Dollendorf during the 1st and 2nd World Wars

After the trouble of the 19th century, the beginning of the 20th century brought a change for the better.The economic situation improved due to higher agricultural yields from using fertilizer and increasing use of machinery. Also the long awaited building of the Ahr Valley railroad helped this change.

Soon came a set setback however, with the outburst of the 1st world war. Pastor Bartels reports on the beginning of the war in the Parish chronicle. "At the beginning of the big war in the year 1914, men and adolescents ardently took up arms. The parish members remaining at home provided the combat soldiers willingly with provisions and delivered to the treasury gold coins in the value of 10,000 Marks and accumulated a considerable amount for the care of the wounded. They stood by their fatherland in its highest distress"

After the orginal enthusiasm, the people soon learned the full severity of the war. More and more death notices came from the fronts in the East and West. Also life on the home front was harder.

Pastor Holter, who came to Dollendorf in Feb 1916, recorded in the parish chronicle "During the celebration of my installation, the muffled boom of the canons could be heard from the terrible struggle at Verdun. The war was depressing for all in the Eifel. Women, girls, children and elderly had to do the hard field work. The government only allowed a farmer to keep a part of the grain and other produce, all the rest went to the general war effort, at a price set very low by the government. This was recorded and kept track of by the police. For offences, serious penalties were the result. No wonder, that a mood of discouragement and resentment took hold, and all wished that the war would come to an end. At the end of the war, all felt a sigh of relief, despite the connected humiliation and shame. Foreign troops entered the region. The Americans moved through Dollendorf.

Many Dollendorfers were killed in the war from 1914-1918 or remained missing. After the end of the war, as was recorded in the Parish Chronicle, "the residents of Dollendorf wished to erect a war memorial". Among the possible sites to erect it were on Lindenkreuz and near the church. The agreed on site was at the church. The memorial was designed by architect Mittler from Obermendig and in 1925 dedicated. Under the picture of soldiers,
the names of the 28 dead or missing from the 1st world war:

Krebs, Fr. Georg	†23. 8.1914	Jehnen Ludwig	†17. 9.1916
Bonzelet Heinr	†30. 8.1914	Langen Michael	†20. 9.1916
Pick Wilhelm	†  8. 9.1914	Krämer Johann	†26. 9.1916
Kettges Wilhelm	†10. 9.1914	Gierden Joh Peter	†30. 3.1917
Schumacher Peter	†14. 9.1914	Klinkhammer Franz	†30. 5.1917
Krebs Hubert	†23. 9.1914	Pick Franz	†  9. 6.1917
Mies Johann	†14. 5.1915	Bonzelet Peter	†  4.10.1917
Pick Josef	†16. 6.1915	Bürling Josef	†30.11.1917
Krebs Josef	†15. 9.1915	Oeliger Heinrich	†16. 5.1918
Peetz Kornelius	† 3.11.1915	Reetz Johann	†29. 5.1918
Oeliger Peter Fr.	†15. 2.1916	Schomers Hubert	†  2. 6.1918
Rheintges Franz	†25. 2.1916	Caspers Johann	†12.10.1918
Hutsch Jakob	†  6. 6.1916	Koch Franz	†14.10.1918
Krebs Matth	†16. 9.1916	Mahlberg Wilhelm	†  6.11.1918

Shortlay after the end of the 1st World War, the gemeinde Dollendorf was lit with electrical lights, and got water mains and sewers. The connection to electricity was completed in 1921-22, water and sewer from 1923-1925. The installation was financed to a large part by a special grant from the gemeindewald.

In the year 1934, by the ordinance 4287/34, the Prussian Ministers of the Interior split of the municipality of Dollendorf, which had included Dollendorf, Schloßtal, Ahrhütte rechts der Ahr, Dollendorfer Mühle, Ripsdorf, Alendorf, Waldorf, Nonnenback, Hüngersdorf, Vellerhof, Ahrmühle and Ripsdorfer Mühle, and added them to the Bügermeisterei Blankenheim & Lommersdorf, become the Amt Blankenheim.