letter beseeching the then Prussian king, Frederick William III, for help went unanswered. The village was, until Secularization, under Electoral-Trier overlordship and passed in 1815 to Prussian administration. Since 1946, it has been part of the then newly founded state of Rhineland-Palatinate. In 1985, Gillenbeuren was the district-level winner in the contest Unser Dorf soll schöner werden ("Our village should become lovelier"). Politics Municipal council The council is made up of 6 council members, who were elected by majority vote at the municipal election held on 7 June 2009, and the honorary mayor as chairman. Mayor Gillenbeuren's mayor is Paul Haubrichs. Coat of arms The German blazon reads: Das Wappen der Ortsgemeinde Gillenbeuren ist ein im Deichselschnittgeteilter Schild. Er beinhaltet oben in Grün drei goldene Ähren, vorne in Rot ein goldener, schrägrechter Stufenbalken, begleitet von oben drei, unten zwei goldenen Kreuzchen, hinten in Gold ein rotes, schräglinkes Schwert. The municipality's arms might in English heraldic language be described thus: Per pall, dexter gules semée of crosses a bend dancetty Or, sinister Or a sword bendwise sinister of the first, the pommel to chief, in chief vert three ears of wheat of the second. The charges in this escutcheon refer to the municipality's history. As early as 1462, the Winneburg-Beilstein noble family, whose arms were charged with a bend dancetty (zigzag slanted stripe) on a field strewn with crosses, held the village of Gillenbeuren as a fief, and also the high court jurisdiction. The sword is Saint Martin's attribute, thus representing the church's patron saint. The three ears of wheat refer to the village's beginnings as a feudal estate that was bound to hand its produce over to the feudal lords, and also to agriculture, a pursuit still undertaken in the municipality. The arms were designed by A. Friderichs of Zell, and have been borne since 21 August 1986. Culture and sightseeing Buildings The following are listed buildings or sites in Rhineland-Palatinate’s Directory of Cultural Monuments: Saint Martin's Catholic Parish Church (Pfarrkirche St. Martin), Kirchstraße 11 – quarrystone aisleless church, Rundbogenstil, 1846/1847; grave crosses, 18th and 19th century Hauptstraße/corner of Lindenstraße – Pietà, 18th century Kirchstraße 2 – wooden cross, from 1853 Kirchstraße 3 – estate complex house; building with half-hipped roof, from 1834 Kirchstraße 7 – rectory, 1789/1790; representative building with hipped mansard roof, bearing year 1829 (conversion) References External links Municipality’s official webpage Cochem-Zell