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Click on the colored areas of the
map to access a travelogue. The colors indicate different regions of
Rheinland-Pfalz -- scroll down for explanation and introduction for each location. (Original
map comes from the CIA
World Factbook, inset map comes from www.entry.de)
Introduction.
Rheinland-Pfalz is one of the most popular tourist regions among the  German
locals and expatriates. It is also popular with Americans living in
Germany, who love to congregate at the region's many festivals.
In all, I've probably traveled to this region abou t a dozen
times, and it is a challenge to hit all of it -- it's so spread out. Each
town has its big castle on a  nearby
mountain, some have more than one. Each town has festivals throughout the
year, almost running in a circuit (especially during the wine seasons of
September). Several towns are also blessed with well preserved Roman ruins
(the Romans populated the
Rhein and Mosel Valleys in their hey-day).
My favorite part is the Mosel Valley, the German section of it
running from Trier in the southwest up to the famous Deutsches Eck in
Koblenz. This winding stretch of some 80 kilometers cuts in a deep valley
lined on both sides with beautiful vineyards. Many others prefer the Rhein
Valley from Bingen to Koblenz, among the largest and most prominent
castles. Here, three times a year, the Rheinland-Pfalz celebrates the
"Rhein Aflame", signifying a famous battle where one of the castle is
lit up in bright orange and there are fireworks galore!
The cuisine of the region will appeal to blue collar types
everywhere -- sausages and hash, with heaps of potatoes or french fries and
sauerkraut. The Pflaz region has its own specialties, such as Saumagen, a
bologna made with pork and potatoes, sliced and grilled. The people here
are more wine drinkers than beer, and many of Germany's exported white wines
come from this region.
Travelogues.
GREEN:
Southern Rhein River -- Cathedrals Galore! The
travelogues in this table follow in order downstream along the Rhein
River. Each of these three have one thing in common -- a major  Cathedral
dating from the Holy Roman Empire. Speyer's
Cathedral is massive, towering over the trees as you approach it from
across the Rhein. But Speyer has other attractions, most notably a
huge air and space museum! Worms's
Cathedral (pictured) is famous as the place where Martin Luther made his
stand against the abuses of the Catholic Church, launching the Protestant
movement. Mainz, the capital of the state
of Rheinland-Pfalz, is a major industrial center at the confluence of the
Rhein and Main Rivers. It's Cathedral and market square are
humongous! |
Blue:
Northern Rhein River -- Castles Galore! The
confluence of the Rhein and Main rivers begins the best part of the
Rheinland -- the Rheintal. Beginning at the beautiful town of Bingen am Rhein,
you begin to notice a change in the terrain, where the valley becomes very
steep and  covered
with vineyards topped some of the most incredible castles you'll see
anywhere. It is a great drive up to Koblenz.
Koblenz is famous as the site of the confluence of the Rhein with the
Mosel River, the Deutsches Eck (pictured) below the huge Ehrenbreitstein
Castle. In between is the fabulous Rheintal
that has a castle at every corner! Further up the Rhein is the city of Remagen,
near the border with the state of Nordrhein-Westfalen. Remagen's
claim to fame is being the first bridge crossed by the Allies during World
War II. |
RED:
Mosel Valley. The Mosel (or Moselle in France) is one
of the prettiest valleys in the world. A stretch of eighty
kilometers  from
Trier to Koblenz of tiny wine towns, beautiful vineyards, and friendly
people. Trier is a famous city for its
massive Roman ruins and Baroque architecture in the downtown. Cochem
has the Cochem Castle and the hidden-away Burg Eltz (pictured)
nearby. Bike enthusiasts will want to participate in the "Happy Mosel",
a wine festival where the main secondary road following the Mosel River is
closed to traffic and open only for pedestrians and bikers! |
PURPLE:
German Wine Road (8 chapters). The subject
of two consecutive weekends of exploration and I still didn't quite get it
all! This series of travelogues cover all the towns and trappings I  visited
on these whirlwind tours, towns big and small and everything in between
(which was covered in vines). After the Intro
Page, you can check out the Leiningerland
in the far north, the great city of Bad Duerkheim
(pictured) and its environs, Neustadt
and the fabulous towns of Deidesheim and Freinsheim, Landau
an der Pfalz, the beautiful villas and castles around St. Martin,
the grand forests of the Trifelsland,
and stretch of wine towns dotting the landscape in the Southern Wine Road,
ending at the Wine Gate in Schweigen at the French border! |
TEAL:
Kaiserslautern and Idar-Oberstein. Called
"K-Town" by the large American expatriate population,  Kaiserslautern
is a huge, modern metropolis in the middle of the heavily forested and
rural west of the state. This travelogue
explores the downtown, which despite having been completely rebuilt still
has some historical treasures and a very international flavor. The
travelogue on Idar-Oberstein, a popular location among expatriates, is not
yet available. |
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Stories and Features:
Dürkheimer
Wurstfest. How odd -- the largest wine festival in Germany isn't even
called a wine  festival!?!
True story. The German Wine Road city of Bad Dürkheim's festival is
called the wurstfest, or sausage festival, even though the quantity of
wine sold far exceeds the number of sausages consumed at this
affair. Thousands upon thousand congregate on this small
Rheinland-Pfalz town each September to participate in this lively event! |
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Links. The below links connect you to
external sites in a new window. All links are official sites sanctioned by
the national, state, or local governments unless otherwise indicated.
These links will open to the German-language home page, which will offer an icon
or link to an English-language section (normally limited content). Most of
these pages use a British or US flag icon as the link to English content, while
others will use the word "English".
Otherwise, look for "tourismus" which should link you to English-language
content. Links updated 12 January 2006.
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Links:
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