German Wine Route Germany

The German Wine Route – or German Wine Road – (Deutsche Weinstrasse) stretches through the middle of the Palatinate (Pfalz, former Rheinpfalz), the biggest coherent wine growing area in Germany. It starts at the German Wine Gate in Schweigen-Rechtenbach on the french border and ends after 85 km at the House of the German Wine Route in Bockenheim. The German Wine Route is the oldest Wine Road worldwide and was opened on the 19. october 1935 by NSDAP Gauleiter Josef Buerckel.

The hilly Palatinate that is traversed by the German Wine Route is often described a mediterranean landscape due to growing figs, kiwis or oleander. The wine road is protected from prevailing winds and rain by the Palatinate Forest, the biggest forest in germany, adjacent on its eastern side is the upper rhine valley (or rhine rift). The wine road region is up to 15 km wide, many villages directly on the route have the addition “an der Weinstrasse” (on the Wine Route): Bockenheim, Asselheim, Kirchheim, Herxheim, Kallstad, Ungstein, Bad Dürkheim, Wachenheim, Forst, Deidesheim, Köningsbach, Mussbach, Gimmeldingen, Neustadt, Deidesfeld, St. Martin, Maikammer, Edenkoben, Rhodt, Heinfeld, Burrweiler, Gleisweiler, Frankweiler, Siebeldingen, Birkweiler, Birkweiler, Ranschbach, Leinsweiler, Eschbach, Klingenmunster, Gleizellen-Gleishorbach, Pleisweiler-Oberhofen, Bad Bergzabern, Oberotterbach, Schweigen-Rechtenbach

The German Wine Route has lots of superlatives, for example:

  • Biggest barrel in the world, the giant barrel in Bad Duerkheim with a diameter of 13,5 m, containing a wine restaurant inside.
  • Biggest wine fest worldwide in Bad Duerkheim with more than 600000 visitors each year.
  • Biggest winemaker parade worldwide in Neustadt an der Weinstrasse.
  • Biggest winemaker township in Germany, rivaled by Landau (2039 ha) and Neustadt (2012 ha).
  • Oldest vineyard in Germany, the about 400 year old Traminerweinberg, a vineyard with Gewuerztraminer (Gewurztraminer) in Rhodt unter Rietburg.

German Wine Route: Southern Wine Route

The Southern Wine Route begins at the german wine gate in Schweigen-Rechtenbach and ends in the area of Diedesfeld. Southern Wine Route is also the name of a district in the south of rhineland-palatinate, germany.

The german flag was shown for the first time on the Hambacher fest on the 27th of May in 1832, marking the beginning of german democracy.

Sightseeing places in this area include:

  • Trifels Castle – Castle where the House of Hohenstaufen held Richard I of England (Richard Lionheart) as a hostage and place where the imperial regalia were stored
  • Berwartstein Castle – The only castle that was restored after its demolition; with a famous lookout point
  • Madenburg Castle – one of the biggest castle complexes, first documentary mentioned in 1176
  • Lindenbrunn Castle – first documentary mentioned in 1150

German Wine Route: Haardt Region

The Haardt Region stretches from the outskirts of the Palatinate Forest eastwards and marks the centre of the Palatinate winegrowing region. All towns and villages have a ratio of agricultural used acreage for winegrowing of at least 75% (over 50% in the area around Bad Bergzabern) and although all villages on this list are not directly touched by the German Wine Route the acreage is almost entirely covered with vineyards.

German Wine Route: Wine growing region

The winegrowing region Palatinate (Pfalz) enfolds the surroundings of the German Wine Route with the centre zone and the outskirts of the wine route eastwards to the rhine rift on the changeover to the fruit and vegetable producing eastern Palatinate, the so called “Vorderpfalz”.

German Wine Route: Northern part Central Haardt

The northern part of the German Wine Route, the Central Haardt Region stretches from the area of Diedesfeld to the House of the German Wine Route on the northern end in Bockenheim.

Sightseeing Places in this area include:

  • Limburg Abbey near Bad Duerkheim, a monastery built in the 10th century
  • Villa Ludwigshoehe in Edenkoben, Palace and summer residence of Ludwig I. of Bavaria
  • Medieval Town hall and old town of Deidesheim
  • Wurstmarkt in Bad Duerkheim, biggest wine festival in the world with over 600 000 visitors each year
  • Roman Villas and roman winery near Wachenheim, Kallstadt and Ungstein
  • Hambach Castle, Place of the Hambacher Fest where the german flag was shown in public for the first time