The Palatinate is a region in the southwest Germany. In addition to the scenic attractions, the traces of the German emperors in particular attract numerous visitors. A popular destination is, for example, the Kaiserdom in Speyer. In addition, the Palatinate is one of the most important German wine-growing regions and a visit to the winemaker is definitely worthwhile.
Regions
- North and West Palatinate
- Palatinate highlands
- Thunder Mountain (Special landscape of volcanic origin)
- Westrich - this includes, for example Sickinger height.
- Palatinate Forest with the special landscapes Leiningerland, Mehlinger Heath
- Front Palatinate, Part of Upper Rhine Plain. The sub-regions are not comprehensive and overlap:
- German Wine Route
- Palatinate part of the Rhine valley
- Palatinate part of the Rhine-Neckar area
places
- Bad Dürkheim
- Edenkoben
- Freinsheim - Rothenburg the Palatinate
- Germersheim
- Herxheim near Landau / Pfalz
- Kaiserslautern - one of the five German "Barbarossa cities".
- Kirchheimbolanden on Donnersberg
- Kusel
- Landau in the Palatinate
- Ludwigshafen
- Neustadt an der Weinstrasse
- Pirmasens
- Speyer
- Zweibrücken
Other goals
Historically and culturally associated with the Palatinate
- Heidelberg, historical residence of the "Pfalzgrafen bei Rhein", with direct train and bus connections Ludwigshafen on the Rhine and Speyer
- Mannheim, the current central city of the Rhine-Neckar area, the most important traffic junction in southwest Germany and also for the Palatinate
- Bruchsal, historical residence of the Speyer prince-bishops
- Worms, historical bishopric
- Homburg, the center of Saar Palatinate
- Wissembourg, North Alsatian Border town, southern terminus of the German Wine Route.
background
The Palatinate wine is known nationwide, but the Palatinate has more to offer than just Weck, Worscht and Woi. As a historically fragmented region, there are numerous old and well-preserved castles on the heights of the Palatinate Uplands. The Palatinate Forest is not only an excellent hiking area, but also offers - z. B. in Dahner Felsenland - also challenges for climbers.
The traditional division along the Haardt into the Vorderpfalz and the Palatinate Bergland (the term "Hinterpfalz" is considered discriminatory and is no longer in use) is reflected not only in the climate, but also in the economy and in the dialect; the dialects of the West Palatinate differ significantly from those of the Front Palatinate. While the Vorderpfalz to the Rhine-Neckar conurbation or in the south is already closed Karlsruhe heard, some regions of the Palatinate Uplands are not only very sparsely populated, but also belong (wrongly) to the regions in Germany that are least visited by tourists, such as the Thunder Mountain or the region around Kusel.
The historical affiliation to Bavaria is hardly of importance today (the people of the Palatinate were already deviants among the Bavarian provinces at that time) and can only be found in street names such as "Luitpoldstrasse"as well as some historical administration buildings.
The Palatinate is denominationally divided like hardly any other region in Germany. That is why even the smallest villages often have two churches each for the Protestant and Catholic communities, sometimes even in the immediate vicinity (e.g. Zellertal-Zell), which is so unique in Germany. Where there was not enough for two churches, either the existing church was converted into a simultaneous church, or two neighboring villages shared their churches, so that one church became Protestant and the other Catholic, regardless of the actual majority in the village.
The people of the Palatinate cultivate a traditional rivalry with neighboring countries Saarlanders. Most of the jokes revolve around the supposed inbreeding in the deeply Catholic Saarland population. Of course, all of this is only meant in a humorous way and as a Saarlander you don't have to be afraid to enter the Palatinate.
language
The Palatinate is a dialect very characteristic of the Palatinate, which is still very deeply rooted in the rural region and is spoken actively, even with strangers on the phone. Anyone who comes from further away, for example from northern Germany, will encounter some difficulties in understanding and should, if they plan to stay longer or even work, acquire at least passive language skills. Certain Palatinate peculiarities, such as the practice practiced, only with the word "alla" to say goodbye regularly bring everyone who does not come from the Palatinate to white heat.
As in other regions of Germany, there is of course not just one Palatine, but the dialects differ in particular between the Vorderpfalz and the Palatinate Bergland. At least in earlier times it was possible to determine the place of residence of a person using the dialect, but today this is no longer possible due to the higher mobility of the population.
getting there
By plane
- Airports Saarbrücken Airport, Stuttgart Airport, Frankfurt am Main airport use.
By train
- IC or ICE only run on the route Mannheim-Saarbrücken, with stops in Neustadt an der Weinstrasse and Kaiserslautern
- From outside you drive to the train stations / stops Karlsruhe, Mannheim, Worms, Bad Kreuznach, Homburg, Wissembourg, Lauterbourg to continue to the Palatinate.
- see also Article Rhineland-Palatinate (to the Rhineland-Palatinate clock)
By bus
In the street
- The most important motorways are the A6 (from southern Germany and Saarland) and A61 (from northwest Germany)
- The B9 are also significant Mainz and the B10 off Karlsruhe
By boat
The Rhine is navigable for excursion boats and pleasure boats. Many branches of the Old Rhine are also passable. Other rivers are not navigable.
mobility
- There is an acceptable network of regional trains and S-Bahn trains in the Palatinate. The latter are oriented towards Mannheim and drive in the direction from there Homburg above Kaiserslautern and Germersheim above Speyer. In addition, many trains run in the "Rhineland-Palatinate cycle", at least every two hours.
- The regional bus traffic of the companies "Busverkehr Rhein-Neckar" (BRN) and "Regionalbus Saar-Westpfalz" (RSW) supplements the rail traffic.
Tourist Attractions
a selection of important sights:
Churches
Castles
Parks
landscape
- Alluvial forests on the Rhine and on the arms of the Old Rhine
- Panoramic road German Wine Route
- Karlstal
- Eiswoog
activities
- hike - Hiking suggestions for the Palatinate are z. B. on Wandere.net described (private, non-commercial page without advertising)
kitchen
- The Palatinate Saumagen is widespread in the Palatinate, but difficult to find outside of this region. This dish was recognized throughout Germany as the favorite dish of the former Federal Chancellor Dr. Helmut Kohl known, especially since the meal with Gorbachev in Deidesheim. In the restaurant "Deidesheimer Hof" you can find pictures of this feast today. The Saumagen is filled with a mixture of meat and potatoes, is cooked for about 2 to 3 hours and then served in thick slices, often in combination with sauerkraut.
- Potato soup
- Soup dishes with sweet pastries such as steamed noodles, Berliners, Plum cake combined.
- One likes to eat onion cake with new wine. To do this, the onions are diced and mixed with bacon.
- Pasta, including spaetzle, is also popular in the Palatinate.
- In the border region with Alsace is also Tarte offered.
- The Palatinate Forest Association and other clubs operate hikers' bars, also in the forest areas outside of the Palatinate Forest. They are mostly self-service restaurants with a simple kitchen. Many restaurants are only open on weekends or at certain times of the year.
nightlife
In and around Kaiserslautern there is a rich and active nightlife due to the presence of the Americans. Otherwise it is rather leisurely in the Palatinate. B. the A65 in Kandel are the exception.
security
climate
The climate in the Palatinate is as rich in contrasts as the country and its people.
The Vorderpfalz along the Rhine plain is one of the warmest areas in Germany, and in summer it is often oppressively humid. In contrast, in the Palatinate Forest, where it is always a few degrees cooler and the trees provide additional shade. It is coldest on Donnersberg, where the snow falls in October in some years and snow-covered roads are more the rule than the exception in winter.
