Alf (Mosel)

Alf is an Ortsgemeinde – a municipality belonging to a Verbandsgemeinde, a kind of collective municipality – in the Cochem-Zell district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It belongs to the Verbandsgemeinde of Zell, whose seat is in the municipality of Zell an der Mosel.GeographyLocationAt Alf, the Alf, or Alfbach, empties into the Moselle. The municipality lies on the Moselle’s left bank. The municipal area measures 6.33 km², of which 0.67 km² is vineyards and 3.79 km² is wooded.Neighbouring municipalitiesTwo neighbours are Bullay and Pünderich, both on the right bank.Constituent communitiesAlf’s Ortsteile are the main centre, also called Alf, and the outlying centres of Höllenthal and Alf-Fabrik. The latter is historically an industrial centre, as its name suggests (Fabrik means “factory” in German). Both these centres lie on the river Alf, inland from the Moselle.HistoryIn pre-Roman times, the place was inhabited by Celts. In 50 BC, Alf had its first documentary mention under the Latin name Albis. The modern name is derived from this. At this time, it was a Roman settlement.