Niederwörresbach

Niederwörresbach 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. Niederwörresbach was shaped by the agate grinders' trade and the quarrying business. The local sport club's artistic gymnastics squad has earned international recognition. The village of the "clicker grinders" (Klickerschleifer – see explanation under The tradition of "clickers") lies between the southern edge of the Hunsrück and the mountain range of volcanic origin on the upper Nahe. It is part of the Fischbach valley, and on the municipal outskirts, the namesake river, the Wörresbach (also called the Hinterbach) empties into the Fischbach. Niederwörresbach borders in the north on Herrstein. Somewhat farther west is the slate ridge known as the Wirschheck, which leads on into the neighbouring municipality of Oberwörresbach. On Landesstraße (State Road) 160, Bundesstraße 41 can be reached, as can Fischbach some to the south, and indeed Idar-Oberstein's outlying centre of Weierbach. Also following this stretch of road is the Deutsche Edelsteinstraße ("German Gem Road"), which in Niederwörresbach's west follows Landesstraße 175 towards Herborn and Vollmersbach. Also belonging to Niederwörresbach are the outlying centres of Birfink and Hainbuch, and also the outlying homestead of "Auf Faustert". Niederwörresbach is built on conglomerates from the Upper Rotliegend. This is permeated with igneous rocks such as porphyry and melaphyre. Going eastwards, the material changes over into the Devonian slate that characterizes the Rhenish Massif. Also worth mentioning here are the limonite stones on the "Wart" and a sandstone quarry on the "Klink". To this day, the firm F. L. Juchem & Söhne maintains, among other construction-related operations, a quarry along the road to Fischbach.