Reich, Germany


Reich is an Ortsgemeinde – a municipality belonging to a Verbandsgemeinde, a kind of collective municipality – in the Rhein-Hunsrück-Kreis in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It belongs to the Verbandsgemeinde Simmern-Rheinböllen, whose seat is in Simmern.

Geography

Location

The municipality lies in the Hunsrück, in a hollow in the Biebertal. The rural residential community lies roughly 6 km north-northeast of Kirchberg and 7 km west-northwest of Simmern.

History

In the mid 16th century, Reich had its first documentary mention in a Weistum from the Ravengiersburg Monastery. With the monastery's dissolution and the introduction of the Reformation, the village passed to the Duchy of Palatinate-Simmern, and then in 1673 to Electoral Palatinate. Beginning in 1794, Reich lay under French rule. In 1814 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.

Politics

Municipal council

The council is made up of 8 council members, who were elected by majority vote at the municipal election held on 7 June 2009, and the honorary mayor as chairman.

Mayor

Reich's mayor is Reiner Bonn.

Coat of arms

The municipality's arms might be described thus: Sable a fess countercompony gules and argent between an oaktree eradicated Or and a lion passant of the same armed and langued of the second.

Culture and sightseeing

Buildings

The following are listed buildings or sites in Rhineland-Palatinate’s Directory of Cultural Monuments:
Running through the village is the newly built Biebertaler Rundweg.