Ganglof (=Gangloff) is the patron saint of the local church; Sumeringen = damp, wet area (=sömmern), Schilfa = Schilfe (place in damp, reed-covered area). Finds from the oldest times prove that people settled in the two parts of Gangloffsömmern and Schilfa for thousands of years, who mainly fed on the fertile fields. The church with its dominating Romanesque double towers, built on a hill to the west of the village, is characteristic for Gangloffsömmern, while the bushes enclosing the village are typical for Schilfa. Closely connected with the villages were the noble families of theirs, von Brühl and von Hagke, who had been living there for centuries. After all, the famous prime minister of August the Strong in Saxony, Heinrich von Brühl, as well as military officers and land councillors came from these families. The "bird professor" Johannes Thienemann, born in Gangloffsömmern, whose research on bird migration was groundbreaking, is also highly regarded in ornithological circles.