Daun, Germany Explained

Daun
Type:Stadt
Image Coa:Wappen Daun.png
Coordinates:50.1986°N 6.8319°W
Image Plan:Daun in DAU.svg
State:Rheinland-Pfalz
District:Vulkaneifel
Verbandsgemeinde:Daun
Elevation:410
Area:48.97
Postal Code:54550
Area Code:06592
Licence:DAU
Gemeindeschlüssel:07 2 33 501
Divisions:8
Mayor:Friedhelm Marder[1]
Leader Term:2019 - 24
Party:CDU

Daun is a town in the Vulkaneifel district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is the district seat and also the seat of the German: Verbandsgemeinde|nocat=y of Daun.

Geography

Location

The town lies in the German: [[Vulkan Eifel|Vulkaneifel]], a part of the Eifel known for its volcanic history, geographical and geological features, and even ongoing activity today, including gases that sometimes well up from the earth. Daun lies south of the High Eifel on the river Lieser. Found from 2.5 to 3.5 km southeast of Daun’s town centre are the Dauner Maare, a group of three volcanic lakes separated almost wholly by only the walls of tuff between them. The town is home to the German: Eifel-Vulkanmuseum. Daun is furthermore a spa town and has mineral water springs.

Constituent communities

The district seat of Daun has 8,514 inhabitants (as of 31 December 2005, counting only those with their main residence in the town). Besides the main town, also called Daun (4,264 inhabitants), the municipal area also includes these outlying centres (German: [[Ortsteil|Stadtteile]]) that were formerly self-administering municipalities:

Centre Population amalgamated
Boverath 564 7 June 1969
Gemünden 215 1 April 1938
Neunkirchen 547 7 June 1969
Pützborn 1,129 7 June 1969
Rengen 438 7 November 1970
Steinborn 410 7 November 1970
Waldkönigen 699 7 November 1970
Weiersbach 251 10 June 1979

History

The first settlement in the area came as early as the 7th century BC by which time the Celts had settled the fortified basalt mountain in Daun. The Romans, too, used this prominent hill in the Lieser valley as a watch post, as witnessed by Roman finds. The placename may have come from the Celtic-Roman word Dunum, meaning either “fence” or “fortified heights”, that is to say, a fort.

In the late 10th century, a castle complex belonging to the free Lords of Daun arose here. In 1075, Daun had its first documentary mention in a townsman named Adalbero de Duna.

In 1163, the free lords’ family died out. One of the family’s ministeriales, Richardus de Duna, took over his former Lord’s name and even the coat of arms with the Daun fretting. In 1337, Daun is mentioned for the first time as being a town. In 1346 came a grant of town rights along with market rights, and Daun became at the same time the location of a high court.

In 1712, the Electoral-Trier German: [[Amt (country subdivision)|Amtshaus]] was built by the Elector of Trier and Archbishop Karl-Josef on the Burgberg ("Castle Mountain"). After a transitory occupation by the French beginning in 1794, the village passed in 1815 to the Kingdom of Prussia. In 1817, Daun became seat of the district and an German: Amt mayoralty, and also at the same time a district administrator’s seat. Since 1947, it has been part of the then newly founded state of Rhineland-Palatinate. Beginning in 1951, Daun could once more call itself a town.On 15 May 1895, Daun was linked to the German railway network with the German: Eifelquerbahn (Cross Eifel Railway). On 1 December 1909, a further railway line, the German: Maare-Mosel-Bahn to Wittlich came into service. All public rail transport, however, ended in Daun more than a decade ago, although a two-hourly daytime service for tourists has been running in the summertime since 2005 on part of the German: Eifelquerbahn. The German: Maare-Mosel-Bahn, on the other hand, was torn up about a decade ago and has since become the German: Maare-Mosel-Radweg, a cycle path.

In 1965, Daun became a garrison town, housing at the Heinrich Hertz Barracks, among others, two signal corps units and one signals intelligence unit.

Politics

Town council

The council is made up of 12 council members, who were elected at the municipal election held on 25th May 2014, and the mayor as chairman.

Mayor

Daun’s mayor is Friedhelm Marder (CDU).[1]

Coat of arms

The town’s arms might be described thus: Or fretty gules.

The arms now borne by the town are the ones once borne by the Lords of Daun, and date from the 13th century. When the Lords died out, the town passed to the Electorate of Trier, thus explaining the Cross of Trier that appeared in seals dating from the 16th and following centuries. The current arms, however, are the Lords’ original ones.

The Armorial Wijnbergen, dating from c. 1270 - c. 1285, includes Ferry II of Daun, lord of Oberstein (blazon: Argent fretty sable).[2]

Town partnerships

Daun fosters partnerships with the following places:

Culture and sightseeing

Natural monuments

A maar is a broad-low relief volcanic crater often filled with rainwater. Tuff rings sometimes surround a maar. There are many in the Volcanic Eifel.

Buildings

Museums

Regular events

Economy and infrastructure

Established businesses

German: Bundeswehr

Near Daun are the Heinrich Hertz Barracks, which house, among other units:

Media

In Daun there are an “open channel” and local editions of the German: Trierischer Volksfreund, the German: Eifelzeitung and the German: Wochenspiegel. Daun also has a multiplex cinema, the German: Kinopalast Vulkaneifel.

Education

General:

Vocational:

Special schools:

Other schools:

Clubs

Sport:

Transport

Daun is linked to the Autobahn A 1. Also, German: [[Bundesstraße]]n 421 and 257 lead through the town. The town is linked to the railway network through the railway station on the Cross Eifel Railway (German: Eifelquerbahn), running from Gerolstein to Andernach, but the line is currently closed between Kaisersesch and Gerolstein, including through Daun.

Notable people

Further reading

Notes and References

  1. https://www.wahlen.rlp.de/de/kw/wahlen/kd/gebiete/2330000000000.html Direktwahlen 2019, Landkreis Vulkaneifel
  2. Web site: The Armorial Wijnbergen . Timms . Brian . Rolls of Arms . 2014-04-14 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20130820015310/http://www.briantimms.fr/Rolls/wijnbergen/0wnintroduction.html . 2013-08-20 .
  3. http://www.stadt-daun.de/mainframe.asp?lang=de&e1=130&e2=201 Partnerschaft zwischen der Gemeinde Carisolo (Trentino/Italien) und der Stadt Daun.