Eckelsheim is an ''Ortsgemeinde'' – 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

Alzey-Worms Alzey-Worms () is a district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is bounded by (from the east and clockwise) the district Groß-Gerau (district), Groß-Gerau (Hesse), the city of Worms, Germany, Worms and the districts of Bad Dürkheim (district) ...

district 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 ...

Geography

Location

The village lies in

Rhenish Hesse Rhenish Hesse or Rhine HesseDickinson, Robert E (1964). ''Germany: A regional and economic geography'' (2nd ed.). London: Methuen, p. 542. . (, ) is a region and a former government district () in the German state of Rhineland-Palatinate. It is ...

, and it belongs to the ''Verbandsgemeinde'' of Wöllstein, whose seat is in the like-named municipality. It lies within the recreational area known as ''Rheinhessische Schweiz'' (

Rhenish-Hessian Switzerland Rhenish-Hessian Switzerland () is a protected landscape and recreation area in the southwest of the German region of Rhenish Hesse (''Rheinhessen''). It was established in 1961 and has an area of 6,766 hectares. The following municipalities lies w ...

). The village has some 550 inhabitants and an area of 4.92 km², making it the ''Verbandsgemeinde’s'' smallest municipality.

Environment and geology

For many years, this “Wine and Herb Village” has been known for its intensive work on and for the natural environment. Many herb events take place from spring to autumn. From a

geological Geology (). is a branch of natural science concerned with the Earth and other astronomical objects, the rocks of which they are composed, and the processes by which they change over time. Modern geology significantly overlaps all other Earth s ...

standpoint, the village has long been said to be of particular interest. Rather sensational was the 35-million-year-old sea cliff unearthed in an Eckelsheim gravel pit a few years ago.

History

Awards

In 2005, Eckelsheim achieved first place in the countrywide contest ''Unser Dorf hat Zukunft'' (“Our Village Has a Future”), and since then has called itself Golddorf. This was made possible by a yearlong effort by many people not only to uphold the village’s charm and character, but also to actively shape and further develop it.

Politics

Municipal council

The council is made up of 12 council members, who were elected at the municipal election held on 7 June 2009, and the honorary mayor as chairwoman. The municipal election held on 7 June 2009 yielded the following results:

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: Per bend azure a wheel spoked of six argent and Or a bend gules surmounted by three eagles displayed of the second. The wheel likely stands for the Lords of Bolanden, who held Eckelsheim until 1360, and the lower half is

Lorraine Lorraine, also , ; ; Lorrain: ''Louréne''; Lorraine Franconian: ''Lottringe''; ; ; is a cultural and historical region in Eastern France, now located in the administrative region of Grand Est. Its name stems from the medieval kingdom of ...

’s coat of arms, a reference to when sovereignty over the village passed to François III Étienne, Duke of Lorraine (who later became Holy Roman Emperor). The arms were conferred in 1960. In 1955, another coat of arms was proposed, based on the only known village seal from 300 years earlier. This would have been “Lozengy Or and gules” (that is, a diamond pattern in gold and red).Description and explanation of Eckelsheim’s arms
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Culture and sightseeing

Buildings

''Beller Kirche''

Standing as a symbol of Eckelsheim is the ruin of the ''Beller Kirche'', a Late Gothic church. Since 1982, many cultural events have been being held in the summer months. In 2002, the historic ''Bellermarkt'' (market) was held once again around the ''Beller Kirche'' ruin; it had last been held in 1902.

Economy and infrastructure

Winegrowing

Eckelsheim is characterized by

winegrowing Viticulture (, "vine-growing"), viniculture (, "wine-growing"), or winegrowing is the cultivation and harvesting of grapes. It is a branch of the science of horticulture. While the native territory of ''Vitis vinifera'', the common grape vine, ...

, at which many family businesses have already been working for many generations. At the ''Sommer-Inn'', winemakers, clubs or others take turns inviting visitors to eat, drink and be merry.

References

External links

www.eckelsheim.de – Wiki about Eckelsheim

{{Authority control Rhenish Hesse Alzey-Worms