Palatinate (region)

This article is about the region of south-western Germany. For theHoly Roman statethat existed from 1085 to 1803, seeElectoral Palatinate.For other uses, seePalatinate.

The Palatinate Rhenish Palatinate Die Pfalz
Historical region ofGermany
Flag Coat of arms
Map of the modernState of Rhineland-Palatinatewith the Palatinate region highlighted and further subdivided into its sub-regions: North Palatinate (green), Anterior Palatinate (yellow), South Palatinate (blue) and West Palatinate (red)
Demonym(s)	Palatine Pfälzer

ThePalatinate(‹See Tfd›German:Pfalz;Palatine German:Palz), or theRhenish Palatinate(Rheinpfalz), is a historical region ofGermany.The Palatinate occupies most of thesouthernquarter of the Germanfederal stateofRhineland-Palatinate(Rheinland-Pfalz), covering an area of 2,105 square miles (5,450 km²) with about 1.4 million inhabitants. Its residents are known asPalatines(Pfälzer).

Geography

Vineyards near theGerman Wine Route

A typical vineyard landscape in thePalatinate Forest

Medieval frame houses inIlbesheim,a village inSouth Palatinate

The Palatinate bordersSaarlandin the west, historically also comprising the state'sSaarpfalzDistrict. In the northwest, theHunsrückmountain range forms the border with theRhinelandregion. The eastern border withHesseand theBadenregion runs along theUpper Rhineriver, while the left bank, withMainzandWormsas well as theSelzbasin aroundAlzey,belong to theRhenish Hesseregion. In the south, the German-Frenchborder separates the Palatinate fromAlsace.

One-third of the region is covered by thePalatinate Forest(Pfälzerwald), including thePalatinate Forest Nature Parkpopular with hikers. With about 1,771 km²(684 sq mi), it is Germany's largest contiguous forested area, and is part of the Franco-GermanPalatinate Forest-North Vosges Biosphere Reserve.

The western and northern part of the Palatinate is densely forested and mountainous. Its highest mountain is theDonnersbergwith a height of 687 m (2,254 ft), situated in theNorth Palatine UplandsnearKirchheimbolanden.Most of the major Palatinate towns (Ludwigshafen,Speyer,Landau,Frankenthal,Neustadt) lie in the lower eastern part of theUpper Rhine Plaindown to the River Rhine. Here theGerman 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 tributariesLauter,QueichandSpeyerbach,as well asSchwarzbachandGlanin the west.

Historically theElectoral Palatinateand 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 ruraldistrictsand independent towns and cities:

• North Palatinate(Nordpfalz), i.e. the sparsely inhabitedNorth Palatine Uplands,made up of
  • Donnersbergkreis(KIB), including the small towns ofEisenberg,KirchheimbolandenandRockenhausen
• Anterior Palatinate(Vorderpfalz) between Upper Rhine and theHaardtrange of the Palatinate Forest
  • Bad Dürkheim(DÜW)
  • Rhein-Pfalz-Kreis(RP)
  • and the towns and cities ofFrankenthal(FT),Ludwigshafen(LU),Neustadt an der Weinstraße(NW) andSpeyer(SP)
• South Palatinate(Südpfalz).
  • Germersheim(GER)
  • Südliche Weinstraße(SÜW)
  • and the town ofLandau(LD)
• West Palatinate(Westpfalz) up to the western part of theNorth Palatine Uplands
  • Kaiserslautern (district)(KL)
  • Kusel(KUS)
  • Südwestpfalz(PS)
  • and the towns ofKaiserslautern(KL),Pirmasens(PS) andZweibrücken(ZW).

Climate

Like most of Southwestern Germany, the Palatinate’s climate is eitherhumid subtropicalin areas below 300 meters oroceanicon higher ground. The average annual temperatures vary from around 11-14 degreesCelsiusin the valleys and 8-10 degrees in the highlands. Wet air from the prevailing westerly and southwesterly winds leads to precipitation in theMittelgebirgeranges, while it warms up on its way further down to the Rhine Valley; giving the valleys a considerably drier climate than the surroundingPalatine Forest.

History

During theHoly Roman Empireprior toWorld War II,it was also referred to asRhenish BavariaandLower Palatinate(Unterpfalz),which designated only the western part of theElectorate of the Palatinate(Kurfürstentum Pfalz), as opposed to theUpper Palatinate(Oberpfalz).

Formerly aCelticregion, this area was conquered by theRoman Empireunder EmperorAugustusin about 12 BCE; thereafter, it was part of the province ofGermania Superior.During the decline of the Empire,Alamannictribes settled here; their territory was conquered byFranciaunder KingClovis Iabout 496. From 511 onwards, the area belonged to the eastern part of FrankishAustrasia,which—asRhenish Franconia—became part ofEast Franciaaccording to the 843Treaty of Verdun.

Holy Roman Empire

Further information:Palatines § Holy Roman Nationality

ThePalatine Lion

From the Middle Ages until 1792, the Palatinate was divided into 45 secular and ecclesiasticalterritories,some of which were very small. The largest and most important of these was the Electorate of the Palatinate (Kurfürstentum Pfalz), encompassing a number ofFranconianterritories on both sides of the Rhine formerly held by theCounts palatine(Pfalzgrafen) ofLotharingia.By the late 12th century, the Count palatine had achieved the status of aPrince-elector(Kurfürst), becoming one of the seven higher nobles with the privilege of electing theEmperor,as confirmed by theGolden Bull of 1356.In 1214, the BavarianHouse of Wittelsbachwasenfeoffedwith these estates, which they ruled until 1918, together with the collateral branch ofPalatine Zweibrückenfrom 1410. Needing stronger protection, they lost control with the reunification withBavariaunder ElectorCharles Theodorein 1777.

The major ecclesiastical territory in the region was theBishopric of Speyer.TheImperial cityofLandaujoined the AlsatianDécapolein 1521 to preserve its status. Nevertheless, it was seized byFranceafter theThirty Years' War.

Other larger regional entities included theDuchy of Zweibrückenand thePrince-Bishopric of Speyer.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, theLeft Bank of the Rhine,including the Palatinate, was occupied byFrench revolutionary troops.As a result of theTreaty of Campo Formio(1797), theFirst French Republicannexedthe region. In 1798, the French introduced a new administrative system with the establishment of departments. The area of the Palatinate largely became theDépartement of Mont Tonnerre,laying the cornerstone of its regional identity today. Minor parts of today's region were attached to the neighbouring departments of theSarreandBas-Rhin.The French further subdivided the department into cantons, mayoralties and municipalities, and introduced their legal system (Napoleonic Code) and themetric system.

Bavarian rule

The Rhenish Palatinate when it was unified with theKingdom of Bavaria,1871

Following the defeat ofNapoleonat theBattle of Leipzigin 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 theGeneral Government of the Middle Rhine.However, from 16 June of the same year, it was placed under the administration of theImperial-Royal( "k.k." ) Austrian and Royal Bavarian Joint Land Administration Commission(k. k. östreichischen und k. bairischen gemeinschaftliche Landes-Administrations-Kommission).

In the main treaty agreed at theCongress of Viennain 1815, and dated 9 June 1815, Article 51 stated (inter alia) that on the Left Bank of the Rhine the former Frenchdépartementsof 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).Initially, however, joint Austro-Bavarian administration was retained.

On 14 April 1816, atreatywas signed betweenAustriaandBavariain which the various territorial changes were agreed on. According to Article 2 of the treaty, EmperorFrancis I of Austriaceded various regions to KingMaximilian I of Bavaria.These included, in addition to various regions east of the Rhine, the following regions west of the Rhine:

In the Département of Mont-Tonnerre (Donnersberg):

1. the districts of Zweibrücken, Kaiserslautern, and Speier; the latter with the exception of the cantons of Worms and Pfeddersheim;
2. the canton of Kirchheim-Bolanden, in the district of Alzei.

In the Département of the Sarre:

3. 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:

4. the canton, town, and fortress of Landau, the latter as a federal fortress in accordance with the regulations of 3 November 1815;
5. 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 theParis Tractatof 20 November 1815.

These changes took effect on 1 May 1816.

In accordance with the prevailing Bavarian administrative structure, the region became one of eight Bavarian districts (Kreise). From 1808,Bavariaembarked on the administrative reorganisation 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 nameRheinkreis(i.e. the Rhine district), withSpeyeras 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 Frencharrondissementswere continued asKreisdirektion( "Circle", i.e. district, "direction" ) of Frankenthal, Kaiserslautern, and Zweibrücken.KreisdirektionLandauwas, however, a new creation. In 1818, the cantons were merged into 12 administrative districts calledLandkommissariat.In 1862, these were designated individually asBezirksamt.In 1939, each one became aLandkreis(rural district). As his first provincial governor, KingMaximilianselected the Privy Councillor (Hofrat)Franz Xaver von Zwack,whose name gave rise to the popular Palatine nickname for Bavarians,Zwockel. In 1832 theRheinkreisbecame the focal point of liberal movements. TheHambach Festival,a large gathering nearNeustadt an der Weinstraße,proved fertile ground for what came to be considered a milestone in German history.

In 1835, KingLudwig I of Bavaria'sromanticoutlook gave rise to the adoption of new, historically evocative names for the administrative districts of Bavaria. As such, the Rheinkreis officially became thePfalz(Palatinate). The historic Electorate of the Palatinate had spanned both sides of the Rhine withHeidelbergandMannheimas its capitals on the eastern side, whereas the new "Palatinate" established in 1815–16 lay solely on the left bank of the Rhine. It included territories that had never been part of the historical Palatinate (e.g., territories of the former Bishopric of Speyer, the imperial city of Speyer orKirchheimbolanden,which had formerly belonged to theWeilburgbranch ofNassau). To avoid confusion of the new Palatinate and the former one (and with theUpper Palatinate), the name Rhenish Palatinate (Rheinpfalz) became common and is still used today, but was never made its official name. Another term, that of Rhenish Bavaria (Rheinbayern), though used occasionally, never gained great currency, but can, nonetheless, be found sometimes on older maps.

The Bavarian Royal Family tried to encourage Palatine unity with Bavaria by erecting a royal palace inEdenkoben,and by restoringSpeyer Cathedralunder the direct supervision of King Ludwig I. The new town ofLudwigshafenwas named after the king. Despite these attempts, the Palatinate's representatives to the Bavarian Parliament always prided themselves on the claim that they came from a more progressive region. Indeed, they tried to promote their liberalism, which the French had introduced to the Palatinate, to the whole Bavarian kingdom. German historian Heiner Haandescribed the special status accorded the Palatinate within Bavaria as being one of aHauptstaat(main state, i.e. Bavaria) with aNebenstaat(adjacent state, i.e. the Palatinate).

In May/June 1849, after the failedrevolution of 1848,and as part of theImperial Constitution campaign,separatist elements wanted the district to secede from Bavaria and establish its own "Palatine Republic".A separatist uprising was suppressed by Prussian military intervention. The Palatinate's union with Bavaria persisted after it became part of theGerman Empirein 1871, and, indeed, after the Wittelsbach dynasty was deposed, and Bavaria became a free state of theWeimar Republicin 1918.

In 1910, the town of Landau was declared independent of theBezirksamt.

French occupation of the Palatinate

AfterWorld War I,French troops occupied the Palatinate under the terms of theTreaty of Versailles.In 1920, the westernBezirksämterofSankt IngbertandHomburg(Saarpfalz) were separated from the Bavarian Palatinate, and became part of the newly establishedSaarland,which, according to the peace treaty, was governed by theLeague of Nations.That same year, seven more towns were declared independent of theBezirksämter:Speyer, Ludwigshafen, Frankenthal, Neustadt an der Weinstraße, Kaiserslautern, Pirmasens, and Zweibrücken. They remain separate to this day.

Between 1919 and 1923, during the occupation, there were French-backed attempts at separating the Palatinate from Bavaria and the Empire. On 1 June 1919, Eberhard Haaß, founder of the "Free Palatine Association" (1918), proclaimed the "Palatine Republic", but failed to occupy the government building in Speyer.

On 23 November 1923,Franz Josef Heinzproclaimed the "Government of the Autonomous Palatinate in the Association of theRhenish Republic"at Speyer, after gaining control of the towns of Kaiserslautern, Neustadt, and Landau, and after the capitulation of the Palatine government. In the following days, several more towns fell into his group's hands. The Bavarian government reacted sharply. It organised a squad under the command ofEdgar Julius Jung.On 9 January 1924, Heinz was assassinated while dining at the Wittelsbacher Hof in Speyer. Other leading members of the separatist movement were killed on 12 February, in a shooting inPirmasens.By then, a treaty between Bavaria and theInter-Allied Rhineland High Commission(the supreme council of the Allied occupation forces) of January 1924 recognised the status quo and guaranteed that the Palatinate would remain a part of Bavaria, thereby putting an end to separatist attempts.

Under Nazi rule, from 1933 to 1945, the Palatinate officially remained part of Bavaria, but was otherwise totally reorganised—it was merged with the Saarland into theGau Westmark,with headquarters inSaarbrücken.

Rhineland-Palatinate

Main article:Rhineland-Palatinate

The union with Bavaria was finally dissolved following the reorganisation of German states during theAllied occupationof Germany afterWorld War II.While Bavaria itself was part of the U.S. occupation zone, the Palatinate was occupied by French forces. The French reorganised their occupation zone by founding new states, so that in 1947 the Palatinate was combined withRhenish Hesse(Rheinhessen), the former parts of thePeople's State of Hessewest of the Rhine, and the southern part of the PrussianRhine Province,to form the German federal state ofRhineland-Palatinate.The Palatinate formed the administrative district (Regierungsbezirk) of the Pfalz. This reorganisation came with smaller losses of former district territory to the Saarland, especially in the area ofSankt Wendel.As part of the 1969 administrative reform, some minor border changes were made in the north. TheDiocese of Speyerand theEvangelical Church of the Palatinatestill exist today largely based on the historic boundaries of the old Bavarian district.

The Pfalz was initially one of five districts in Rhineland-Palatinate; however, in 1968, the district was merged with the neighbouring district ofRheinhessento form the district ofRheinhessen-Pfalz.On 1 January 2000, all administrative districts of Rheinland-Pfalz were dissolved.

Pennsylvania Dutch

See also:Pennsylvania Dutch

Pennsylvania Dutchareas of theUnited States

ManyPennsylvania Dutchmenare descendants ofPalatineimmigrants.ThePennsylvania Dutch language,spoken by theAmish,Mennonites,andFancy Dutchin the United States, is derived primarily from thePalatine German languagewhich manyMennoniterefugees brought to Pennsylvania in the years 1717 to 1732.The only existing Pennsylvania German newspaper,Hiwwe wie Driwwe,was founded 1996 in the village ofOber-Olm,which is located close to Mainz, the state capital (and is published bi-annually as a cooperation project withKutztown University). In the same village one can find the headquarters of the German-Pennsylvanian Association.

Many more Palatines emigrated in the course of the 19th century, and the great majority of them to North America, so that in the US temporarily "Palatine" was a common designation forGerman Americans.Johann Heinrich Heinz (1811–1891), the father ofHenry John Heinzwho founded theH. J. Heinz CompanyinPittsburgh,Pennsylvania,emigrated fromKallstadt,Palatinate, to the United States in 1840.

Cuisine

Main article:Palatine cuisine

Fleeschknepp(meat dumplings) with horseradish sauce

Lewwerknepp(liver dumplings) with sauerkraut and garnishes

Arguably the most famous dish in Palatinate is thesaumagen,literally "sow's stomach", a dish that consists of a thick, crispy-fried casing (sow stomach) stuffed with a mixture of pork, potatoes, and seasonings. Other traditional meat dishes of the region include bratwurst, Palatinate liverwurst, a blood pudding sausage calledgrieweworscht( "griewe" are speck (bacon) cubes, so lit. "sausage with bacon bits" ),lewwerknedel(Leberknödel)(orlewwerknepp,liver dumplings), andfleeschknepp(Fleischknödel: meat dumplings).Sauerkrautis the typical side dish in all seasons, but especially in winter, as are mashed potatoes and brown gravy. Also eaten aredampfnudels,which can be served with either sweet sauces or side dishes (such as wine, vanilla sauce or canned fruit such as plums, prunes, or pears) or with savory side dishes (such as potato soup, vegetable soup, goulash, or pepper pork).