Valbert

The title of this article is ambiguous. Further meanings are listed under Valbert (disambiguation) .

Valbert City of Meinerzhagen
Coordinates: 51 ° 7 ′ 18 "  N , 7 ° 44 ′ 55"  E
Height :	473 m
Residents :	2180  (2011)
Incorporation :	1st January 1969
Postal code :	58540
Area code :	02358
Aerial view of Valbert

Valbert has been a district of Meinerzhagen in the Märkisches Kreis since 1969 and has around 2200 inhabitants. Until 1975, the municipality of Valbert and the city ​​of Meinerzhagen formed the Meinerzhagen office .

history

Valbert is located on the centuries-old Heidenstrasse from Leipzig to Cologne, in the Middle Ages also a pilgrimage route to Santiago de Compostela , which was used by traders, pilgrims and many others. On this road was a big part of Valberter huts and hammer mills and the Romanesque St. Nicholas parish church and the court places the Wibbel-, Buyr- and Femegerichts .

Valbert got its first church in the 11th century. It was founded by the Archbishops of Cologne and stood on today's monument site. The Church of St. Nicholas was part of the founding equipment of the Grafschaft monastery . Until the 17th century, the abbot had the right to appoint a pastor.

Cemetery and Evangelical Church

Haus am Ebbehang, when it served as a school camp under the sponsorship of the Evangelical Church District Bochum.

The Archbishops of Cologne also had secular rights. They had Goger jurisdiction in the Attendorn court , to which Valbert also belonged. In addition, the Counts of the Mark soon began to claim power . They owned the Free County of Valbert since 1348 and had a parish court in Valbert from 1455. Since the 16th century, the Gogericht Lüdenscheid was also responsible for Valbert. The Archbishops of Cologne retained court rights over the courts and people belonging to them. These made up about a quarter to a third of the population. During the Reformation , the Cologne subjects also went over to Protestantism. Nevertheless, Valbert and the surrounding free county formed a Brandenburg-Cologne condominium . This affiliation to two masters was retained even after the end of the old empire. The two communities Westfälisch Valbert and Märkisch Valbert belonged to the Olpe district from 1816/18 , before they came to the Altena district in 1832 . In 1858 the two communities were merged to form the municipality of Valbert.

Surname

In old traditions and documents, Valbert is led under different names: Wallebrecht, Valbricht, Fahlbrecht, Vallebert and Vahlbert. Valbert was first mentioned in a document in the founding document of the Grafschaft monastery as Falebendet. This document, which names the privileges and possessions of the monastery granted by the Archbishop of Cologne in Anno II in 1072, is probably not authentic, but dates from the 12th or 13th century.

Sometimes the name Valbert is interpreted as a combination of the Latin words vallis and berta ("Valley of Berta"). But this contradicts the component -brecht which occurs precisely in the old name .

Protect

Due to Valbert's location, for centuries directly on the border with the Electorate of Cologne Duchy of Westphalia , there were often disputes that became even more explosive because of the fact that there was Electorate Cologne property in the area of ​​the Mark and vice versa. Since these disputes were often fought on the backs of the farmers, they formed a rifle guild and supported the Counts of the Mark, who, as a thank you, granted the Valbertern free fishing and hunting rights. The hunter in the Valbert coat of arms still represents this today. The tradition of the Valbert riflemen has held up to this day and finds its annual climax in the rifle festival.

Mining

Mining operations began in Valbert in the 12th century, while domestic industry in the valleys, with Osemund , bar and steel hammers, did not begin until the 16th century, but ceased after a short time due to poor traffic conditions.

War and disease

In the centuries that followed, Valbert was hit by the chaos of war several times. Germania is giving eloquent testimony to this on the monument site. Fires, plague and hail also struck the Valberters.

Tourism and stone industry

With the construction of the Listertalsperre 1909–1912 tourism was promoted, which brought an additional source of income for the Valbert area. The Meinerzhagen – Krummenerl railway , built between 1912 and 1927 , had a positive impact on the stone industry.

Municipal reorganization

On January 1, 1969, Valbert lost its independence due to the municipal reorganization in North Rhine-Westphalia and has belonged to the city of Meinerzhagen ever since .

Pilgrim stone

On May 18, 2008, the pilgrim's stone was placed on the monument square in Valbert at the position of the former St. Nicholas parish church as a signpost and in memory of Heidenstrasse and its history. The inscription on the plaque on the pilgrim's stone reads: “Heidenstrasse, centuries-old military and trade route from Leipzig to Cologne. In the Middle Ages it was also a pilgrimage route to Santiago de Compostela in north-western Spain. A large part of the Valbert smelters and hammer mills lay on this street. Here, the Romanesque St. Nicholas parish church, originally also dedicated to Maria Magdalena, was the center of the parish of Valbert. The courts of the Wibbel, Buyr and Femegericht were in the immediate vicinity. Nikolaus and Maria Magdalena - companions on Heidenstrasse. "

Weather

According to the German Meteorological Service, Valbert is the rainiest place in North Rhine-Westphalia with average rainfall of 1509.2 mm per year. In the whole of northern Germany, Valbert ranks fourth after three measuring stations in the Harz Mountains.

Tourism and leisure

In summer, the mountains and forests are ideal for hiking, the dams are suitable for many opportunities for water sports. In winter, winter sports enthusiasts have a wide range of opportunities (e.g. cross-country skiing).

Tourist attractions are the Listertalsperre and the hiking trails around the Nordhelle mountain in the Ebbegebirge . The district of Grotewiese with the Catholic Magdalenenkapelle is a place of pilgrimage and the destination of many pilgrims. The Valbert Carnival, which has been celebrated for many years, is also attractive to many people.

literature

• Handbook of the historical sites of Germany. Vol. 3: North Rhine-Westphalia. Stuttgart 1970, p. 728f.

Web links

Commons : Meinerzhagen-Valbert  - Collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

1. ↑ citypopulation.de: Valbert (according to the 2011-05-09 census)
2. ^ Johann Suibert Seibertz: Document book on the state and legal history of the Duchy of Westphalia. Vol. 1: 799-1300. Arnsberg 1839, p. 32ff.
3. ↑ Martin Bünermann: The communities of the first reorganization program in North Rhine-Westphalia . Deutscher Gemeindeverlag, Cologne 1970, p. 76 .