Dittweiler
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Dittweiler is an ''
Ortsgemeinde Ortsgemeinde may refer to: * Ortsgemeinde (Austria), a type of municipality in Austria * Ortsgemeinde (Germany) A (; plural ) is a low-level administrative division, administrative unit in the Germany, German States of Germany, federal states ...
'' – a
municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having municipal corporation, corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality' ...
belonging to a ''
Verbandsgemeinde A (; plural ) is a low-level administrative division, administrative unit in the Germany, German States of Germany, federal states of Brandenburg, Rhineland-Palatinate and Saxony-Anhalt. A is typically composed of a small group of Municipalitie ...
'', a kind of collective municipality – in the
Kusel Kusel (; written ''Cusel'' until 1865) is a town in the Kusel (district), Kusel Districts of Germany, district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is the seat of the Kusel-Altenglan ''Verbandsgemeinde'' and is also the district seat. The well-kno ...
district A district is a type of administrative division that in some countries is managed by the local government. Across the world, areas known as "districts" vary greatly in size, spanning regions or county, counties, several municipality, municip ...
in
Rhineland-Palatinate Rhineland-Palatinate ( , ; ; ; ) is a western state of Germany. It covers and has about 4.05 million residents. It is the ninth largest and sixth most populous of the sixteen states. Mainz is the capital and largest city. Other cities are ...
,
Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...
. It belongs to the ''Verbandsgemeinde'' of
Oberes Glantal Oberes Glantal ("upper valley of the Glan") is a ''Verbandsgemeinde'' ("collective municipality") in the district of Kusel, in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. The seat of the ''Verbandsgemeinde'' is in Schönenberg-Kübelberg. It was formed on 1 Ja ...
, whose seat is in
Schönenberg-Kübelberg Schönenberg-Kübelberg is an ''Ortsgemeinde (Germany), Ortsgemeinde'' – a Municipalities of Germany, municipality belonging to a ''Verbandsgemeinde'', a kind of collective municipality – in the Kusel (district), Kusel Districts of Germany, dis ...
.


Geography


Location

The municipality lies in the Kohlbach valley the Western Palatinate at an elevation of roughly 270 m above
sea level Mean sea level (MSL, often shortened to sea level) is an mean, average surface level of one or more among Earth's coastal Body of water, bodies of water from which heights such as elevation may be measured. The global MSL is a type of vertical ...
, to a great extent on roads that run parallel to the Kohlbach and the Romersbach, which empties into it here. As in the neighbouring village of
Altenkirchen Altenkirchen () is a town in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany, capital of the Altenkirchen (district), district of Altenkirchen. It is located approximately 40 km east of Bonn and 50 km north of Koblenz. Altenkirchen is the seat of the ' ...
, much of the former cropland within Dittweiler's municipal limits has been given over to meadow orchards, particularly ones planted with
sweet cherry ''Prunus avium'', commonly called wild cherry, sweet cherry or gean is a species of cherry, a flowering plant in the rose family, Rosaceae. It is native to Eurasia and naturalized elsewhere. It is an ancestor of '' P. cerasus'' (sour cherry). ...
(there are some 7,000 fruit trees). The nearby mountains to the village's west, towards Breitenbach, reach more than 400 m above sea level (Hartenberg 435 m), and to the east, more than 350 m (Wartenstein 375 m). Wooded land stretches out particularly in the municipal area's west. The municipal area itself measures 563 ha, of which 168 ha is wooded.


Neighbouring municipalities

Dittweiler borders in the north on the municipality of
Altenkirchen Altenkirchen () is a town in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany, capital of the Altenkirchen (district), district of Altenkirchen. It is located approximately 40 km east of Bonn and 50 km north of Koblenz. Altenkirchen is the seat of the ' ...
, in the northeast on the municipality of Ohmbach, in the east on the municipality of Brücken, in the south on the municipality of
Schönenberg-Kübelberg Schönenberg-Kübelberg is an ''Ortsgemeinde (Germany), Ortsgemeinde'' – a Municipalities of Germany, municipality belonging to a ''Verbandsgemeinde'', a kind of collective municipality – in the Kusel (district), Kusel Districts of Germany, dis ...
, in the southwest on the municipality of
Dunzweiler Dunzweiler is an ''Ortsgemeinde (Germany), Ortsgemeinde'' – a Municipalities of Germany, municipality belonging to a ''Verbandsgemeinde'', a kind of collective municipality – in the Kusel (district), Kusel Districts of Germany, district in Rhin ...
and in the west on the municipality of Breitenbach.


Municipality’s layout

The
T-junction A three-way junction (or three-way intersection) is a type of road intersection with three arms. A Y junction (or Y intersection) generally has three arms of equal size coming at an acute or obtuse angle to each other; while a T junction (or T ...
where Stammhofstraße meets Sankt Wendeler Straße can be seen as the heart of the village. Here stands the prominent and well known 1936
war memorial A war memorial is a building, monument, statue, or other edifice to celebrate a war or victory, or (predominating in modern times) to commemorate those who died or were injured in a war. Symbolism Historical usage It has ...
. Not far up the street stands an old smithy building, which has been preserved along with its equipment. Sankt Wendeler Straße (''
Landesstraße ''Landesstraßen'' (singular: ''Landesstraße'' ) are roads in Germany and Austria that are, as a rule, the responsibility of the respective German or Austrian federal state. The term may therefore be translated as "state road". They are road ...
'' 355) is a thoroughfare running north-south, and standing along it are most of the village's houses. Stammhofstraße leads to the brook and then, after a great bow in the street to the south (left), the way eventually leads to the Romersbach, which in the middle of a recreation area flows through a pond, the Römerweiher. It is here that a new village centre has arisen around the village community centre, itself built between 1981 and 1983. Spreading west from here are new building zones (Römerstraße, Seewald). Branching off Stammhofstraße towards the north is Freibergstraße, which runs parallel to the Kohlbach's right bank in the village's north end. The graveyard can be reached along Friedhofstraße (whose name, fittingly enough, means “Graveyard Street”), which branches off eastwards near the old smithy on Sankt Wendeler Straße. Branching off Sankt Wendeler Straße in the village's north end is Schulstraße (or locally, Steinkaut), which leads, not surprisingly (for its name means “School Street”), to the former schoolhouse.


History


Antiquity

Even in
prehistoric times Prehistory, also called pre-literary history, is the period of human history between the first known use of stone tools by hominins  million years ago and the beginning of recorded history with the invention of writing systems. The use o ...
, man inhabited the area. Dittweiler's municipal area harbours witnesses to these early settlers. Still standing in the rural cadastral area named the Kaufmannsbösch are two unopened
Celtic Celtic, Celtics or Keltic may refer to: Language and ethnicity *pertaining to Celts, a collection of Indo-European peoples in Europe and Anatolia **Celts (modern) *Celtic languages **Proto-Celtic language *Celtic music *Celtic nations Sports Foot ...
Bronze Age The Bronze Age () was a historical period characterised principally by the use of bronze tools and the development of complex urban societies, as well as the adoption of writing in some areas. The Bronze Age is the middle principal period of ...
or
Iron Age The Iron Age () is the final epoch of the three historical Metal Ages, after the Chalcolithic and Bronze Age. It has also been considered as the final age of the three-age division starting with prehistory (before recorded history) and progre ...
barrows measuring 11 and 18 m in diameter. Like most nearby villages, Dittweiler can also boast traces of
Roman Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of Roman civilization *Epistle to the Romans, shortened to Romans, a letter w ...
presence. An old parish description records “Found in Dittweiler near the old schoolhouse near the graveyard were … unambiguous traces of a Roman settlement”. Remnants of a Roman
villa rustica Villa rustica () was the term used by the ancient Romans to denote a farmhouse or villa set in the countryside and with an agricultural section, which applies to the vast majority of Roman villas. In some cases they were at the centre of a large ...
have also been unearthed at the Lacherwald (forest). Over the years, the remnants of three Roman farms and an ancient high road have been brought to light.


Middle Ages

The lands around Dittweiler belonged to the Kaiserslautern (both the town and the
castle A castle is a type of fortification, fortified structure built during the Middle Ages predominantly by the nobility or royalty and by Military order (monastic society), military orders. Scholars usually consider a ''castle'' to be the private ...
of that name) Imperial Estates (the ''Reichsland''), and to the court region of Kübelberg, which beginning in 1312 was taken over by a whole succession of secular lordships as an Imperial pledge (
Electoral Palatinate The Electoral Palatinate was a constituent state of the Holy Roman Empire until it was annexed by the Electorate of Baden in 1803. From the end of the 13th century, its ruler was one of the Prince-electors who elected the Holy Roman Empero ...
, the
County of Veldenz The County Palatine of Veldenz was a principality in the contemporary States of Germany, Land Rhineland-Palatinate with full voting rights to the Reichstag. The county was located partially between Kaiserslautern, Sponheim and Zweibrücken, part ...
, the
County of Sponheim The County of Sponheim (, former spelling: Spanheim, Spanheym) was an independent territory in the Holy Roman Empire that lasted from the 11th century until the early 19th century. The name comes from the municipality of Sponheim, where the cou ...
). The rural cadastral names Künschberg and Künschwoog (that is, Königsberg and Königswoog, ''Königs'' being
German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...
for “king’s”) still recall the time when the area was part of the ''Reichsland''. In 1316, Dittweiler had its first documentary mention, according to which a lesser nobleman named Reinfried de Curti acknowledged ownership of part of his holdings in Dittweiler (''Dydewilre''), with which he had been enfeoffed by
Waldgrave The first Waldgraves or Wildgraves (Latin: ''comites silvestres'') descended from a division of the House of the Counts of Nahegau in the year 1113. When the (a countship named after the river Nahe) split into two parts in 1113, the count ...
Johannes von Dhaun. In 1438, Dittweiler and the village mill (Falken Hansen Mühle) appeared in the ''Sponheimer Gültbuch'', a taxation book. In this year, the County of Sponheim came to an end, and the ''
Amt Amt is a type of administrative division governing a group of municipalities, today only in Germany, but formerly also common in other countries of Northern Europe. Its size and functions differ by country and the term is roughly equivalent to ...
'' of Kübelberg, along with Dittweiler, passed back to Electoral Palatinate. In the late 15th century, the
Junker Junker (, , , , , , ka, იუნკერი, ) is a noble honorific, derived from Middle High German , meaning 'young nobleman'Duden; Meaning of Junker, in German/ref> or otherwise 'young lord' (derivation of and ). The term is traditionally ...
s of
Leyen The House of Leyen-Hohengeroldseck is an ancient German noble family of princely and historically sovereign rank. As a former ruling and mediatized family, it belongs to the Hochadel (high nobility). History The origin can be traced to t ...
, among others, acquired landholds in Dittweiler. The Prince-Electors of the Palatinate remained the
feudal Feudalism, also known as the feudal system, was a combination of legal, economic, military, cultural, and political customs that flourished in Middle Ages, medieval Europe from the 9th to 15th centuries. Broadly defined, it was a way of struc ...
and territorial lords until 1779. From 1774 come the border stones that can still be found west of the village, which once marked the border with Palatinate-Zweibrücken.


Modern times

In 1547, the ''Zweibrücker Oberamtsbannbuch'' mentioned the ditch in the southwest of Dittweiler's municipal area, a fortification that by that time had fallen into disrepair. In 1556, Prince-Elector Ottheinrich introduced the
Reformation The Reformation, also known as the Protestant Reformation or the European Reformation, was a time of major Theology, theological movement in Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe that posed a religious and political challenge to the p ...
for all his subjects. This was, of course,
obligatory An obligation is a course of action which someone is required to take, be it a legal obligation or a moral obligation. Obligations are constraints; they limit freedom. People who are under obligations may choose to freely act under obligations. O ...
. Dittweiler then appeared in the 1564 description of the '' Oberamt'' of Zweibrücken by the geometer Tilemann Stella, which described, among other things, a boundary stone with a cross on it that marked the limit between ''Duntzweiller'' and ''Ditweiller'' (a transcription and translation of this section of the book is to be found at the
Dunzweiler Dunzweiler is an ''Ortsgemeinde (Germany), Ortsgemeinde'' – a Municipalities of Germany, municipality belonging to a ''Verbandsgemeinde'', a kind of collective municipality – in the Kusel (district), Kusel Districts of Germany, district in Rhin ...
article). In 1600, Master Forester Philipp Vellmann toured the villages in the ''Amt'' of Kübelberg on Prince-Elector Friedrich IV's behalf, and on the tour described Dittweiler's environs with its dales, woods and ponds, also meanwhile noting the mill, which was now called “Arnold Mühl”. In a 1610 description in the Altenkirchen parish “competence book”, it says that Dittweiler did indeed belong to Electoral Palatinate, but that the tithe was owed to the Zweibrücken monastery of Wörschweiler, and thereby to
John II, Count Palatine of Zweibrücken John II the Younger () (26 March 1584 – 9 August 1635) was the Duke of Zweibrücken from 1604 until 1635. Biography John was born in Bergzabern in 1584 as the eldest son of John I, Count Palatine of Zweibrücken and his wife, Magdalene of ...
, and that one third of this tithe was to go to the likewise Zweibrücken-held Church of Ohmbach. As well, the lands held by the Counts of
Leyen The House of Leyen-Hohengeroldseck is an ancient German noble family of princely and historically sovereign rank. As a former ruling and mediatized family, it belongs to the Hochadel (high nobility). History The origin can be traced to t ...
were mentioned once again. According to a 1611 Electoral Palatinate ''Oberamt'' of Lautern taxation register, a listing of, among other things, all Dittweiler's family heads was undertaken, according to which 18 families then lived in the village, representing roughly 70 to 80 inhabitants. The horrors of the
Thirty Years' War The Thirty Years' War, fought primarily in Central Europe between 1618 and 1648, was one of the most destructive conflicts in History of Europe, European history. An estimated 4.5 to 8 million soldiers and civilians died from battle, famine ...
brought the village hardship and woe, as was so in every other village in the area and all around
Kusel Kusel (; written ''Cusel'' until 1865) is a town in the Kusel (district), Kusel Districts of Germany, district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is the seat of the Kusel-Altenglan ''Verbandsgemeinde'' and is also the district seat. The well-kno ...
. By the time it was over, there was almost nobody still living in the village. Only in 1656 (eight years after the war ended) were four families again living in Dittweiler, of whom only one had been living there before the war. Population development stagnated as a result of
French French may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France ** French people, a nation and ethnic group ** French cuisine, cooking traditions and practices Arts and media * The French (band), ...
King Louis XIV's wars of conquest until the late 17th century. In 1684, only three families were living in Dittweiler. Only in the early 18th century did population growth once again begin in earnest with great numbers of new settlers coming from, among other countries,
Switzerland Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland ...
. In 1779, the Electoral Palatinate ''Amt'' of Kübelberg was traded for the hitherto Zweibrücken-held villages of
Duchroth Duchroth is an '' Ortsgemeinde'' – a municipality belonging to a ''Verbandsgemeinde'', a kind of collective municipality – in the Bad Kreuznach district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It belongs to the ''Verbandsgemeinde'' of Rüdesheim, w ...
and
Oberhausen Oberhausen (, ) is a city on the river Emscher in the Ruhr Area, Germany, located between Duisburg and Essen ( ). The city hosts the International Short Film Festival Oberhausen and its Gasometer Oberhausen is an anchor point of the European Rout ...
and also part of the village of
Niederkirchen Niederkirchen is a municipality in the district of Kaiserslautern, in Rhineland-Palatinate, western Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North ...
. Thus, Dittweiler, too, belonged until the fall of all
feudal Feudalism, also known as the feudal system, was a combination of legal, economic, military, cultural, and political customs that flourished in Middle Ages, medieval Europe from the 9th to 15th centuries. Broadly defined, it was a way of struc ...
states in the French Revolution to the Duchy of Palatinate-Zweibrücken, within which it lay in the ''Oberamt'' of Homburg and the ''
Schultheiß In medieval Germany, the ''Schultheiß'' () was the head of a municipality (akin to today's office of mayor), a '' Vogt'' or an executive official of the ruler. As official (''villicus'') it was his duty to order his assigned village or county ( ...
erei'' of Waldmohr.


Recent times

In 1793, the first French Revolutionary troops appeared in the area, and in 1801,
France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...
annexed Annexation, in international law, is the forcible acquisition and assertion of legal title over one state's territory by another state, usually following military occupation of the territory. In current international law, it is generally held to ...
the German lands on the
Rhine The Rhine ( ) is one of the List of rivers of Europe, major rivers in Europe. The river begins in the Swiss canton of Graubünden in the southeastern Swiss Alps. It forms part of the Swiss-Liechtenstein border, then part of the Austria–Swit ...
’s left bank. During the time of French rule, which ended in 1814, Dittweiler lay in the ''Mairie'' (“Mayoralty”) of Waldmohr, the
Canton Canton may refer to: Administrative divisions * Canton (administrative division), territorial/administrative division in some countries * Township (Canada), known as ''canton'' in Canadian French Arts and entertainment * Canton (band), an It ...
of Waldmohr, the
Arrondissement An arrondissement (, , ) is any of various administrative divisions of France, Belgium, Haiti, and certain other Francophone countries, as well as the Netherlands. Europe France The 101 French departments are divided into 342 ''arrondissem ...
of Saarbrücken and the Department of Sarre, whose seat lay at
Trier Trier ( , ; ), formerly and traditionally known in English as Trèves ( , ) and Triers (see also Names of Trier in different languages, names in other languages), is a city on the banks of the Moselle (river), Moselle in Germany. It lies in a v ...
. In 1814, the French withdrew from the annexed lands on the left bank, and Dittweiler was at first assigned to the district of Ottweiler. After a transitional period, the ''Baierischer Rheinkreis'' came into being in 1816, later known as the Bavarian Rhenish Palatinate in the
Kingdom of Bavaria The Kingdom of Bavaria ( ; ; spelled ''Baiern'' until 1825) was a German state that succeeded the former Electorate of Bavaria in 1806 and continued to exist until 1918. With the unification of Germany into the German Empire in 1871, the kingd ...
. This had been awarded to Bavaria by the
Congress of Vienna The Congress of Vienna of 1814–1815 was a series of international diplomatic meetings to discuss and agree upon a possible new layout of the European political and constitutional order after the downfall of the French Emperor Napoleon, Napol ...
. Dittweiler passed in 1818 to the ''Landkommissariat'' (later ''Bezirksamt'' and then ''Landkreis'', or district) of Homburg and the ''Bürgermeisterei'' (“Mayoralty”) of Altenkirchen in the canton of Waldmohr. In 1848 and 1849, the Kohlbach valley was held to be a hotbed of the
revolutionary A revolutionary is a person who either participates in, or advocates for, a revolution. The term ''revolutionary'' can also be used as an adjective to describe something producing a major and sudden impact on society. Definition The term—bot ...
movement in the Palatinate. In the 19th century, many impoverished people left the Kohlbach valley and
emigrated Emigration is the act of leaving a resident country or place of residence with the intent to settle elsewhere (to permanently leave a country). Conversely, immigration describes the movement of people into one country from another (to permanentl ...
to the
United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
, mainly to
Ohio Ohio ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Erie to the north, Pennsylvania to the east, West Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Indiana to the ...
. In the late 20th century, Jerry L. Ross, a descendant of the emigrants, discovered his Dittweiler roots. Ross was a
NASA The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA ) is an independent agencies of the United States government, independent agency of the federal government of the United States, US federal government responsible for the United States ...
astronaut An astronaut (from the Ancient Greek (), meaning 'star', and (), meaning 'sailor') is a person trained, equipped, and deployed by a List of human spaceflight programs, human spaceflight program to serve as a commander or crew member of a spa ...
, and eventually, he took the Dittweiler municipal flag with him into space on mission
STS-55 STS-55, or Deutschland 2 (D-2), was the 55th overall flight of the NASA Space Shuttle and the 14th flight of Shuttle '' Columbia''. This flight was a multinational Spacelab flight involving 88 experiments from eleven different nations. The expe ...
(also called mission D-2;
Space Shuttle The Space Shuttle is a retired, partially reusable launch system, reusable low Earth orbital spacecraft system operated from 1981 to 2011 by the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) as part of the Space Shuttle program. ...
'' Columbia''; 26 April 1993 – 6 May 1993) on which he was a
Mission Specialist Mission specialist (MS) is a term for a specific position held by astronauts who are tasked with conducting a range of scientific, medical, or engineering experiments during a spaceflight mission. These specialists were usually assigned to a s ...
(the mission had another German connection: the two payload specialists,
Ulrich Walter Ulrich Hans Walter (born February 9, 1954) is a German physicist, engineer and former DFVLR astronaut. Education Walter was born in Iserlohn. After finishing secondary school there and two years in the Bundeswehr, he studied physics at the Univ ...
and
Hans Schlegel Hans Wilhelm Schlegel (Überlingen, 3 August 1951) is a German physicist, a former ESA astronaut, and a veteran of two NASA Space Shuttle missions. Early life and education Schlegel, born and raised in Germany, graduated as an international exc ...
, were both German). After the
First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
, the district of Homburg was grouped into the
British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. * British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...
- and French-
occupied ' ( Norwegian: ') is a Norwegian political thriller TV series that premiered on TV2 on 5 October 2015. Based on an original idea by Jo Nesbø, the series is co-created with Karianne Lund and Erik Skjoldbjærg. Season 2 premiered on 10 October ...
Saar Saar or SAAR has several meanings: People Given name * Sarr Boubacar (born 1951), Senegalese professional football player * Saar Ganor, Israeli archaeologist * Saar Klein (born 1967), American film editor Surname * Ain Saar (born 1968), E ...
, but the canton of Waldmohr remained in the Free State – no longer Kingdom, for both the
King King is a royal title given to a male monarch. A king is an Absolute monarchy, absolute monarch if he holds unrestricted Government, governmental power or exercises full sovereignty over a nation. Conversely, he is a Constitutional monarchy, ...
and the
Kaiser Kaiser ( ; ) is the title historically used by German and Austrian emperors. In German, the title in principle applies to rulers anywhere in the world above the rank of king (). In English, the word ''kaiser'' is mainly applied to the emperors ...
had
abdicated Abdication is the act of formally relinquishing monarchical authority. Abdications have played various roles in the succession procedures of monarchies. While some cultures have viewed abdication as an extreme abandonment of duty, in other soci ...
– of
Bavaria Bavaria, officially the Free State of Bavaria, is a States of Germany, state in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the list of German states by area, largest German state by land area, comprising approximately 1/5 of the total l ...
, and thereby in Germany as well. It belonged with an administrative outpost to the ''Bezirksamt'' of Kusel. In 1940, the outpost was dissolved and merged into the Kusel district. In the course of administrative restructuring in
Rhineland-Palatinate Rhineland-Palatinate ( , ; ; ; ) is a western state of Germany. It covers and has about 4.05 million residents. It is the ninth largest and sixth most populous of the sixteen states. Mainz is the capital and largest city. Other cities are ...
in the late 1960s and early 1970s, the ''Bürgermeisterei'' of Altenkirchen was finally dissolved. Until 2017, Dittweiler belonged as a self-administering ''
Ortsgemeinde Ortsgemeinde may refer to: * Ortsgemeinde (Austria), a type of municipality in Austria * Ortsgemeinde (Germany) A (; plural ) is a low-level administrative division, administrative unit in the Germany, German States of Germany, federal states ...
'' to the ''Verbandsgemeinde'' of Schönenberg-Kübelberg.


Population development

Dittweiler was a farming village and is even now widely known for its
cherry A cherry is the fruit of many plants of the genus ''Prunus'', and is a fleshy drupe (stone fruit). Commercial cherries are obtained from cultivars of several species, such as the sweet '' Prunus avium'' and the sour '' Prunus cerasus''. The na ...
growing. Records show that the first small coalmine opened in the late 18th century. Besides
agriculture Agriculture encompasses crop and livestock production, aquaculture, and forestry for food and non-food products. Agriculture was a key factor in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created ...
, small farmers could now earn their livelihoods as miners. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the collieries were shut down, forcing almost all coalminers to commute to the pits in the Saar coalfields. Beginning about 1870, most workers in Dittweiler worked at the Frankenholz colliery, and then later also the Nordfeld colliery. Thus came a general shift from farming village to farmer-miners’ village. It was in this time that the nickname ''Waffele'' arose. Whole batches of ''Grombeerwaffele'' (
potato waffle Potato waffles are a potato-based savoury dish in a waffle shape. They are common in the United Kingdom and Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe ...
s; the Standard German word is ''Kartoffelwaffeln'') were brought by miners to work and served as nourishing and cheap weekly victuals in the workers’ dormitory. In Dittweiler itself,
diamond Diamond is a Allotropes of carbon, solid form of the element carbon with its atoms arranged in a crystal structure called diamond cubic. Diamond is tasteless, odourless, strong, brittle solid, colourless in pure form, a poor conductor of e ...
-cutting workshops began to arise beginning in 1909. Population figures were rising quickly even as long ago as the 18th century, although this growth later stagnated for a while in the 19th century. In the 20th century, the population almost doubled. With regard to religious alignment, the inhabitants were once almost without exception
Evangelical Evangelicalism (), also called evangelical Christianity or evangelical Protestantism, is a worldwide, interdenominational movement within Protestantism, Protestant Christianity that emphasizes evangelism, or the preaching and spreading of th ...
, and even today,
Catholics The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...
, followers of other faiths and those with no religion are a clear minority. Dittweiler is nowadays characterized by its residential function, and is home to people of the most varied of occupations, most of whom commute to jobs outside the village. The following table shows population development over the centuries for Dittweiler, with some figures broken down by religious denomination:


Municipality’s name

The village's name has the common
German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...
placename ending ''—weiler'', which as a standalone word means “
hamlet ''The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark'', often shortened to ''Hamlet'' (), is a Shakespearean tragedy, tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play. Set in Denmark, the play (the ...
” (originally “homestead”), to which is prefixed the name ''Dioto'' which can be taken as a
Frankish Frankish may refer to: * Franks, a Germanic tribe and their culture ** Frankish language or its modern descendants, Franconian languages, a group of Low Germanic languages also commonly referred to as "Frankish" varieties * Francia, a post-Roman ...
personal name. Dittweiler, therefore, was originally “Dioto’s homestead”. Dittweiler had its first documentary mention in 1316 as ''Dydewilre''. Other names that it has borne over the ages are, among others: ''Diedwilr'' (1437), ''Diedweiller'' (1547), ''Didweiler'' (1571), ''Dietweiler'' (1824).


Vanished villages

In the far west of Dittweiler's municipal area once lay a village named Hundhausen, which was named as a vanished village as early as 1564 in Tilemann Stella's writings. It might have been a village that grew out of a lordly estate held by a lord named Hun or Hundo, a Frankish administrative official.


Religion

Before the
Reformation The Reformation, also known as the Protestant Reformation or the European Reformation, was a time of major Theology, theological movement in Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe that posed a religious and political challenge to the p ...
, Dittweiler belonged to the Parish Church of Ohmbach and therefore evidently shared its history. After Prince-Elector Ottheinrich had introduced the Reformation into
Electoral Palatinate The Electoral Palatinate was a constituent state of the Holy Roman Empire until it was annexed by the Electorate of Baden in 1803. From the end of the 13th century, its ruler was one of the Prince-electors who elected the Holy Roman Empero ...
in 1556, Dittweiler was grouped into the parish of Altenkirchen. On the principle of ''
cuius regio, eius religio () is a Latin phrase which literally means "whose realm, his religion" – meaning that the religion of the ruler was to dictate the religion of those ruled. This legal principle marked a major development in the collective (if not individual) ...
'', the inhabitants had to adopt the faith thus prescribed for Electoral Palatinate, which was
Lutheranism Lutheranism is a major branch of Protestantism that emerged under the work of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German friar and Protestant Reformers, reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practices of the Catholic Church launched ...
, as taught by, of course,
Martin Luther Martin Luther ( ; ; 10 November 1483 – 18 February 1546) was a German priest, Theology, theologian, author, hymnwriter, professor, and former Order of Saint Augustine, Augustinian friar. Luther was the seminal figure of the Reformation, Pr ...
. Owing to the former allegiance to the Church of Ohmbach, however, there were still strong ties to the Wörschweiler Monastery, which lay in the
County Palatine of Zweibrücken A county () is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesL. Brookes (ed.) ''Chambers Dictionary''. Edinburgh: Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, 2005. in some nations. The term is derived from the Old French denotin ...
, and to which the village owed one third of its tithes. These were paid to the Dukes of Palatinate-Zweibrücken, who had taken the monastery estate into their ownership after the Reformation. After the
Thirty Years' War The Thirty Years' War, fought primarily in Central Europe between 1618 and 1648, was one of the most destructive conflicts in History of Europe, European history. An estimated 4.5 to 8 million soldiers and civilians died from battle, famine ...
, there was
freedom of religion Freedom of religion or religious liberty, also known as freedom of religion or belief (FoRB), is a principle that supports the freedom of an individual or community, in public or private, to manifest religion or belief in teaching, practice ...
, and newcomers to the now depopulated village brought other
Christian A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a Monotheism, monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the wo ...
denominations with them. These were mostly
Calvinists Reformed Christianity, also called Calvinism, is a major branch of Protestantism that began during the 16th-century Protestant Reformation. In the modern day, it is largely represented by the Continental Reformed Christian, Presbyterian, ...
, although there were also a few
Catholics The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...
among them. Their share of the population in the early 19th century was almost 10%, but nowadays it is somewhat more than 5%.


Politics


Municipal council

The council is made up of 12 council members, who were elected by
proportional representation Proportional representation (PR) refers to any electoral system under which subgroups of an electorate are reflected proportionately in the elected body. The concept applies mainly to political divisions (Political party, political parties) amon ...
at the municipal election held on 7 June 2009, and the honorary mayor as chairman. The municipal election held on 7 June 2009 yielded the following results: “FWG” is ''Freie Wählergruppe Rheinland-Pfalz'' (“Free Voters’ Group of Rhineland-Palatinate”).


Mayor

Dittweiler's mayor is Winfried Karl Cloß.


Coat of arms

The municipality's
arms Arms or ARMS may refer to: *Arm or arms, the upper limbs of the body Arm, Arms, or ARMS may also refer to: People * Ida A. T. Arms (1856–1931), American missionary-educator, temperance leader Coat of arms or weapons *Armaments or weapons **Fi ...
might be described thus: Argent a bend sinister wavy azure between a cherry sprig leafed of one and fructed of two slipped proper and a hammer and pick per saltire sable. The “bend sinister wavy” (wavy slanted stripe) is held to represent the local brook, the Kohlbach, on which the village lies, while the cherry sprig on the dexter (armsbearer's right, viewer's left) side refers to the still important
sweet cherry ''Prunus avium'', commonly called wild cherry, sweet cherry or gean is a species of cherry, a flowering plant in the rose family, Rosaceae. It is native to Eurasia and naturalized elsewhere. It is an ancestor of '' P. cerasus'' (sour cherry). ...
growing operations in the municipality. The
hammer and pick The hammer and pick, rarely referred to as hammer and chisel, is a symbol of mining, often used in heraldry. It can indicate mining, mines (especially on maps or in cartography), or miners, and is also borne as a charge in the coats of arms of ...
charge Charge or charged may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Films * ''Charge, Zero Emissions/Maximum Speed'', a 2011 documentary Music * ''Charge'' (David Ford album) * ''Charge'' (Machel Montano album) * '' Charge!!'', an album by The Aqu ...
on the sinister (armsbearer's left, viewer's right) side refers to the former coalmining in the local area and the old mining tradition. The arms have been borne since 1982 when they were approved by the now defunct ''
Regierungsbezirk A ' (, 'governmental district') is a type of administrative division in Germany. Currently, four of sixteen ' (states of Germany) are split into '. Beneath these are rural and urban districts ' (plural, ) serve as regional mid-level local gov ...
'' administration in
Neustadt an der Weinstraße Neustadt (German for ''new town'' or ''new city'') may refer to: Places * Neustadt (urban district) Czech Republic *Neustadt an der Mettau, Nové Město nad Metují *Neustadt an der Tafelfichte, Nové Město pod Smrkem * Nové Město na Mo ...
.


Culture and sightseeing


Buildings

The following are listed buildings or sites in
Rhineland-Palatinate Rhineland-Palatinate ( , ; ; ; ) is a western state of Germany. It covers and has about 4.05 million residents. It is the ninth largest and sixth most populous of the sixteen states. Mainz is the capital and largest city. Other cities are ...
’s Directory of Cultural Monuments: * Near St. Wendeler Straße 71 – warriors’ memorial, monumental soldier sculpture, 1936, by August Deubzer,
Kaiserslautern Kaiserslautern (; ) is a town in southwest Germany, located in the state of Rhineland-Palatinate at the edge of the Palatinate Forest. The historic centre dates to the 9th century. It is from Paris, from Frankfurt am Main, 666 kilometers (414 m ...
* St. Wendeler Straße 73 – ''Alte Schmiede'' (“''Hiwwelschmidd''”, “Old Smithy”); one-floor brick building, 1872, conversion 1908; technical equipment from 1920


Natural monuments

Described as natural monuments in Dittweiler are two trees, the ''Weisenbaum'' (an
oak An oak is a hardwood tree or shrub in the genus ''Quercus'' of the beech family. They have spirally arranged leaves, often with lobed edges, and a nut called an acorn, borne within a cup. The genus is widely distributed in the Northern Hemisp ...
on the way to Breitenbach) and the ''Luitpoldlinde'' (a limetree on Schulstraße).


Sport and leisure

Cultural events in Dittweiler are mainly defined by the many local clubs, but also by the municipality's efforts to care for recreational facilities (such as the Römerweiher pond and
hiking A hike is a long, vigorous walk, usually on trails or footpaths in the countryside. Walking for pleasure developed in Europe during the eighteenth century. Long hikes as part of a religious pilgrimage have existed for a much longer time. "Hi ...
trails). An amply sized village community centre, the ''Bürgerhaus'', was built in 1981-1983.


Clubs

Dittweiler has the following clubs: *''Freie Wählergruppe Ortsverein'' — “Free Voters” political group, local chapter *''Förderverein der Freiwilligen Feuerwehr'' —
fire brigade A fire department (North American English) or fire brigade (Commonwealth English), also known as a fire company, fire authority, fire district, fire and rescue, or fire service in some areas, is an organization that provides fire prevention and ...
promotional association *''Gesangverein Frohsinn'' — singing club *''Hundesportverein'' — dog sport club *''Landfrauenverein'' — countrywomen's club *''Natur- und Vogelschutzverein'' — nature and bird conservation club *''Obst- und Gartenbauverein'' — fruitgrowing and gardening club *''Pensionärverein'' — pensioners’ club *''Sportverein Kohlbachtal'' —
sport club A sports club or sporting club, sometimes an athletics club or sports society or sports association, is a group of people formed for the purpose of playing sports. Sports clubs range from organisations whose members play together, unpaid, and ...
*''SPD – Ortsverein'' —
Social Democratic Party of Germany The Social Democratic Party of Germany ( , SPD ) is a social democratic political party in Germany. It is one of the major parties of contemporary Germany. Saskia Esken has been the party's leader since the 2019 leadership election together w ...
, local chapter *''Schachclub'' —
chess Chess is a board game for two players. It is an abstract strategy game that involves Perfect information, no hidden information and no elements of game of chance, chance. It is played on a square chessboard, board consisting of 64 squares arran ...
club *''Tischtennisverein'' —
table tennis Table tennis (also known as ping-pong) is a racket sport derived from tennis but distinguished by its playing surface being atop a stationary table, rather than the Tennis court, court on which players stand. Either individually or in teams of ...
club *''Ski-Club Kohlbachtal'' —
skiing Skiing is the use of skis to glide on snow for basic transport, a recreational activity, or a competitive winter sport. Many types of competitive skiing events are recognized by the International Olympic Committee (IOC), and the International S ...
club *''VdK-Gruppe'' — advocacy group *''Wutzeclub 77''


Economy and infrastructure


Economic structure

Originally, most people in the village earned their livelihood at
agriculture Agriculture encompasses crop and livestock production, aquaculture, and forestry for food and non-food products. Agriculture was a key factor in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created ...
, and indeed, sweet cherry growing still enjoys a certain importance. A mill was mentioned as early as the 15th century, and was shut down in 1900. In the late 18th century, there were already two small mines in the municipal area, Nickelhöh and Unterdell, which employed about ten miners. In the early 19th century, itinerant
peddling A peddler (American English) or pedlar (British English) is a door-to-door and/or travelling vendor of good (economics), goods. In 19th-century United States the word "drummer" was often used to refer to a peddler or traveling salesman; as exem ...
became a widely practised occupation in Dittweiler, with poorer villagers travelling throughout southern Germany hawking wares. They sold
creamware Creamware is a cream-coloured refined earthenware with a lead glaze over a pale body, known in France as '' faïence fine'', in the Netherlands as ''Engels porselein'', and in Italy as ''terraglia inglese''.Osborne, 140 It was created about 175 ...
,
sanguine Sanguine () or red chalk is chalk of a reddish-brown color, so called because it resembles the color of dried blood. It has been popular for centuries for drawing. The word comes via French from the Italian ''sanguigna'' and originally from the ...
, whetstones, woodenware and wheel resin (this last item led to the nickname ''Harzkrämer'' – “resin dealer” – for a Dittweiler villager). From the late 19th century onwards, many inhabitants also sought livelihoods in the nearby Saar coalfields. The village developed bit by bit from a farming village into a worker-farmers’ village. Alongside full-time agricultural operations arose small farms worked by the so-called ''Bergmannsbauern'' (“miner-farmers”). Likewise from the 19th century onwards, diamond-cutting workshops opened, first in neighbouring villages, and then in 1909, the first major one, with five workbenches, appeared on the scene in Dittweiler. By 1936, Dittweiler still had 13 independent diamond-cutting workshops. After 1945, there were at first still seven, but over the decades that followed, even they shut up shop one by one. Today, Dittweiler is first and foremost a
commuter village A commuter town is a populated area that is primarily residential rather than commercial or industrial. Routine travel from home to work and back is called commuting, which is where the term comes from. A commuter town may be called by many o ...
. Among the shops and small businesses that can be found here are a beverage company, a florist's shop, a company that installs sanitary and heating systems, a
filling station A filling station (also known as a gas station [] or petrol station []) is a facility that sells fuel and engine lubricants for motor vehicles. The most common fuels sold are gasoline (or petrol) and diesel fuel. Fuel dispensers are used to ...
that also sells
tire A tire (North American English) or tyre (Commonwealth English) is a ring-shaped component that surrounds a Rim (wheel), wheel's rim to transfer a vehicle's load from the axle through the wheel to the ground and to provide Traction (engineeri ...
s, a cosmetic studio, two real estate agencies, a roofing company, a tile-laying shop, a structural engineering office and a metal construction firm. The Kreissparkasse Kusel (district savings bank) maintains an
automated teller machine An automated teller machine (ATM) is an electronic telecommunications device that enables customers of financial institutions to perform financial transactions, such as cash withdrawals, deposits, funds transfers, balance inquiries or account ...
in the village, and VR-Bank Westpfalz (a
credit union A credit union is a member-owned nonprofit organization, nonprofit cooperative financial institution. They may offer financial services equivalent to those of commercial banks, such as share accounts (savings accounts), share draft accounts (che ...
) has a branch in
Altenkirchen Altenkirchen () is a town in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany, capital of the Altenkirchen (district), district of Altenkirchen. It is located approximately 40 km east of Bonn and 50 km north of Koblenz. Altenkirchen is the seat of the ' ...
.


Education

In 1784, after Dittweiler had become a
Palatine Zweibrücken The Duchy of Palatinate-Zweibrücken (; ) was a duchy of the Holy Roman Empire with full voting rights to the Reichstag. Its capital was Zweibrücken. The reigning house, a branch of the Wittelsbach dynasty, was also the Royal House of Sweden fr ...
holding, the village got a winter school (a school geared towards an agricultural community's practical needs, held in the winter, when farm families had a bit more time to spare), which had replaced schooling in
Altenkirchen Altenkirchen () is a town in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany, capital of the Altenkirchen (district), district of Altenkirchen. It is located approximately 40 km east of Bonn and 50 km north of Koblenz. Altenkirchen is the seat of the ' ...
, which the children had formerly attended, as the municipality wanted to free itself of its contributions to Altenkirchen. Beginning in 1786, the school was approved by the Duke and for ten years thereafter it enjoyed a
subsidy A subsidy, subvention or government incentive is a type of government expenditure for individuals and households, as well as businesses with the aim of stabilizing the economy. It ensures that individuals and households are viable by having acc ...
of five ''Gulden'' from the ecclesiastical coffers. The winter school's head was at first Friedrich Rindt from Breitenbach. Beginning in 1791, school was taught by Johann Hettrich in Dittweiler, who was upbraided for failing to introduce summer school. In 1818, there were 70 children of school age, and the municipality was prepared to buy a plot for a schoolhouse. Officials from the Royal Chief Mayor's Office at
Waldmohr Waldmohr is a town in the Kusel (district), Kusel Districts of Germany, district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It belongs to the ''Verbandsgemeinde'' Oberes Glantal. Geography Location The municipality lies at the western end of the Landstuhl ...
took the view that a building for only one class was what was needed, and that the price for the plot of land on offer was too high. The architect Deckert from Homburg put together a plan. The projected cost of 776 ''Gulden'' likewise struck the Chief Mayor's Office as being much too high, and a further plan was demanded. At last, in 1826, the schoolhouse was ready, standing on what is today called Friedhofstraße. The following year, it was also given a belltower, through whose sound holes the rain got in and trickled down into the floor down below. This was put right by installing shutters over the sound holes. In 1831, a barn was likewise built on the school ground for the teacher's economic ends. The schoolhouse was actually too small right from the beginning, and so the municipality sold the old school and in 1873 a new one was built in a disused quarry on today's Schulstraße. Only in 1891 was a second classroom opened. In 1929, yet another schoolhouse was to be built, this time a rather bigger one, but once again the plan was rejected, and what happened instead amounted to a partial demolition of the existing building and the addition of an upper floor, which was finished in 1936. In 1970, Dittweiler still had 87 schoolchildren. The school was nevertheless dissolved and the
primary school A primary school (in Ireland, India, the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica, South Africa, and Singapore), elementary school, or grade school (in North America and the Philippines) is a school for primary ...
pupils and
Hauptschule A ''Hauptschule'' (, "general school") is a secondary school in Germany, starting after four years of elementary schooling (''Grundschule''), which offers Lower Secondary Education (Level 2) according to the International Standard Classification ...
students then went first to the corresponding schools in
Altenkirchen Altenkirchen () is a town in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany, capital of the Altenkirchen (district), district of Altenkirchen. It is located approximately 40 km east of Bonn and 50 km north of Koblenz. Altenkirchen is the seat of the ' ...
and Brücken. The schoolhouse was sold into private ownership. Today, Hauptschule students attend school at the
Schönenberg-Kübelberg Schönenberg-Kübelberg is an ''Ortsgemeinde (Germany), Ortsgemeinde'' – a Municipalities of Germany, municipality belonging to a ''Verbandsgemeinde'', a kind of collective municipality – in the Kusel (district), Kusel Districts of Germany, dis ...
school centre, while the primary school pupils attend school in Brücken.
Special school Special education (also known as special-needs education, aided education, alternative provision, exceptional student education, special ed., SDC, and SPED) is the practice of educating students in a way that accommodates their individual d ...
s are available in
Kusel Kusel (; written ''Cusel'' until 1865) is a town in the Kusel (district), Kusel Districts of Germany, district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is the seat of the Kusel-Altenglan ''Verbandsgemeinde'' and is also the district seat. The well-kno ...
, and for lower classes also in Brücken for children with learning difficulties.
Realschule Real school (, ) is a type of secondary school in Germany, Switzerland and Liechtenstein. It has also existed in Croatia (''realna gimnazija''), the Austrian Empire, the German Empire, Denmark and Norway (''realskole''), Sweden (''realskola''), F ...
n can be found at the Schönenberg-Kübelberg school centre and in Kusel, while there are Gymnasien in Kusel and Homburg.
Universities A university () is an educational institution, institution of tertiary education and research which awards academic degrees in several Discipline (academia), academic disciplines. ''University'' is derived from the Latin phrase , which roughly ...
are to be found in
Kaiserslautern Kaiserslautern (; ) is a town in southwest Germany, located in the state of Rhineland-Palatinate at the edge of the Palatinate Forest. The historic centre dates to the 9th century. It is from Paris, from Frankfurt am Main, 666 kilometers (414 m ...
,
Saarbrücken Saarbrücken (; Rhenish Franconian: ''Sabrigge'' ; ; ; ; ) is the capital and largest List of cities and towns in Germany, city of the state of Saarland, Germany. Saarbrücken has 181,959 inhabitants and is Saarland's administrative, commerci ...
, Homburg and
Trier Trier ( , ; ), formerly and traditionally known in English as Trèves ( , ) and Triers (see also Names of Trier in different languages, names in other languages), is a city on the banks of the Moselle (river), Moselle in Germany. It lies in a v ...
. Years ago, a municipal
kindergarten Kindergarten is a preschool educational approach based on playing, singing, practical activities such as drawing, and social interaction as part of the transition from home to school. Such institutions were originally made in the late 18th cen ...
was built onto the municipal centre, and in 2005, a youth centre was also added.


Transport

Dittweiler lies on ''
Landesstraße ''Landesstraßen'' (singular: ''Landesstraße'' ) are roads in Germany and Austria that are, as a rule, the responsibility of the respective German or Austrian federal state. The term may therefore be translated as "state road". They are road ...
'' 355, which links
Schönenberg-Kübelberg Schönenberg-Kübelberg is an ''Ortsgemeinde (Germany), Ortsgemeinde'' – a Municipalities of Germany, municipality belonging to a ''Verbandsgemeinde'', a kind of collective municipality – in the Kusel (district), Kusel Districts of Germany, dis ...
north of
Altenkirchen Altenkirchen () is a town in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany, capital of the Altenkirchen (district), district of Altenkirchen. It is located approximately 40 km east of Bonn and 50 km north of Koblenz. Altenkirchen is the seat of the ' ...
with ''Landesstraße'' 552 ( Quirnbach-
Ottweiler Ottweiler () is a municipality, former seat of the district of Neunkirchen, in Saarland, Germany. It is situated on the river Blies, approx. 7 km north of Neunkirchen, and 25 km northeast of Saarbrücken Saarbrücken (; Rhenish Fr ...
). ''Kreisstraßen'' (District Roads) link Dittweiler with Breitenbach and Brücken. To the southeast runs the
Autobahn The (; German , ) is the federal controlled-access highway system in Germany. The official term is (abbreviated ''BAB''), which translates as 'federal motorway'. The literal meaning of the word is 'Federal Auto(mobile) Track'. Much of t ...
A 6, while to the northeast lies the A 62 (
Kaiserslautern Kaiserslautern (; ) is a town in southwest Germany, located in the state of Rhineland-Palatinate at the edge of the Palatinate Forest. The historic centre dates to the 9th century. It is from Paris, from Frankfurt am Main, 666 kilometers (414 m ...
Trier Trier ( , ; ), formerly and traditionally known in English as Trèves ( , ) and Triers (see also Names of Trier in different languages, names in other languages), is a city on the banks of the Moselle (river), Moselle in Germany. It lies in a v ...
). The nearest Autobahn interchanges each lie roughly 12 km away. These are near
Glan-Münchweiler Glan-Münchweiler is an ''Ortsgemeinde (Germany), Ortsgemeinde'' – a Municipalities of Germany, municipality belonging to a ''Verbandsgemeinde'', a kind of collective municipality – in the Kusel (district), Kusel Districts of Germany, district ...
(A 62), Miesau (A 6) and
Waldmohr Waldmohr is a town in the Kusel (district), Kusel Districts of Germany, district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It belongs to the ''Verbandsgemeinde'' Oberes Glantal. Geography Location The municipality lies at the western end of the Landstuhl ...
(A 6).
Glan-Münchweiler station Glan-Münchweiler station (officially called Glanmünchweiler until 1900 and also from 1943 to 1947) is the station of the town of Glan-Münchweiler in the German state of Rhineland-Palatinate. It is classified by Deutsche Bahn as a German railwa ...
is on the Landstuhl–Kusel railway and is served by
Regionalbahn The ''Regionalbahn'' (; lit. Regional train; abbreviated ''RB'') is a train categories in Europe, type of Regional rail, local passenger train (stopping train) in Germany. It is similar to the Regionalzug (R) and Regio (Swiss railway train), R ...
service RB 67, called the ''Glantalbahn'' (the name of which refers to the
Glan Valley Railway The Glan Valley Railway () is a non-electrified line along the Glan (Nahe), Glan river, in the German state of Rhineland-Palatinate. It consists of the Glan-Münchweiler–Altenglan section, which was built as part of the Landstuhl–Kusel railwa ...
, which shared some of the route of the Landstuhl–Kusel line, including the former junction at Glan-Münchweiler). Serving
Sankt Wendel St. Wendel (; sometimes spelled in full as Sankt Wendel) is a town in northeastern Saarland. It is situated on the river Blies 36 km northeast of Saarbrücken, the capital of Saarland, and is named after Saint Wendelin of Trier. According t ...
is a station on the
Nahe Valley Railway The Nahe Valley Railway () is a two-track, partially electrified main line railway in the German states of Rhineland-Palatinate and Saarland, which runs for almost 100 kilometres along the Nahe (Rhine), Nahe. It was built by the Rhine-Nahe Railway ...
( Bingen
Saarbrücken Saarbrücken (; Rhenish Franconian: ''Sabrigge'' ; ; ; ; ) is the capital and largest List of cities and towns in Germany, city of the state of Saarland, Germany. Saarbrücken has 181,959 inhabitants and is Saarland's administrative, commerci ...
). Homburg Central Station is a station on the
Mannheim–Saarbrücken railway The Mannheim–Saarbrücken railway () is a railway in the German states of Baden-Württemberg, Rhineland-Palatinate and the Saarland that runs through Ludwigshafen am Rhein, Neustadt an der Weinstraße, Kaiserslautern, Homburg (Saar), Homburg an ...
. Each of these stations lies between 10 and 15 km away from Dittweiler.Transport
/ref>


Famous people


Sons and daughters of the town

* Ernst Appel (1921–1979), postal official and author * Kurt Lauer (1923–after 1955),
Nazi Nazism (), formally named National Socialism (NS; , ), is the far-right politics, far-right Totalitarianism, totalitarian socio-political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in Germany. During H ...
functionary * Werner Pfaff (??–??), administrative official and author


References


External links


Municipality’s official webpage


{{Authority control Municipalities in Rhineland-Palatinate Kusel (district)