Palatinate (region)

The Palatinate (germ.:Pfalz), historically also Rhenish Palatinate (lat.: palatinatum Renensis; germ.: Rheinpfalz), is a region in south-western Germany. It occupies more than a quarter of the German federal state (Bundesland) of Rhineland-Palatinate (Rheinland-Pfalz).

Location of Palatinate in Rhineland-Palatinate

Geography

The western and northern part of the Palatinate is densely forested and mountainous. The highest point is the Donnersberg (687 m (2,253.9 ft)) near Kirchheimbolanden. The Palatinate forest (Pfälzerwald) covers more than a third of the region and is the largest uninterrupted forest in Germany. The eastern part is lower, and is a well known wine region, the Palatinate wine region through which passes the German wine road (Deutsche Weinstrasse). Most of the cities of the Palatinate (Ludwigshafen, Speyer, Landau, Frankenthal, Neustadt) lie in the Rhineplain in the east.

Traditionally, the Palatinate is divided into the regions of Anterior Palatinate (Vorderpfalz), West Palatinate (Westpfalz), North Palatinate (Nordpfalz), and South Palatinate (Südpfalz).

Administratively, the following districts and independent cities are part of the Palatinate:

Independent cities:

• Frankenthal
• Kaiserslautern
• Landau
• Ludwigshafen
• Neustadt an der Weinstraße
• Pirmasens
• Speyer
• Zweibrücken

Districts:

• Bad Dürkheim
• Donnersbergkreis
• Germersheim
• Kaiserslautern (district)
• Kusel
• Rhein-Pfalz-Kreis
• Südliche Weinstraße
• Südwestpfalz

Other websites

• Bayern-Pfalz-Stifung Archived 2006-09-02 at the Wayback Machine
• The royal palace in Edenkoben Archived 2006-06-29 at the Wayback Machine
• Rhenish Palatinate - Catholic Encyclopedia article