Sinzig is a town in the district of Ahrweiler, 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. It is situated on the river

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 ...

, about 5 km south-east of

Remagen Remagen () is a town in Germany in the state of Rhineland-Palatinate, in the district of Ahrweiler (district), Ahrweiler. It is about a one-hour drive from Cologne, just south of Bonn, the former West Germany, West German seat of government. It i ...

and 25 km south-east of

Bonn Bonn () is a federal city in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia, located on the banks of the Rhine. With a population exceeding 300,000, it lies about south-southeast of Cologne, in the southernmost part of the Rhine-Ruhr region. This ...

, and it has approximately 20,000

inhabitants In law and conflict of laws, domicile is relevant to an individual's "personal law", which includes the law that governs a person's status and their property. It is independent of a person's nationality. Although a domicile may change from time ...

(2004).

History

Sinzig received its first official recognition in 762 A.D. On 10 July that year, King Pippin the Younger, the father of

Charlemagne Charlemagne ( ; 2 April 748 – 28 January 814) was List of Frankish kings, King of the Franks from 768, List of kings of the Lombards, King of the Lombards from 774, and Holy Roman Emperor, Emperor of what is now known as the Carolingian ...

, presented a certificate of his decree in the Palace of Sinzig (''Sentiaco Palacio''), officially recognizing the town as "Sentiacum." Abraham of Augsburg; a convert to Judaism, along with 61 other Jews, were slain in a

pogrom A pogrom is a violent riot incited with the aim of Massacre, massacring or expelling an ethnic or religious group, particularly Jews. The term entered the English language from Russian to describe late 19th- and early 20th-century Anti-Jewis ...

in Sinzig in 1265. Sinzig first received its rights as a town on 9 October 1267. Because of the influence Emperor

Frederick Barbarossa Frederick Barbarossa (December 1122 – 10 June 1190), also known as Frederick I (; ), was the Holy Roman Emperor from 1155 until his death in 1190. He was elected King of Germany in Frankfurt on 4 March 1152 and crowned in Aachen on 9 March 115 ...

had on the town, it is nicknamed a " Barbarossa town".

Ivan Turgenev Ivan Sergeyevich Turgenev ( ; rus, links=no, Иван Сергеевич ТургеневIn Turgenev's day, his name was written ., p=ɪˈvan sʲɪrˈɡʲe(j)ɪvʲɪtɕ tʊrˈɡʲenʲɪf; – ) was a Russian novelist, short story writer, poe ...

immortalized the town in his 1857 novella '' Asya''. Twice, the

medieval In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of World history (field), global history. It began with the fall of the West ...

town, which since 1300 has been protected by a massive wall, was almost entirely destroyed by fires, one in 1583 and another in 1758. Little of the wall now remains, as

industrialization Industrialisation (British English, UK) American and British English spelling differences, or industrialization (American English, US) is the period of social and economic change that transforms a human group from an agrarian society into an i ...

and

urban development Urban means "related to a city". In that sense, the term may refer to: * Urban area, geographical area distinct from rural areas * Urban culture, the culture of towns and cities Urban may also refer to: General * Urban (name), a list of peop ...

led to its nearly complete loss at the end of the 19th century. After World War II, Sinzig experienced a

population explosion Overpopulation or overabundance is a state in which the population of a species is larger than the carrying capacity of its environment. This may be caused by increased birth rates, lowered mortality rates, reduced predation or large scale migr ...

and soon evolved into an industrial town. With the district

reform Reform refers to the improvement or amendment of what is wrong, corrupt, unsatisfactory, etc. The modern usage of the word emerged in the late 18th century and is believed to have originated from Christopher Wyvill's Association movement, which ...

of 1969, Bad-Bodendorf, Franken, Koisdorf, Löhndorf, and Westum became

provinces A province is an administrative division within a country or state. The term derives from the ancient Roman , which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire's territorial possessions outside Italy. The term ''provi ...

of Sinzig. Today, Sinzig, together with the town of

, have developed a modern

consumer A consumer is a person or a group who intends to order, or use purchased goods, products, or services primarily for personal, social, family, household and similar needs, who is not directly related to entrepreneurial or business activities. ...

centre, with multiple

schools A school is the educational institution (and, in the case of in-person learning, the building) designed to provide learning environments for the teaching of students, usually under the direction of teachers. Most countries have systems of ...

and

shopping centre A shopping center in American English, shopping centre in English in the Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth English (see American and British English spelling differences#-re, -er, spelling differences), shopping complex, shopping arcade, ...

Sightseeing

There is no point in the "Golden Mile" where the defining

icon An icon () is a religious work of art, most commonly a painting, in the cultures of the Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox, Catholic Church, Catholic, and Lutheranism, Lutheran churches. The most common subjects include Jesus, Mary, mother of ...

of Sinzig, the

parish church A parish church (or parochial church) in Christianity is the Church (building), church which acts as the religious centre of a parish. In many parts of the world, especially in rural areas, the parish church may play a significant role in com ...

Saint Peter Saint Peter (born Shimon Bar Yonah; 1 BC – AD 64/68), also known as Peter the Apostle, Simon Peter, Simeon, Simon, or Cephas, was one of the Twelve Apostles of Jesus and one of the first leaders of the Jewish Christian#Jerusalem ekklēsia, e ...

, cannot be seen. The late Roman

Basilica In Ancient Roman architecture, a basilica (Greek Basiliké) was a large public building with multiple functions that was typically built alongside the town's forum. The basilica was in the Latin West equivalent to a stoa in the Greek Eas ...

is one of the most meaningful pieces of

Roman architecture Ancient Roman architecture adopted the external language of classical ancient Greek architecture for the purposes of the ancient Romans, but was different from Greek buildings, becoming a new architectural style. The two styles are often con ...

and on to the

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is the Earth, global intergovernmental organization established by the signing of the Charter of the United Nations, UN Charter on 26 June 1945 with the stated purpose of maintaining international peace and internationa ...

' list of "World Culture Heritage" artifacts. The ''Sinziger Schloss'' (Sinzig

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 ...

) was built in the period of the Rhine Romantic. Between 1854 and 1858, a businessman, Gustav Bunge of

Cologne Cologne ( ; ; ) is the largest city of the States of Germany, German state of North Rhine-Westphalia and the List of cities in Germany by population, fourth-most populous city of Germany with nearly 1.1 million inhabitants in the city pr ...

, ordered the erection of a summer

villa A villa is a type of house that was originally an ancient Roman upper class country house that provided an escape from urban life. Since its origins in the Roman villa, the idea and function of a villa have evolved considerably. After the f ...

in Sinzig in the

style Style, or styles may refer to: Film and television * ''Style'' (2001 film), a Hindi film starring Sharman Joshi, Riya Sen, Sahil Khan and Shilpi Mudgal * ''Style'' (2002 film), a Tamil drama film * ''Style'' (2004 film), a Burmese film * '' ...

of a

neo-Gothic Gothic Revival (also referred to as Victorian Gothic or neo-Gothic) is an architectural movement that after a gradual build-up beginning in the second half of the 17th century became a widespread movement in the first half of the 19th century ...

palace A palace is a large residence, often serving as a royal residence or the home for a head of state or another high-ranking dignitary, such as a bishop or archbishop. The word is derived from the Latin name palātium, for Palatine Hill in Rome whi ...

. Surrounding the palace is a garden, constructed in the style of a Romantic park. The castle has since then become a

museum A museum is an institution dedicated to displaying or Preservation (library and archive), preserving culturally or scientifically significant objects. Many museums have exhibitions of these objects on public display, and some have private colle ...

. Also worth seeing: * Zehnthof * remains of the medieval town wall * "Ahrmündung" Nature centre

Municipal subdivisions

* Sinzig * Sinzig-Bad Bodendorf * Sinzig-Westum * Sinzig-Löhndorf (1997 Champion of the "Beautify our Town" Contest) * Sinzig-Franken * Sinzig-Koisdorf

Town song

:Heimattreue (Faith in the Homeland) :Draußen im Lande ein Mädel ich fand, :mit hellblondem Haar und feinzarter Hand :und sie hat Augen so klar wie der Wein: :sag Mädel die Heimat, sag bist du vom Rhein! :sag Mädel die Heimat sag bist du vom Rhein! :Refrain: :Wo die Ahr zum Rhein hinfließt, :heilend Wasser der Erd entsprießt, :wo Mädchenaugen sind so blau, :mitten in der goldnen Au. :An dies Städtchen denk ich gern, :bin ich denn auch noch so fern, :an dich denk ich immer dar, :Sinzig Rhein und Ahr. :Ferne am Strande des weiten Meeres, :steht eine Frau, schwer ist ihr ums Herz. :Und sie singt leis` in die Wolken hinein: :Grüßt mir die Heimat, mein Städtchen am Rhein! :Grüßt mir die Heimat, mein Städtchen am Rhein! :(Refrain) :Schon Barbarossa hat Sinzig erkannt, :als eines der schönsten Städtchen im Land. :Und er befahl seinem Kaisertross: :Wir rasten in Sinzig und wohnen im Schloss! :Wir rasten in Sinzig und wohnen im Schloss! :(Refrain)

Born in Sinzig

* Inge Helten (born 1950), athlete, sprinter *

Günter Ruch Günter Ruch (born 19 August 1956 in Sinzig, Rhineland-Palatinate, died 18 December 2010 in Bad Neuenahr-Ahrweiler) was a German writer, journalist, politician of the FDP and author of contemporary, fantasy and historical novels. He lived in Ba ...

(1956-2010), writer

Connected to Sinzig

Peter Joseph Lenné Peter Joseph Lenné (the Younger) (29 September 1789 – 23 January 1866) was a Prussian gardener and landscape architect. As director general of the Royal Prussian palaces and parks in Potsdam and Berlin, his work shaped the development of 1 ...

(1789-1866), garden artist and landscape architect, designed the "Schlosspark" in 1858-1866 and the "Zehnthof" in 1864 * Peter Bares (1936-2014), organist, composer for church music, 1960-1985 church musician in Sinzig * Rudi Altig (1937-2016), professional cyclist, lived in Sinzig - Koisdorf * Eveline Lemke (born 1964), politician (Alliance 90/The Greens), Member of the Landtag, former minister * Klaus Badelt (born 1967), German composer for television and film music, lived in Bad Bodendorf (Sinzig) during his childhood and youth.

References

External links

* http://www.sinzig.de * http://www.aktiplan-sinzig.de * http://www.sinzig-loehndorf.de * http://museum-sinzig.de * http://www.sinziger-turmblaeser.de * http://www.sinzig.org {{Authority control Populated places on the Rhine Ahrweiler (district) Districts of the Rhine Province Middle Rhine