# Holzbach

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This article is about the municipality in the Rhein-Hunsrück-Kreis in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. For other uses, see [Holzbach (disambiguation)](/source/Holzbach_(disambiguation)).

**Holzbach** (ˈhɔltsbax) 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* [Simmern-Rheinböllen](/source/Simmern-Rheinb%C3%B6llen), whose seat is in [Simmern](/source/Simmern).

## Geography

### Location

The municipality lies in the [Hunsrück](/source/Hunsr%C3%BCck) in a landscape with slopes and hollows through which flows the Holzbacher Bach towards [Ohlweiler](/source/Ohlweiler), emptying into the Simmerbach. Some 0.60 km² of the municipal area is wooded, the main type of forest being [mixed forest](/source/Temperate_broadleaf_and_mixed_forests). The rural municipality of Holzbach lies 5 km from the district seat of Simmern.

## History

In 1346, Holzbach had its first documentary mention. [Archaeological](/source/Archaeology) finds from the [New Stone Age](/source/New_Stone_Age) and [Roman](/source/Ancient_Rome) times, however, clearly show that the land was settled long before that.

Beginning in 1794, Holzbach lay under [French](/source/France) rule. In 1815 it was assigned to the Kingdom of [Prussia](/source/Prussia) at the [Congress of Vienna](/source/Congress_of_Vienna). In 1921, the [simultaneum](/source/Simultaneum) at the village church was dissolved, and a new [Evangelical](/source/Evangelical_Church_in_Germany) church was built in 1926.

During the [Second World War](/source/Second_World_War), some 100 men from Holzbach were called upon for military service, of whom 25 fell. Some sensation came about from the emergency landing of a German [Messerschmitt Bf 109](/source/Messerschmitt_Bf_109) in 1944. On 16 March 1945, at 7 o’clock in the morning, [American](/source/United_States) [tanks](/source/Tank) reached Holzbach. The village offered no resistance, but houses on the main street were shot up by US troops nonetheless. One person who was trying to flee was killed and one woman was wounded.

Since 1946, Holzbach has been part of the then newly founded [state](/source/States_of_Germany) of [Rhineland-Palatinate](/source/Rhineland-Palatinate).

## 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.[2]

### Mayor

Holzbach's mayor is Heinz Jürgen Scherer.[1]

## Culture and sightseeing

### Buildings

The following are listed buildings or sites in [Rhineland-Palatinate](/source/Rhineland-Palatinate)'s Directory of Cultural Monuments:[3]

- [Evangelical](/source/Evangelical_Church_in_Germany) church, Kirchstraße 6 – [Baroque](/source/Baroque_architecture) [aisleless church](/source/Aisleless_church), marked 1759
- Hauptstraße 4 – [timber-frame](/source/Timber_framing) house, plastered and slated, stable, middle or latter half of the 19th century; whole complex of buildings
- Kirchstraße – [cast-iron](/source/Cast_iron) fountain basin with relief; [Stromberg](/source/Stromberg_(Hunsr%C3%BCck)) Ironworks, marked 1885
- Milestone, on *Landesstraße* (State Road) 162 going towards Argenthal – so-called *Weißer Stein* (“White Stone”), [Prussian](/source/Prussia) [basalt](/source/Basalt) milestone, first third of the 19th century

#### Other sites

On Hauptstraße (“Main Street”), which runs through the village, the municipal centre, which is equipped as a multipurpose building, is centrally located. Still standing right nearby is the old Raiffeisen warehouse, where the volunteer [fire brigade](/source/Fire_brigade), the youth fire brigade and the youth centre have set up shop.

### Natural monuments

In Holzbach's outlying countryside stand three old oaktrees, which have been designated as natural monuments.

### Clubs

Holzbach has a sport club that offers various activities: [football](/source/Association_football), [table tennis](/source/Table_tennis) and [aerobics](/source/Aerobics). Even the yearly theatre evening is promoted by the club’s members. On the village’s outskirts towards [Riesweiler](/source/Riesweiler) is a sporting ground with a clubhouse. Among other clubs in the municipality are the singing club and the fire brigade promotional club.

### Culinary specialities

In the Holzbach area, *Hoolsbacher* is well known as a good fruit [spirit](/source/Distilled_beverage), mainly made out of the common plum (*[Prunus domestica](/source/Prunus_domestica) domestica*). Another speciality is *Hoolsbacher Beereflaare*, a kind of pastry with bits of dried pear.

## Economy and infrastructure

### Transport

Running through Holzbach is *Landesstraße* (State Road) 108. *Landesstraße* 168, part of the *Deutsche Alleenstraße* (Germany’s longest themed holiday road, featuring many *Alleen* – tree-lined avenues), leads by the village, but not through it. The link to destinations farther afield is *[Bundesstraße](/source/Bundesstra%C3%9Fe)* 50, some 3 km from the village. [Frankfurt-Hahn Airport](/source/Frankfurt-Hahn_Airport) lies some 20 km west of Holzbach. The nearest [*Hauptbahnhöfe*](/source/Central_station) are to be found in [Koblenz](/source/Koblenz), [Bingen](/source/Bingen_am_Rhein), [Bad Kreuznach](/source/Bad_Kreuznach) and [Mainz](/source/Mainz).

### Education

The village has no [kindergarten](/source/Kindergarten) of its own, but church kindergartens can be found in [Simmern](/source/Simmern). The municipality lies within the school zone of the [primary school](/source/Primary_school) in [Riesweiler](/source/Riesweiler).

## Further reading

- Holzbacher Bürgerbuch, 27. Oktober 1996, Band I mit den jeweiligen Hausnamen und Hausbesitzern (Author: Reinhard Scherer).
- Dorf-Chronik: Die Geschichte eines Hunsrückdorfes, 3. Februar 2002, (Author: Wilfried Theiß, Mitwirkung: Hans-Werner Johann; Jürgen König; Dietmar Scherer; Dietmar Müller und Reinhard Scherer.)
- Holzbacher Bürgerbuch, Februar 2003, Band II, Teil 1 und 2, in dem alle genealogisch relevante Daten Holzbacher Bürger und ihrer Familien registriert sind.

## 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. [Municipal election results for Holzbach](http://www.wahlen.rlp.de/kw/wahlen/2009/gemeinderatswahlen/ergebnisse/1400705600.html)

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

## External links

- [Holzbach in the collective municipality's webpages](https://web.archive.org/web/20110719083846/http://www.simmern.de/de_lebenbeiuns_ortsgemeinden_holzbach.html) (in German)

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