Zell (Mosel) () is a town in the Cochem-Zell district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. Zell has roughly 4,300 inhabitants and is the seat of the like-named Verbandsgemeinde.
Geography
Location Zell is an hour's drive from both Koblenz and Trier, more or less halfway between these two cities. The nearest town going towards Koblenz is Cochem, and the nearest two going towards Trier are Traben-Trarbach and Bernkastel-Kues. To both Frankfurt-Hahn Airport on the Hunsrück and the spa town of Bad Bertrich in the Voreifel it is half an hour's drive. The parts of town lying on the river, the Old Town, Kaimt and Merl, are at an elevation of roughly 100 m above sea level on a remarkable bow in the river Moselle, known as the Zeller Hamm.
Constituent communities On the Moselle's right bank lie the Old Town (Altstadt) and the Stadtteil of Merl. Up in the Hunsrück lies the smallest Stadtteil, Althaus, which is right at the town limit, next to Tellig. West of the Moselle, in a dale, lies Kaimt, as does Barl, whose elevation is 100 m higher.
History Zell was founded by the Romans sometime later than AD 70. The outlying centre of Kaimt had its first documentary mention in 732 or 733. In 1222, Zell was granted town rights. Beginning in 1332, it was an Electoral-Trier town and until 1794 the seat of an Electoral-Trier Oberamt. With the occupation of the Rhine's left bank by French Revolutionary troops in 1794, the town became French. In 1814 Zell was assigned to the Kingdom of Prussia at the Congress of Vienna. Fires in 1848 and 1857 destroyed a great deal of the Old Town. Since 1946, the town has been part of the then newly founded state of Rhineland-Palatinate. In 1950 came the amalgamation of Kaimt. Until 1969, Zell was the district seat of the now abolished district of the same name. In the course of administrative restructuring in Rhineland-Palatinate, this was merged with the neighbouring district to form the district of Cochem-Zell, whose seat is at Cochem. Along with the loss of the district seat also came the loss of many other centres of authority and various other institutions. On 7 June 1969 came the amalgamation of Merl. The town has also distinguished itself with the establishment of many businesses, particularly in the outlying centre of Barl up in the heights.
Politics
Town council The local council has 20 members. The elections in May 2014 showed the following results. Der Landeswahlleiter Rheinland-Pfalz: Kommunalwahl 2014, Stadt- und Gemeinderatswahlen Election SPD CDU Wählergruppe FWG Total 2014 4 11 5 20 Seats 2009 4 11 5 20 Seats 2004 4 11 5 20 Seats FWG = Freie Wählergruppe Stadt Zell e.V.
Mayor Zell's mayor is Hans-Peter Döpgen (FWG).
Coat of arms
The town's arms might be described thus: Argent a cross gules, in dexter chief two keys per cross, the wards turned outwards and to chief and dexter azure, and in sinister base the same reversed.
The red cross refers to the town's historical relation with the Archbishop of Trier and the Elector of Trier. The keys are Saint Peter's attribute, thus representing the town's and the church's patron saint. Also, there once stood on the Petersberg (mountain, now called Marienburg) a church consecrated to Saint Peter.Alfons Friderichs: Wappenbuch des Landkreises Cochem-Zell, Zell/Mosel, Selbstverlag, 2001
Town partnerships Zell fosters partnerships with the following places: Crépy-en-Valois, Oise, France Antoing, Hainaut, Belgium Triptis, Saale-Orla-Kreis, Thuringia
Culture and sightseeing
Theatre Theatre group Kätz
Museums The town hall houses a local history museum with many exhibits from the town's history, winegrowing and traditional crafts.
Buildings The following are listed buildings or sites in Rhineland-Palatinate's Directory of Cultural Monuments:
Zell (main centre)
Saint Peter's and Saint Paul's Catholic Church (Kirche St. Peter und Paul), Balduinstraße – aisleless church, 1786-1792 Town Wall – six-floor "Bachturm" (tower), converted to a gate tower in 1899, inside the tower a Heiligenhäuschen (a small, shrinelike structure consecrated to a saint or saints), pietà, 18th century; before the tower a graveyard: wayside cross marked 1741, three grave crosses marked 1632, 1643 and 1805 as well as three-floor "Pulverturm" (tower), "tail cupola" after 1689; on Hauptstraße remnants of a gateway arch Am Bahnhof 1 – old railway station; building with half-hipped roof, partly timber-frame, one-floor timber-frame additions, tower, about 1900 At Balduinstraße 23 – richly sculpted portal walls, about 1910 Balduinstraße 32 – three-floor plastered building, 1849, with nine Late Gothic tracery windows Balduinstraße 44 – Town Hall (Rathaus); two-winged brick building, corner tower, 1881 Balduinstraße 69 – three-floor Gothic Revival plastered building, about 1900 Balduinstraße 105 – three-floor Late Historicist plastered building, Romanesque Revival and Baroque Revival, about 1910 Brandenburg 32 – brick villa with hipped roof, Renaissance Revival, 1896–1897 At Corray 4 – headsman's cross, marked 1782 Before Corray 13 – Johannesbrunnen (fountain) Corray 20 – Late Historicist brick building, partly timber-frame, mansard roof, about 1900 Corray 51 – plastered building, about 1910/20 Cuxborn 8 – three-floor timber-frame house, partly solid, plastered, marked 1770; pietà Jakobstraße – Old Graveyard (Alter Friedhof): cross, 19th century; whole complex Marktstraße/corner of Balduinstraße – Schwarze Katz ("Black Cat") fountain; basalt, 1936 Between Moselpromenade 29 and 33 – gatelike linking bridge; Baroque Revival plastered building, marked 1904/08 Moselpromenade 34 – Electoral-Trier castle house; three-floor timber-frame and solid building, staircases, marked 1532, on the Moselle side three-floor solid building, 16th century At Römerstraße 48 – hearth heating plate, 15th century Römerstraße 64 – three-floor Late Historicist timber-frame house, partly solid, half-hipped roof, staircase tower, early 20th century Schloßstraße 8/10 – former palatial residence; Late Gothic two-winged building with polygonal corner turrets 1530-1542, architect possibly F. Kauffmann, expanded in 16th and 17th centuries; whole complex At Schloßstraße 10 – former synagogue; one-floor plastered building, marked 1849, Late Gothic portal Schloßstraße 12 – former post office; three-floor Expressionist building with half-hipped roof, staircase tower; on Jakobsstraße: plastered building, 1920s Schloßstraße 27 – Classicist plastered building, first fourth of the 19th century Schloßstraße 36 – finance office; four-floor plastered building, 1920s Schloßstraße 42 – former Kreishaus (district administration building); three-winged building, 1920/1930 Schloßstraße 61 – former Evangelical rectory; Baroque Revival building with mansard roof, about 1910 At Schloßstraße 71 – cast-iron coat of arms Graveyard (monumental zone) – Gothic Revival graveyard chapel, about 1900; Heiligenhäuschen, 19th or 20th century, Stations of the Cross, 18th century; two grave crosses, 18th century; warriors' memorial, 1920s; Family Fier's tomb, Gothic Revival pinnacle, 1882 and years following; Gothic Revival niche figure of Saint Peter Collisturm – brick lookout tower with cupola, about 1906
Kaimt
Saint James the Greater's Catholic Parish Church (Pfarrkirche St. Jakobus Maior), Pfalzgasse 27 – Late Romanesque tower with Baroque portal Barlstraße 7 – timber-frame house, partly solid, balloon frame, half-hipped roof, late 16th century; timber-frame addition, 16th century Boos von Waldeck Straße 1 – Boos von Waldeck estate; timber-frame house, partly solid, balloon frame, marked 1551, portal 1620; at the side Baroque pavilion; barn; garden, wall with coat of arms; whole complex Klemensgasse 4 – timber-frame house, partly solid, 16th century Pfalzgasse 5 – timber-frame house, partly solid, possibly from the 16th century Plänterstraße – wayside chapel; inside, relief as well as Madonna, 18th century Near Plänterstraße 5 – wayside cross, marked 1731 St. Maximinhof 1/2 – St. Maximin's Abbey estate; two-winged building with half-hipped roof, 18th century; coat of arms 1575; Abbots Matthias von Saarburg's and Willibald Schäfer's coats of arms; no. 2 portal, marked 166?, coat of arms Marienburg Convent (Kloster Marienburg) – Late Gothic quire, 14th century, exaggerated in Baroque style and expanded into a tower; ruin expanded again in 1952-1957 Wayside chapel – brick aisleless church, marked 1886, wayside cross
Merl
Former monastery (monumental zone), Klosterweg 4, 5, 7, 13–17 – Klosterweg 4: timber-frame house (plastered), half-hipped roof, essentially from the 16th century; Klosterweg 5, 7, 13–17 monastery buildings: west wing, Baroque building with mansard roof, Baroque portal; north wing: buildings with half-hipped roofs, essentially possibly from the 16th or 17th century, converted; east wing: oldest part with chapter house with tracery windows, above in the dormitory (?) crossbar windows; church (see next entry) Catholic Parish Church, Klosterweg – former church of the Conventual Franciscan monastery; aisleless church, late 13th century, marked 1490 and 1728 (conversions); outside: figure of Michael, figure of a Benedictine, Baroque tomb slab, missionary cross, 1863 Alte Kirchgasse 1 – three-floor plastered building, partly timber-frame, Moselle style, about 1910 Alte Kirchgasse 2 – three-floor timber-frame house, partly solid, balloon frame, 16th century; timber-frame addition, 18th century; in the back tower remnants Hauptstraße (no number) – railway station; quarrystone building, partly timber-frame, tower Hauptstraße 32 – timber-frame house, partly solid, balloon frame, dendrochronologically dated to 1478 ± 5 years; side wing, timber-frame, partly solid, crow-stepped gable, 16th century Hauptstraße 34 – timber-frame house, partly quarrystone, possibly from the 13th century, timber framing about 1480 At Hauptstraße 44 – coat of arms, marked 1731 Hauptstraße 52 – three-floor quarrystone building, hipped roof, mid 19th century In Spay 25 – Late Gothic timber-frame house, partly solid, plastered, half-hipped roof, marked 1518 In Spay 48 – timber-frame house, partly solid, plastered, 16th or 17th century Kapellenweg 1 – timber-frame house, partly solid, 18th century Kirchkehr, Friedhof – Romanesque tower, five-floor plastered building, relief, 13th century; grave cross, 1886; cast-iron graveyard cross, 1863; whole complex Merlerstraße – Heiligenhäuschen, inside pietà, possibly from the 18th century Merlerstraße 24 – brick building, late 19th century Merlerstraße 45 – villa; quarrystone entrance loggia and corner oriel turret, Art Nouveau, early 20th century Pfarrgasse 1 – building with mansard roof, about 1910 Ratsgasse 2 – building with hipped mansard roof, partly quarrystone and timber-frame, about 1900 Rohrgasse 2 – three-floor timber-frame house, partly solid, balloon frame, dendrochronologically dated to 1542/1543 Zandtstraße – Heiligenhäuschen; inside Late Gothic Man of Sorrows, 16th century Zandtstraße (no number) – new school; Baroque Revival plastered building, 1910/1920 Zandtstraße (no number), Hauptstraße (no number) – three-floor building with hipped roof, marked 1767, essentially older; corner of Michaelsgasse: timber-frame house, partly solid, essentially from the 17th century; Hauptstraße 58/60: Sekt winery, quarrystone buildings, late 19th century, winery building, 20th century; commercial wing, quarrystone, 18th/19th century; timber-frame barn; whole complex Zandtstraße 17 – timber-frame house, partly solid, half-hipped roof, marked 1685 and 1686, timber-frame addition 18th century Zandtstraße 20 – building with mansard roof, 18th century, essentially possibly older