In Oberstedem, the village church of St. Brictius, evidence from several centuries, and glass culture offer a cultural and historical perspective on the town. The topics range from a medieval sculpture to an early written reference. The proportion of woodland is also part of the character of the municipal area.
Village History and Landscape
Oberstedem covers 448 hectares, of which 82 hectares are woodland. The first record of the town dates from 893, when it appears under the name “Stedehym” in the Prümer Urbar. The form of the name and the date provide a specific historical reference for the village’s history; the church of St. Brictius continues that story through its architectural history and furnishings.
St. Brictius: Village Centre and Works of Art
The Catholic branch church of St. Brictius and its churchyard form the centre of Oberstedem. The present church was newly built in 1951/52, replacing its predecessor, built in 1808, which stood by the cemetery. This makes it possible to distinguish the date of the present building from the location of the former church.
Inside the church are works from various periods. A Gothic sculpture depicts Mary with the Christ Child and dates from the first half of the 15th century. There is also a Baroque stone statue of St. Brictius. The Neo-Gothic altar has a mensa and a superstructure from the former village church. In this way, a medieval work of art and Baroque sculpture are combined with elements of the older church.
Under Section 8 of the Rhineland-Palatinate Monument Protection Act, St. Brictius is listed as a legally protected cultural monument. The church’s interior furnishings are recorded in the cultural monuments register of the Eifelkreis Bitburg-Prüm, as of October 2023. The listed monuments also include the properties at Hauptstraße 12, 14 and 16. The museum site, “Vereinigte Museen im Jacobshof,” is at Hauptstraße 16.
Glass History from Two Perspectives
The Glass Museum presents exhibits covering 2,000 years of glass history. A second, small museum is devoted to the history of the glassworks of the Rhineland over the past century. The tradition of Rhineland glassworks presented in Oberstedem is traced back to the heyday of Roman glassworks. Together, the two topics offer a broad view of glass across time and a closer focus on the history of glassworks.
If you are planning a museum visit, check current visiting arrangements in advance.
More Topics in the Wider Destination of Eifelkreis Bitburg-PrĂĽm
The wider destination of Eifelkreis Bitburg-PrĂĽm offers further places of interest with a variety of themes. The Devonium in Waxweiler presents complex concepts in palaeontology and the science of fossil life in an engaging way. The Westwall Museum in Irrel is housed on three accessible floors of a bunker; its military history exhibition is located in underground corridors and rooms.
The Mühlenberger Stollen Bleialf Visitor Mine includes a mining trail with numerous information boards on the area’s mining history. The water castle in Rittersdorf, around 700 years old, has remained almost unchanged since it was built and offers a glimpse of late medieval and modern Renaissance residential culture. These regional examples focus on different topics from Oberstedem’s local history and glass culture.
Discover more destinations: Mettendorf, Sinspelt, Auw bei PrĂĽm, Irrel, Ammeldingen Bei Neuerburg, PrĂĽm, HĂĽtten, Niederweis
Go to the wider travel overview: Eifelkreis Bitburg-PrĂĽm.
