Merode (Langerwehe)

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Merode
Municipality Langerwehe
Merode coat of arms
Coordinates: 50 ° 47 '53 "  N , 6 ° 23' 23"  E
Height : 144 m above sea level NHN
Area : 7.68 km²
Residents : 688  (Dec. 31, 2019)
Population density : 90 inhabitants / km²
Incorporation : 1st July 1969
Incorporated into: D'horn
Postal code : 52379
Area code : 02423
Merode Castle
Merode Castle

Merode is a part of the municipality Langerwehe in the district of Düren , North Rhine-Westphalia .

history

Merode is the most famous place of the former rule Merode, as its origin is inextricably linked with the history of the castle and the princes of Merode . The name is derived from the clearing of the forest on which the knight's seat was built and gave the name to the owners . Jean-Philippe-Eugène de Merode-Westerloo , Imperial Field Marshal (Habsburg), died in Merode on September 12, 1732.

Memorial plaque to the on 29./30. November 1944 soldiers of the 1st Infantry Division of the US Army died at a house in Merode

From September 1944 to February 1945 Merode was in the front area of ​​the battle in the Hürtgenwald . 90% of the buildings in the village were destroyed by bombing and artillery fire. Merode Castle also suffered severe damage. Heavy local fighting took place in Merode from November 28 to December 11, 1944. On November 29 and 30, 1944 alone, over 300 American soldiers died in Merode and the surrounding area.

On July 1, 1969, Merode was incorporated into D'horn . On January 1, 1972, D'horn was incorporated into Langerwehe. On July 21, 2011 Merode received the gold medal in the district competition " Our village has a future 2011 ".

On November 16, 2018, a new burial site, a cemetery , was opened near Merode .

Attractions

Merode Castle

The Merode Castle, originally built in the 12th century, can be described as the most imposing historical building in its near and far surroundings and is considered to be one of the most beautiful moated castles in the Rhineland . The castle was severely damaged by a major fire on June 19, 2000.

The castle is privately owned and is generally not open to the public. After registering with the castle administration, tours and guided tours are possible.

Kreuzherrenkloster Schwarzenbroich

Closely connected to the history of the castle is the former Schwarzenbroich monastery in the Meroder Forest, which was founded in 1340 by Werner von Merode. It was not in the wilderness and seclusion like other monasteries, but on the ancient pilgrimage route that led from Düren via Gürzenich , Derichsweiler , Schevenhütte to the famous pilgrimage site of Kornelimünster . Like other monasteries in the French-occupied Rhineland, the Kreuzherrenkloster was abolished in 1802 by a decree of the French government on secularization , and the remaining monks had to leave the monastery. Due to the destruction of the war and decay, only sparse remains of the wall remain from the monastery.

Cemetery of honor

The "Marienbildchen" cemetery of honor in the Meroder forest is also known. It was created through the commendable initiative and work of teacher Josef Gerhards from Merode. Between 1945 and 1948 he and Peter and Ignaz Hourtz, Karl Bein, Herbert Wächter, Josef Hoor, Wilhelm Thelen, Jakob Robrock, Hermann and Ludwig Wamig, Peter Trostorf, Hubert Flossdorf and Heinrich Schmitz-Schuncken rescued the dead at risk of death . 220 soldiers of the Second World War found their final resting place here.

An American soldier found his temporary, final resting place in this cemetery. On May 29, 2011, three more German casualties, which were found on March 21, 2011 during construction work on Bundesstrasse 264 near Jüngersdorf, were placed in bed on this war cemetery.

In May 2012, a memorial was inaugurated for members of the Bundeswehr who fell and died in action.

Personalities

  • Jean Philippe Eugène de Merode-Westerloo (1674–1732), Belgian general
  • Bernardus Wettstein (1686–1745), altarist and early messner at the St. George altar in D'horn, chaplain at the chapel in Geich, provisional of the hospital in Geich, rent master of the Counts of Merode, builder of the vicarie in Schlich and initiator of the Wettstein ( Family) foundation
  • Josef Gerhards (1890–1985), teacher, founder of the "Marienbildchen" cemetery of honor, holder of the Federal Cross of Merit
  • Paolo Enrico Massimo Lancellotti, Principe di Prossedi (1911–2004), Italian diplomat, general governor of the Order of the Knights of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem
  • Joseph Krieger (1931–2003), uncle of Günter Krieger, painter
  • Günter Krieger (* 1965), writer and author of the Merode trilogy
  • Stephan Thiemonds (* 1971), travel writer, service technician, author of the Querweltein Unterwegs book series

societies

  • May society Merode e. V.
  • Club 48
  • Wind Association 1974 Merode e. V.
  • Friends of Merode Castle
  • History and local history association Herrschaft Merode e. V.
  • Hunting horn group
  • Langerwehe volunteer fire brigade, Schlich / Merode fire fighting group
  • Association for the reconstruction of Schwarzenbroich Abbey
  • Village community Merode e. V.

Trivia

Merode briefly gained notoriety throughout Germany on May 9, 2013, when three people were killed and four injured in a rampage. The public prosecutor's office in Aachen temporarily suspended the proceedings against the gunman in September 2013.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Population figures on December 31, 2019
  2. ↑ Martin Bünermann: The communities of the first reorganization program in North Rhine-Westphalia . Deutscher Gemeindeverlag, Cologne 1970, p. 97 .
  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. 306 .
  4. ↑ https://www.friedwald.de/standorte/naturnahe-beerdigung-im-friedwald-meroder-wald-im-kreis-dueren-nahe-aachen/
  5. ^ Paul Fabianek: Consequences of secularization for the monasteries in the Rhineland - Using the example of the monasteries Schwarzenbroich and Kornelimünster. Verlag BoD, 2012 ISBN 978-3-8482-1795-3 , p. 15 and annex (Ordinance “Arrêté portant suppression des ordres monastiques et congrégations régulières dans les départemens de la Sarre, de la Roër, de Thin-et-Moselle et du Mont-Tonnerre ")
  6. ↑ http://www.aachener-zeitung.de/lokales/dueren/nicht-vernehmungsfaehig-verfahren-gegen-amoklaeufer-von-merode-eingetzt-1.663675