Müden (Mosel)

Müden (Mosel)

Coat of arms
Müden (Mosel)

Coordinates: 50°11′12″N 7°20′25″E / 50.18667°N 7.34028°ECoordinates: 50°11′12″N 7°20′25″E / 50.18667°N 7.34028°E
Country Germany
State Rhineland-Palatinate
District Cochem-Zell
Municipal assoc. Cochem
Government
  Mayor Franz-Josef Thönnes
Area
  Total 7.50 km2 (2.90 sq mi)
Population (2012-12-31)[1]
  Total 663
  Density 88/km2 (230/sq mi)
Time zone CET/CEST (UTC+1/+2)
Postal codes 56254
Dialling codes 02672
Vehicle registration COC
Website www.mueden-mosel.de
Müden an der Mosel

Müden an der Mosel is an Ortsgemeinde – a municipality belonging to a Verbandsgemeinde, a kind of collective municipality – and a tourism resort in the Cochem-Zell district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It belongs to the Verbandsgemeinde of Cochem.

Geography

Location

Müden lies within the winegrowing country on the sunny side of the Moselle valley. It borders in the north on the Eifel and in the south on the Moselle, with the Hunsrück over the other side. The wine, the Moselle, which has been built into a major navigable waterway, and the nearby castle, Burg Eltz, lend the place a special character.

Constituent communities

Also belonging to the municipality, whose main centre is also called Müden, is the outlying centre of Müdenerberg with a sporting ground, a composting lot and a chapel.

History

A Roman settlement of Celtic origin, called Modinum, is known from many archaeological finds. The village had its first documentary mention about 585. Trier’s centuries-long lordship ended with the occupation of the lands on the Rhine’s left bank by French Revolutionary troops in 1794. In 1815 Müden was assigned to the Kingdom of Prussia at the Congress of Vienna. After the Second World War, Müden belonged to the French zone of occupation. Since 1946, it has been part of the then newly founded state of Rhineland-Palatinate.

Politics

Municipal council

The council is made up of 12 council members, who were elected by proportional representation 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:[2]

  CDU WG Möntenich Total
2009 7 5 12 seats

In 2004, the election was based on a majority vote system.

Mayor

Franz-Josef Thönnes won the 2009 mayoral election on 7 June with 91.82% of the vote.

Coat of arms

The German blazon reads: Das Wappen der Ortsgemeinde Müden ist ein geviertelter Schild. Oben enthält er vorne ein rotes Kreuz in Silber und hinten in schwarzem Feld einen halben goldenen rotbewehrten Löwen. Unten ist es vorne eine goldene Traube in grünem Feld und hinten eine blaue Lilie in silbernem Feld.[3]

The municipality’s arms might in English heraldic language be described thus: Quarterly, first argent a cross gules, second sable a demilion Or armed and langued gules, third vert a bunch of ten grapes, four, three, two and one, slipped of the fourth, and fourth argent a fleur-de-lis azure.

The Electoral-Trier cross stands for Mudhena’s allegiance to the Electorate of Trier beginning in 1100. Trier was also lord of the court in Müden. The Bishop’s Estate and the Carthusian Estate of Trier held lands and rights in Müden.[4] The Eltz lion refers to the extensive holdings in Müden of the Lords of Eltz. They owned wineries, estates and one tithing estate.[5] The gold bunch of grapes on a green field refers to winegrowing’s 2000-year history in Müden. From a donation document from Childebert II’s time (575-595), it is apparent that the church at Verdun drew its sacramental wine from Müden. In the Middle Ages, many ecclesiastical and secular lords had extensive vineyard holdings here.[6] The fleur-de-lis appears in a seal of the Karden Collegiate Foundation from the 13th century. Beginning in 1178, the Foundation drew tithes from Müden. It was also the biggest landholder.[7]

Town partnerships

Müden fosters partnerships with the following places:

Culture and sightseeing

Buildings

The following are listed buildings or sites in Rhineland-Palatinate’s Directory of Cultural Monuments:

Müden (main centre)

Müdenerberg

Sport

The football teams SV Grün-Weiß Müden and FSV “Eltz” Moselkern together form SG Müden/Moselkern, which in the 2010/2011 season is playing in the Bezirksliga. The team is coached by former Bundesliga professional Frank Hartmann.

Economy and infrastructure

Transport

Müden lies on the Moselle line and is served throughout the day at least hourly by Regionalbahn trains. The nearest long-distance railway station with IC and Intercity-Express service is Cochem station. Müden also lies on Bundesstraße 416.

Local businesses

In Müden, several handicraft and small businesses can be found, in among other fields, roofing, baking, painting, surface construction and barbering and hairdressing. There is also a filling station in the village. Nearby stands an RWE Power AG hydroelectric power station.

Tourism

In Müden are several hotels and inns. Yearly, on the first weekend in August, the Bachelors’ Fair (Junggesellenkirmes) is held. Since 2010, Müden has been part of the cycling adventure day called Happy Mosel. Müden also serves as a starting point for hikes on the Buchsbaumwanderpfad (“Box Hiking Trail”).

Famous people

Houses once occupied by Johannes Peter Müller and Joseph Görres and their families still stand in the municipality today (the latter is known as the Görreshaus). Friedrich Erxleben, a Catholic priest, and also a Nazi régime opponent, was once the parish priest. He was visited here by Federal President Theodor Heuss (West Germany’s first president) in 1949, and by Carl Zuckmayer. Father Erxleben is also buried in Müden.

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Müden (Mosel).