Stromberg (Hunsrück)

coat of arms	Germany map
	Coordinates: 49 ° 57 '  N , 7 ° 47'  E
Basic data
State :	Rhineland-Palatinate
County :	Bad Kreuznach
Association municipality :	Langenlonsheim-Stromberg
Height :	220 m above sea level NHN
Area :	9.03 km 2
Residents:	3342 (Dec. 31, 2019)
Population density :	370 inhabitants per km 2
Postal code :	55442
Area code :	06724
License plate :	KH
Community key :	07 1 33 103
Association administration address:	Warmsrother Grund 2 55442 Stromberg
Website :	www.stadt-stromberg.de
City Mayor :	Claus-Werner Dapper (WGS)
Location of the city of Stromberg in the Bad Kreuznach district

Stromberg / Hunsrück

The town of Stromberg in the Langenlonsheim-Stromberg association in the Bad Kreuznach district with around 3200 inhabitants on the southeastern edge of the Hunsrück is considered the home of the German Michel . Stromberg is a state-approved climatic health resort and designated as a basic center according to state planning .

geography

Geographical location

Stromberg is located on the eastern edge of the Soonwald , an approximately 40 km² large and up to 657  m high mountain range in the Hunsrück , and south of the Binger Forest .

It is very easy to reach because of the Stromberg motorway junction on the A 61 . After Frankfurt is 80 kilometers to Koblenz 58 km. The state capital Mainz is 41 kilometers away by road.

Climate and relief

The Stromberger Kalkmulde lies on the edge of the Hunsrück in the border area between its maritime mountain climate and the rather dry basin climate of the Rhine-Nahe Valley. Stromberg accordingly has a warm summer and mild winter climate. The average annual rainfall is 600 mm. The precipitation is in the lower third of the values ​​recorded in Germany. Lower values ​​are registered at 27% of the measuring stations of the German Weather Service . The driest month is February, with the most rainfall in June. In June there is 1.4 times more rainfall than in February. Precipitation varies only minimally and is extremely evenly distributed over the year. Lower seasonal fluctuations are recorded at only 1% of the measuring stations . The average temperatures in July are 17 ° - 18 ° C and in January 0 ° - 0.5 °.

Topographically , Stromberg has a distinctive profile as a “three valleys town” at the confluence of the Welschbach and Dörrebach (Lehnbach) with the Guldenbach , which, the strongest, roughly halves the Stromberg district.

The Guldenbach rises at the Volkenbacher Weiher north of Rheinböllen approx. 450 m above sea ​​level . It has a steep gradient due to the great height difference from the source to the confluence with the Nahe. The Welschbach rises in a meadow near the Erbacher Kopf (470.5 m), the Dörrebach in the Neupfalz state forest near the Lehnmühle. Furthermore, the tiny Schindelbach flows into the Guldenbach, which rises in the Stromberg city forest and flows through the "gorge". All of these streams have cut deep into the rock and created characteristic narrow valleys. Even within the urban area, the differences in altitude are quite high. The city center is about 220 m high.

Geology around Stromberg

The Stromberg district belongs entirely to the Hunsrück. In the Stromberger Mulde, a special hollow in the Vorsoonwald area, you can find rocks that go back to the Middle and Upper Devonian, and even deposits of the Lower Carboniferous .

In the Devonian, deposits of clays, sands and limes formed over the crystalline subsoil over a period of 80 million years. These caused the subsoil to break into individual clods, creating tectonic faults and in which magma rose. The Taunus quartzite formed from the sands through solidification and the Hunsrück slate from the silt deposits.

Stromberg was spared from erosion because it lies in the hollow. So the rocks of the individual time periods were preserved here. Limestone is still mined in Stromberg today and has been for centuries . In 1909, Karl Geib found a fossil with which it was possible to assign the Stromberg Limestone to the younger section of the Middle Devonian.

vegetation

The natural vegetation of the Soonwald is a grove-oak-beech forest. In higher elevations, beech forests predominate, in lower oak and hornbeam forests, which are heavily shaped by humans. The Stromberg flora is also influenced by lime and therefore differs from that in the rest of the Bad Kreuznach district. It is particularly worth protecting because much of this rare calcareous flora has already been lost. The lower reaches of the Dörrebach is particularly interesting, as the maple-ash forest grows here, a forest formation that is classified as part of the ravine forests. Furthermore, sycamore maple , winter linden and common ash grow there as well as rarer plant species, which the (limestone) soil and the climate are particularly favorable to. That is why it has often been requested that this area be designated as a nature reserve.

history

Place name

In 1056 the place name Stromberg is first mentioned in connection with a Count Bertolfus de Strumburg . The first component of the name, Strom- , is usually interpreted by onomastics (name researchers) in the sense of "large, wide river", although there is no corresponding body of water in the urban area. Some others understand electricity - therefore in the sense of "flow around", because Stromberg as a mountain with flow appears much more plausible.

Prehistory and early history

Archaeologists have found objects from the Neolithic Age (approx. 5700–2000 BC) in the vicinity of Stromberg, in caves on Dörrebachweg, namely several stone axes, a pierced flint knife and arrowheads, a bone slab and several remains of charcoal with grains of grain.

In the younger Iron Age (approx. 450 BC) the area was inhabited by Celts . Nothing has been found in Stromberg from the late Celtic period. From the time around the birth of Christ, the entire region was under Roman rule and influence for several centuries, which is still noticeable in culture and language today. In particular, road building and viticulture were brought here by the Romans.

Stromberg was created at the point where the Ausoniusstraße, which led from the north to Bingen, led over the Guldenbach on a bridge (which was only destroyed by a flood in 1821). To protect them, a watchtower was built on the Gollenfels and a vicus village was built in the Stromberg city forest for the guards and their families , near the remains of Roman burial mounds.

The early middle ages

In the 5th century AD, the area around Stromberg was conquered by the Franks during the migration of peoples and was then part of their empire. After the final division of the Franconian Empire around 840, it belonged to its eastern part, from which the German Empire emerged.

In 891 plundering Vikings or Nordmanns drove up the Rhine to the Nahe and Hunsrück rivers. In the first decades of the 10th century the Hungarians also penetrated into the area on the left bank of the Rhine. That was the reason for the Franks to build defensive structures such as castles. The exact year of its construction is not known, we only know that it already existed in 1056.

The language of the Stromberg region has been German in the form of Franconian since the Great Migration. The local dialect is to be assigned to the transition area between Rhine Franconian and Middle Franconian.

From the Middle Ages to Electoral Palatinate rule (10th to 18th centuries)

In the first 400 years of this period, the history of the Stromburg dominated that of the place. It belonged to the Nahegau since the Franconian district division . The Nahegaugrafen also had considerable influence beyond their actual rulership.

The old Stromburg was probably built by Bertolf I, who first mentioned the name, or by one of his ancestors to defend the road from Bingen to Königsforst. It was considered "imperial direct", so it was directly subordinate to the king. Emperor Heinrich V (1106–1125) describes it in a letter he wrote in 1120 on a train to Italy as "castrum nostrum Strumburg" (German: Our fortress Stromburg). When the letter was written, the castle had just been attacked by the Archbishop of Mainz, Adalbert I, who had sided with the Pope in the investiture dispute. In his letter Heinrich describes the degree of destruction of the castle as "funditus" (from the ground up). From this point on, no more counts of the Stromburg can be proven for around 150 years. The early mentions of the castle are with some certainty the "Old Stromburg" on the parish head. Archaeological research has dated the complex to the 11th and 12th centuries.

During the same time, however, the village of Stromberg developed in the valley at the foot of the castle. Its current name appears for the first time in 1344 as "Thal Stromberg"; previously, in the 13th century, it was called "Stromveldt". Roth, Genheim and Eckenroth belonged to him at an early stage, probably not with their full markings, but at least part of them.

In 1156 Friedrich I (Barbarossa) enfeoffed Konrad von Hohenstaufen with the Palatinate. Around 1200 belonged to the Palatinate County on the Rhine the high court and the minster in Kreuznach, furthermore goods of all kinds in the Stromberg district, as well as the settlements Roth, Genheim, Schweppenhausen, Eckenroth and several individual farms.

In 1214 the palatinate was given to the Wittelsbach family by Emperor Friedrich II . The Wittelsbachers did a lot to expand their sphere of influence and divided it into administrative districts. Stromberg, as an evidently more important settlement, was named “locus praecipuus” (main town) in 1255, i.e. before the place name was first mentioned (1344). In the year 1268, mayors and judges were mentioned for the first time in Stromberg.

In 1329 Ludwig IV . Assigned the palatinate to his nephews Rudolf II , Ruprecht I , and Ruprecht II . So they owned Kaub, the Pfalzgrafstein, the Stahlberg, Bacharach, Diebach, Steeg, Heimbach, Rheinböllen, the Fürstenberg and Stromberg among others. On February 18, 1338 Rudolf II. And the two Ruprechte divided the county among themselves, the Ruprechte fell to Stromberg, Bacharach, Diebach and Rheinböllen, among others.

In the 14th century Stromberg is mentioned as a town in 1367, 1374 and 1394. Burgmen were named as stately representatives for Stromberg for the first time in 1388 and officials for the first time in 1418. In 1402 and 1403 Count Palatine Ruprecht III. visit the Stromburg again, so the construction work on the castle was finished by this time.

When their place is pledged, the Strombergers are referred to as “poor people”. Although their place was a fortified city, it remained largely rural and thus did not differ much from the surrounding villages, such as Argenthal, Dill, Grumbach, Horn, Koppenstein, Laubach and Oberstein. Since Stromberg is also often referred to as “Thal” (especially in the 15th century (1410, 1416, 1424, 1464, and 1481)), it can be assumed that the city was only partially privileged. But it had a local court, often market rights, fortifications, certain freedom of the residents and the right to seal.

Stromburg had mayor and mayor around 1414, and since the 15th and 16th centuries there were other municipal officials. At the end of the 16th century, Stromberg was even raised to the position of senior office. This included, of course, the Stromburg and the town at the foot of the mountain, and the “forest villages” west of the Nahe, which were more or less in the Soonwald (Eckenroth, Schindelberg, Warmsroth, Roth, Genheim, parts of Windesheim, Waldlaubersheim and Waldalgesheim, which also included Heddesheim, Breitenfelser Hof and Dorsheim), and the "Gaudörfer" east of the Nahe (Appenheim, Engelstadt, Ensheim, Grolsheim, Horrweiler, Niederhilbersheim and Welgesheim). As the war technique had developed further, the military importance of the old knight dynasty had dwindled, on the Stromburg they only sat as castle men.

The Stromberger's rights and obligations were precisely defined. For the year 1589 was u. a .:

“The jurisdiction is subordinate to the Count Palatine. The following are given to the city lords: iniquity fees, ungeld, road money, and all income from water, pasture, ban mill and ban bakery. The citizens of the city are entitled to: They do not have to pay any unpaid money so that they can maintain walls, gates, gates, paths and footbridges. Every year they have to pay nine malters of grain, then they are allowed to use the stately pasture. Anyone who wanted to settle in the city, i.e. who wanted to settle down, was automatically subject to the mayor and mayor. The community was able to employ (field) riflemen, porters and guards. In the event of a battle, the Stromberg residents do not need to do military service for their master, but should guard the settlement. "

Thirty Years' War

After a battle between the Spaniards at Schloßböckelheim and the imperial troops , the castle fell into the hands of the Spaniards on November 14, 1620. Then Spain conquered almost all the villages and cities in the Nahe valley, some of the cities capitulated before a battle before the overpowering and feared Spaniards. In winter, the Spanish quarters also set up in Stromberg. The long war resulted in many levies and compulsory labor on the part of the population; Stromberg was asked to pay 6,000 Reichstaler as contributions , to be paid in three installments. Only when the Swedish troops under their King Gustav II Adolf (1594–1632) had marched into the Palatinate, they were able to drive out the Spaniards in 1630, and the Protestants regained the upper hand. On the Swedish side, the Wittelsbachers fought, who already ruled the Stromburg and thus became the important rulers of the local area.

When the Swedish king died in the Battle of Lützen on November 16, 1632, his troops got out of control, which led to great atrocities. In the last 15 years of the war, troops from all warring powers were again in the vicinity.

A court seal from 1647 with the inscription: "Stromberg court seal" was found.

German Michel

Another possible historical role model for the German Michel is the rider general Hans Michael Elias von Obentraut , who was born on October 2, 1574 on the Stromburg and who also spent his childhood here. In the Thirty Years War he fought at the head of the Palatinate cavalry for the Evangelical Union and made it up to general . His martial art soon earned him the reputation of the dreaded Miguel Aleman among the Spanish mercenaries of Marshal Tilly on the Catholic side. Stromberg celebrates its most famous son every year at Whitsun with a historic town festival.

The wars of the 17th and 18th centuries

Because the country was so badly wounded, Elector Karl I Ludwig (1649–1680) had to bring the country back up, but also had to defend the prerogatives of the principality. At the Regensburg Reichstag in 1653 it was decided that Karl Ludwig's uncle, Ludwig Phillip von Pfalz-Simmern, who had lost his land due to the war, would inherit the office of Kaiserslautern for life and the smaller offices of Wolfstein and Rockenhausen. According to this Reichstag, Pfalz-Simmern was to give up one fifth of the former Front County of Sponheim and two thirds of the Stromberg office to relatives.

On February 15, 1689, war was declared on France by the Reichstag in Regensburg. This war, which went down in history as the Orléans War or the Palatinate War of Succession (1688–1697), once again brought great devastation to the surrounding area, which can be compared with the effects of the Thirty Years' War. The armies that passed through demanded food, accommodation and numerous services from the inhabitants.

In the so-called “Entfestungskampf” numerous castles were destroyed: 1684/6 Steinkallenfels , 1688 Schloss Böckelheim , Schloss Wartenstein bei Kirn , 1689 Stromburg , Winterburg , the “permanent house”, the Bretzenheimer Schloss , Kauzenburg over Kreuznach, 1698 the Ebernburg .

The next century also demanded many wars from the region, especially wars of succession, which is why the forced labor to be performed was almost common.

Napoleonic period (1792-1814)

On April 4, 1792, French revolutionary troops planted a linden tree on the Stromburg, which was destroyed on March 3, 1689.

There was heavy fighting at Stromberg against the Prussians approaching in the north , in which the French General Custine deployed around 12,000 men. On March 20, 1793, Lieutnant von Gauvain defended himself with 40 foot soldiers against 6,000 French at Gollenfels Castle. This lieutenant and his soldiers were killed against this overwhelming force.

In the following days there were many more troop movements and battles in the vicinity, also in the area around and in Stromberg. The leader of the French was General Custine and that of the Prussians Szeculi.

The city of Stromberg had to raise 2000 guilders to pay the war costs, in addition, private individuals had to pay 1429.51 guilders to French and 2105.59 guilders to Prussian troops.

The new laws of the French Revolutionary era were also introduced in the vicinity in 1796. Accordingly, all sovereign rulers were stripped of their rule and all Electoral Palatinate dissolved, the small states of the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation thus ended.

At the beginning of 1796, French troops were in the Guldenbachtal, which on May 22nd moved to Dichtelbach near Rheinböllen and from there to Neuwied, where they crossed the Rhine. Imperial armies were also nearby.

Stromberg became the seat of a canton in Rhin-et-Moselle with 27 towns, which had 7,943 inhabitants. The Waldhilbersheim resident JA Lang was handed over the office of commissioner on March 28, 1798. The canton of Stromberg was divided into four mairies . A final contract on the whereabouts of the left bank of the Rhine was concluded. According to this Treaty of Lunéville of 1801, the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation had to cede this area completely to France.

In the post-war period from the end of the 18th to the beginning of the 19th century, many bands of robbers roamed around, for example the Maienmühle between Stromberg and Stromberger Neuhütte was attacked in mid-January 1802. The mistreated Müller survived only by accident, seriously injured.

From 1805 the near region was again only used for troops to pass through. Sometimes residents from here were also sent to the front as French statesmen. The Lord Mayor's Office in Stromberg sent 97 men in the period from 1800 to 1814.

The Prussian General Yorck left Wartenburg for Stromberg on New Year's Eve at 11 a.m. , where he set up his quarters until January 4, 1814.

Under the Prussians until the end of the First World War

According to the Congress of Vienna, the immediate area had now been handed over to the Prussians , who, however, were more interested in rule over Poland or Saxony. The population was also neither asked nor taken into account, so that they behaved negatively towards the Prussians and considered everything to be a kind of transitional government. The first half of the 19th century was not exactly rosy and it brought many years of hardship with it.

Many municipalities made numerous claims for compensation from France, such as Stromberg on February 22, 1813 for the canton Stromberg 18,289 francs and 34 centimes. Due to the provision of food for the troops until March 31, 1815, the debts continued to rise and in the end the Mairie Stromberg alone accounted for 1683 francs and 58 centimes. But there was worse to come, a low harvest in 1815 and the year without a summer 1816 - since Stromberg for county Kreuznach in Koblenz is one - could rise rapidly, grain prices, the year 1817 has gone down in history as a year of famine. On the other hand, it became very important for Stromberg in 1817, because the mayor Joh. Hoseus bought the Stromburg for 510 francs. Poverty continued to advance in the population and was so severe in 1839 that several residents were exempt from paying class tax. The 1840s were marked by high prices, bad harvests and a certain social unrest across Europe. There were few livestock, but the population was barely able to provide them with sufficient fodder . Even if employment and livelihoods were possible for the population in the ironworks in the Guldenbach and Graefenbach valleys, many workers were laid off due to falling prices and competition. The difficulties became so great in the 1850s that some Stromberg residents saw the only solution in emigration. Fate continued and escalated in 1870 with the outbreak of the Franco-Prussian War . Stromberg residents also went to war for Prussia. The city of Stromberg had to take out a loan of 3000 Reichstalers to cover the costs of the war. A warrior association was founded in Stromberg in 1871 and enjoyed a high status in social life.

In 1871 the financial situation of the city of Stromberg was again catastrophic, because the two large buildings of the Catholic Church and the Protestant rectory had devoured 57,000 thalers. The town of Stromberg was already heavily industrialized for the time; the age of the railway brought an additional upswing in the Rhine-Nahe valley. The Rhine-Nahe Railway was built between 1856 and 1860. After the revolver assassination attempt on Kaiser Wilhelm I (see Max Hödel ) in May 1878 , Stromberger sent the uninjured monarch the following telegram to Berlin:

“Stromberg, the smallest town in the Rhine Province, but rich in warm, loyal hearts for Ew. Majesty and our German fatherland, thank God for the gracious preservation of our emperor, warlord and father. "

On October 19, 1878, the district court in Stromberg was opened. Since the 3rd / 6th August 1883 had the Congregation Poor Maidservants of Jesus Christ a branch in town (until February 2, 2010). She ran the St. Josef Hospital. They also provided care for the elderly and outpatient nursing, and the sisters worked in kindergarten and taught at the sewing school. The construction of the Langenlonsheim-Simmern railway from 1888 to 1889 brought the long-awaited connection to the Nahe Valley Railway . 500 people worked on the Rheinböllen-Schweppenhausen railway line and laboriously transported the material from Bingerbrück using an “axis”.

Due to the flooding of the Guldenbach, most of the work was destroyed, which delayed completion. An outstanding event in Stromberg's local history was the construction of the war memorial in 1889. The warrior association had 91 members in 1890/91. Otto von Bismarck was declared an honorary citizen of the city of Stromberg in 1895. The war club made sure that September 2nd was celebrated every year by the whole population.

In 1899 electric lights were on in some Stromberg households, and work on building water pipes continued. The connection to the Hunsrück Railway enabled the lime works to make great profits. The lime and iron and steel industry played an important role in the life of the Strombergers. The hourly wage of a worker was 2-4 marks per shift.

In 1901 a young Stromberger worried the population deeply with a series of arson attacks. In 1910, the last of the 22 tanneries in Stromberg was shut down. The mayor's offices at the time were very concerned about the so-called mood among the population. In 1912 prosperity gradually increased. The shops and craftsmen were busy, tourism grew. To do this, the Stromburg should be repaired. A highlight in 1913 was the visit of the German Emperor Wilhelm II , who unveiled the monument to the hunter from Electoral Palatinate in the Soonwald . This made Kaiser Wilhelm very popular in the Stromberg region. Another big event of the year was a coin find; Over 700 coins from the time of Emperor Friedrich I were discovered under a boulder near Stromberg. The find also caused a sensation outside of Stromberg.

Tourism continued to develop in Stromberg in 1914 as well. But from midsummer everything changed dramatically. After the assassination attempt in Sarajevo it became clear that war threatened Europe. Soon 100 Stromberg men went to war . The emperor promised his soldiers: “You will be home before the leaves fall from the trees.” But history has developed differently. The population was not only familiar with victory celebrations, but more war bonds and first prisoner reports came. The war brought noticeable cuts, so in January 1916 it was clear that the planned new building of the Stromberg Catholic school would have to be postponed until after the war. Everyday life was also becoming increasingly restricted. For example, to compensate for the great lack of fat, school children were sent to the city forest to take advantage of the rich beech harvest. Elderberries were also collected and delivered to the Red Cross. Due to the numerous collections, lessons were mostly canceled entirely.

The main headquarters were relocated to Bad Kreuznach in the war year 1917. The emperor and his crown prince moved into their quarters in the Kurhaus there. In the Catholic school chronicle it is noted that in the month of May the emperor drove through Stromberg almost every day in his automobile. The war year 1918 dragged on, there was no end in sight for the summer, the people were malnourished and there was dissatisfaction everywhere.

The armistice came into force on November 11, 1918 and troops were now moving through Stromberg every day. The city was heavily decorated during the march through.

Weimar Period (1918–1933)

From December 19, 1918, Stromberg was under French occupation . In the school chronicles it is reported that the crew behaved decently and with restraint. Since the crew was housed in the classrooms, regular school lessons were only possible again in July 1919, when the troops in Stromberg were withdrawn. The severe consequences of inflation began to have an impact on the Stromberg population . Unemployed people had to be supported by the Stromberg mayor . The population tried hard to cope with the difficult everyday life. There was little to be felt in the areas west of the Rhine from the legendary " Golden Twenties " in the capital of Berlin.

The youth care movement was still in its infancy in Stromberg. As a result of the war, the number of members decreased and despite all efforts the matter did not progress. Not even in the gymnastics and games club, which made the decision to build a gym in 1922. But the club system in social life in Stromberg developed and had great importance and after the construction of the gym, the construction of a swimming pool was on the wish list. The gymnastics and games club in turn promoted this and according to medical findings of the time, the entire youth was to be regarded as underperforming physically.

The financial circumstances of the city of Stromberg were still unfavorable. The winter of 1928/29 was unusually severe for local conditions. Temperatures of 25 ° C below zero were measured, which meant that the Rhine was also frozen over.

A particular highlight of 1930 was the withdrawal of the Allies from the Rhineland and the end of the twelve-year occupation. In Stromberg the liberation ceremony took place on the evening of June 30th with the entire citizenry. When Reich President Hindenburg made a tour of the liberated Rhineland, he also visited Stromberg.

Stromberg had 1170 inhabitants according to the last census. The financial conditions were catastrophic, mainly due to unfavorable war and post-war conditions.

The time of National Socialism (1933–1939)

The experiences of the twelve-year occupation after the First World War also made the residents of the surrounding area receptive to National Socialist ideas.

The political opposition was quickly eliminated by the rulers in Stromberg as well. Leading SPD functionaries were taken into protective custody. The Stromberg citizens were confronted with the totalitarian Nazi state and soon eight of them were in protective custody in the local prison. On August 13, 1933, a local festival was celebrated in Stromberg on the occasion of the 140th anniversary of the events of Gauvain and the Battle of Gollenfels. The German Michel was also remembered and with a clear conviction the Heimatfest became a major political event in the spirit of the new regime. At the beginning of 1934, part of the Stromberger Neuhütte was shut down. Almost all of the workers were taken over by the Wandesleben brothers' stove factory. This company was in a great boom.

Local club life also changed. The gym in Gebereistraße was renamed into a so-called “Volkshalle”. It could not be used for a long time due to damage and now had to be repaired. For political rallies and events of the party, larger halls were needed than those in the inns. The local group leader at the time caused the gym, which had been unused for years, to be used for this purpose. The repair work was carried out in voluntary joint work by the members of the local group. Since the NSDAP took over the “Volkshalle”, its own club life had ceased to exist.

In the spring of 1935 Stromberg was recognized as a climatic health resort. The same year went down in history as particularly serious for the 8 or 9 Jews living in Stromberg (as for all Jews in Germany).

In 1938 the townscape changed in Stromberg on the market square. The thoroughfare was widened for heavy trucks, and houses were demolished, including the old town hall in Talstraße, built in 1729, on which there was still an old coat of arms of the Electoral Palatinate. The population spoke of the "dying site in the old Stromberg".

The pogrom night of November 9, 1938 also left its mark on Stromberg. Klara Jungblut's clothing store was devastated and demolished by SA supporters and their helpers.

Second World War (1939–1945) and the post-war period

All Stromberg men fit for war had to go to war . All food and consumer goods were rationed, tourism in Stromberg came to a standstill.

The work of the German men, almost all of whom were at war, could not be carried out by the women and children. Prisoners of war and foreign workers were also used in Stromberg, for example in the Wandesleben and Weinzheimer companies.

To protect the population, the construction of air raid tunnels in Stromberg began in 1941 , for example on Binger Strasse, in the rock face on the Lower Zwengel and in the Gollenfels.

Bad Kreuznach was attacked and the commercial school relocated to the Stromburg due to the increased risk of flying. When in 1944 the students aged 16-17 became soldiers, the school was closed.

From 1945 on there was a lot of aviation activity over Stromberg. When a Heinkel HE-111 was shot down by British fighters in the airspace over the city in January, it crashed into a field between Stromberg and Waldalgesheim. When attempting to rescue crew members from the burning wreck, several Strombergers were killed in an explosion. An air defense position in the Neupfalz caused the crash of an American fighter plane in the forest near Seibersbach west of Stromberg in February. Several Strombergers observed how the pilot managed to jump off the parachute in time. According to eyewitness reports, he surrendered that day to a Wehrmacht unit located near Stromberg.

A major who was still in Stromberg with his troops at the beginning of March gave the order that the three bridges should be blown up. The inhabitants of Rathausstrasse, August-Gerlach-Strasse and Zwengel ran into the forest out of fear. But the major saw the hopelessness and after his departure all anti-tank barriers were opened again within a quarter of an hour and white flags were hoisted at many houses.

On March 18, 1945, the first American tanks drove into Stromberg. Through an English-speaking resident, the soldiers informed the citizens that they could rescue their most important belongings from their homes within 20 minutes before the tanks on the Gerbereiplatz and Binger Strasse began to be destroyed. This ended the Second World War for the Stromberg residents. Two weeks after the liberation, the American officer Lt. Col. McNamarra ordered that all Stromberg citizens should exhume the old Heroes' Cemetery on Römerberg, where primarily those who died from the First World War were buried. The reasons for this order are still unclear. It is only known that the bones were loaded onto American trucks before they left Stromberg for Neupfalz. It is also unknown today where the remains went. Assumptions suggest that they were buried in the forest between the Rheinböller Hütte and Rheinböllen.

People had to leave their homes, soldiers were quartered, and 52 people were housed in the Catholic rectory alone. There were curfews and there was panic.

Due to the international agreements, French troops moved into the Rhineland on July 12, 1945. They soon enjoyed a bad and feared reputation among the citizens. This can be traced back to the unofficial execution of a former Stromberg SA member who was taken by French troops into the forest near Schweppenhausen and there is evidence that he was shot. The reaction of the French occupying power to this war crime in the form of the shooting of the officer in charge Pièrre Dégaulois in Bad Kreuznach could no longer significantly improve the attitude of the Stromberg citizens towards the French soldiers. Since June, most of the houses have been able to be occupied by their owners again, otherwise the population was struggling to survive. The need was great, as recorded in the school chronicles, the children had no shoes, did not come to school when the weather was bad, and had nothing to eat, which affected school performance. The situation only improved when the city administration established school meals for all children. The severe winter in January 1947 was a catastrophe in this emergency. The Stromberg community had approved four meters of wood for each household, but each citizen had to cut it himself.

This winter was followed by an extremely hot and dry summer, the harvest had dried up, which only raised fears for the worst for the winter of 1947/48.

From 1948 until the Rhineland-Palatinate municipal reform

In June 1948 the currency reform took place and after a few days the shop windows filled up again and there was plenty of fruit and vegetables to buy. Stromberg had the loss of 68 men, 33 residents never returned home. In contrast, the material damage in Stromberg was minor.

On November 14, 1948, the first municipal elections were held in Rhineland-Palatinate. On April 30, 1949, the first new mayor of Stromberg was introduced and in July the French occupation soldiers withdrew. In February 1950 the forced farming ended. The Strombergers publicly burned their superfluous food cards and vouchers on the market square.

In 1950 there were many industries in Stromberg: a lime and enamelling factory, bread factories, a stove factory, a sawmill. For the Strombergers before the motorization, that meant many jobs on site. New residential construction was given priority in the city administration.

The television age began in Germany on June 1, 1953; On June 20, a television set was set up on the Stromburg, but the reception was not perfect in the urban area. In the spa , a country home for lung disease has been established. In 1954 and 1956 the winters were so severe that the Rhine froze over.

In 1955 the new school, today's Drei-Burgen-Grundschule, was ceremoniously opened by the District President Dr. Inaugurated in summer. During the following years, the time of the economic miracle, living conditions stabilized for everyone. With the economic upswing, motorization also grew, which meant that unprofitable stops were closed by the Federal Railroad. This is also the case with the Stromberg train station in 1962. In the same year, the high-altitude outdoor pool was opened and closed again in 2006 due to aging. As a result, work was carried out on a new swimming pool. In 2011 the new swimming pool with sauna area, which is also known as the panorama pool because of the beautiful view, went into operation.

The administrative reform of Rhineland-Palatinate was also noticeable in Stromberg. On August 1, 1967, the Stromberg District Court, a branch of the Bad Kreuznach Main Court, was dissolved. This ended a centuries-old tradition of own jurisdiction in Stromberg. On December 21, 1967, the Bingen-Rheinböllen section of the later A 61 was opened to traffic.

1970 until today

In 1969 Stromberg was established as a sub-center by a spatial plan. Bingen became a middle center and for Stromberg, the "southern gate of the Soonwald", facilities for recreation were given priority. The influence of car traffic became more and more important, more and more residents commuted to work in the metropolitan areas.

The municipal reform in Rhineland-Palatinate in 1969/70 brought major changes, the gendarmerie, which had existed in Stromberg since the 18th century, was dissolved. Messages from the city of Stromberg and the local communities were distributed for the first time via the “Official Journal of the Stromberg Association”. This replaced the local bell and the notice box. A survey in July 1970 found that Stromberg's city finances were healthy. A 3 million budget was decided. The kindergarten, the castle renovation and the development of new building areas were the projects. The heavy through traffic, especially with trucks, became a problem.

At the beginning of the 1980s, Stromberg had become more attractive as a place to live. From 1970 to 1981 the population increased by 500. The location of the city and the expansion of the A 61 are the reasons for this.

In 1990 Stromberg had developed into a pure place of residence. Storms Vivian and Wiebke , which raged across Germany, also hit the forests of the Stromberg community with full force.

In 1990, urban development in Stromberg made great strides. The market square was renovated and the "Saint James statue" was erected. In 1990 the local history museum was opened. The municipality administration bought the former district court in 1991 and moved there from Rathausstrasse. The city library and a youth club (Jugend Cafe Stromberg) moved into the former town hall. 1999 was the first day of school in the new Stromberg Integrated Comprehensive School.

At the beginning of 2017, the former lime works on Römerberg was dismantled. The previously announced demolition of the silos and lime kilns with a total of 125 kilograms of explosives, which had already been positioned in the building a month earlier, followed at 10:00 a.m. as planned. It was carried out by the Reisch Sprengtechnik company. The demolition was precise and without any further problems.

politics

City council

The city ​​council in Stromberg consists of 20 council members, who were elected in a personalized proportional representation in the local elections on May 26, 2019 , and the honorary city ​​mayor as chairman.

The distribution of seats in the city council:

choice	SPD	CDU	GREEN	WGS	total
2019	6th	8th	-	6th	20 seats
2014	5	11	-	4th	20 seats
2009	5	11	-	4th	20 seats
2004	3	11	2	4th	20 seats

• WGS = voter community Stromberg e. V.

mayor

City Mayor is Claus-Werner Dapper (WGS). Since there was no candidate in the local elections on May 26, 2019, he was elected by a majority by the council in August 2019 at the joint proposal of the three city council factions and thus succeeded Klarin Hering (CDU), who is no longer in office after ten years had run.

coat of arms

Blazon : “In black, a red crowned and armored golden (yellow) lion growing out of a silver (white) mountain of three mountains; in the upper coat of arms a three-tower tinned silver (white) wall crown, with a closed gate. "

Reasons for the coat of arms: The coat of arms is derived from a four-part court seal from the late 15th century (fields 1 and 4 pitted; 2 and 3 each with a lion). The slaughtered fields come from the coat of arms of the noble family Fauste von Stromberg; the lions are the Palatinate lions . In 1913 a three-mountain was added to the lion as a talking symbol and approved by Kaiser Wilhelm II as King of Prussia. The crown of the wall stands for the city charter, which was already granted in the 13th century .

Community partnerships

Stromberg has had relationships with three partner communities in Europe since 1967 :

• Yvoir on the Meuse , Belgium
• Givet on the Meuse, France
• Finspång , Sweden

Culture and sights

• Stromburg Castle
• Burg Pfarrköpfchen castle ruins
• Gollenfels Castle

See also: List of cultural monuments in Stromberg

Economy and Infrastructure

In Stromberg there is a day care center, a primary school, an integrated comprehensive school, hotels and a library. Until 2010 there was a bread factory that last had 23 employees, Gebr Weinzheimer Brotfabrik GmbH & Co.KG, which became known nationwide through Günter Wallraff's research. According to a press release dated September 28, 2010, operations were no longer continued for personal reasons of the owner. The employees were informed of the intended ordinary termination of their employment relationships, and severance payments were offered. Also until 2010 there was a quarry and lime works on site, which was last operated by the Schäfer Kalk company. After the municipality refused to extend the operating license in 2006, operations were discontinued due to a lack of development opportunities. The Land & Golf Hotel Stromberg, initially opened in 1991 under the name “Park Village”, got its current name after a change of ownership in 1998. The adjacent 18-hole golf course was taken over in 2008. With 140 employees, 23 of whom are apprentices, it was one of the largest employers in the town in 2018.

traffic

The disused Hunsrückquerbahn , which is to be reactivated for the development of Frankfurt-Hahn Airport , runs through the city . The A 61 runs to the east. Stromberg is connected to Bingen, Simmern and Bad Kreuznach by local public transport via the Regiobus 230 and 240. Since August 5, 2014, a citizen's bus has been added to public service. It runs on Tuesdays and Thursdays by reservation and connects the city of Stromberg with the surrounding local communities.

Personalities

• Dietrich von Schönenberg († 1542), from 1530 to 1542 Electoral Palatinate magistrate in Stromberg
• Heinrich Joseph Kampers (1806- † before 1886), lawyer and Prussian politician
• Anna Maria Cetto (1898–1991), art historian, author and Nazi victim
• Karl Overbeck (1909–1972), diplomat
• Bernhard Bogerts (* 1948), psychiatrist and brain researcher
• Brigitte Antes (* 1951), librettist for children's musicals with biblical themes
• Johann Lafer (* 1957), Austrian chef, television chef, entrepreneur and non-fiction author
• Thorsten Mäder (* 1969), organist, conductor and music teacher

Web links

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

• Literature about Stromberg in the Rhineland-Palatinate State Bibliography

Individual evidence

1. ↑ State Statistical Office of Rhineland-Palatinate - population status 2019, districts, communities, association communities ( help on this ).
2. ↑ State Statistical Office Rhineland-Palatinate - regional data
3. ↑ Blasted silos and lime kilns in the Stromberg lime works. In: rotten places. February 8, 2017, accessed December 6, 2018 . 
4. ^ The Regional Returning Officer RLP: City Council Election 2019 Stadt Stromberg. Retrieved September 15, 2019 . 
5. ^ The Regional Returning Officer Rhineland-Palatinate: Municipal elections 2014, city and municipal council elections
6. ↑ Norbert Krupp: Claus-Werner Dapper takes the oath of office. Allgemeine Zeitung, August 22, 2019, accessed on September 15, 2019 . 
7. ↑ Klemens Stadler: German coat of arms. Volume 2, Bremen 1966, p. 59.
8. ^ RGE: Stromberg
9. ↑ History of the Land & Golf Hotel Stromberg ( Memento from June 19, 2018 in the Internet Archive )