Neustadt an der Weinstrasse is a town with 53 500 inhabitants and an area of 117 km².
The centre of Neustadt lies between the eastern outskirts of the palatinate forest and the western end of the Rhine rift in the middle of the 15 km wide and 85 km long German Wine Route and marks the centre of the biggest coherent wine growing area in Germany.
The oldest marks of settlements in this area show that celtic tribes where located here. Fortification walls, pottery’s, coins and weapons have been dated back to 150 BC. Approximately 20 BC the romans occupied the region, franconian tribes took possession about 400, getting expelled by the franks around 500 AD.
Before the town “Neustadt” was founded there where several villages, the oldest village Winzingen was first documentary mentioned in 774.
Neustadt was conferred municipal laws on the 6th april 1275 by Rudolph I. of Germany.
Neustadt had no noteworthy destruction over intervening centuries and therefore bears numerous historic buildings and streets of houses.
The marketplace is the towns centre of the 13th century. On the 27th may 1832 it was the point of origin of the Hambacher Fest when thousands marched to Hambach castle, showing the german flag in public for the first time. Around the marketplace are several historic buildings in gothic, renaissance and baroque architecture.
The town hall was built from 1729 – 1743 and is the town hall since 1838.
The Scheffel house is a renaissance building from 1580.
The house on the bridge is a former court of justice, a two floor framework building from about 1600. The Speyerbach, a stream that was later re-routed flow directly near this house, giving the house its name.
Vineyards of Neustadt an der Weinstrasse, Neustadter Weinlagen
- Grain; 33,4 ha
- Erkenbrecht; 20,2 ha
- Moenchgarten; 33,1 ha