Michelbach (Westerwald)

coat of arms	Germany map
	Coordinates: 50 ° 41 ′  N , 7 ° 40 ′  E
Basic data
State :	Rhineland-Palatinate
County :	Altenkirchen (Westerwald)
Association municipality :	Altenkirchen-Flammersfeld
Height :	230 m above sea level NHN
Area :	4.42 km 2
Residents:	532 (Dec. 31, 2019)
Population density :	120 inhabitants per km 2
Postal code :	57610
Area code :	02681
License plate :	AK
Community key :	07 1 32 070
Community structure:	2 districts
Association administration address:	Rathausstrasse 13 57610 Altenkirchen
Website :	michelbach-westerwald.de
Local Mayor :	vacant (First Alderman Alexandra Schleiden)
Location of the local community Michelbach (Westerwald) in the district of Altenkirchen (Westerwald)

Michelbach: Old school

Michelbacher Mill

Mühlengraben and Wiedwanderweg

Weir

Mühlengraben on the edge of the old village center

Mittelstrasse in Michelbach before the renovation in the mid-1960s. In front right the former village shop, in the back right Haus Neitzert (Photo: Hachenberg)

Michelbach (Westerwald) is a municipality in the Altenkirchen (Westerwald) district in Rhineland-Palatinate . It belongs to the community of Altenkirchen-Flammersfeld . Districts are Michelbach and Widderstein.

Geographical location

Michelbach is located about one and a half kilometers (Widderstein about three kilometers) east of the center of Altenkirchen , not far from federal road 8 and below state road 414 in the valley of the Wied . The river flows directly south of the settlement, lined with the Wiedwanderweg . Fields, meadows and mixed forests surround the local community. The coniferous forest between Michelbach, Widderstein and Borod as well as north of the town on the Limburg – Altenkirchen railway line is managed by a forest interest group .

The district of Widderstein (with 15 residential buildings and a small village community center) is about two kilometers east of the main village in the Wiedtal, framed by the 300 meter high Herzberg and Pfahlberg. The old school, the Michelbacher Mühle and an Aussiedlerhof (Heidehof) are located between Michelbach and Widderstein .

history

In prehistoric times, the Herzburg ramparts lay on the mountain spur called the Herzberg above Widderstein . Archaeological monuments and place names give evidence of earlier settlement. This hilltop is surrounded by the Wied and is strategically located between the old "Köln-Frankfurter-Straße" (today Bundesstraße 8 ) and the old Köln-Leipziger-Straße (today Bundesstraße 414 ).

The Widderstein house was first mentioned in a document in 1346. At that time the settlement was called "Leckerrode". In the document , the knight Albrecht von Wiederbach, later Widderstein, is given the Gut Leckerrode below Ingelbach by Count Johann von Sayn as a fief . Documentary mentions of Michelbach can be found in the Miracle Book of Hilgenroth from 1428 and 1432, in which citizens of "Mychelenbach" and "Mychelbach" are mentioned.

The oldest document referring to residents of Michelbach dates from 1464 and concerns the exchange of serfs . Around 1520 the Cassius pen in Bonn had basic rights, which it sold to Count Heinrich von Sayn in 1573. A mill was first recorded in Michelbach from 1577.

In 1820 Michelbach had 22 fireplaces and 126 residents, 22 of whom were school children; Widderstein had 5 fireplaces and 27 souls, but no school children. Michelbach finally had its own school since 1843. The two formerly independent communities Michelbach and Widderstein merged in 1848 to form a school community and in 1938 to form the community of Michelbach.
Due to the proximity to the district town of Altenkirchen, the population of the place increased by 39.5% between 1939 and 1961.

The village renewal carried out in the early 1980s changed the character of the village considerably; this was mainly the case with the relocation of the upper section of Mittelstrasse in the direction of Widderstein. While the narrow village road previously snaked up the hill, this section has now been straightened. Several agricultural buildings were demolished for this purpose. Today the village's large playground is located there.
Michelbach experienced an expansion of the population in the 1970 / 1980s through the streets "Im Schleedörn" / "Südweg", "Im Beulsgarten" and in the 2000s through the new development area "Oberer Dorfgarten".

Population development

The development of the population of Michelbach, the values ​​from 1871 to 1987 are based on censuses:

year Residents 1815 149 1835 203 1871 259 1905 263 1939 248 1950 317

year Residents 1961 346 1970 416 1987 404 1997 437 2005 578 2019 532

politics

Municipal council

The council in Michelbach (Westerwald) consists of twelve council members, who in the local elections on May 26, 2019 in a majority vote were elected, and the honorary mayor as chairman.

mayor

The position of mayor is vacant, the official business is carried out by the first alderman Alexandra Schleiden and the alderman Torsten Klein. In the direct election on May 26, 2019, there was no candidate, and at the constituent meeting of the local council on July 2, 2019, there was no successor to the previous mayor, Hans Kwiotek.

Culture and sights

Attractions

Wiedwanderweg

The hiking route leading from Altenkirchen to Ingelbach leads past the southern outskirts, with two pedestrian bridges, weir , mill ditch of the former Altenkirchener mill and ford

Michelbacher Mill

The five-story main building from 1847 has six grinders. Next to this building is the historic mill construction; today this includes a hydroelectric power station , the water from the Wied still provides the required energy - a turbine rotates in the water jet and generates electricity for the electric grinders. The Michelbacher Mühle is the largest milling company in the Koblenz chamber district . It can be viewed at the annual Mühlentag (“open day”) held nationwide .

Cultural monuments

Mittelstrasse 50

Half-timbered transverse house, partly solid or clad, around 1800

Mittelstrasse 50a

Former half-timbered barn ( thatched roof )

Mittelstrasse 59

Old school, former school building, half-hipped roof, partially slated, around 1910 (private property)

milestone

Block pillar located south of the village on the main road

See also : List of cultural monuments in Michelbach

literature

• Helmut Sander: History of the Michelbach School. In: Heimat-Jahrbuch des Kreis Altenkirchen 50. 2007, pp. 162–165.
• Daniel Schneider: The milling industry in the county of Sayn-Altenkirchen. In: Heimat-Jahrbuch des Kreis Altenkirchen 59. 2016, pp. 219–237.
• Peter Hartgenbusch: Sunday in Michelbach. In: Bergischgladbach district archive. 1944.

Web links

Commons : Michelbach  - Collection of Images

• Web presence
• Michelbach on the website of the Verbandsgemeinde Altenkirchen

Individual references, comments

1. ↑ ^{a b} State Statistical Office of Rhineland-Palatinate - population status 2019, districts, municipalities, association communities ( help on this ).
2. ↑ The river that is built up in the local area is called "Wiedbach" by the older citizens of Michelbach.
3. ↑ On the historical development of the mills in the County of Sayn cf. Daniel Schneider: The milling industry in the county of Sayn-Altenkirchen, pp. 219–239.
4. ↑ They were all Protestant and went to school in Altenkirchen
5. ↑ The first school, a two-story quarry stone building with the school hall on the upper floor, now forms the left half of the Hachenberg property, Mittelstrasse 38. The first floor was later expanded into a grocery store that existed until the 1980s. When this school became too small at the beginning of the 20th century, a new building was built around 1920 between Michelbach and Widderstein near the Michelbacher Mühle, today's "old school".
6. ↑ The notes on the history of Michelbach and Widderstein are taken from the booklet "Michelbach - Notes on History" (edited by Dieter Sommerfeld).
7. ^ According to: Land Rhineland-Palatinate (ed.): Landkreis Altenkirchen (Westerwald) - regional history-statistical district description. District Office Altenkirchen (Ww). 1969.
8. ↑ State Statistical Office Rhineland-Palatinate - regional data
9. ^ The Regional Returning Officer Rhineland-Palatinate: Municipal Council Election 2019 Michelbach. Retrieved December 26, 2019 . 
10. ^ Local community Michelbach: Local council. Retrieved December 26, 2019 . 
11. ^ The State Returning Officer Rhineland-Palatinate: direct elections 2019. see Altenkirchen-Flammersfeld, Verbandsgemeinde, 38th result line. Retrieved December 26, 2019 . 
12. ↑ Mitteilungsblatt Verbandsgemeinde Altenkirchen: From the constituent meeting of the local council on July 2, 2019. Linus Wittich Medien GmbH, edition 34/2019, accessed on December 26, 2019 . 
13. ↑ Handicraft Special: Michelbacher Mühle is one of the largest in the Koblenz chamber district. Magazine of the Koblenz Chamber of Crafts, October 7, 2006, accessed on December 26, 2019 . 
14. ↑ On the historical development of the mills in the County of Sayn cf. Daniel Schneider: The milling industry in the county of Sayn-Altenkirchen, pp. 219–239.

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  Weir

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  "Under the oaks"

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  Old barn in Michelbach

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  View of Michelbach