Sommerloch

Sommerloch
Municipality
Coat of arms
Location of Sommerloch within Bad Kreuznach district
Sommerloch Sommerloch
Coordinates: 49°53′N 07°46′E
Country	Germany
State	Rhineland-Palatinate
District	Bad Kreuznach
Municipal assoc.	Rüdesheim
Government
• Mayor	Thomas Hasslinger
Area
• Total	2.53 km2 (0.98 sq mi)
Elevation	246 m (807 ft)
Population  (2022-12-31)
• Total	396
• Density	160/km2 (410/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+01:00 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+02:00 (CEST)
Postal codes	55595
Dialling codes	06706
Vehicle registration	KH

Sommerloch is a municipality in the district of Bad Kreuznach administrative region in Rhineland-Palatinate, in western Germany.

Greeting Sign at Sommerloch

Geography

Location

Sommerloch lies 12km northwest of Bad Kreuznach in the vicinity of the Nahe Valley, on the edge of the Soonwalds. The village is surrounded by vineyards. Seven wineries grow about 100 hectares of vines, primarily Riesling grapes. This wine region is not far from the "middle" Rhine River, just 25km from Bingen am Rhein or 33 km from Ingelheim am Rhein.

In the town on Weinbergstraße (Wine Mountain Street) is Saint Aegidius Roman Catholic church built in 1789.

Nearby villages include Sankt Katharinen, Braunweiler and Wallhausen.

History

A valley, not a summer hole

In the 1158 Sommerloch was mentioned as managed by the Rupert Monastery of Bingen. Later the location was ruled by the Herrschaft Dalberg.

The name originally referred to the location as being a wet basin or a wet valley. Today the village is situated in a pleasant valley surrounded by hills planted with rows of grapes.

The German newsmedia term Sommerloch refers to a boring time in the summer when news is lacking.

Alternatively, the popular translation of the German word Sommerloch is in English "silly season".

Year Population 1815 175 1835 268 1871 233 1905 261 1939 264

Year Population 1950 319 1961 331 1970 349 1987 386 2005 434

Religion

The population of Sommerloch is mostly Roman Catholic. Saint Aegidius is the village church; built in 1789.

St Aegidius Church Interior

Council

The Sommerloch council consists of eight council member. The members are voluntary; the mayor is the chairman.

Business and infrastructure

In the south is the Federal Highway 41. In the nearby town of Bad Kreuznach is a station of the railway Bingen-Saarbrücken.

The largest employer of Sommerloch is HUM-Festerbau, a firm that makes and installed glass Windows, doors, garden rooms, metal window shades and similar housing materials.

Industrial Park - includes HUM-Festerbau

External links

Media related to Sommerloch at Wikimedia Commons

See also

• A list of Cultural Monuments in Sommerloch (German language)