Mesenich - Monuments

56820 Mesenich, DE

About 400 m from the edge of the village in the direction of Senheim, there is a small chapel on the hillside.
It is dedicated to St. Nicholas, the patron saint of boatmen. In former times, this was a dangerous spot on the Moselle for towboats.
The original chapel was built in 1532 and renovated in 1772. It had to make way for the extension of the L98 road in 1972.
A new building was erected on this site in 1987. The statue of St. Nicholas was made by the sculptor Manfred Mausz.

Im Katerhell 8, 56820 Mesenich, DE

In front of you is a replica of the mighty Hermes Cross, the original remains of which fell victim to land consolidation at the end of the 1960s. The old capital stone was saved at that time. It found a new inconspicuous home in the quarry stone wall along the service road over the Lay to Senheim. In 1999, the local pump association had the wayside cross reconstructed on the basis of records.
The name of the cross, Hermeskreuz, refers to the Hermes family, who probably had it erected in 1801. On the broad capital we read the inscription, which is still current today: "O man, remember that you must die and that Christ died for us on the cross".
On the Banne Mesenich there are still many preserved wayside crosses, accident crosses and memorial crosses. They are testimony to the popular piety of Mesenich.

Am Bühl 1, 56820 Mesenich, DE

Originally, the fruit press was located under the Goldgrübchenhalle in the old town hall / Backes, directly under the church. The press was mainly used to press pears to make syrup for spreading on bread. It was also used to crush nuts, which were then used to press oil. The year 1784 indicates the water level of the catastrophic flood, which was caused by a devastating icefall. Almost the entire old centre of the village was affected by the terrible flood.

Weinbergstraße 3, 56820 Mesenich, DE

The late Gothic 'Old Fisherman's House' from 1605 has a floor area of only 35 m². It was extensively renovated from 1969-76, and the half-timbering was exposed. The successful renovation served as a model for numerous subsequent renovation measures.
The vaulted cellar extends under the opposite property on Weinbergstraße. The choir brother Leo Zenzen bequeathed the cellar to the Männergesangverein 1888.

Abteistraße 8, 56820 Mesenich, DE

This small half-timbered house impressively shows how cramped living conditions must have been in Mesenich around 500 years ago. The slate-roofed half-timbered house from 1580 is adorned with a crested hipped roof with a helmeted dormer (19th century).

Abteistraße 1, 56820 Mesenich, DE

Brauweiler Abbey received larger arable and vineyard property in Mesenich around 1050. At this time, Mesenich is a Fronhof and is run by a Benedictine abbot. He was the lord of the fief and the court. He is supported by the bailiff.
Over the centuries, the Fronhof grew in size. In 1610, the Brauweiler Hof owned around 120,000 vineyards. These are cultivated by over 100 feudatories from Mesenich, Senheim and Briedern.
Due to a lack of space and the poor state of the building, a new building is erected in 1771 by master builder Nikolaus Lauxen. This courtyard building is very generously designed and is adorned by the abbey's heraldic eagle with the heart shield of Brauweiler Abbot Amandus Herriger (pelican with young). A huge vaulted cellar is the storage room for the wine that the feudatories of the abbey give as rent.
With the beginning of the French Revolution (1789), the feudal system in Mesenich also came to an end a few years later. With the secularisation (nationalisation of church property) under Napoleon, the entire Brauweiler estate comes into private hands.
From 1989 onwards, the mighty late baroque-classicist building complex is extensively renovated. In 1994, the owners were awarded first place in the Cochem-Zell district's façade competition.

Kirchstraße 9, 56820 Mesenich, DE

The building is a solid construction from 1460 with a baroque half-timbered porch (oriel) from 1761. Above the front door is a 'supra porta' (skylight). Such distinctive house entrances can still be seen on several houses in Mesenich.
The house was used as the residence of the first pastors of Mesenich from 1810 until the completion of the rectory in 1837. Later it was the teacher's residence until the new school was built in 1882.

Kirchstraße 12, 56820 Mesenich, DE

At the top of Kirchstraße is the "Kirch-Deise Haus" (core building from around 1480).
The exterior façade from 1772 is strongly oriented towards the house below.
The entrance door is a double-leaf rococo door in the style of Louis XVI with rich carvings (rocalli).

Weinbergstraße 14, 56820 Mesenich, DE

The construction of the church is first mentioned in a document dated 18.11.1088 under the seal of the Archbishop of Trier, Egilbert von Ortenburg. The Brauweiler Abbot Wolfhelm had the small church built under the patronage of St. Nicholas between 1050 and 1088. The church of the village, which had been part of the Electorate of Trier since 1294, was then a branch church of the parish of Senheim. In 1827, the Bishop of Trier, Josef von Hommer, elevated Mesenich to an independent parish.
The Romanesque church tower, which probably dates back to the original building in the lower part and was probably renovated around 1200, has an eight-sided pointed helmet with four corner turrets and skylights. The pairs of bell openings in the upper bell chamber are supported by breast images.
The oldest bell is from 1417 and has the following inscription:
"MARIA HESEN ICH - ALLE BOSE WEDER VERDRIVEN - CLAS WON CELNE KOS MICH".
From 1733, the church received a new single-nave nave, which was consecrated on 15.11.1736. The baroque nave consists of a three-bay cross vault, stucco pillars and six round-arched windows under which there are basket-arched niches.

Weinbergstraße 13, 56820 Mesenich, DE

The mighty half-timbered house, built in 1585, was altered on the inside in 1869 and in 1934, probably for reasons of fire protection, it was plastered on the outside except for the two-storey oriel. The oriel is decorated with a stag's head, which goes back to the Hirschen family, who still own the house today.

Raiffeisenstraße 2, 56820 Mesenich, DE

At the beginning of the old pilgrims' path to the Erdfallshäuschen, there used to be sandstone reliefs with the depiction of the Seven Sorrows of Mary embedded in quarry stone houses or in house or vineyard walls. Over the centuries, the wayside shrines have suffered greatly from the effects of the weather. During the reclamation of the vineyards in 1964-82, all but the first station was removed. From 1993 to 1996, a commendable private initiative rebuilt the wayside shrines between the Kehrstraße and the Kehrhäuschen.

Kehrstraße 11, 56820 Mesenich, DE

The estate was built around 1650 by a Swede named Hellen, who found his love and new home here with rich war booty from the 30 Years War (1618-48). The massive main building had to make way for a new building in 1936.
The farm building with its half-timbered upper storey along Raiffeisenstraße has survived.
The outline of the former courtyard entrance can still be seen today. Above it is a baroque sandstone Pietà (vesper image, early 18th century). It was restored in 1997 by order of the 'Pumpenverein'. To the right of the former entrance, the lowest half-timbered beam bears the inscription in colourful letters: 'The Lord bless my exit and keep my entrance'. The corner pillar of the truss is decorated with an ornament.

Briederner Weg 11, 56820 Mesenich, DE

The quarry stone house built in the Historicism/Art Nouveau style is equipped with parapets and ornaments towards the street front. It was built in 1888 by master builder Josef Nikolay.