North Palatine Highland
Encyclopedia
The North Palatine Uplands , sometimes incorrectly shortened to Palatine Uplands (Pfälzer Bergland), is a landscape unit in the German state of Rhineland-Palatinate
and belongs largely to the Palatinate region.
to the west and three towns belonging to Rhineland-Palatinate
: Alzey
to the east, Kaiserslautern
to the south and Bad Kreuznach
to the north, although these towns are not actually within the region itself. The North Palatine Uplands thus links the landscapes of the Palatine Forest, Saar-Hunsrück Nature Park, Naheland and Rheinhessen
.
To the northwest its boundary with Naheland is not always clear. A rough guide is the heavily folded ridge north of the Glan river with a height different of as much as 300 metres in place.
The North Palatine Uplands fall mainly within the districts of Kusel and Donnersbergkreis
. To a lesser extent it also falls within parts of Kaiserslautern, St. Wendel, Birkenfeld and Bad Kreuznach.
The North Palatine Uplands is also referred to locally as the "Old World" ( or in Palatinate German
: die alt Welt or bucklige Welt). However sometimes the term alte Welt just refers to a strip of land on the border of the districts of Kusel and Kaiserslautern, which is roughly demarcated by the 420, 270 and 48 federal highways and the A 6
and A 63
motorways. Depending on how the region is defined, its largest village is either Nußbach or Obermoschel
.
which, at 687 m is also the highest mountain in the Palatinate. Other lofty hills include the:
, which itself rises in the northern Palatine Forest, and the 61 km long Selz
. Both flow into the Upper Rhine
.
and Kusel
, and the collective municipalities of Alsenz
, Altenglan
, Lauterecken
, Meisenheim
, Rockenhausen
, Winnweiler
and Wolfstein
.
Federal roads
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 ....
and belongs largely to the Palatinate region.
Location and name
The North Palatine Uplands lie – roughly stated – between St. Wendel in the state of SaarlandSaarland
Saarland is one of the sixteen states of Germany. The capital is Saarbrücken. It has an area of 2570 km² and 1,045,000 inhabitants. In both area and population, it is the smallest state in Germany other than the city-states...
to the west and three towns belonging to 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 ....
: Alzey
Alzey
Alzey is a Verband-free town – one belonging to no Verbandsgemeinde – in the Alzey-Worms district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is the fourth-largest town in Rhenish Hesse, after Mainz, Worms, and Bingen....
to the east, 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...
to the south and Bad Kreuznach
Bad Kreuznach
Bad Kreuznach is the capital of the district of Bad Kreuznach, Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is located on the Nahe river, a tributary of the Rhine...
to the north, although these towns are not actually within the region itself. The North Palatine Uplands thus links the landscapes of the Palatine Forest, Saar-Hunsrück Nature Park, Naheland and Rheinhessen
Rheinhessen
Rhenish Hesse refers to the part of the former Grand Duchy of Hesse-Darmstadt located west of the Rhine river and now part of Rhineland-Palatinate. It is a hilly countryside largely devoted to vineyards, therefore it is also called the "land of the thousand hills." Its larger towns include:...
.
To the northwest its boundary with Naheland is not always clear. A rough guide is the heavily folded ridge north of the Glan river with a height different of as much as 300 metres in place.
The North Palatine Uplands fall mainly within the districts of Kusel and Donnersbergkreis
Donnersbergkreis
The Donnersbergkreis is a district in the middle of Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. Neighboring districts are Bad Kreuznach, Alzey-Worms, Bad Dürkheim, Kaiserslautern, Kusel.-History:...
. To a lesser extent it also falls within parts of Kaiserslautern, St. Wendel, Birkenfeld and Bad Kreuznach.
The North Palatine Uplands is also referred to locally as the "Old World" ( or in Palatinate German
Palatinate German
Palatine German is a West Franconian dialect of German which is spoken in the Rhine Valley roughly in an area between the cities of Zweibrücken, Kaiserslautern, Alzey, Worms, Ludwigshafen am Rhein, Mannheim, Heidelberg, Speyer, Landau, Wörth am Rhein and the border to the Alsace region in France...
: die alt Welt or bucklige Welt). However sometimes the term alte Welt just refers to a strip of land on the border of the districts of Kusel and Kaiserslautern, which is roughly demarcated by the 420, 270 and 48 federal highways and the A 6
Bundesautobahn 6
, also known as Via Carolina is a 477 km long German autobahn. It starts at the French border near Saarbrücken in the west and end at the Czech border near Waidhaus in the east....
and A 63
Bundesautobahn 63
is an autobahn in southwestern Germany. It connects the Mainz area to Kaiserslautern and the A 6 and is therefore an important connection between the Rhine/Main and the Saar areas...
motorways. Depending on how the region is defined, its largest village is either Nußbach or Obermoschel
Obermoschel
Obermoschel is a town in the district Donnersbergkreis, in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is part of the Verbandsgemeinde Alsenz-Obermoschel. It is situated 15 km southwest of Bad Kreuznach....
.
Hills
The North Palatine Uplands is characterised by numerous hills and valleys which lend the area sharp variations in height from about 200 to over . The highest elevation is the DonnersbergDonnersberg
For the Czech mountain, see MilešovkaThe Donnersberg is the highest peak of the Palatinate region of Germany. The mountain lies between the towns of Rockenhausen en Kirchheimbolanden, in the Donnersbergkreis district, which is named after the mountain. The highway A63 runs along the southern edge...
which, at 687 m is also the highest mountain in the Palatinate. Other lofty hills include the:
- Königsberg (586 m)
- Potzberg (562 m)
- Selberg (546 m)
- Herrmannsberg (536 m)
- Bornberg (520 m)
Rivers
Important rivers in the west and north of the range are the 90 km long Glan and the 57 km long Alsenz. The 116 km long Nahe, into which the other two discharge, is no longer included in this region. The area of the Donnersberg is drained towards the east by the 43 km long PfrimmPfrimm
The Pfrimm is a 42.7 km long, left or western tributary of the Rhine in the Rhineland-Palatinate .- Course :The Pfrimm rises in the southern part of the Donnersbergkreis. Its spring lies in the northern part of the Palatinate Forest Nature Park, about 3 km southeast of the municipality Sippersfeld...
, which itself rises in the northern Palatine Forest, and the 61 km long Selz
Selz
The Selz is a river in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany, a left tributary to the Rhine. It flows through the biggest German wine region, which is called Rheinhessen....
. Both flow into the Upper Rhine
Upper Rhine
The Upper Rhine is the section of the Rhine in the Upper Rhine Plain between Basel, Switzerland and Bingen, Germany. The river is marked by Rhine-kilometers 170 to 529 ....
.
Settlement
The region is very rural in character and has no towns with more than 10,000 inhabitants. Important places are the county towns of KirchheimbolandenKirchheimbolanden
Kirchheimbolanden, the capital of Donnersbergkreis, is a town in Rhineland-Palatinate, south-western Germany. It is situated approx. 25 km west of Worms, and 30 km north-east of Kaiserslautern. The first part of the name, Kirchheim, dates back to 774. It became a town in 1368, and the...
and Kusel
Kusel
Kusel is a municipality in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany, capital of the district of Kusel. It is situated approx. 30 km north-west of Kaiserslautern....
, and the collective municipalities of Alsenz
Alsenz
The Alsenz is a river in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany, a right tributary to the Nahe River. It rises in Enkenbach-Alsenborn, north-east of Kaiserslautern, flows generally north, and joins the Nahe in Bad Münster am Stein-Ebernburg. Its length is approx. 57 km. Towns along the Alsenz include...
, Altenglan
Altenglan
Altenglan is a municipality in the district of Kusel, in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is situated on the river Glan, approx. 5 km north-east of Kusel, and 25 km north-west of Kaiserslautern....
, Lauterecken
Lauterecken
Lauterecken is a municipality in the district of Kusel, in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is situated on the rivers Glan and Lauter, approx. 20 km north-east of Kusel, and 25 km north-west of Kaiserslautern....
, Meisenheim
Meisenheim
Meisenheim is a town in the district of Bad Kreuznach, in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is situated on the river Glan, approx. 25 km south-west of Bad Kreuznach.Meisenheim is the seat of the Verbandsgemeinde Meisenheim....
, Rockenhausen
Rockenhausen
Rockenhausen is a municipality in the Donnersbergkreis, in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is situated on the river Alsenz, approx. 30 km north of Kaiserslautern....
, Winnweiler
Winnweiler
Winnweiler is a municipality in the Donnersbergkreis, in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is situated on the upper course of the river Alsenz, approx. north-east of Kaiserslautern...
and Wolfstein
Wolfstein
Wolfstein is a small town in the district of Kusel, in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is situated on the river Lauter, approx. 23 km north-east of Kusel, and 20 km north-west of Kaiserslautern....
.
Roads
Motorways- A 6Bundesautobahn 6, also known as Via Carolina is a 477 km long German autobahn. It starts at the French border near Saarbrücken in the west and end at the Czech border near Waidhaus in the east....
(SaarbrückenSaarbrückenSaarbrücken is the capital of the state of Saarland in Germany. The city is situated at the heart of a metropolitan area that borders on the west on Dillingen and to the north-east on Neunkirchen, where most of the people of the Saarland live....
–MannheimMannheimMannheim is a city in southwestern Germany. With about 315,000 inhabitants, Mannheim is the second-largest city in the Bundesland of Baden-Württemberg, following the capital city of Stuttgart....
) - A 62Bundesautobahn 62is an autobahn in southwestern Germany, connecting the A 1 with the A 6. It also connects numerous communities throughout the central Hunsrück mountains...
(LandstuhlLandstuhlLandstuhl , 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...
–NonnweilerNonnweilerNonnweiler is a municipality in the district of Sankt Wendel, in Saarland, Germany.-Overview:It is situated approx. 20 km northwest of Sankt Wendel, and 30 km southeast of Trier....
) - A 63Bundesautobahn 63is an autobahn in southwestern Germany. It connects the Mainz area to Kaiserslautern and the A 6 and is therefore an important connection between the Rhine/Main and the Saar areas...
(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...
–MainzMainzMainz under the Holy Roman Empire, and previously was a Roman fort city which commanded the west bank of the Rhine and formed part of the northernmost frontier of the Roman Empire...
)
Federal roads
- B 40 (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...
–Alzey) - B 48 (WinnweilerWinnweilerWinnweiler is a municipality in the Donnersbergkreis, in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is situated on the upper course of the river Alsenz, approx. north-east of Kaiserslautern...
–Bad Kreuznach) - B 270 (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...
–Lauterecken) - B 420 (OttweilerOttweilerOttweiler is a municipality, former seat of the district of Neunkirchen, in Saarland, Germany. It is situated on the river Blies, approx. 7 km north of Neunkirchen, and 25 km northeast of Saarbrücken.The town is notable for the Ottweiler porcelain....
–Bad Kreuznach) - B 423 (WaldmohrWaldmohrWaldmohr is a municipality in the district of Kusel, in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is situated near the source of the river Glan, approx. 15 km south-west of Kusel, and 10 km north of Homburg....
–AltenglanAltenglanAltenglan is a municipality in the district of Kusel, in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is situated on the river Glan, approx. 5 km north-east of Kusel, and 25 km north-west of Kaiserslautern....
)
Railways
- Glan Valley Railway
- Lauter Valley Railway
- Alsenz Valley Railway
- Zeller Valley Railway
- Donnersberg Railway