Ravengiersburg
Ravengiersburg 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" Simmern-Rheinböllen, whose seat is in Simmern. Ravengiersburg is home to the "Hunsrückdom" – the “Hunsrück Cathedral” – the former resident canonical foundation's church. Geography. Location. The municipality lies in the central Hunsrück in the Simmerbach valley, roughly 5 km east of Kirchberg and 6 km southwest of Simmern. The village's core gathers tightly around the monastery church. West of Ravengiersburg, the Kauerbach empties into the Simmerbach. The municipal  area measures 6.16 km², of which 2.29 km² is wooded. Constituent communities. Within Ravengiersburg's limits is an outlying hamlet named Neuhof. History. In 974, Ravengiersburg had its first documentary mention. The name comes from Count "Rabangar", who in his time built a castle on the steep crags overlooking the Simmerbach. The founding of the Ravengiersburg Augustinian Canonical Foundation goes back to the year 1074. The monastery was founded on the site of the Salian castle of the Counts in the "Trechirgau". In the document dealing with land donations to the monastery, the name "Hunsruche" – Hunsrück – is mentioned for the  first time. In 1410, the monastery and the village passed to the newly created Duchy of Palatinate-Simmern. The monastery grew up to become the greatest landowner between the Moselle and the Nahe. In 1564, however, when the Reformation was introduced into the duchy, the monastery was dissolved; several attempts to revive it all failed. In 1631, a definitive end was put to the Ravengiersburg Monastery in the Thirty Years' War when Swedish troops came and burnt it down. In 1673, the Electorate of Trier became the landholder. Charles III Philip, Elector Palatine had the church that still stands today  built between 1718 and 1722. Beginning in 1794, Ravengiersburg 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. Ravengiersburg's mayor is Klaus Spang. Culture and sightseeing. Buildings. The following are listed buildings or sites in Rhineland-Palatinate’s Directory of  Cultural Monuments: Ravengiersburg Monastery. Foremost among the municipality’s points of interest is the Monastery whose church, the "St. Christophorus-Kirche" (Saint Christopher’s) has a Romanesque twin-tower façade. This imposing church is also called the "Hunsrückdom" (“Hunsrück Cathedral”), although it is not actually a cathedral. Clubs. Active clubs include "Ravenger e.V. für Brauchstumpflege" (for fostering customs), an angling club and HSV 70 (a sport club). Until 2006, the "Katholische Arbeitnehmer-Bewegung" (KAB; “Catholic Employees’ Movement”) ran a great professional training operation in the monastery buildings. Also worth mentioning is the youth meeting centre, which has been running  since 1978.