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52-595: Heckenbach is a municipality in the district of Ahrweiler , in Rhineland-Palatinate , Germany . It is home to a local horse ranch named the Appaloosa & Quarter House Ranch. This Ahrweiler location article is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Ahrweiler (district) The region was conquered by the Romans under Julius Caesar about 50 BC. Some hundred years later

104-465: A 20-car caravan driven by Czechs. They travelled to Gmünd in Austria, one hour before the border was closed, after which they travelled to Vienna. Items left behind included many personal possessions, the last five days' worth of filming, and $ 1 million worth of equipment, including eight tanks and four cameras of unprocessed film. "It was just like an adventure movie," said Bradford Dillman, "except

156-530: A Roman villa, farm". Portions of a Roman aqueduct have also been found nearby. Many towns were first mentioned in the 9th century, among them Sinzig and the eponymous village of Ahrweiler (since 1969 a part of Bad Neuenahr-Ahrweiler ). The name of Ahrweiler was first noted in the Land Register of the Abbey of Prüm , which during the ninth century, owned almost all of the property in the town. In 1180,

208-481: A written order to do it immediately. The general appeals to Kreuger's sense of honor, giving him a verbal command to defend the bridge for as long as possible, to allow the German 15th Army , trapped on the west bank of the river, to escape. After capturing the undefended town of Meckenheim , 12 miles (20 km) from Remagen, Hartman is ordered by his battalion commander, Major Barnes ( Bradford Dillman ), to continue

260-543: Is a 1969 DeLuxe Color war film in Panavision starring George Segal , Ben Gazzara , and Robert Vaughn . The film, which was directed by John Guillermin , was shot in Czechoslovakia . It is based on the nonfiction book The Bridge at Remagen: The Amazing Story of March 7, 1945 by writer and U.S. Representative Ken Hechler . The screenplay was adapted by Richard Yates and William Roberts . The film

312-415: Is a highly fictionalized version of actual events during the last months of World War II , when the U.S. 9th Armored Division approached Remagen and captured the intact Ludendorff Bridge . While the real battle ran for a week and involved several artillery duels between the U.S. troops and German defenders, the film focuses more specifically on the heroism and human cost in gaining the bridgehead across

364-534: Is also characterised by orchards and vineyards. The lower Ahr River is one of the northernmost wine regions of Germany, known for its red wines from Pinot noir ( Spätburgunder ) and Portugieser . Ahrweiler is especially well known for its vineyards and wineries. Wine growing and trading has been going on in Ahrweiler for over 1,000 years. The town is the chief cultivator for the red wine known as "Ahrburgunder". Bachem, which lies one kilometre south of Ahrweiler,

416-625: Is also well known for its "Frühburgunder", a local name for Pinot Noir Précoce . Traditionally, in this small town more of this wine is produced than in any other place in the Ahr valley . On the first Sunday in September there is a traditional and annual wine festival in Ahrweiler, for which a "Wine Queen," or "Burgundia", is elected. Within the district are also the wine festival on the first Sunday in July at Bachem and another one in nearby Walporzheim on

468-440: Is hit and falls into the river. Hartman marches on foot towards the bridge defenders' post at the same time as a squadron of M24 Chaffee light tanks crosses the bridge. The remaining German soldiers surrender to the U.S. troops. In the aftermath of the battle, Hartman discovers Angelo alive. The next day, Kreuger is led out for execution by an SS firing squad. With the sound of airplanes overhead, Kreuger asks: "Ours or theirs?" When

520-572: Is promoted to company commander following the reckless death of the previous officer, Hartman is ordered to advance to the Rhine River at Remagen, where he is promised a rest for his men. At the same time, Major Paul Kreuger (Robert Vaughn) of the German Army is assigned to destroy the Remagen bridge by his friend and superior, Colonel General von Brock ( Peter van Eyck ), who has been given

572-653: The Vltava River using the old bridge, which the Czechoslovak Ministry of Transportation closed for the summer. This was controversial because many residents of Prague used the bridge to access vacation homes in Davle. Fake towers and a fake railway tunnel were constructed for the film. The film's opening scenes, where the U.S. Army fails to capture the Oberkassel, Bonn bridge, were shot just south of

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624-456: The Americans. The Czechoslovak government provided German uniforms and weapons that had been captured during the war. Czechoslovak People's Army soldiers served as extras in the film, and were even trained to use U.S. military equipment. Filming started on June 6, 1968, and was meant to be completed by October, but shooting was difficult from the start. The production manager fell ill, and

676-636: The Everglades . Schulberg said Stanley Kubrick was interested in directing and the film would be made in West Germany . Columbia agreed to finance. In November 1960, Schulberg said the film would start shooting in May 1961 with financing from the Mirisch Company and United Artists , but the film was not made by Schulberg. In 1965, the rights were bought by David Wolper . It was to be

728-542: The French. But the darkest day in Ahrweiler's history was on May 1, 1689, when the town was razed to the ground, and only ten houses were left standing among the ruins. The districts of Ahrweiler and Adenau were established in 1816, just after Prussia occupied the Rhineland. The district of Adenau was merged with Ahrweiler in 1932. The Ahrweiler City Gate and many other historical buildings were partially destroyed at

780-606: The Holy Roman Emperor Barbarossa chose Sinzig as a place to meet the envoys of France and Flanders . Another significant place was the Abbey of Maria Laach on the Laacher See, a lake in the southeast of the district. From 1100 to 1246, the district was ruled by the Grafen (Counts) von Are (Ahr), and then by their relatives, the Grafen von Hochstaden. These families were mainly responsible for

832-628: The Rhine before the Allies' final advance into Germany . The Remagen bridge was never rebuilt; the towers on each bank were converted into a museum and arts studios. The film opens with the United States Army failing to capture the still-intact Oberkassel railway bridge. Lieutenant Hartman (George Segal) is an experienced combat team leader who is becoming weary of the war in Europe. After he

884-513: The Roman fort of Rigomagus ( Gaulish for "king's field") was founded, later to become the city of Remagen . The Vinxtbach, a narrow brook and an affluent of the Rhine, was defined as the borderline between the Roman provinces of Germania superior and Germania inferior . There was originally a Roman villa here; the German suffix, "weiler", is from the Latin term "villare", meaning "land attached to

936-596: The U.S. Army would avoid a more costly river crossing elsewhere. Sergeant Angelo (Ben Gazzara), one of Hartman's squad leaders, strikes Barnes after the major threatens Hartman. As the U.S. soldiers rush the bridge, Kreuger, along with explosives engineer Captain Baumann ( Joachim Hansen ) and Captain Schmidt ( Hans Christian Blech ) from the Remagen Bridge Security Command, try to blow up

988-413: The advance until encountering resistance. Kreuger tours the defenses above the town of Remagen and assures the local contingent of defending German troops, many of whom are older men and boys, that the tank reserves personally guaranteed by the general are on the way. When Hartman's troops attack the town, Kreuger discovers that von Brock made an empty promise to him; he calls the general's headquarters for

1040-458: The arsenal of arms at Barrandov studios and found everything in order. Many of the Remagen town scenes were shot in the city of Most . The old town was being demolished and rebuilt at a new location at the time so that the lignite deposits under its soil would become accessible for mining. This lent an unprecedented level of realism to the explosions of real buildings rather than backlot sets. The Remagen Bridge scenes were shot at Davle on

1092-690: The ass". On 20 August 1968, when the film was two-thirds complete, the Soviet Army invaded Czechoslovakia to reinstall a hardline Communist government. Filming had to be halted and the bulk of the cast and crew were stuck in the International Hotel in Prague under advice from the U.S. Embassy . Wolper had flown out from Prague to Rome the night of the invasion to supervise filming of his other film If It's Tuesday, This Must Be Belgium and then quickly flew to Vienna to negotiate with

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1144-428: The attending SS officer replies "enemy planes," Kreuger muses, "but who is the enemy?" before he is shot. A screen message (or chyron) informs the viewer that the actual bridge collapsed into the Rhine ten days after its capture. The film was based on a book by Ken Hechler , a war historian who was serving in the U.S. Army in 1945. "I was lucky to be about 10 miles from Remagen when the electrifying news came down that

1196-487: The book to finance his successful campaign to represent West Virginia 's 4th congressional district in the United States House of Representatives in the 1958 elections . In May 1958, film rights were purchased by Schulberg Productions, owned by Budd Schulberg , who had witnessed the crossing and intended to film it as The Day We Crossed the Rhine . It was meant to follow Schulberg's film Wind Across

1248-473: The bridge had been captured," said Hechler later. "We had just liberated this wine cellar. The first units came back and were sent into reserve, and had nothing to do but drink wine and talk about what they had done." The resulting interviews, plus postwar interviews with German soldiers who were at the bridge, formed the bulk of the research for Hechler's book, which was published in 1957. The book ended up selling over 500,000 copies. Hechler used money from

1300-595: The bridge were shot at Castel Gandolfo in Italy. Wolper also negotiated filming of the blowing up of the bridge in Prague. Wolper later wrote, "the actors get on the bridge in Czechoslovakia, remove explosive under the bridge in Germany and get off the bridge in Italy." "If we bring some unity to this picture it will be a miracle," said Vaughan. Wolper says the film had insurance to cover an invasion, but that

1352-409: The bridge, but the explosives they use prove to be not the high-yield military-grade charges needed for the job, but weaker, industrial explosives, which fail to destroy the structure. Hartman's troops dig in to consolidate their position on the bridge. Kreuger shoots two soldiers as they try to desert. Realizing the futility of the situation, Kreuger returns to headquarters to make a personal appeal to

1404-451: The country and serving as a cover for the CIA . The Czechs, however, did not take this charge too seriously, and Czech members of the crew jokingly referring to Wolper as "Mr. CIA". After East German newspaper Neues Deutschland alleged that the production was a front for preparations of a U.S. Armed Forces occupation of the country, some Czechoslovak police and military officials did inspect

1456-603: The development of Ahrweiler, which then was, together with Bonn , Andernach and Nürburg , one of the capitals of the Archbishopric of Cologne . Defensive walls, ramparts and towers were built around the town, and these constructions remain mostly unimpaired. . In the early years of the Holy Roman Empire there was a county of Ahr, but it was annexed by the Bishop of Cologne in 1246. Afterwards Remagen became

1508-522: The end of World War II during the contested advances of the Allies. The battle of the Rhine bridge of Remagen, otherwise known as the Ludendorff Bridge , in 1945, is a well-known event in local history, also due to the U.S. movie The Bridge at Remagen (1969). The 2021 European floods heavily impacted Ahrweiler, where the Ahr river rose, killing at least 135 people. In Jewish texts,

1560-483: The film on television in the U.S. on July 24, 1977. The film was released on DVD by MGM Home Entertainment on January 24, 2006 and January 31, 2006. The film holds a 20% on Rotten Tomatoes, based on 5 reviews, with an average rating of 5.60 out of 10. Wolper says, "perhaps it was not the best idea to distribute a film about war and heroism at the height of the war in Vietnam. The film received mixed reviews. It

1612-501: The first American film to be shot in Communist Czechoslovakia . According to a British press report, £833,000 of the £2,100,000 budget were saved by shooting in Czechoslovakia. Wolper paid $ 750,000 and Czech distribution rights to Barrandov Studios in exchange for their facilities and local labor. The U.S. World War II equipment was borrowed from the government of Austria , which had originally obtained it from

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1664-552: The first Sunday in August. By the way, Walporzheim also has the oldest wine house in the Ahr, named St. Peters, which dates from 1246. The Nürburgring , a famous Formula One circuit, is located in the district. The coat of arms was adopted in 1927. It displays: Free municipality 50°32′N 7°5′E  /  50.533°N 7.083°E  / 50.533; 7.083 The Bridge at Remagen The Bridge at Remagen

1716-664: The first assistant director quit. Also, clashes in work methods occurred within the crew, of whom roughly 60 were from the West and 200 were Czech. However, after an awkward start, the Westerners and Czechs eventually forged a decent working relationship. It was a period of political instability in Czechoslovakia due to the Prague Spring . The film crew was accused by the Soviet and East German presses of smuggling weapons into

1768-468: The first in a six-picture deal he signed with United Artists. Irvin Kershner was to direct. Roger O. Hirson was signed to write the script. A few months later, Richard Yates was reportedly working on the script. Later on William Roberts , Rod Serling , and Theodore Strauss worked on it. These delays meant Wolper ended up making another war film first, The Devil's Brigade . Hechler says he

1820-503: The general for more reinforcements, but on arrival finds that the HQ building has been seized by the SS , and Von Brock has been arrested for "defeatism". Kreuger is questioned by them about the delay in destroying the bridge and is also arrested. At Remagen, Hartman leads a raid against a machine-gun nest installed by Kreuger on board a barge moored to the bridge, but while killing its crew, Angelo

1872-544: The insurance company argued that it was not an invasion, rather the government invited the Russians in. The matter settled and Wolper got some compensation, but not the full amount. Contrary to Wolper's expectations, the Soviet occupation force allowed the U.S. military equipment lent by the Austrian government to be returned. The film finished after 93 days. According to Hechler, "although Hollywood has its own ideas of

1924-501: The interests of the inhabitants. These Social Communities (Hutengemeinschaften) continue to exist. They are: Hutengemeinschaft Adenbachhut Ahrweiler; Hutengemeinschaft "St. Barbara" Ahrhut Ahrweiler; Hutengemeinschaft "St. Katharina" Niederhut Ahrweiler; Hutengemeinschaft "St. Ursula" Oberhut Ahrweiler e.V.. During a disastrous period in the Thirty Years' War in the 17th century, the town was besieged, plundered and set on fire by

1976-467: The most important town of the region. The parish church, St. Laurentius (St. Laurence) de:St. Laurentius (Ahrweiler) , was originally built in 1269. Since the Middle Ages, the town has been roughly divided by the four City Gates. In each division there was a commons, which originally belonged to the town's citizens. These were later put in the care of the protective Social Communities, who protected

2028-400: The new government for permission for the film's crew to be released. The cast and crew voted on whether to stay or leave. Only three voted to stay — Guillermin and two stuntmen. Some cast and crew, including future U.S. Ambassador to Czechoslovakia Shirley Temple Black , left in a 400-car convoy that took them to Plzeň and then to Nuremberg . A few hours later, 79 cast and crew escaped in

2080-578: The north of the Ahr are called the Ahr Hills ; they are lower than the mountains of the High Eifel in the south of the district. Walporzheim, one kilometre west of Ahrweiler, has some curious rock formations called the "Bunte Kuh" (Colorful Cow) and the "Kaiserstuhl" (Emperor's Chair). The forests of the Eifel are the result of reforestations in the 19th century. The most common tree is the fir, which

2132-408: The promised tanks and is told they have been sent "elsewhere". On finding the bridge intact, General Shinner ( E. G. Marshall ) orders Major Barnes to secure its capture, saying: "It's a crap shoot, Major. We're risking 100 men, but you may save 10,000." Barnes agrees to commit Hartman's company and orders them to assault the German defenses on the bridge to gain a foothold across the Rhine. By doing so,

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2184-475: The town resisted early National Socialism , and the town leaders had refused Adolf Hitler a chance to address the community in 1932 , they were not able to escape the reach of the Nazis entirely. Ahrweiler had a small Jewish community before the Nazis came to power, but they were all taken away and relocated, some to concentration camps, after 1933. No member of this community ever returned to Ahrweiler, and today,

2236-578: The town was called Aroil'ra (ארוילרא). From the 13th century and on, there was a considerable Jewish community in Ahrweiler. In the 14th century, the Jews of the town traded in salt and wine. During that period, the Jewish community of the town suffered from the Black Death Jewish persecutions . In 1900, 65 Jews lived in the town (1% of the total population), and 319 in 1933. Although much of

2288-452: The town's old synagogue that was desecrated during 1938 Kristallnacht , is used for art displays. The Rhine forms the eastern border of the district. The Ahr , a tributary of the Rhine, enters the district in the southeast and runs northeastwards to meet the Rhine within the borders of the district. Ahrweiler is located in the northernmost part of the Eifel mountains. The mountains to

2340-515: The tragedy was real." Some had to flee to Vienna in a 60-car convoy. Wolper said, "circumstances have conspired to turn an innocent and expensive enterprise into a political football." The issues caused the budget to increase from $ 3.5 million to $ 5 million. Filming resumed in Hamburg , West Germany , where ideal studio facilities were available, in October 1968. Unfinished scenes involving

2392-446: The truth, probably 95% of it is accurate. It was doubly exciting to see the good actors they got to portray it." Hechler says the opening scene of the tanks going fast was not true. "They said it was more exciting that way. Also, there were several scenes with women, which I never saw in 1945. There's a little bit of a love interest there." Hechler also says the names of the participants were changed, "I imagine to avoid lawsuits", and he

2444-517: The village of Vrané nad Vltavou using the railway bridge, which carries the Prague - Dobříš line over the river Vltava. During filming, Guillermin told producer Wolper that he did not want the distraction of Wolper being on set, and tried to ban the producer from it. Wolper responded by telling Guillermin that if he could not direct with Wolper on set, then he would be fired. Guillermin promptly apologised. Wolper later called Guillermin "a real pain in

2496-477: Was "very happy with" the film, "because it brought attention to one of the great examples of the initiative and training of the American soldiers. They took advantage of an opportunity that had not been planned at all. It's also a tribute to the leadership of [Lt.] Karl Timmermann, who was the first officer who crossed." The Bridge at Remagen was released in theatres on June 25, 1969. The ABC network broadcast

2548-678: Was cast in a role but departed in order to spend more time with his family, while Alex Cord declined to be in the film. West German officials would not allow the film to be made in Germany because of shipping traffic on the Rhine. The trend was increasing at the time to shoot Hollywood films in Eastern Europe to save money – The Fixer was filmed in Hungary and Castle Keep in Yugoslavia . Correspondingly, after six months of location scouting, The Bridge at Remagen became

2600-615: Was only offered $ 5,000 for the use of the book. "They told me if I held out for more money, they'd change the name from The Bridge at Remagen to The Remagen Bridge and base it on newspaper accounts, which were public domain and covered the event widely at the time." By April 1968, George Segal had signed to star and John Guillermin was to direct. Ben Gazzara then agreed to sign – his first feature in three years. Robert Vaughn joined soon after. "I decided to get young actors," said Wolper. "You can't get Kirk Douglas and Burt Lancaster – who are older than General Eisenhower ." Robert Blake

2652-400: Was originally not native to the region. The Ahr river and its smaller affluents serve as a habitat for rare animals, that are adapted to alluvial forests. Examples are the oriole , the nightingale and the endangered black kite . Some fens in the area were drained in the 20th century. The Rodder Maar, a lake in the eastern part of the district, was drained in the 1950s, and a coniferous forest

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2704-399: Was planted on the former water body; in 1998 the lake was restored, and rare animals begin to arrive there again. The geology of the lake is uncertain. In its circular shape it appears similar to volcanic maars that are found in the nearby Daum region, but there is no evidence of volcanism, and so it is not a "maar". In 2013 evidence that it is meteoritic in origin was presented. Ahrweiler

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