all slate mining in Leienkaul. Meltwater from snow breached the three pits of the one mining operation that had remained open, “Maria Schacht”, and within one night flooded the whole operation, destroying tools, machines and explosives. The flood was too much even for the pumps that had been installed to keep the pits free of water. This catastrophe threw all the Koulemänner (“pitmen”) out of work, and they had to seek jobs elsewhere. The abrupt end to the slate-mining era only kept Leienkaulers down for a short while. It was not long before the former miners found new work with the Bundeswehr, which in the early 1960s sought more personnel for its bases at Büchel and Ulmen. Others found jobs in the service sector. Until 12 June 2004, Leienkaul was a constituent community of Laubach, but on that day, it became a separate municipality, and now has its own mayor and municipal council. Politics Municipal council The council is made up of 8 council members, who were elected at the municipal election held on 7 June 2009, and the honorary mayor as chairman. Mayor Leienkaul's mayor is Burkhard Klinkner, and his deputies are Bruno Ferdinand and Helmut Welter. Culture and sightseeing Buildings The following are listed buildings or sites in Rhineland-Palatinate’s Directory of Cultural Monuments: Maria Martental Monastery (monumental zone) – founded in 1141, in ruins by 1678, newly built in 1681, possibly with a chapel, in 1791 converted to a secular knightly foundation, destroyed in 1794; in 1934 from the predecessor of today’s pilgrimage church, a rectangular aisleless church with a ridge turret, architects Max Melsheimer, Darmstadt, and Anton Falkowski, Mainz, portal, marked 1737, porch 1968-1974, décor; behind the church: in the substructural walls new stone, marked 1562; bronze image of Mary with a halo; Way of the Cross, 20th century; cross on the old Nuns’ Chapel; wayside chapel, 1930s; so-called Napoleonsbrücke (“Napoleon’s Bridge”), marked 1725, widened in 1938; commercial building with half-hipped roof, 18th century, Baroque coat of arms; graveyard Slate heap, Grubenstraße (monumental zone) – tailing heap On Kreisstraße 14, going towards Breitenbruch – water cistern; rusticated-block cube, marked 1915 On Kreisstraße 14, going towards Breitenbruch – basalt wayside cross, 17th century (?) Siedlung am Meilenstein (“Settlement at the Milestone”) – milestone; basalt obelisk, marked 1834 References External links Municipality’s official webpage Cochem-Zell