Reifferscheid (Hellenthal)

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Reifferscheid
Community Hellenthal
Coordinates: 50 ° 28 ′ 34 ″  N , 6 ° 28 ′ 9 ″  E
Height : 420 m above sea level NHN
Residents : 519  (Dec. 31, 2019)
Postal code : 53940
Area code : 02482, 02448

Reifferscheid is a district of the municipality Hellenthal in the district of Euskirchen in North Rhine-Westphalia .

Reifferscheid is located near the German-Belgian border between the Eifel and the Ardennes in the Eifel National Park .

Surname

The name is probably derived from a cleared area that belonged to a man named Rifhari, because the names Rifersceith or Rifheres-sceit mean "part of the forest of Rifhari". At the time of the Franks Reifferscheid belonged to Ripuarien .

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View from the keep of Reifferscheid Castle on the town

history

Reifferscheid was first mentioned in writing around 900 years ago (1106), in the "Chronica regia coloniensis" under "Riferschit" (MGH SS XVII, p. 746). The content of the message at the time, however, referred to the destruction of the castle by the then owner, Heinrich Graf von Limburg and Duke of Lower Lorraine. He burned his own castle down to keep it from falling into enemy hands.

In 1130 a chapel near the castle was elevated to a parish church - connected to the Steinfeld monastery - by Archbishop Friedrich von Köln .

Fires from the years 1509 and especially 1669 are reported. After that, it resulted in at least partial reconstruction. In the years after 1669 the city ​​wall was apparently not rebuilt. It no longer had any defensive function against the new weapons. Half-timbered houses were built on the foundations of the old city wall , which can still be seen from today's buildings .

Around 1689, the troops of Louis XIV caused particularly severe damage to the entire area . The reconstruction at that time must have taken place very quickly, because as early as 1700 pictures show the castle in all its splendor and size.

From the former medieval castle from the 14th century, only remnants of the surrounding walls and the widely visible, round and now painted white keep made of quarry stone masonry, the outer bailey (a mighty two-tower guardhouse with a gabled passage) and the circular wall with two city gates are preserved. From 1906 to 1926, the monastery of St. Cross of the Augustinians .

The majority of today's buildings within the Burgbering are privately owned and often serve as weekend homes for Cologne families. Most of the buildings date from the 17th and 18th centuries.

The citizens of Reifferscheid devoted themselves more and more to the preservation of the medieval to baroque buildings in the last decades. The place has received several awards, most recently in 1991.

Castle

The castle seen from the place
Reifferscheid, aerial photo (2015)

The Reifferscheid castle ruins are the landmark of the town that can be seen from afar.

From a preselection of 14 villages from all over North Rhine-Westphalia, Reifferscheid managed to make the jump among the four most beautiful Christmas villages.

Matthias Gate

The Matthias Gate is a massive gateway made of quarry stone from the 14th century. This gate leads to the castle area today. The narrow passage lies between two fully bricked front towers.

Parish Church of St. Matthias

The choir of the late Gothic hall church from the years 1489–91 is still preserved. The church was built on the special initiative of Countess Philippine, who was also buried in the church. Substantial parts of the building were changed from 1865 to 1867. Contrary to its original appearance, the choir was given a fortified tower and the result was a picture that cannot be understood without the German romanticism and its medieval bliss, but which today gives Reifferscheid an unmistakable view from afar.

The restoration at that time was led by August Lange. He raised the tower, the nave and the choir, added a round stair tower to the choir in the north and also raised the half-tower on the south side, which mutated into the sacristy building .

The war damage had already been repaired in 1951.

education

In Reifferscheid there is a primary school and a day care center for the community.

societies

There are a number of associations that take care of all areas of cultural life.

  • KG red-white Reifferscheid e. V.
  • VFL Reifferscheid
  • Reifferscheid music association
  • Reifferscheid-Wolfert church choir
  • Garden and Beautification Association Reifferscheid-Kammerwald-Wiesen
  • STORM e. V. (youth group)
  • Eifelverein local group Reifferscheid
  • St. Matthias Rifle Brotherhood
  • Civic Association Kammerwald e. V.

Joint activities are coordinated by the

  • Reifferscheid local cartel

Prices

  • In 1991 the location won the gold medal in the state competition Our village should be more beautiful and in the same year the silver medal at the federal level.
  • In 2008 the location won the gold medal in the district competition "Our village has a future" and in 2009 the silver medal at the state level.

literature

  • Walter Pippke, Ida Pallhuber: The Eifel. Cologne [1984] 2nd edition 1984. (DuMont Art Travel Guide), p. 47; Front cover, Fig. 4.
  • Karl-Heinz Schumacher: Reifferscheid . In: Geographical analysis of the structural use of natural stones in the Eifel. Aachen geographic works. Vol. 20, Aachen 1988. ISSN  0587-4068 , pp. 201-212

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ https://www.hellenthal.de/rathaus-politik/portrait/einwohnerzahlen/

Web links

Commons : Reifferscheid  - Collection of Images