e.V. BUV = BürgerUnion Vulkaneifel e.V. Mayor Gerolstein's mayor is chosen every five years in a direct vote. The current officeholder is Uwe Schneider (SPD). Amalgamations On 7 June 1969, the municipalities of Bewingen, Hinterhausen, and Lissingen were amalgamated with Gerolstein. Büscheich, Gees, Michelbach, Müllenborn, Oos, and Roth were amalgamated on 1 December 1972. Coat of arms The town's coat of arms consists of a lion rampant sable (black and standing on the left hind foot) armed and langued gules (red tongue, teeth, and claws viable) surmounted at the shoulder by a label of five points of the last. The town's arms are those formerly borne by the Counts of Gerolstein-Blankenheim, the former landholders, and are from as early as 1567 when they appeared in a seal used by the town's Schöffen (roughly "lay jurists"). The town has borne these arms since about 1890, but no official approval to do so is known to have been issued. Town partnerships Gerolstein has fostered partnerships with the following places: Digoin, Saône-et-Loire, France, since 1987 Gilze en Rijen, North Brabant, Netherlands Transportation and economy Transport Gerolstein station lies on the Eifelbahn railway line (Cologne–Euskirchen–Gerolstein–Trier) and has the following local passenger services: the Eifel-Mosel-Express (Cologne–Euskirchen–Gerolstein–Trier); the Eifel-Express (Cologne–Euskirchen–Gerolstein with connection to Trier); the Eifel-Bahn (Cologne–Euskirchen–Kall, and at peak times on to Gerolstein); the Eifelbahn (Gerolstein–Trier). In Gerolstein, the historical Eifelquerbahn (Cross Eifel Railway) branches off, leading by way of Daun to Kaisersesch and on to Andernach, as does the Westeifelbahn, leading by way of Prüm to Sankt Vith (until 1918 a part of the German Empire, now part of Belgium). For all local public transport three tariff systems apply: the Verkehrsverbund Region Trier (VRT), the Verkehrsverbund Rhein-Sieg, and for journeys crossing tariff zones, the NRW-Tarif. Established businesses The mineral-water firm Gerolsteiner Brunnen has its headquarters in Gerolstein. Bundeswehr The German army (Bundeswehr) Eifel barracks (Eifelkaserne) house the 281st headquarters support battalion (Führungsunterstützungsbataillon 281). Culture and sightseeing In addition to the attractions listed below, other things to see in and around Gerolstein include the dried-up maar called Papenkaule; the Buchenloch, a 36-metre-long karst cave that served as a dwelling for Stone Age people; the Mühlsteinhöhlen ("millstone caves") or Eishöhlen ("ice caves") near Roth; a natural history museum; and a district local history museum. In walking distance is the Gerolsteiner Dolomiten, a Devonian limestone reef formed by extinct Rugosa, Tabulata, and Stromatoporoids, comprising the Hustley, the