Hillesheim
Hillesheim () is the third largest town in the Vulkaneifel district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It was the seat of the former "Verbandsgemeinde" Hillesheim. Geography. Location. The town lies almost in the middle, halfway between Cologne and Trier (70 km from the former and 60 km from the latter, as the crow flies), and only 30 km from the Belgian border. Hillesheim lies in the 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. Constituent communities. Hillesheim's outlying "Stadtteile  are Niederbettingen and Bolsdorf. History. Hillesheim is an old market town in the heart of the Eifel dating back more than a thousand years. On 17 March 1974, the until then self-administering municipalities of Niederbettingen and Bolsdorf were amalgamated with Hillesheim. On 24 October 1993, Hillesheim was granted town rights. Politics. Town council. The council is made up of 20 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: Coat of arms. The 	Hillesheim
24870999	German blazon reads: Schild durch eine geschweifte Spitze dreigeteilt; vorn in Silber ein rotes Kreuz, hinten in Gold eine schwarze Wolfsangel, unten in Blau über goldenem Halbmond eine silberne Madonna mit Kind, je mit goldenem Nimbus." The town's arms can in English heraldic language be described thus: "Tierced in mantle, dexter Argent a cross Gules, sinister Or a cramp Sable and in base Azure standing on a crescent of the third the Madonna and Child of the first, both with nimbus of the third, ensigning the shield a wall masoned, embattled of five and embowed with an arched gateway  of the first." Hillesheim was from 1352 to 1794 the northernmost outpost of the Archbishopric of Trier. This was made clear to all in that time by the town walls, which were particularly imposing for the Eifel. This small town grew with the building of the town walls in the 13th century into a regionally influential town. Marking this is the so-called "Mauerkrone" – "wall crown" – on top of ("ensigning") the escutcheon (although curiously, the German blazon does not mention this part of the arms). The cross on the dexter (armsbearer's right, viewer's left) side is the Electoral -Trier armorial bearing, referring to that state's rule over the town in feudal times. The "cramp", as it is called in English heraldry, or "Wolfsangel" as it is known in German heraldry, seen on the sinister (armsbearer's left, viewer's right) side, is a charge seen in several coats of arms borne by a particular Hillesheim family, some of whom functioned as "Schöffen" (roughly "lay jurists"). The Madonna in the base was already to be found in the old town seal from 1306, reappearing on "Schöffen" seals in the 14th and 15th centuries. These Madonna seals were in  use until the late 18th century, and thus the Madonna was always closely bound to the townsfolk. Culture and sightseeing. The town is one of the few European Model Towns and its renovation works are therefore subsidized by the town's urban development promotion programme. There is a mediaeval town centre partly surrounded by a town wall and with a church worth seeing for its Baroque organ from 1772, built by the famous Stumm family, annually attracting talented international organists. Hillesheim's municipal area is almost round. From the historical town centre, the town broadened out in all directions, growing  from its location in the valley through new building developments up to the surrounding slopes. Economy and infrastructure. For a rural middle centre, Hillesheim has good infrastructure at its disposal with three schools, two sport halls, one tennis hall, one indoor swimming pool, a cinema, several supermarkets and filling stations and a building centre. Transport. Rail. Oberbettingen-Hillesheim railway station lies on the "Eifelbahn" (Cologne–Euskirchen–Gerolstein–Trier), which is served by the following local passenger services: For all local public transport, three tariff systems apply: the "Verkehrsverbund Region Trier" (VRT), the "Verkehrsverbund Rhein-Sieg", and for journeys crossing tariff  zones, the "NRW-Tarif". Road. The resident population is hoping that the gap in the A 1 between Daun-Rengen and Blankenheim in North Rhine-Westphalia will be filled, as all traffic currently rolls through Hillesheim, thereby causing very busy road conditions, especially on Fridays. On the other hand, this does conflict with local retailers' interests, for they have been profiting from spontaneous purchases made by those passing through town for a long time. Established businesses. Hillesheim is headquarters to the KBV-Verlag (publishing house). Tourism. The town of Hillesheim is a tourist destination, above all for visitors from North  Rhine-Westphalia and the Netherlands. Besides the mediaeval town centre with its church, foremost among sights worth seeing is the "Bolsdorfer Tälchen" recreational area, where a lake, hiking loops, leisure activities and pubs on the town's outskirts invite visitors. The network of paths in the "Bolsdorfer Tälchen" is also a direct link to the Kylltal Cycle Path, which leads more than 115 km from the Kronenburg reservoir to the Kyll's mouth on the Moselle in Trier-Ehrang. Hillesheim is a "station" on the "Eifel-Krimi-Wanderweg" ("Eifel Crime Fiction Hiking Trail"), which is based on books by crime  fiction authors Jacques Berndorf and Ralf Kramp. The "Geopfad Hillesheim", at 30 stations in the town's vicinity, casts light on the Eifel's geology and on the evidence of vulcanism in the Vulkaneifel. Public institutions. Administration. In Hillesheim is the administrative seat of the "Verbandsgemeinde" of Hillesheim, which by population is the district's second smallest "Verbandsgemeinde", after the "Verbandsgemeinde" of Kelberg. Education. In Hillesheim are two kindergartens, one primary school, one Hauptschule and one Realschule. The folk high school is run on a volunteer basis by the "KEB Bildungswerk Hillesheim - Katholische Erwachsenenbildung". Social services. There are a home  for the aged and "St.-Josefs-Haus", where assisted living is available.