Dommershausen is an Ortsgemeinde – a municipality belonging to a Verbandsgemeinde, a kind of collective municipality – in the Rhein-Hunsrück-Kreis (district) in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It belongs to the Verbandsgemeinde of Kastellaun, whose seat is in the like-named town.

Geography

Location

The municipality lies in the Hunsrück. The main centre, also called Dommershausen, lies on a ridge between the Baybach and Lützbach valleys. It has 451 inhabitants (as at 30 June 2009).

Neighbouring communities

Places near Dommershausen, including unincorporated ones, are Heyweiler, Sabershausen, Lahr, Lieg, Lütz, Eveshausen, Dorweiler, Macken and Beulich.

Constituent communities

Along with the main centre of Dommershausen, the municipality includes the three outlying Ortsteile of Dorweiler, Eveshausen and Sabershausen.

History

In 1220, Dommershausen had its first documentary mention as Dumershusen. What the mention reveals is that Dumershusen was not subject to any kind of taxation. The village belonged to the Beltheim Court and thereby lay under three lordships: the Electorate of Trier, the Counts of Sponheim and the Lords of Braunshorn. After this last family died out, their share in the Court passed to the family Winneburg, and after this family also died out, the share passed to the family Metternich. Beginning in 1794, Dommershausen lay under French rule. In 1815 it was assigned to the Kingdom of Prussia at the Congress of Vienna. Since 1946, it has been part of the then newly founded state of Rhineland-Palatinate. The municipality in its current form came into being on 17 March 1974 through the amalgamation of the old municipality of Dommershausen with the three formerly self-administering municipalities of Dorweiler, Eveshausen and Sabershausen.

Politics

Municipal council

The council is made up of 16 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:

Mayor

Dommershausen’s mayor is Dietmar Emmerich.

Coat of arms

The municipality’s arms might be described thus: Quarterly, first azure a cross moline argent, second chequy of sixteen gules and argent, third argent three escallops sable and fourth gules three arming buckles pommy each surmounting the last in bend, sans tongues.

Culture and sightseeing

Museums

Dommershausen’s former rectory from 1837/1838 has since 1992 housed the Vorderhunsrückmuseum (“Fore-Hunsrück Museum”), the Pies Archive and the Library for Personal and Municipal History. Permanent exhibits document the surgeons and Knochenflicker (“bone-menders”) from the family Pies as well as medical instruments from the past two millennia. There are also changing exhibits about the Vorderhunsrück’s history. Gathered at the library are data from church books from the 16th to 19th century from some 1,400 places, particularly from the Rhine-Moselle-Nahe-Saar region, and also regional historical literature.

Jugendraum

In 2001, the Jugendraum – a youth centre – was opened in Dommershausen, at the same time as the new fire station. The mayor described the opening as a great stride for the municipality of Dommershausen.

Buildings

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

Dorweiler

Eveshausen

Sabershausen