# Damscheid

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**Damscheid** is an *[Ortsgemeinde](/source/Ortsgemeinde_(Germany))* – a [municipality](/source/Municipalities_of_Germany) belonging to a *[Verbandsgemeinde](/source/Verbandsgemeinde)*, a kind of collective municipality – in the [Rhein-Hunsrück-Kreis](/source/Rhein-Hunsr%C3%BCck-Kreis) ([district](/source/Districts_of_Germany)) in [Rhineland-Palatinate](/source/Rhineland-Palatinate), [Germany](/source/Germany). It belongs to the *Verbandsgemeinde* [Hunsrück-Mittelrhein](/source/Hunsr%C3%BCck-Mittelrhein), whose seat is in [Emmelshausen](/source/Emmelshausen).

## Geography

### Location

The municipality lies in the [Hunsrück](/source/Hunsr%C3%BCck) on a narrow ridge (330 m above [sea level](/source/Sea_level)) bordered in the north by the Niederbach (brook) and in the south by the Engehöller Tal (dale). A broad belt of forest in the west forms the link between the Damscheider Land – the village's local area – and the Hunsrück plateau.

## History

Damscheid is believed to have had its beginnings during the period of widespread forest clearing in [Carolingian](/source/Carolingian_dynasty) times. Lending weight to this belief is the worship of the [Frankish](/source/Franks) saint, [Aldegonde](/source/Aldegonde). Nevertheless, it is known that humans had settled here earlier than the Franks, for the foundations of [Roman](/source/Ancient_Rome) buildings and remnants of a water supply line have been unearthed.

In 1256, Damscheid had its first documentary mention and got its first church sometime between 1150 and 1200. Indeed, Damscheid's oldest and at the same time most striking building work is the square churchtower with its pointed helm roof. It bears witness to Damscheid's having had a role in the Hunsrück's power structures long before the first documentary mention. It was once a defensive tower, and according to expert opinion, was built between 1130 and 1150. [Arrowslits](/source/Arrowslit), some of which can still be made out, show that the tower had a defensive function in the [Middle Ages](/source/Middle_Ages).

Damscheid was under the lordship of the [Electorate of Trier](/source/Electorate_of_Trier). The village belonged until 1783 to Saint Martin's Collegiate Foundation in [Oberwesel](/source/Oberwesel), and for a short while also to Saint Stephen's Parish Church (*Pfarrkirche St. Stefan*) in [Niederburg](/source/Niederburg). About 1785, Damscheid became a parish in its own right.

The market was first mentioned in the 1767 Oberwesel Council Order. In 1802, the [chapel](/source/Chapel) was mentioned. A promotional group around police president Malmen built a new, small chapel in 1975. Since then, a religious service has been held each year in the middle of the forest to commemorate the old [pilgrimage](/source/Pilgrimage) church that once stood here, which was consecrated to Saint Aldegonde, after whom the *Aldegundesmarkt* (market) is also named. The long vanished pilgrimage church was first mentioned in 1477.

In the [Thirty Years' War](/source/Thirty_Years'_War), [Spanish](/source/Spain) troops pillaged the village, and then came [Swedish](/source/Sweden) troops, who did the same thing. Although the village was not burnt down, as the troops had threatened to do, the church was all but destroyed anyway. As early as 1682, however, the church had been built again.

It was more than one hundred years before the village finally managed to recover from the war's aftermath. In 1759, Damscheid had only 30 hearths (for this, read “households”) and some 200 inhabitants. By 1789, the population had risen to 290. In the course of the 19th century, the number rose to just under 500, a level that remained fairly constant up until 1990, since which time it has risen to 682.

Beginning in 1716, there was a [school](/source/School) in Damscheid. In 1798, a completely new school with two classrooms was built. In 1971, the local school was consolidated with school services in Oberwesel. The old school building, however, still serves as a [kindergarten](/source/Kindergarten).

Beginning in 1794, Damscheid lay under [French](/source/France) rule. Under [French](/source/France) rule, the municipality was, from 1798, grouped into the *Mairie* (“Mayoralty”) of Wiebelsheim. Later it belonged to the *[Amt](/source/Amt_(country_subdivision))* in Oberwesel. In 1815 it was assigned to the Kingdom of [Prussia](/source/Prussia) at the [Congress of Vienna](/source/Congress_of_Vienna). Since 1946, it has been part of the then newly founded [state](/source/States_of_Germany) of [Rhineland-Palatinate](/source/Rhineland-Palatinate), and since 1972, it has been part of the *Verbandsgemeinde* of Sankt Goar-Oberwesel.

In 2006, Damscheid celebrated its 750-year jubilee of first documentary mention.[2]

## Politics

### Municipal council

The council is made up of 12 council members, who were elected by [majority vote](/source/Plurality_voting_system) at the municipal election held on 7 June 2009, and the honorary mayor as chairman.

### Mayor

Damscheid's mayor is Peter Kuhn.[1]

### Coat of arms

The German blazon reads: *In silber vor grün gespaltenem Schilde vorn eine grüne Fichte, hinten ein silberner Gitterrost.*

The municipality's [arms](/source/Coat_of_arms) might in English [heraldic](/source/Heraldry) language be described thus: Per pale argent issuant from base a spruce tree vert and vert a gridiron palewise, the handle to base, of the first.

The [charge](/source/Charge_(heraldry)) on the dexter (armsbearer's right, viewer's left) side, the spruce tree, refers to the municipality's great wealth of woodland, while the charge on the sinister (armsbearer's left, viewer's right) side, the gridiron, is [Saint Lawrence's](/source/Lawrence_of_Rome) attribute, thus representing the municipality's patron saint.[3]

## Culture and sightseeing

### Buildings

The following are listed buildings or sites in [Rhineland-Palatinate](/source/Rhineland-Palatinate)’s Directory of Cultural Monuments:

- [Saint John’s](/source/John_the_Apostle) [Catholic](/source/Catholic_Church) Parish Church (*Pfarrkirche St. Johannes*), St. Johann-Straße 11a, St. Aldegundis Straße – [Romanesque](/source/Romanesque_architecture) west tower, about 1150; [Late Gothic](/source/Gothic_architecture) baptismal chapel built onto the quire, about 1450; [Baroque](/source/Baroque_architecture) [aisleless chapel](/source/Aisleless_church), 1682; graveyard; [Repentance](/source/Repentance) cross, marked 1844; warriors’ memorial, a chapel-like complex with relief; whole complex of buildings with church and graveyard[4]

### Sport and leisure

Owing to its location between the [Rhine](/source/Rhine) valley and the Hunsrück's wooded heights, Damscheid offers interesting [hiking](/source/Hiking) opportunities. From the cultivated landscape of the Rhine valley with its sloped [vineyards](/source/Vineyard) to the meadows and woods on the village's western edge, there are well signposted hiking trails.

## Economy and infrastructure

Damscheid was once characterized by [winegrowing](/source/Winegrowing), and indeed, a few winemakers are still to be found, but they are growing fewer. Located in Damscheid are a few small handicraft and industrial-art businesses such as roofers and sanitary fitting firms.

Damscheid is home to many commuters, as the [Autobahn](/source/Autobahn) [A 61](/source/Bundesautobahn_61) to the west and the Rhine valley to the east are only a few kilometres away.

## Famous people

- Friedel Muders (b. 21 May 1953 in Damscheid) is a German record producer and designer of record and CD covers.

## References

1. [Direktwahlen 2019, Rhein-Hunsrück-Kreis](https://www.wahlen.rlp.de/de/kw/wahlen/kd/gebiete/1400000000000.html), Landeswahlleiter Rheinland-Pfalz, accessed 4 August 2021.

1. [Damscheid’s history](http://www.damscheid.de/gemeinde/ortsgemeinde/geschichte/)

1. ["Description and explanation of Damscheid's arms"](https://web.archive.org/web/20110718225011/http://www.damscheid.de/gemeinde/ortsgemeinde/wappen/). Archived from [the original](http://www.damscheid.de/gemeinde/ortsgemeinde/wappen/) on 2011-07-18. Retrieved 2011-01-08.

1. [Directory of Cultural Monuments in Rhein-Hunsrück district](http://denkmallisten.gdke-rlp.de/Rhein-Hunsrueck-Kreis.pdf)

## External links

- (in German)

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Damscheid](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Damscheid) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Damscheid?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.