Tholey

The first traces of settlement in the area of today's Tholey go back to the Celts. Multiple archaeological finds show an extended occupation by the Romans. In medieval times, much of today's Saarland was tributary to the Abbey of Tholey. To protect the abbey a castle was constructed on the nearby Schaumberg. Tholey was under control of Lorraine and of the Archbishop Prince-elector of Trier.

Tholey is located on the edge of the Schaumberg, the highest mountain in Saarland and the Hunsrück range. The name has been derived from the Celtic *dol(wo) meaning "outstanding", a derivation found also in the name of the neighboring Dollberg hill and in Lorelei (originally Dorley), related to the German toll or doll. "Ley" is a Celtic and Germanic word meaning "cliffs." Tholey is thus "the village on the outstanding cliffs". Given the nearby Gallo-Roman settlement Wareswald alternate derivations of the names Tholey and Theley have been proposed from the Latin word for bricks, tegula or from Castrum teulegium – Linden Fort.{{cite book|last=Kramer|first=Franz|title=Rheinische Ortsnamen aus vorrömischer und römischer Zeit|year=1901|publisher=E. Linz}}

As part of the Saarland's territorial and administrative reforms in 1974 the nine previously independent communities Bergweiler, Hasborn-Dautweiler, Lindscheid, Neipel, Scheuem, Sotzweiler, Theley, Tholey, and Überroth-Niederhofen were consolidated under the name Tholey.Neugliederungsgesetz – NGG vom 19. Dezember 1973, § 37, veröffentlicht im [http://www.amtsblatt.uni-saarland.de/hefte/1973/1973-048.pdf Amtsblatt des Saarlandes 1973, Nr. 48, S. 857] (PDF Seite 29; 499 kB)

File:Tholey.jpg

According to legend, around 610 Saint Wendelin of Trier became the founder and first abbot of the Benedictine abbey of Tholey. In 1794 the monastery was plundered and burned by the French and the congregation was dissolved. In 1949 an offshoot of Benedictine monastery of Beuronese Congregation returned and began restoration.

A Jewish community existed in Tholey from the Eighteenth Century to about 1940. The first Jewish family was identified in 1729. By 1843 88 Jewish people lived in Tholey (9% of the total population of 952 people), by 1895 there were 91. A synagogue was dedicated on December 4, 1863, by District Rabbi Kahn from Trier. A Jewish religious school existed since 1876. In 1925 the Jewish community numbered 50 people; in 1935, 41. Because of the increasing disenfranchisement in the Nazi period and due to the economic boycott many moved to other cities or emigrated. After the deportation at least 20 Jewish inhabitants, either born in Tholey or long-time residents, were murdered. The synagogue was sold in 1937 and later demolished, and a house constructed on its foundation in the Triererstraße.

{{Weather box

| location = Tholey (1991–2020 normals)

| metric first = Y

| single line = Y

|collapsed = Y

|Jan high C = 3.4

|Feb high C = 4.9

|Mar high C = 9.2

|Apr high C = 14.0

|May high C = 18.0

|Jun high C = 21.1

|Jul high C = 23.5

|Aug high C = 23.4

|Sep high C = 18.7

|Oct high C = 13.2

|Nov high C = 7.5

|Dec high C = 4.1

| year high C = 13.4

|Jan mean C = 1.1

|Feb mean C = 1.9

|Mar mean C = 5.5

|Apr mean C = 9.4

|May mean C = 13.2

|Jun mean C = 16.3

|Jul mean C = 18.5

|Aug mean C = 18.2

|Sep mean C = 14.2

|Oct mean C = 9.7

|Nov mean C = 5.0

|Dec mean C = 1.9

|year mean C = 9.6

|Jan low C = -1.1

|Feb low C = -0.5

|Mar low C = 2.1

|Apr low C = 5.1

|May low C = 8.8

|Jun low C = 11.8

|Jul low C = 13.8

|Aug low C = 13.8

|Sep low C = 10.3

|Oct low C = 6.7

|Nov low C = 2.7

|Dec low C = -0.1

| year low C = 6.2

| precipitation colour = green

|Jan precipitation mm = 103.7

|Feb precipitation mm = 83.8

|Mar precipitation mm = 78.1

|Apr precipitation mm = 50.2

|May precipitation mm = 75.9

|Jun precipitation mm = 71.8

|Jul precipitation mm = 78.2

|Aug precipitation mm = 73.4

|Sep precipitation mm = 72.1

|Oct precipitation mm = 86.9

|Nov precipitation mm = 94.1

|Dec precipitation mm = 122.2

| year precipitation mm = 983.9

| unit precipitation days = 1.0 mm

|Jan precipitation days = 18.1

|Feb precipitation days = 16.8

|Mar precipitation days = 15.6

|Apr precipitation days = 13.5

|May precipitation days = 14.6

|Jun precipitation days = 13.6

|Jul precipitation days = 14.2

|Aug precipitation days = 13.1

|Sep precipitation days = 12.7

|Oct precipitation days = 15.8

|Nov precipitation days = 18.2

|Dec precipitation days = 19.6

|year precipitation days = 185.9

|Jan sun = 49.3

|Feb sun = 74.6

|Mar sun = 129.1

|Apr sun = 186.3

|May sun = 210.1

|Jun sun = 216.1

|Jul sun = 231.5

|Aug sun = 216.9

|Sep sun = 164.1

|Oct sun = 100.4

|Nov sun = 48.2

|Dec sun = 40.7

|year sun = 1690.4

|Jan humidity = 88.9

|Feb humidity = 83.3

|Mar humidity = 75.6

|Apr humidity = 68.1

|May humidity = 70.8

|Jun humidity = 70.5

|Jul humidity = 68.7

|Aug humidity = 70.6

|Sep humidity = 76.8

|Oct humidity = 84.8

|Nov humidity = 90.0

|Dec humidity = 90.6

| source 1 = World Meteorological Organization{{cite web

| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20231012174143/https://www.nodc.noaa.gov/archive/arc0216/0253808/1.1/data/0-data/Region-6-WMO-Normals-9120/Germany/CSV/Tholey_10706.csv

| archive-date = 12 October 2023

| url = https://www.nodc.noaa.gov/archive/arc0216/0253808/1.1/data/0-data/Region-6-WMO-Normals-9120/Germany/CSV/Tholey_10706.csv

| title = World Meteorological Organization Climate Normals for 1991–2020

| work = World Meteorological Organization Climatological Standard Normals (1991–2020)

| publisher = National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

| access-date = 13 October 2023}}

}}

• Johannes Kühn (1934-2023), writer, born in Tholey

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{{Cities and towns in Sankt Wendel (district)}}

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Category:Sankt Wendel (district)

Category:Holocaust locations in Germany