Bärweiler 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 Bad Sobernheim, whose seat is in the like-named town.
Geography Location Bärweiler lies in picturesque hilly land between Bad Sobernheim and Meisenheim. The residential community characterized by agriculture has a municipal area measuring .Location The municipality lies from Bad Sobernheim, from Kirn, from Meisenheim and roughly from the district seat, Bad Kreuznach. The village, which lies south of the Nahe, belongs to the northernmost part of the Saar-Nahe Uplands and Hills, more precisely to the Sien-Lauschied Ridge in the Meisenheim Uplands (Glan-Alsenz Mountains). Because of the lively breaking-up of the landscape into scattered, wooded hillocks and ridges, hollows and open plateau remnants, the countryside is also described as “humpy land”.Location The highest elevation in the municipality reaches 393.0 m above sea level, while the lowest point is 225.3 m above sea level.Highest and lowest points
Land use Bärweiler's of land breaks down in terms of use as follows:Land use Built-up land: Streets and paths: Wooded land: Agriculture: Open water: Wasteland and other:
Neighbouring municipalities Clockwise from the north, Bärweiler's neighbours are the municipality of Meddersheim, the municipality of Lauschied, the municipality of Jeckenbach, the municipality of Hundsbach and the municipality of Kirschroth.
Constituent communities Also belonging to Bärweiler is the outlying homestead of Hottenmühle.Statistisches Landesamt Rheinland-Pfalz – Amtliches Verzeichnis der Gemeinden und Gemeindeteile , Seite 17 (PDF; 2,3 MB)
History 13th and 14th centuries On 14 March 1283, Waldgraves Emich von der Kyrburg, Konrad and Gottfried Raub's father, and Gottfried von Dhaun undertook a division of their landholds in Flonheim, Monzingen, Hausen near Rhaunen and other places. Named in this deal were, among other things, an estate at Hausen and holdings in the villages of Buntenbach (Bundenbach), Blickersaue (Blickersau – now vanished) and Wapenroth (Woppenroth). The people on the estate at Hausen who were from outside the village were to be divided by the road that ran from Meisenheim to the Langenstein (near Bärweiler), then to Hostede (Hochstätten), and thence by the road Veldencia (Veldenz) by way of Runa (Rhaunen), on by the old mill to Lauferswilre (Laufersweiler) and Enckerich (Enkirch). Everybody who lived east of this road, on towards the Rhine, was to be assigned to Waldgrave Emich, whereas everybody who lived west thereof, on towards the forests, was to be assigned to Waldgrave Gottfried. On 6 December 1363, Bärweiler had its first documentary mention in an agreement that was reached on that day: Waldgrave Friedrich von Kyrburg was to allow the knights Johann Fust, Lamprecht and Conrad, Brothers of Stromberg, the rental rights that had been sold them, after four years had gone by. The rights were herein bound to fiefs at Berwilre (Bärweiler). The requirement was that the persons named would have paid up to that point 220 tornesels (silver Groschen). If they could not pay off the corn rental rights within four years, then the knights Henrich and Rudwin, along with Siegfried, Brothers of Stromberg, or their feudal heirs or Lords Konrad and Emrich (also knights), Brothers of Mirksheim (Merxheim) could do so. On 14 February 1375, Thilman, Lord at Heyntzenberg (Heinzenberg), sold Otto, Waldgrave at Kirburg, and his wife Agnes many holdings, which were listed by name, in Lympach (Limbach), Berwilre (Bärweiler), Leylbach (Löllbach), Schwinscheit (Schweinschied), Seibach, Syende, Nieder-Meckenbach, Medersheym (Meddersheim), Meckenbach and Oberhondsbach among other places. From Bärweiler, a man named “Wilhelm von Berwilre” was mentioned. Even as far back as 1377, the Langenstein (a local menhir) was mentioned in a Weistum (cognate with English wisdom, this was a legal pronouncement issued by men learned in law in the Middle Ages and early modern times) dealing with the Kirner Marktmeile (“Kirn Market Mile”, actually a boundary description). The pertinent passage from the Weistum reads as follows (in archaic German):Dis ist die martmyle und get an zu Oberhosenbach an dem cruze, und gein Wapenrot an den lichten bule, und vort gein Sessebach an die velse, von dort zu Viller an die Ruhe und vort gein Berwiller an den langen Stein, von dannen an Lympachs crutz und vort gein Perich an den hane… In translation, this comes out as follows:This is the market mile and (it) goes on to Oberhosenbach at the cross, and towards Woppenroth at the gentle rise, and forth towards Seesbach at the crag, from there to Weiler at the rest spot and forth towards Bärweiler at the Long Stone (that is, the menhir), from there to Limbach’s cross and forth towards Perich at the grove… The Weistum only mentions the main points (among which Perich is a bit of a mystery) of the boundary of a zone within which high jurisdiction over robbers and murderers was subject to the Waldgraves as the landholders. In other words, they held the power to pronounce even the harshest sentences upon such wrongdoers. More precise clues as to the village of Bärweiler, however, are found only in the 14th century, although the village, and also its name, might well be quite a bit older. Bärweiler was a lordship that was the Kyrburg part of a joint holding (Ganerbenschaft) as a Waldgravial Burgmann’s fief. Among the knightly families, the Fauste von Stromberg and the Fauste von Merxheim were recorded, among others. On 19 April 1382, the brothers Johann and Brenner von Stromberg sold their share of the village, court and people at Berwilre with its appurtenances, whereby bit by bit their titles in Bärweiler would, by sale, one by one, pass back to the Waldgraves. According to the old Mannbuch (literally “man book”, a kind of register book of enfeoffments) in Coesfeld, Lamprecht Fuste von Stromberg held a claim on 24 Malter in corn (likely either wheat or rye) rent in Bärweiler.13th and 14th centuries
15th century On 26 July 1412, Johann Waldgrave at Dunen (Dhaun) and at Kirburg gave Rorich von Merxheim a holding in pledge to free up 100 Rhenish guilders. Furthermore, the document established that the right to redeem the pledge existed for Brenner von Stromberg and Waldgrave Johann. Johann held the stronger hand. The pledged estates were thus Waldgrave Johann’s fief. The lordly dominium directum over three villages in the area of the Heidenweistum had from yore belonged to the Counts of Veldenz: Hundsbach, Merzweiler and Nieder-Eisenbach. According to the old Veldenz Mannbuch, Johann Boos von Waldeck held the following fiefs on 11 February 1417: his share of the Hundeszbach (Hundsbach) court, people, taxes (public-lawful levies), rental (general payment mainly from harvests) and whatever belonged thereto as well as a share in the freedom of action at Huntsbach (Hundsbach), Berwilre (Bärweiler), Merxheim, Mederszheim (Meddersheim) and Langenhard (vanished village of Langert near Bärweiler). On 21 April 1422, Johann and Philipp, Brothers Boos von Waldeck acquired as fiefs, among other things, once again Hondiszbach (Hundsbach), the village and the court, with the appertaining people, taxes, rental and freedom of action at Hondiszbach, Berwilre and other places. On 13 September 1426, an agreement was concluded with Brenner von Stromberg as to the village and the court at Berwilre with appurtenances. Lamprecht Fust von Stromberg on 13 May 1427 imposed a yearly corn rental of 24 Malter in Bärweiler as part of the Kyrburg fief that he held. On 9 February 1432, Hermann Boos von Waldeck appeared in another document. He arranged a widow’s fund for his wife Schonette von Sien of 10 Rhenish guilders from the fief that he held from Friedrich Count of Veldenz, among other things, in Hundsbach, at Luschet (Lauschied) and at Berwiler (Bärweiler) the people who were assigned to his Schultheiß, Fogler. On 7 July 1434, the yearly corn rental of 24 Malter went to Johann Fuste and on 27 December 1457, to Lamprecht Fuste von Stromberg as a pledged fief from the Lordship of Kyrburg. About 1460, Bärweiler was mentioned in the court and border Weistum dealing with the Heidengericht (“Heath Court”) at Sien or the state court in the Winterhauch (an upland south and southeast of Idar-Oberstein). The conspicuous Langenstein once again served as a border marker. To this day, border markings can still be found on the cliffs behind the village, if one climbs over the cliffs from the north over a little natural bridge. These 12 cm-in-diameter, 10 cm-deep markings have been wrongly interpreted as “basins” and associated with a sacrifice cult and similar phenomena. In fact, they are nothing more than 13th- and 14th-century border markers. They defined points on the border in the Middle Ages before the cross was introduced as a border sign.century
16th century