The Palatinate (; ; Palatine German: Palz), or the Rhenish Palatinate (Rheinpfalz), is a historical region of Germany. The Palatinate occupies most of the southern quarter of the German state of Rhineland-Palatinate (Rheinland-Pfalz), covering an area of with about 1.4 million inhabitants. Its residents are known as Palatines (Pfälzer).
Geography
The Palatinate borders Saarland in the west, historically also comprising the state's Saarpfalz District. In the northwest, the Hunsrück mountain range forms the border with the Rhineland region. The eastern border with Hesse and the Baden region runs along the Upper Rhine river, while the left bank, with Mainz and Worms as well as the Selz basin around Alzey, belong to the Rhenish Hesse region. In the south, the German-French border separates the Palatinate from Alsace.
One-third of the region is covered by the Palatinate Forest (Pfälzerwald), including the Palatinate Forest Nature Park popular with hikers. With about 1771 km2, it is Germany's largest contiguous forested area, and is part of the binational Palatinate Forest-North Vosges Biosphere Reserve.
The western and northern part of the Palatinate is a densely forested and mountainous area. Its highest mountain is the Donnersberg with a height of 687 meters, situated in the North Palatine Uplands near Kirchheimbolanden. Most of the major Palatinate towns (Ludwigshafen, Speyer, Landau, Frankenthal, Neustadt) lie in the lower eastern part of the Upper Rhine Plain down to the Rhine. Here the German Wine Route (Deutsche Weinstraße) passes through the Palatinate wine region. It is one of the greatest wine-producing regions in Germany, and in the last two decades has become well known for its prize-winning white and reds of highest quality produced by a number of talented young winemakers.
Major rivers include the Upper Rhine tributaries Lauter, Queich and Speyerbach, as well as Schwarzbach and Glan in the west.
Historically the Electoral Palatinate and several other territories were part of the Palatinate, but today belong to other German territories.
Subdivision The Palatinate is divided into four non-administrative sub-regions, comprising the following rural districts and independent towns and cities: North Palatinate (Nordpfalz), i.e. the sparsely inhabited North Palatine Uplands, made up of Donnersbergkreis (KIB), including the small towns of Eisenberg, Kirchheimbolanden and Rockenhausen Anterior Palatinate (Vorderpfalz) between Upper Rhine and the Haardt range of the Palatinate Forest Bad Dürkheim (DÜW) Rhein-Pfalz-Kreis (RP) and the towns and cities of Frankenthal (FT), Ludwigshafen (LU), Neustadt an der Weinstraße (NW) and Speyer (SP) South Palatinate (Südpfalz). Germersheim (GER) Südliche Weinstraße (SÜW) and the town of Landau (LD) West Palatinate (Westpfalz) up to the western part of the North Palatine Uplands Kaiserslautern (district) (KL) Kusel (KUS) Südwestpfalz (PS) and the towns of Kaiserslautern (KL), Pirmasens (PS) and Zweibrücken (ZW).
Climate Like most of Southwestern Germany, the Palatinate's climate is either humid subtropical in areas below 300 meters or oceanic on higher ground. The average annual temperatures vary from around 11-14° Celsius in the valleys and 8-10° in the highlands. Wet air from the prevailing westerly and southwesterly winds leads to precipitation in the Mittelgebirge ranges, while it warms up on its way further down to the Rhine Valley, giving the valleys a considerably drier climate than the surrounding Palatine Forest.
History During the Holy Roman Empire prior to World War II, it was also referred to as Rhenish Bavaria and Lower Palatinate (Unterpfalz), which designated only the western part of the Electorate of the Palatinate (Kurfürstentum Pfalz), as opposed to the Upper Palatinate (Oberpfalz).
Formerly a Celtic region, this area was conquered by the Roman Empire under Emperor Augustus in about 12 BC; thereafter, it was part of the province of Germania Superior. During the decline of the Empire, Alamannic tribes settled here; their territory was conquered by Francia under King Clovis I about 496. From 511 onwards, the area belonged to the eastern part of Frankish Austrasia, which — as Rhenish Franconia—became part of East Francia according to the 843 Treaty of Verdun.
Holy Roman Empire
From the Middle Ages until 1792, the Palatinate was divided into 45 secular and ecclesiastical territories, some of which were very small. The largest and most important of these was the Electorate of the Palatinate (Kurfürstentum Pfalz), encompassing a number of Franconian territories on both sides of the Rhine formerly held by the Counts palatine (Pfalzgrafen) of Lotharingia. By the late 12th century, the Count palatine had achieved the status of a Prince-elector (Kurfürst), becoming one of the seven higher nobles with the privilege of electing the Emperor, as confirmed by the Golden Bull of 1356. In 1214, the Bavarian House of Wittelsbach was enfeoffed with these estates, which they ruled until 1918, together with the collateral branch of Palatine Zweibrücken from 1410. Needing stronger protection, they lost control with the reunification with Bavaria under Elector Charles Theodore in 1777.
The major ecclesiastical territory in the region was the Bishopric of Speyer. The Imperial city of Landau joined the Alsatian Décapole in 1521 to preserve its status. Nevertheless, it was seized by France after the Thirty Years' War.
Other larger regional entities included the Duchy of Zweibrücken and the Prince-Bishopric of Speyer.Adalbert Heib: Beamtenverzeichniß und Statistik des Königlich Bayerischen Regierungs-Bezirkes der Pfalz, Speyer, Kranzbühler, 1863, pp. 8 ff (Online) The Prince-Bishopric held possessions on both sides of the Rhine. For centuries, the Electoral Palatinate and Bavaria maintained dynastic links because both were ruled by members of the Wittelsbach family.
French rule In 1794, the Left Bank of the Rhine, including the Palatinate, was occupied by French revolutionary troops. As a result of the Treaty of Campo Formio (1797), the First French Republic annexed the region. In 1798, the French introduced a new administrative system with the establishment of departments. The area of the Palatinate largely became the Département of Mont Tonnerre, laying the cornerstone of its regional identity today. Minor parts of today's region were attached to the neighbouring departments of the Sarre and Bas-Rhin. The French further subdivided the department into cantons, mayoralties and municipalities, and introduced their legal system (Napoleonic Code) and the metric system.
Bavarian rule
Following the defeat of Napoleon at the Battle of Leipzig in 1813 and the capture of the Left Bank of the Rhine by the Allies in January 1814, the region was, from 2 February 1814, initially under the provisional authority of the General Government of the Middle Rhine. However, from June 16 of the same year, it was placed under the administration of the Imperial-Royal ("k.k.") Austrian and Royal Bavarian Joint Land Administration Commission (k.k. österreichischen und k. bairischen gemeinschaftliche Landes-Administrations-Kommission).F. W. A. Schlickeysen: Repertorium der Gesetze und Verordnungen für die königl. preußischen Rheinprovinzen, Trier: Leistenschneider, 1830, pp. 8 ff. (Online)
In the main treaty agreed at the Congress of Vienna in 1815, and dated June 9, 1815, Article 51 stated (inter alia) that on the Left Bank of the Rhine the former French départements of the Sarre and Mont-Tonnerre, except where set forth in the same treaty, were to fall "with full sovereignty" and ownership rights within the overlordship of His Majesty the Emperor of Austria (Herrschaft Sr. Maj. des Kaisers von Oesterreich).Haupt-Vertrag des zu Wien versammelten Congresses der europäischen Mächte, Fürsten und freien Städte, nebst 17 besondern Verträgen, Article 51, p. 101 (digitalised) Initially, however, joint Austro-Bavarian administration was retained.
On 14 April 1816, a treaty was signed between Austria and Bavaria in which the various territorial changes were agreed on. According to Article 2 of the treaty, Emperor Francis I of Austria ceded various regions to King Maximilian I of Bavaria. These included, in addition to various regions east of the Rhine, the following regions west of the Rhine:Treaty of Munich dated 14 April 1816 in G. M. Kletke: Die Staats-Verträge des Königreichs Bayern ... von 1806 bis einschließlich 1858, Regensburg, Pustet, 1860, p. 310 (Online)
In the Département of Mont-Tonnerre (Donnersberg): the districts of Zweibrücken, Kaiserslautern, and Speier; the latter with the exception of the cantons of Worms and Pfeddersheim; the canton of Kirchheim-Bolanden, in the district of Alzei. In the Département of the Sarre: the cantons of Waldmohr, Blieskastel, and Kusel, the latter with the exception of several villages on the road from Sankt Wendel to Baumholder, for which there was to be compensation, by another territorial transfer, with the agreement of the assembled plenipotentiaries of the allied powers at Frankfurt. In the Département of the Bas Rhin: the canton, town, and fortress of Landau, the latter as a federal fortress in accordance with the regulations of 3 November 1815; the cantons of Bergzabern, Langenkandel, and the whole part of the Département of Bas Rhin on the left bank of the Lauter, which had been ceded in the Paris Tractat of 20 November 1815.
These changes took effect on May 1, 1816.
In accordance with the prevailing Bavarian administrative structure, the region became one of eight Bavarian districts (Kreise). From 1808, Bavaria embarked on the administrative reorganization of its territory, creating districts which, as in France, were named after the main local rivers. Thus, the new district along the Rhine was given the name Rheinkreis (i.e. the Rhine district), with Speyer as its capital. Of the former French administrative structure, the subdivision of the district into arrondissements, cantons, mayoralties, and municipalities was, in large measure, retained. The Bavarian government also preserved the French legal system (Code Napoléon), giving the Palatinate a distinct legal status within the Bavarian kingdom.
At the next lower level, the three former French arrondissements were continued as Kreisdirektion ("Circle", i.e. district, "direction") of Frankenthal, Kaiserslautern, and Zweibrücken. Kreisdirektion Landau was, however, a new creation. In 1818, the cantons were merged into 12 administrative districts called Landkommissariat. In 1862, these were designated individually as Bezirksamt. In 1939, each one became a Landkreis (rural district). As his first provincial governor, King Maximilian selected the Privy Councillor (Hofrat) Franz Xaver von Zwack, whose name gave rise to the popular Palatine nickname for Bavarians, Zwockel. In 1832 the Rheinkreis became the focal point of liberal movements. The Hambach Festival, a large gathering near Neustadt an der Weinstraße, proved fertile ground for what came to be considered a milestone in German history.