Rhineland-Palatinate, Federal state in southwestern Germany
Description
Rhineland-Palatinate is a federal state in southwestern Germany, bordering Belgium, Luxembourg, France, and three other German states. The landscape is shaped by the Rhine and Moselle rivers, mountain ranges, forests, valleys planted with vines, and a patchwork of farmland and villages.
History
After the Second World War ended, French occupation authorities created the state in 1946 by combining parts of former Prussia, Bavaria, Hesse, and the Rhine Province. The borders were drawn without following earlier administrative structures, forming a region with no direct historical predecessor.
Culture
Local families gather for wine festivals along the river valleys, where generations have tended vines and shaped the rhythm of village life. In towns and cities, weekly markets, carnival processions, and seasonal celebrations reflect how communities keep their traditions alive in daily routines.
Practical
Travelers can explore the territory by regional trains or highways, though many wine villages are easier to reach by car than by public transport. Visitors planning hikes or river cycling routes should pack clothing for changing weather, as conditions vary between valleys and highlands.
Did you know?
Ludwigshafen hosts the largest contiguous chemical production site in the world, operated by BASF and covering an area with its own railway network and harbor facilities. Visitors passing through the city can sense the scale of this industrial landscape, which occupies a large portion of the urban territory.
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Rhineland-Palatinate preserves centuries of European fortification architecture across a region shaped by river valleys and forested highlands. Medieval castles like Eltz Castle rise above the Moselle loop at Bremm, while Pfalzgrafenstein Castle sits on a Rhine island at Kaub, where it once...
Nürburgring
59.1 km
Cologne Cathedral
119.7 km
Loreley
32.1 km
Eltz Castle
33.5 km
Phantasialand
106.7 km
Speyer Cathedral
97.6 km
Porta Nigra
60.3 km
Niederwalddenkmal
33.1 km
Schloss Drachenburg
85.9 km
Drachenfels
85.4 km
Taron
106.6 km
Hambach Castle
81.3 km
Geierlay
21.2 km
Hochmosel Bridge
32.8 km
Ehrenbreitstein Fortress
51.7 km
Petersglocke
119.6 km
University of Cologne
118.9 km
Melaten-Friedhof
120.3 km
Mainz Cathedral
59.8 km
Ewiges Eis
79 km
F.L.Y.
106.7 km
Eberbach Abbey
45.1 km
Maria Laach Abbey
56.3 km
Colonia Claudia Ara Agrippinensium
119.3 km
Trifels Castle
88.5 km
Andernach Geyser
59.8 km
Cathedral of Trier
60.5 km
Völklingen Ironworks
85.7 km
Frankenthal
Kaiserslautern
Koblenz
Landau in der Pfalz
Ludwigshafen
Mainz
Neustadt an der Weinstraße
Pirmasens
Speyer
Trier
Worms
Zweibrücken
Ahrweiler
Altenkirchen district
Alzey-Worms district
Bad Dürkheim
Bad Kreuznach
Bernkastel-Wittlich
Birkenfeld
Cochem-Zell
Donnersbergkreis
Eifelkreis Bitburg-Prüm
Germersheim
Kusel
Mainz-Bingen district
Mayen-Koblenz
Neuwied
Rhein-Hunsrück-Kreis
Rhein-Lahn-Kreis
Rhein-Pfalz
Südliche Weinstraße
Südwestpfalz
Trier-Saarburg
Vulkaneifel
Westerwaldkreis
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