Pfälzer Wald
Encyclopedia
The Palatinate Forest is a low-mountain region in southwestern Germany
, located in Palatinate in the state of Rhineland-Palatinate
. The forest is a designated nature park
, equivalent Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty
), covering 1,771 km² and its highest elevation is Mount Kalmit
(673 m).
Together with the northern part of the adjacent Vosges Mountains
in France
it forms the UNESCO
Biosphere reserve
Palatinate Forest-Vosges du Nord. The Biosphere reserve is one of the biggest forests in Europe.
in France
.
The eastern end of the forest (Haardt) is adjacent to the Palatinate wine growing region
. Here the German Wine Route stretches through the undulating area that lies between the Palatinate Forest and the Upper Rhine valley.
West of Kaiserslautern
is the marshy lowland of Landstuhl
.
The Palatinate Forest is an attractive region for hiking
, offering an extensive network of trails.
In 2005, the Mountainbikepark Pfälzerwald, a route network for mountainbiking, was developed in the centre of the region.
Climbers
appreciate the red sandstone
rocks in the Dahner Felsenland
.
is located in the east near Neustadt an der Weinstraße
and is considered to be the symbol of the German democracy movement because of the Hambacher Fest which occurred here in 1832.
The Berwartstein Castle
has been reconstructed and is open to visitors. It is situated in the southern part of the Palatinate Forest. Of many other castles, like the Wegelnburg Castle
, only ruins are left.
Trifels Castle
, where replicas of the Imperial Regalia
(Reichskleinodien) of the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation can be viewed, is one of the most popular tourist destinations in the Palatinate.
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, located in Palatinate in the state of Rhineland-Palatinate
Rhineland-Palatinate
Rhineland-Palatinate is one of the 16 states of the Federal Republic of Germany. It has an area of and about four million inhabitants. The capital is Mainz. English speakers also commonly refer to the state by its German name, Rheinland-Pfalz ....
. The forest is a designated nature park
Palatinate Forest Nature Park
The Palatinate Forest Nature Park lies in the south of Rhineland-Palatinate in Germany and borders on France. The nature park covers an area of and some 76 % of its area is under the woods of the Palatinate Forest, the largest contiguous forest region in Germany...
, equivalent Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty
Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty
An Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty is an area of countryside considered to have significant landscape value in England, Wales or Northern Ireland, that has been specially designated by the Countryside Agency on behalf of the United Kingdom government; the Countryside Council for Wales on...
), covering 1,771 km² and its highest elevation is Mount Kalmit
Kalmit
Kalmit is the highest peak in the low-mountain region Palatinate Forest in Rhineland-Palatinate in Germany. It is located south of the city Neustadt an der Weinstraße....
(673 m).
Together with the northern part of the adjacent Vosges Mountains
Vosges mountains
For the department of France of the same name, see Vosges.The Vosges are a range of low mountains in eastern France, near its border with Germany. They extend along the west side of the Rhine valley in a northnortheast direction, mainly from Belfort to Saverne...
in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
it forms the UNESCO
UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations...
Biosphere reserve
Biosphere reserve
The Man and the Biosphere Programme of UNESCO was established in 1971 to promote interdisciplinary approaches to management, research and education in ecosystem conservation and sustainable use of natural resources.-Development:...
Palatinate Forest-Vosges du Nord. The Biosphere reserve is one of the biggest forests in Europe.
Boundaries
The low mountain range of the Palatinate Forest is continued northward by the extensive hilly landscape of the northern Palatinate (Nordpfälzer Bergland), whose highest point is the volcanic Donnersberg (687 m). In the south it is continued by the northern Vosges MountainsVosges mountains
For the department of France of the same name, see Vosges.The Vosges are a range of low mountains in eastern France, near its border with Germany. They extend along the west side of the Rhine valley in a northnortheast direction, mainly from Belfort to Saverne...
in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
.
The eastern end of the forest (Haardt) is adjacent to the Palatinate wine growing region
Palatinate (wine region)
Palatinate is a German wine-growing region in the area of Bad Dürkheim, Neustadt an der Weinstraße, and Landau in Rhineland-Palatinate. Before 1993, it was known as Rhine Palatinate . With under cultivation in 2008, the region is the second largest wine region in Germany after Rheinhessen...
. Here the German Wine Route stretches through the undulating area that lies between the Palatinate Forest and the Upper Rhine valley.
West of Kaiserslautern
Kaiserslautern
Kaiserslautern is a city in southwest Germany, located in the Bundesland of Rhineland-Palatinate at the edge of the Palatinate forest . The historic centre dates to the 9th century. It is from Paris, from Frankfurt am Main, and from Luxembourg.Kaiserslautern is home to 99,469 people...
is the marshy lowland of Landstuhl
Landstuhl
Landstuhl , literally translating as "country-throne", is a municipality of over 9,000 people in southwestern Germany. It is part of the district of Kaiserslautern, in the Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany, and is home to the Sickinger Schloss, a small castle. It is situated on the north-western edge...
.
Structure
The Palatinate Forest can be divided into 3 areas.- The northern Palatinate Forest, bounded by the northern Palatinate extensive hilly landscape and reaching southwards to a line from KaiserslauternKaiserslauternKaiserslautern is a city in southwest Germany, located in the Bundesland of Rhineland-Palatinate at the edge of the Palatinate forest . The historic centre dates to the 9th century. It is from Paris, from Frankfurt am Main, and from Luxembourg.Kaiserslautern is home to 99,469 people...
to Bad Duerkheim
- The middle Palatinate Forest from the stream Isenach and the line KaiserslauternKaiserslauternKaiserslautern is a city in southwest Germany, located in the Bundesland of Rhineland-Palatinate at the edge of the Palatinate forest . The historic centre dates to the 9th century. It is from Paris, from Frankfurt am Main, and from Luxembourg.Kaiserslautern is home to 99,469 people...
- Bad Duerkheim to the stream Queich and the line PirmasensPirmasensPirmasens is a district-free city in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany, near the border with France. It is famous for the manufacture of shoes. The surrounding rural district was called Pirmasens from 1818 until 1997, when it was renamed Südwestpfalz....
- LandauLandauLandau or Landau in der Pfalz is an autonomous city surrounded by the Südliche Weinstraße district of southern Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is a university town , a long-standing cultural centre, and a market and shopping town, surrounded by vineyards and wine-growing villages of the...
- The southern Palatinate Forest, the so called Wasgau, from the stream Queich and the line PirmasensPirmasensPirmasens is a district-free city in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany, near the border with France. It is famous for the manufacture of shoes. The surrounding rural district was called Pirmasens from 1818 until 1997, when it was renamed Südwestpfalz....
- LandauLandauLandau or Landau in der Pfalz is an autonomous city surrounded by the Südliche Weinstraße district of southern Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is a university town , a long-standing cultural centre, and a market and shopping town, surrounded by vineyards and wine-growing villages of the...
to the frenchFranceThe French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
borderline in the south.
Outdoor recreation
Hiking
Hiking is an outdoor activity which consists of walking in natural environments, often in mountainous or other scenic terrain. People often hike on hiking trails. It is such a popular activity that there are numerous hiking organizations worldwide. The health benefits of different types of hiking...
, offering an extensive network of trails.
In 2005, the Mountainbikepark Pfälzerwald, a route network for mountainbiking, was developed in the centre of the region.
Climbers
Rock climbing
Rock climbing also lightly called 'The Gravity Game', is a sport in which participants climb up, down or across natural rock formations or artificial rock walls. The goal is to reach the summit of a formation or the endpoint of a pre-defined route without falling...
appreciate the red sandstone
Sandstone
Sandstone is a sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized minerals or rock grains.Most sandstone is composed of quartz and/or feldspar because these are the most common minerals in the Earth's crust. Like sand, sandstone may be any colour, but the most common colours are tan, brown, yellow,...
rocks in the Dahner Felsenland
Dahner Felsenland
Dahner Felsenland is a Verbandsgemeinde in the Südwestpfalz district, in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is situated in the Palatinate forest, approx. 15 km southeast of Pirmasens, and 25 km west of Landau. Its seat of administration is in its central town, Dahn...
.
Castles
The region is well known for its castles and has attracted tourists for many years. The Hambach CastleHambach Castle
Hambach Castle near the urban district Hambach of Neustadt an der Weinstraße in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany, is considered to be the symbol of the German democracy movement because of the Hambacher Fest which occurred here in 1832.- Location :...
is located in the east near Neustadt an der Weinstraße
Neustadt an der Weinstraße
Neustadt an der Weinstraße is a town located in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. With 53,892 inhabitants as of 2002, it is the largest town called Neustadt.-Etymology:...
and is considered to be the symbol of the German democracy movement because of the Hambacher Fest which occurred here in 1832.
The Berwartstein Castle
Berwartstein Castle
Berwartstein Castle is a castle in the Wasgau, the southern part of the Palatinate Forest in the state Rhineland-Palatinate in southwestern Germany. It belongs to the category of rock castles that were part of the Palatinate defences during the Middle Ages...
has been reconstructed and is open to visitors. It is situated in the southern part of the Palatinate Forest. Of many other castles, like the Wegelnburg Castle
Wegelnburg Castle
The Wegelnburg is a ruined castle near Schönau in the Palatinate Forest in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany, near the border with France. Its location is at a height of 572m, making it the highest ruined castle in the Palatinate Forest....
, only ruins are left.
Trifels Castle
Trifels Castle
Trifels Castle is a medieval castle at an elevation of near the small town of Annweiler, in the Palatinate region of southwestern Germany. It is located high above the Queich valley within the Palatinate Forest on one peak of a red sandstone mountain split into three...
, where replicas of the Imperial Regalia
Imperial Regalia
The Imperial Regalia, insignia, or crown jewels are the regalia of the Emperors and Kings of the Holy Roman Empire. The most important parts are the Imperial Crown, the Holy Lance and the Imperial Sword...
(Reichskleinodien) of the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation can be viewed, is one of the most popular tourist destinations in the Palatinate.