The Donnersbergkreis is a district ( Kreis ) in the middle of Rhineland-Palatinate , Germany . Neighboring districts are Bad Kreuznach , Alzey-Worms , Bad Dürkheim , Kaiserslautern , Kusel .
6-592: The district was created in 1969 by merging the districts Kirchheimbolanden and Rockenhausen . The district is located around the highest mountain of the Palatinate, the Donnersberg with 687 m above sea level. Both of the districts merged into the Donnersbergkreis had a wheel in their coat of arms, which are now also shown in the coat of arms of the new district. On the left is the red wheel of
12-693: A diameter of about 7 kilometres and covers an area of some 2,400 hectares. The Donnersberg was formed by volcanic activity during the Permian , in the transition period between the lower and upper Rotliegend strata. The name Donnersberg is thought to refer to Donar , the Germanic god of thunder, a theory supported by the fact that the Romans dubbed the Donnersberg Mons Jovis after their god of thunder, Jupiter . According to other theories,
18-665: Is the highest peak of the Palatinate ( German : Pfalz ) region of Germany . The mountain lies between the towns of Rockenhausen and Kirchheimbolanden , in the Donnersbergkreis district, which is named after the mountain. The highway A63 runs along the southern edge of the Donnersberg. European walking route E8 runs across the mountain. The highest point of the Donnersberg is the rock Königstuhl ("king's seat") at 687 metres above sea level. The mountain has
24-591: The Middle Ages , five castles surrounded the strategically placed mountain: Tannenfels , Wildenstein , Hohenfels , Falkenstein and Ruppertsecken . Today, only ruins remain of these five castles. About 900 metres east of the Königstuhl rock, a 27 metres tall tower was constructed in 1864–1865, the Ludwigsturm . After World War II , a radio mast for the largest U.S. radio station in western Europe
30-812: The Lords of Bolanden, taken from the Kirchheim coat of arms. The blue wheel on the right is the wheel of the Lords of Falkenstein, taken from the Rockenhausen coat of arms. The green field on the bottom with the peak symbolizes the Donnersberg , the highest elevation in the district, and the sun the importance of the sunny plains for viticulture . 49°38′N 7°55′E / 49.633°N 7.917°E / 49.633; 7.917 Donnersberg The Donnersberg ( German pronunciation: [ˈdɔnɐsˌbɛʁk] ; literally: "thunder mountain")
36-526: The name of the mountain was derived from the Celtic dunum (meaning "mountain") or from the name of a Celtic deity, Taranis . During the Celtic La Tène period, around 150 BC, an important settlement ( oppidum ) was built on the Donnersberg, covering some 240 hectares. Part of the wall ( Keltenwall ) surrounding this settlement has been reconstructed. Archeological excavations are ongoing. In
#25974