnich Certificate No. 378
  23. ↑ Archive Schloss Gymnich Certificate No. 382, ​​published in Stommel, Sources Volume III No. 1447 and No. 1454
  24. ↑ Archive Schloss Gymnich File 565, published in Stommel, Sources Volume IV No. 2616
  25. ↑ HSTAD Kurköln II 1904, published in Stommel Quellen Volume III No. 2915
  26. ↑ HSTAD Kurköln II 1904, published in Stommel, Sources Volume III No. 2015
  27. ↑ HSTAD inventory Siegburg acts 149/2, published sources Volume IV No. in Stommel. 2279
  28. ↑ Archive Schloss Gracht files No. 63 and No. 64, published in Stommel Quellen Volume V No. 2853
  29. ↑ HSTAD Kurköln II 1152, published in Stommel, Sources Volume IV No. 2564 and No. 2565
  30. ↑ Archive Schloss Gracht File 64, published in Stommel Volume V No. 2953
  31. ↑ HSTAD Kurköln II 1152, published in Stommel, Sources Volume IV No. 2564 and No. 2565
  32. ↑ HSTAD Kurköln II 1152, published in Stommel, Sources Volume IV No. 2564 and No. 2565
  33. ↑ HSTAD Siegburg File 152, published in Stommel, Sources Volume III No. 1659a
  34. ↑ HSTAD Siegburg Act 149/2, published in Stommel Quellen Vol. IV No. 2277, 2278, 2279
  35. ↑ HAStK Groß St. Martin A 6A, court court protocols up to 1652, published in Stommel, sources Volume IV No. 1995a and No. 2520
  36. ↑ Wisplinghoff, Siegburger UKB No. 123
  37. ^ Parish archives Gymnich, published in Stommel Quellen Volume III No. 1490 and 1493
  38. ^ HAEK Deanery Bergheim Gymnich 10, Archive Schloss Gracht File 64, Archive Schloss Gymnich File 555, published in Stommel, Sources Volume V No. 2919
  39. ^ Matthias Weber: St. Kunibert in Erftstadt-Gymnich. Rheinische Kunststätten issue 245. Cologne 1980
  40. ^ A. Franzen, The visitation protocols of the first post-Tridentine visitation in the archbishopric of Cologne under Salentin von Isenburg in 1569. Münster 1960
  41. ↑ Pfarrarchiv Gymnich, Fabritius liber historialis published sources Volume IV No. in Stommel. 2393a
  42. ↑ Archive Schloss Gracht files No. 23 and 24, No. 64, Archive Schloss Gymnich files No. 554 and No. 577, published in Stommel Sources Volume IV and Volume V No. 2102, No. 22167, No. 2853, 2884.
  43. ^ Sarburg / Walram, Defense and triumph of the castle and the city of Lechenich against Hessian, French and Weimar troops in 1642. Cologne 1643.
  44. ↑ HSTAD Kurköln II 970, published in Stommel Quellen Volume V No. 2757.
  45. ↑ Archive Schloss Gymnich Act 556, published in Volume V sources Stommel no. 2974th
  46. ↑ Joseph Hansen (HG.), Sources on the history of the Rhineland in the age of the French Revolution 1780-1801, Volume IV No. 76 and No. 100, HSTAD Kurköln XIII 165, published in Stommel Quellen Volume V No. 3041 and 3043
  47. ↑ Max Bär: The administrative constitution of the Rhine Province since 1815. Bonn 1919. Page 42 ff
  48. ^ Karl Stommel, The Beginnings of the Euskirchen District. Home calendar Euskirchen 1966, page 27
  49. ↑ Archive Schloss Gracht, File 65
  50. ^ Karl Stommel: The French population lists from Erftstadt. City of Erftstadt 1989, pp. 194-253
  51. ^ W. Schieder (Ed.): Secularization and Mediatization in the four Rhenish departments, Canton Lechenich, pages 472–476
  52. ^ Walter Buschmann , Norbert Gilson, Barbara Rinn: Brown coal mining in the Rhineland , ed. from LVR and MBV-NRW , 2008, p. 399 ff.
  53. ↑ Heidi Bormann, Cornelius Bormann: Home on the Erft. The rural Jews in the synagogue communities Gymnich, Friesheim and Lechenich. Erftstadt 1993. Pages 207–229
  54. ^ Lothar Marschallek: Der Feldflugplatz in Gymnich , in: Yearbook of the City of Erftstadt 2013, pages 27-29
  55. ↑ https://www.erftstadt.de/web/rathaus-in-erftstadt/rat-und-ausschuesse/ortsbuergermeister
  56. ↑ "Gut Klang" Erftstadt e. V. | Successes. Retrieved September 6, 2016 .
  57. ↑ René Begic: http://www.gutklang.de/wir-ueber-uns/erhaben/
  58. ↑ René Begic: "Good sound" Erftstadt eV | Carl Schurz Medal. "Gut Klang" Erftstadt eV, September 24, 2016, accessed on September 26, 2016 .
  59. ↑ Erfa Gymnich
  60. ↑ Congratulations to all champions and promoted players from the Rhein-Erft football district. Retrieved June 24, 2019 .
  61. ↑ Gabriele Scholz, The Gymnicher Mühle in the landscape park "Erftaue". Yearbook of the City of Erftstadt 2011, pages 54–59