Allenbach

Allenbach is an Ortsgemeinde – a municipality belonging to a Verbandsgemeinde, a kind of collective municipality – in the Birkenfeld district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It belongs to the Verbandsgemeinde Herrstein-Rhaunen, whose seat is in Herrstein. The municipality lies in the Schwarzwälder Hochwald (forest) in the Hunsrück, roughly 14 km northwest of Idar-Oberstein and 12 km north of Birkenfeld. Also belonging to Allenbach is the homestead of Hüttgeswasen. In 1265, Allenbach had its first documentary mention as Ellenbach. At that time, it belonged to the County of Sponheim. In 1601, the Allenbacher Schloss (residential castle) was built through the conversion of the old Castle Ellenburg, and this still stands in the middle of the village today. In February 1898, the castle was bought by a salesman from Idar named Max Purper. Near the castle stands the Evangelical Castle Church, which since 1832 has housed a Stumm organ. Until administrative restructuring in Rhineland-Palatinate in 1969, this Hunsrück village belonged to the now abolished Bernkastel district, whose seat was at Bernkastel-Kues. For 12 years, the Hüttgeswasen homestead at Allenbach was home to Johann Peter Petri, better known as Schwarzer Peter (“Black Peter”). He was a lumberjack and a charcoal maker, but also earned notoriety as a robber, becoming outlaw Schinderhannes’s (Johannes Bückler’s) sidekick. It is said that in prison, he devised the game Schwarzer Peter, which is much like old maid. The council is made up of 12 council members, who were elected by majority vote at the municipal election held on 7 June 2009, and the honorary mayor as chairman. The Mayor’s office, bearing the title Ortsvorsteher until 1932 and Ortsbürgermeister since, has been held by the following persons: 1892–1912 F. Näher 1912–1916 K. Keßler 1928–1932 J. Purper 1932–1945 K. Müller 1945–1946 W. Fuchs 1946–1947 K. Schmidt 1948–1956 F. Röper 1956–1960 A. Cullmann 1960–1974 O. Paulus 1974–2004 E.