Sehlem (Eifel)

Sehlem is an Ortsgemeinde – a municipality belonging to a Verbandsgemeinde, a kind of collective municipality – in the Bernkastel-Wittlich district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany.GeographyLocationThe municipality lies in the Eifel and belongs to the Verbandsgemeinde of Wittlich-Land, whose seat is in Wittlich, although that town is itself not in the Verbandsgemeinde.HistorySehlem was part of the Electorate of Trier. Beginning in 1794, Sehlem lay under French rule. In 1814 it was assigned to the Kingdom of Prussia at the Congress of Vienna. Since 1947, it has been part of the then newly founded state of Rhineland-Palatinate.PoliticsMunicipal councilThe council is made up of 12 council members, who were elected by proportional representation at the municipal election held on 7 June 2009, and the honorary mayor as chairman.The municipal election held on 7 June 2009 yielded the following results:MayorsIn the mayoral election, Norbert Mehrfeld defeated Franz-Josef Molitor with a total of 54.9% of the vote to his opponent’s 45.1%.