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59-693: PFAFF was founded in Kaiserslautern , Germany , in 1862 by instrument maker Georg Michael Pfaff (1823–1893). Pfaff's first machine was handmade, and designed to sew leather in the manufacture of shoes. In 1885, Georg Michael Pfaff opened a sewing machine shop in London. The PFAFF factory was expanded and modernized. Georg Pfaff, the second son of the founder, took over the management of the company after his father's death in 1893 and expanded it further with great success. The founder's firstborn son, Jacob Pfaff, died in 1889. His daughter, Lina Pfaff, took over

118-610: A Roman Catholic church, whilst the highest structure in all Kaiserslautern is the television tower in the suburb of Dansenberg, southwest of the city centre. Kaiserslautern's large botanical gardens feature a Japanese-style garden. Another unusual feature is the Waschmühle (also known as "Wesch"), an enormous 160-metre (520 ft) public swimming pool that is the largest in Europe. There are several pedestrian-only shopping zones with numerous and varied restaurants and bars located in

177-475: A U.S. Air Force F-86 fighter jet crashed into the district office in the Burgstrasse / Maxstrasse area. In addition to the pilot, two civilians were killed, and numerous wounded. With the incorporation of the previously independent communities of Dansenberg, Erfenbach, Erlenbach, Hohenecken, Mölschbach, Morlautern and Siegelbach on 7 June 1969, Kaiserslautern became a city. The University of Kaiserslautern

236-550: A few months before the Kristallnacht . A memorial archway was constructed at the site in 2002. Between 1950 and 1955, Kaiserslautern developed into the largest US military community outside of the United States. For this reason Kaiserslautern is also referred to as "K-town"; a term coined by the early American military population who had difficulty pronouncing the name. The Kaiserslautern Military Community (KMC)

295-525: A number of robber castles . In 1291, he attempted to secure the election of his son Albert as German king. The electors refused, however, claiming inability to support two kings, but in reality, perhaps, wary of the increasing power of the House of Habsburg. Upon Rudolf's death they elected Count Adolf of Nassau . In 1286, Rudolf I instituted a new persecution of the Jews, declaring them servi camerae ("serfs of

354-581: A ransom was paid for his body by Alexander ben Shlomo (Susskind) Wimpfen, who was subsequently laid to rest beside the Maharam. Rudolf died in Speyer on 15 July 1291 and was buried in Speyer Cathedral . Only one of his sons survived him: Albert I . Most of his daughters outlived him, apart from Catherine who had died in 1282 during childbirth and Hedwig who had died in 1285/6. Rudolf's reign

413-585: A result, Rudolf, by siding with the Pope, gained more power and influence. Rudolf paid frequent visits to the court of his godfather, the Hohenstaufen emperor Frederick II , and his loyalty to Frederick and his son, King Conrad IV of Germany , was richly rewarded by grants of land. In 1254, he engaged with other nobles of the Staufen party against Bertold II, Bishop of Basle . When night fell, he penetrated

472-508: A triumphal entry into Vienna . Ottokar, however, raised questions about the execution of the treaty, and procured the support of several German princes, again including Henry XIII of Lower Bavaria. To meet this coalition, Rudolf formed an alliance with King Ladislaus IV of Hungary and gave additional privileges to the Viennese citizens. On 26 August 1278, the rival armies met at the Battle on

531-625: Is twinned with: Kaiserslautern also has friendly relations with: Rudolph I of Germany Rudolf I (1 May 1218 – 15 July 1291) was the first King of Germany of the Habsburg dynasty from 1273 until his death. Rudolf's election marked the end of the Great Interregnum which had begun after the death of the Hohenstaufen Emperor Frederick II in 1250. Originally a Swabian count, he

590-543: Is a football stadium that accommodates 48,500 fans. In June 2006, after renovation, the stadium was one of 12 to host the 2006 FIFA World Cup . It is also home to 1. FC Kaiserslautern , which won the Bundesliga four times and the wheelchair basketball team FCK Rolling Devils . Kaiserslautern Zoo The Kaiserslautern Zoo was founded in 1968 and is located in Kaiserslautern's Siegelbach neighbourhood. It

649-468: Is a combined community consisting of Army and Air Force components. The KMC consists of Army facilities at Kleber 32nd Air Defense HQ and Signal Corps, Panzer, Dänner-Kaserne, Landstuhl , Miesau , Einsiedlerhof, Pirmasens , Sembach , Baumholder, Rhine Ordnance Barracks and Pulaski Barracks along with Air Force facilities located at Ramstein Air Base , Vogelweh, and Kapaun Air Station . Kaiserslautern

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708-540: Is a town in southwest Germany, located in the state of Rhineland-Palatinate at the edge of the Palatinate Forest . The historic centre dates to the 9th century. It is 459 kilometres (285 miles) from Paris, 117 km (73 miles) from Frankfurt am Main , 666 kilometers (414 miles) from Berlin , and 159 km (99 miles) from Luxembourg . Kaiserslautern is home to about 100,000 people. Additionally, approximately 45,000 NATO military personnel are based in

767-508: Is classified as a " Cfb " (Marine West Coast Climate/ Oceanic climate ) by the Köppen Climate Classification system. On 16 September 2020 the temperature reached 38,2 ° and reached the highest temperature since 1901. Modern-day Kaiserslautern is a centre of information and communications technology, home to a well-known university , a technical college and many international research institutes located throughout

826-477: Is home to many different animals including some nearly extinct regional species. Other places of interest in Kaiserslautern, and the surrounding area, are: Kaiserslautern has a broad-based commercial economy. Among the big companies located in the city are: The largest church is St. Mary's ( Marienkirche ), a Roman Catholic church. There is also the historic Protestant Church of the Apostle ( Apostelkirche ). At

885-651: Is most memorable for his establishment of the House of Habsburg as a powerful dynasty in the southeastern part of the realm. In the other territories, the centuries-long decline of Imperial authority since the days of the Investiture Controversy continued, and the princes were largely left to their own devices. In the Divine Comedy , Dante finds Rudolf sitting outside the gates of purgatory with his contemporaries, characterizing him as "he who neglected that which he ought to have done". Rudolf

944-528: The Battle of Schosshalde , he strengthened his authority in Switzerland. He further expanded his Swiss possessions and granted some ecclesiastical posts to his family. In 1289 he marched against Count Philip's successor, Otto IV , compelling him to do homage. In 1281, Rudolf's first wife died. On 5 February 1284, he married Isabella , daughter of Duke Hugh IV of Burgundy , the Empire's western neighbor in

1003-518: The Duchy of Carinthia , one of the conquered provinces taken from Ottokar. The Princes of the Empire did not allow Rudolf to give everything that was recovered to the royal domain to his own sons, and his allies needed their rewards too. Turning to the west, in 1281 he compelled Count Philip I of Savoy to cede some territory to him, then forced the citizens of Bern to pay the tribute that they had been refusing. After his son Rudolf II defeated Bern at

1062-460: The Hohenzollern burgrave Frederick III of Nuremberg . The support of Duke Albert II of Saxony and Elector Palatine Louis II had been purchased by betrothing them to two of Rudolf's daughters. As a result, within the electoral college, King Ottokar II of Bohemia (1230–1278), himself a candidate for the throne and related to the late Hohenstaufen king Philip of Swabia (being the son of

1121-691: The Kingdom of France . Rudolf was not very successful in restoring internal peace. Orders were indeed issued for the establishment of territorial peaces in Bavaria , Franconia and Swabia, and at the Synod of Würzburg in March 1287 for the whole Empire. But the king lacked the power, resources, and determination to enforce them, although in December 1289 he led an expedition into Thuringia , where he destroyed

1180-682: The Wittelsbach inheritance. In 1519, Franz von Sickingen became the owner of Nanstein Castle. He became a Protestant , and in 1522 Nanstein was a stronghold for local nobles favouring the Reformation . Sickingen and the local nobles began their battle against the Archbishop of Trier ; but the attack was unsuccessful, and they retreated to Nanstein. Nanstein was then besieged by cannon -armed German Catholic princes. Sickingen died after

1239-563: The comital House of Habsburg to the rank of Imperial princes . Rudolf was born on 1 May 1218 at Limburgh Castle near Sasbach am Kaiserstuhl in the Breisgau region of present-day southwestern Germany . He was the son of Count Albert IV of Habsburg and Hedwig, daughter of Count Ulrich of Kyburg . Around 1232, he was given as a squire to his uncle, Rudolf I, Count of Laufenburg , to train in knightly pursuits. At his father's death in 1239, Rudolf inherited from him large estates around

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1298-587: The 'Dino Park' because of its lifesize dinosaur models, the Gartenschau is open from April through October and is popular with families. Having begun as a series of botanical displays and enjoying success at the first State Garden Exhibition of Rhineland-Palatinate in Kaiserslautern in 2000, this 54-acre (220,000 m ) park has been transformed into one of the most multi-dimensional cultural centres in Germany. Fritz-Walter-Stadion The Fritz-Walter-Stadion

1357-603: The Austrian emperor's army plundered the city, killing 3,000 of its 3,200 residents. It would not be repopulated for about another 160 years. Conflict did not end with the Peace of Westphalia in 1648. The Elector of the Pfalz had difficulty with many of his subjects and ordered all castles, including Nanstein, destroyed. The French repeatedly invaded and occupied the area, residing in Kaiserslautern in 1686–1697. Nevertheless, after

1416-538: The Count of Habsburg had invaded his domains, yet failed to take his seat of power. As the day passed on, Count Rudolf bribed the sentinels of the city and gained entry, killing Hugh in the process. Then in 1244, to help control Lake Lucerne and restrict the neighboring forest communities of Uri , Schwyz and Unterwalden , Rudolf built near its shores Neuhabsburg Castle . In 1245 Rudolf married Gertrude, daughter of Count Burkhard III of Hohenberg . He received as her dowry

1475-494: The French military government under General Marie-Pierre Kœnig . Little reconstruction took place until the currency reform of 1948. The pace of the economy remained slow until 1952, when construction for newly established garrisons of American troops brought economic growth to the area. Unexploded ordnance from WWII continues to be discovered in and around Kaiserslautern. In May 2012 an unexploded 250-pound (110 kg) Allied bomb

1534-566: The German holding company of SGSB Group Co. Ltd., ShangGong (Europe) Holding Corp. GmbH, took over 100% of the shares of PFAFF Industriesysteme und Maschinen AG. This German corporation or company article is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . This article related to a manufacturing company is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Kaiserslautern Kaiserslautern ( German pronunciation: [ˌkaɪzɐsˈlaʊtɐn] ; Palatinate German : Lautre )

1593-522: The Marchfeld , where Ottokar was defeated and killed. The Margraviate of Moravia was subdued and its government entrusted to Rudolf's representatives, leaving Ottokar's widow Kunigunda of Slavonia in control of only the province surrounding Prague, while the young Wenceslaus II was again betrothed to Rudolf's youngest daughter Judith . Rudolf's attention next turned to the possessions in Austria and

1652-533: The Palatinate became a Bavarian province and remained so until 1918. After World War I , French troops again occupied the Palatinate for several years. In World War II , Allied bombing destroyed more than 85% of Kaiserslautern. Today 25 % of Kaiserslautern is made up by buildings from before 1945. The railway and several main roads were primary targets, with the heaviest attacks occurring on 7 January 11 August, and 28 September 1944. On 20 March 1945, as

1711-547: The adjacent provinces, which were taken into the royal domain. He spent several years establishing his authority there but found some difficulty in establishing his family as successors to the rule of those provinces. At length, the hostility of the princes was overcome. In December 1282, at the Hoftag (imperial diet) in Augsburg , Rudolf invested his sons, Albert and Rudolf II , with the duchies of Austria and Styria and so laid

1770-734: The ancestral seat of Habsburg Castle in the Aargau region of present-day Switzerland as well as in Alsace . Thus, in 1240, in order to quell the rising power of Rudolf and in an attempt to place the important " Devil's Bridge " ( Teufelsbrücke ) across the Schöllenenschlucht under his direct control, Emperor Frederick II granted Schwyz Reichsfreiheit in the Freibrief von Faenza . In 1242, Hugh of Tuffenstein provoked Count Rudolf through contumelious expressions. In turn,

1829-521: The arts in Germany are significantly subsidized by the government, its ticket prices are reasonably low. Pfalztheater Kaiserslautern hosts the Else-Lasker-Schüler-Preis awards for German literature. The Kammgarn The Kammgarn is classified as a historical site. It served as a spinning factory before being transformed into the cultural heart of Kaiserslautern. This renovation has preserved its historical character while incorporating

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1888-781: The castle surrendered, and the Protestant nobility of the Electoral Palatinate were subdued by the Catholic princes. Count of the Electoral Palatinate Johann Casimir , came to Kaiserslautern during the Thirty Years' War (1618–1648). Spanish occupation in 1621–1632 ended when Protestant Swedish armies liberated the area. The city would fall to invading forces again in an especially violent incident in 1635. Croatian troops within

1947-685: The castles of Oettingen , the valley of Weile , and other places in Alsace, and he became an important vassal in Swabia, the former Alemannic German stem duchy . That same year, Emperor Frederick II was excommunicated by Pope Innocent IV at the Council of Lyon . Rudolf sided against the Emperor, while the forest communities sided with Frederick. This gave them a pretext to attack and damage Neuhabsburg. Rudolf successfully defended it and drove them off. As

2006-520: The chance to sample dishes from across the world. Kaiserslautern is located in one of the largest contiguous forested areas in Central Europe, the Palatinate Forest , which offers numerous hiking trails and lakes to visitors. Pfalztheater Kaiserslautern Local theatre Pfalztheater employs more than 300 people and features plays, operas, ballets, concerts, and musicals. The first German performance of West Side Story took place there. As

2065-472: The city and its surrounding district ( Landkreis Kaiserslautern ). Prehistoric settlement in the area of what is now Kaiserslautern has been traced to at least 800 BC. Some 2,500-year-old Celtic tombs were uncovered at Miesau , a town about 29 kilometres (18 miles) west of Kaiserslautern. The recovered relics are now in the Museum for Palatinate History at Speyer . Kaiserslautern received its name from

2124-510: The city centre surrounding the old city ( Altstadt ). In the Altstadt you will find the "Kaiserbrunnen", a large ornamental fountain with symbols of the city's history such as a sewing machine, as produced by the Pfaff company in the city, a football representing the city's football club and various animals that children can climb. Kaiserslautern has a diverse culinary sector, offering visitors

2183-407: The city. Kaiserslautern is a popular destination for tourists, offering a range of attractions, and sites for tourists to visit. Town Hall Kaiserslautern is one of the tallest buildings and is located in the city centre. The bar and coffee shop on the top floor provides a panoramic view of the city and surrounding countryside. The tallest building in the centre of Kaiserslautern is St. Mary's,

2242-540: The company in 1917 when her brother Georg died and ran it successfully on a global scale until 1926. Her nephew, Karl Pfaff, took over the company when she retired at the age of seventy-two. It made its one-millionth machine in 1910. Pfaff was bought by Husqvarna Viking in 1999. In 2006, the American equity firm Kohlberg & Company , owner of Singer , acquired Swedish VSM Group , owner of Husqvarna Viking and PFAFF, thereby creating SVP Worldwide . In March 2013,

2301-568: The duchies of Austria , Styria and Carinthia together with the March of Carniola , which he had claimed through his first wife, a Babenberg heiress, and which he had seized while disputing them with another Babenberg heir, Margrave Hermann VI of Baden . Rudolf refused to accept Ottokar's succession to the Babenberg patrimony, declaring that the provinces reverted to the Imperial crown due to

2360-456: The eldest surviving daughter), was almost alone in opposing Rudolf. Other candidates were Prince Siegfried I of Anhalt and Margrave Frederick I of Meissen (1257–1323), a young grandson of the excommunicated Emperor Frederick II, who did not yet even have a principality of his own as his father was still alive. By the admission of Duke Henry XIII of Lower Bavaria instead of the King of Bohemia as

2419-646: The fall of the Hohenstaufen dynasty afforded an opportunity for Count Rudolf to increase his possessions. His wife was a Hohenberg heiress; and on the death of his childless maternal uncle Count Hartmann IV of Kyburg in 1264, Rudolf seized Hartmann's valuable estates. Successful feuds with the Bishops of Strasbourg and Basel further augmented his wealth and reputation, including rights over various tracts of land that he purchased from abbots and others. These various sources of wealth and influence rendered Rudolf

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2478-532: The favourite hunting retreat of Holy Roman Emperor Frederick Barbarossa who ruled the Holy Roman Empire from 1155 until 1190. The small river Lauter made the old section of Kaiserslautern an island in medieval times. Ruins of Frederick's original castle, built 1152 –1160, can still be seen in front of the Rathaus (city hall). A second castle, Nanstein Castle , was built at Landstuhl to guard

2537-461: The foundation of the House of Habsburg. Additionally, he made the twelve-year-old Rudolf Duke of Swabia, a merely titular dignity, as the duchy had been without an actual ruler since Conradin 's execution. The 27-year-old Duke Albert, married since 1274 to a daughter of Count Meinhard II of Gorizia-Tyrol (1238–95), was capable enough to hold some sway in the new patrimony. In 1286, King Rudolf fully invested Albert's father-in-law Count Meinhard with

2596-514: The heart of the city is the large and old Stiftskirche (also Protestant). All three have large pipe organs and occasionally host concerts. In Kaiserslautern there is an Islamic Centre for the Muslim communities situated in the centre of the city. The Ditib Fatih Camii is a Turkish mosque in Kaiserslautern. There is also a university prayer room at the University of Kaiserslautern. The city

2655-641: The lack of male-line heirs. King Ottokar was placed under the imperial ban ; and in June 1276 war was declared against him. Having persuaded Ottokar's former ally Duke Henry XIII of Lower Bavaria to switch sides, Rudolf compelled the Bohemian king to cede the four provinces to the control of the royal administration in November 1276. Rudolf then re-invested Ottokar with the Kingdom of Bohemia , betrothed one of his daughters to Ottokar's son Wenceslaus II , and made

2714-527: The last of the 1st Army crossed the Rhine at Remagen , the U.S. 80th Division , 319th Infantry, part of the 3rd US Army , seized Kaiserslautern without resistance. The city became part of the French occupation zone after the Second World War. The establishment of the state of Rhineland-Palatinate was ordered on 30 August 1946 as the last state in the western occupation zones by ordinance No. 57 of

2773-418: The latest sound and lighting technologies. The Kammgarn stands among the top venues in Germany and serves as a first-call club for rising groups and performers as well as established jazz, rock, blues and pop artists in Europe. Performances have included international stars B.B. King , Manfred Mann's Earth Band , Pat Metheny , Uriah Heep and Jan Garbarek. Gartenschau (garden exhibition) Better known as

2832-595: The most powerful prince and noble in southwestern Germany (where the tribal Duchy of Swabia had disintegrated, enabling its vassals to become completely independent). In the autumn of 1273, the prince-electors met to choose a king after Richard of Cornwall had died in England in April 1272. Rudolf's election in Frankfurt on 1 October 1273, when he was 55 years old, was largely due to the efforts of his brother-in-law,

2891-661: The seventh Elector, Rudolf gained all seven votes. Rudolf was crowned in Aachen Cathedral on 24 October 1273. To win the approbation of the Pope, Rudolf renounced all imperial rights in Rome , the papal territory, and Sicily , and promised to lead a new crusade by taking the crusader's vow in 1275. Pope Gregory X , despite the protests of Ottokar II of Bohemia, not only recognised Rudolf himself, but persuaded King Alfonso X of Castile (another grandson of Philip of Swabia ), who had been chosen German (anti-)king in 1257 as

2950-480: The suburbs of Basle and burnt down the local nunnery, an act for which Pope Innocent IV excommunicated him and all parties involved. As a penance, he took up the cross and joined Ottokar II, King of Bohemia in the Prussian Crusade of 1254 . Whilst there, he oversaw the founding of the city of Königsberg , which was named in memory of King Ottokar. The disorder in Germany during the interregnum after

3009-630: The successor to Count William II of Holland , to do the same. Thus, Rudolf surpassed the two heirs of the Hohenstaufen dynasty whom he had earlier served so loyally. In November 1274, the Imperial Diet at Nuremberg decided that all Crown estates seized since the death of the Emperor Frederick II must be restored, and that King Ottokar II must answer to the Diet for not recognising the new king. Ottokar refused to appear or to restore

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3068-594: The treasury"), which had the effect of negating their political freedoms. Along with many others, Rabbi Meir of Rothenburg left Germany with family and followers, but was captured in Lombardy and imprisoned in a fortress in Alsace . Tradition has it that a large ransom of 23,000 marks silver was raised for him (by the Rosh ), but Rabbi Meir refused it, for fear of encouraging the imprisonment of other rabbis. He died in prison after seven years. Fourteen years after his death

3127-449: The treaty of Utrecht it was restored to be part of the Palatinate. During the unquiet episodes in the 18th century, the Palatinate was the scene of fighting between French and German troops of different states. In 1713, the French destroyed Barbarossa's castle and the city's wall towers. From 1793 until Napoleon 's defeat at Waterloo in 1815, the area was under French administration. As French power declined after 1815, Kaiserslautern and

3186-408: The western approach to the city. Barbarossa's influence on Kaiserslautern remains today, in its nickname as a " Barbarossa city ". Local legends claim in 1497, a nearly 6 m long pike was caught in a lake, the Kaiserwoog, with a ring saying it was placed by Emperor Frederick II , personally in 1230, later finding its way onto the city's coat of arms. The Stiftkirche , Kaiserslautern's oldest church,

3245-451: Was constructed in 1250–1350. As the population of Kaiserslautern grew, King Rudolf von Habsburg chartered the town an imperial city in 1276. St. Martin 's Church was built in the 14th century, originally as a Franciscan monastery church. Today a section of the original city wall still stands in the courtyard of the church. By 1375, the city of Kaiserslautern was pledged to Electoral Palatinate and therefore became subsequently part of

3304-404: Was found, buried deeply and reportedly covered by water pipe, during a construction project in the downtown area of the city. On 5 September 2013, another WWII bomb was found during construction near the train station in Enkenbach-Alsenborn. In the late 1940s, Kaiserslautern area became the largest U.S. garrison outside the United States ( Kaiserslautern Military Community ). On 14 November 1956,

3363-407: Was founded in 1970. Industry flourished around the time of the first oil crisis (1973). In the 1970s, many industrial companies went through a crisis. In 1981, the spinning mill went bankrupt; Pfaff and Opel fired employees. The downsizing of the American garrison and the withdrawal of the French garrison cost more jobs. Kaiserslautern has a moderate climate with adequate rainfall year-round. It

3422-454: Was once the site of the magnificent Moorish Revival Kaiserslautern synagogue. Built in 1886, the synagogue's great dome could be seen from across the city skyline. The Nazi government forcibly demolished the synagogue on 31 August 1938. The reason provided for the synagogue's demolition was to create a route for a Nazi parade, but the event served as an example of the Nazis' underlying intentions including ethnic cleansing in The Holocaust , even

3481-402: Was the first Habsburg to acquire the duchies of Austria and Styria in opposition to his mighty rival, the Přemyslid king Ottokar II of Bohemia , whom he defeated in the 1278 Battle on the Marchfeld . The territories remained under Habsburg rule for more than 600 years, forming the core of the Habsburg monarchy and the present-day country of Austria . Rudolf played a vital role in raising

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