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86-407: The municipality lies on a ridge in the southern Hunsrück between Rhaunen and Herrstein . Sulzbach borders in the north and northwest on the municipality of Rhaunen , in the east on the municipality of Bollenbach , in the southeast on the municipality of Wickenrodt , in the south on the municipality of Oberhosenbach and in the southwest on the municipality of Hottenbach . Sulzbach's church

172-533: A referendum except those in the administrative district of Palatinate won the necessary majority; however, almost 20 years passed before the referendums finally took place. On 19 January 1975, none of the regions concerned returned a majority for being transferred to another state. This put an end to decades of discussion. Only the AKK conflict , a dispute over the districts of Mainz-Amöneburg , Mainz-Kastel , and Mainz-Kostheim , has continued to exercise politicians up to

258-577: A Stumm organ can be found at the village church. It was the last one that Johann Michael Stumm ever made, and he donated it to his home village. There are regular concerts staged by the Sulzbach Stumm Organ Club ( Stummorgelverein Sulzbach ). Although the village has an agricultural character, it also lives off tourism (holidaymaking in the country or on the farm) and slate processing. Sulzbach does have its own slate mine, about

344-747: A cramp sable, and azure a range of eleven organ pipes argent. The charge above the line of partition is a reference to the village's former allegiance to the Waldgraviate-Rhinegraviate and indeed is the heraldic device once used in the Waldgravial-Rhinegravial court seal at Rhaunen. The charge below, the organ pipes, refers to the well known family Stumm, who came from Sulzbach. The following are listed buildings or sites in Rhineland-Palatinate ’s Directory of Cultural Monuments: A functional example of

430-652: A few examples of European wildcat or even the Eurasian lynx . Red fox , European badgers and pine martens are more commonly encountered. The best known mammal in the Hunsrück has become the barbastelle . It achieved notoriety when the presence of this rare species of bat delayed construction on the runway extension at Hahn Airport. In the numerous wet areas, amphibians , like the fire salamander , and insects have found ideal habitats. Meanwhile, in areas covered by dry grassland or scree, numerous reptiles like

516-407: A greater variety of plant species. Although the Hunsrück is not classified as a bird reserve, it is home to a wide variety of bird species: woodpeckers , birds of prey and song birds may be seen at all times of the year. Even the rare and shy black stork nests in the forests. The Hunsrück is rich in mammals; red deer , roe deer and wild boar are intensively hunted. Larger predators include

602-466: A kilometre from the village, where underground mining was once done, but owing to slate imports, mainly from Spain , only the processing is done nowadays. Hunsr%C3%BCck The Hunsrück ( German pronunciation: [ˈhʊnsʁʏk] ) is a long, triangular, pronounced upland in Rhineland-Palatinate , Germany . It is bounded by the valleys of the Moselle-Saar (north-to-west),

688-445: A recent cultivar , is the leading red grape cultivated on 7,626 hectares (18,840 acres), which is more than a third. Blauer Portugieser (4,446 hectares (10,990 acres)) and Spätburgunder (3,867 hectares (9,560 acres)) show also appreciable cultivated shares. In addition, Pinot blanc , Pinot gris , Chardonnay as white varieties and Regent and St. Laurent as red varieties have been increasing their share, as

774-595: A representative of Emperor Dom Pedro I of Brazil, and visited the Hanseatic cities , Frankfurt and many of the German courts. This mission sparked the first major wave of German emigrants to Brazil . Many of them were recruited by Schäffer from the Hunsrück, the northern and western parts of present-day Saarland and the Western Palatinate . The first immigrants from the Hunsrück settled in 1824 in what

860-513: A result of the increasing neglect and deprivation of parts of the population in Germany during the era of industrialization , an Inner Mission association was founded at the initiative of the Simmern pastor, and later superintendent, Julius Reuss , in Simmern, with the aim of building a rescue centre in the Hunsrück for children living in poverty. In 1851, an area between Simmern and Nannhausen,

946-616: A territory ruled by a side line of the counts Palatine. In the following years, Simmern became the most important residence of a noble family in the Hunsrück. Under Duke John II the town achieved supra-regional importance for a short time. After the Thirty Years' War , Louis XIV of France made reunification demands on several principalities in the Palatinate, the Hunsrück and the Eifel. He had his troops invade and thus precipitated

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1032-528: Is a common occasion. The deep Valleys of Rhine and Moselle with an oceanic climate (Köppen climate classification: Cfb ). Summers are hot and moist, while winters are cool. Freezing temperatures are rare and snow usually melts within hours. The mild climate allows palm trees , fig trees , stone pines , oleander shrubs, olive trees , almond trees and other exotic plants to be grown in this area. The forests in this region are home to common pests such as Melolontha Hippocastrani , that cause damage to

1118-491: Is a western state of Germany . It covers 19,846 km (7,663 sq mi) and has about 4.05 million residents. It is the ninth largest and sixth most populous of the sixteen states. Mainz is the capital and largest city. Other cities are Ludwigshafen am Rhein , Koblenz , Trier , Kaiserslautern , Worms , and Neuwied . It is bordered by North Rhine-Westphalia , Saarland , Baden-Württemberg and Hesse and by France, Luxembourg and Belgium . Rhineland-Palatinate

1204-633: Is around 100 km long (SW to NE) and an average of 25 to 30 km wide (NW to SE). Its perimeter is a heavily incised peneplain with elongated ridges in the south (the Hochwald , Idar Forest , Soonwald and Bingen Forest ). The range, which begins at the Saar in the southwest and, with breaks, reaches as far as the Rhine, climbs to its highest point in the Hochwald at the Erbeskopf (816.32 m),

1290-441: Is at the centre of the upland, equidistant between Mainz , Trier and Koblenz, co-named after the village of Hahn . Slate is still mined in the mountains. Since 2010, the region has become one of Germany's major onshore wind power regions. Large wind farms are near Ellern and Kirchberg. Nature-based tourism is widespread. In 2015, a new national park was inaugurated. The pedestrian Geierlay suspension bridge opened in

1376-541: Is now the Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul , near the city of São Leopoldo . Not until 1830 did the number of emigrants to Brazil begin to fall. The 1840s in Europe were marked by inflation, crop failures and a degree of social unrest, so that again (especially in 1846 and 1861) many people in Hunsrück decided to leave in two more waves of emigration, especially to North America and Brazil . In August 1846, it

1462-767: Is the most forested state along with Hesse. The state's major rivers are the Rhine, including the UNESCO World Heritage Site Middle Rhine , and the Moselle . Several crater lakes of volcanic origin are in the Eifel , the largest of which is the Laacher See . Climatically, Rhineland-Palatinate can be divided into two areas: The Rhenish Massif with a typically humid continental climate (Dfb). Summers here are usually warm with much precipitation and winters tend to be dry and cold. Snowfall

1548-581: Is the renowned Schloss Wachenheim Group. This company is headquartered in Trier, with operations in several locations in Rhineland-Palatinate and three sites in France (Compagnie Française des Grands Vins (CFGV)). Other renowned sparkling wine producers such as Kupferberg , Deinhard , and Henkell also had their roots in the region, but now belong to companies outside the state as

1634-585: The Gravettian (ca. 30,000–20,000 B.C.) sites in Heddesheim (in the municipality of Guldental ) and Brey (in the municipality of Rhens ) are the first settlements in the area around the Hunsrück. Other significant sites include the rather more recent Old Stone Age site of Nußbaum near Bad Sobernheim and the encampment of Late Palaeolithic deer hunters in Boppard, which was first discovered in 2001 by

1720-741: The Late Neolithic and belong to the Michelsberg culture . Up to 2007, numerous oval stone axes were discovered, especially in the Fore-Hunsrück ( Morshausen , Beulich and Macken ). Likewise, finds of flint arrowheads point to a Late Neolithic ( inter alia at Bell ) and very Late Neolithic ( Hirzenach ) settlement. Other finds from the Bronze Age prove that there was continual settlement (especially documented by graves and grave goods). A greater process of settlement took place in

1806-619: The Nine Years' War . In 1689 Kirchberg, Kastellaun, Simmern and the town and castle of Stromberg were set on fire. Then came the chaos of war, which led to the War of the Spanish Succession and which ended in 1713. In the following years, trade and commerce grew. In the Hunsrück the first industry was set up by the families of Hauzeur, Pastert and Stumm. They ran mining, processing and ore smelting businesses. These, in turn, spurred

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1892-792: The Pennsylvania Dutch , Maryland Palatines , Ohio Rhinelanders , and Missouri Rhinelanders . The state of Rhineland-Palatinate was founded shortly after the Second World War , on 30 August 1946. It was formed mainly from the southern part of the Prussian Rhine Province (the Regierungsbezirke of Koblenz and Trier ), from Rhenish Hesse , from the western part of Nassau and the Bavarian Rhenish Palatinate minus

1978-570: The Saar Protectorate until the latter was returned to German control in 1957. Rhineland-Palatinate's natural and cultural heritage includes the extensive Palatinate winegrowing region, picturesque landscapes, and many castles and palaces . Rhineland-Palatinate is currently the only federal state in Germany where nuclear weapons are stored extraterritorially under the responsibility and supervision of US forces . Several German-American ethnicities originated from this state, such as

2064-535: The Saarland from joining Rhineland-Palatinate. Mainz was named as the state capital in the regulation; the "Mixed Commission" ( Gemischte Kommission ), named as the highest organ of state charged with the administration of the new state and with the preparation of an advisory state assembly, started its work in Mainz. However war damage and destruction meant that Mainz did not have enough administrative buildings, so

2150-642: The Schmiedel , was acquired. There, the first building was erected as a "mother house" ( Mutterhaus or domus materna ), which opened on 13 September 1851 with a householder and twelve boys. Even today, the head offices of the Schmiedel organization remain on the site. After the Franco-Prussian War of 1870/1871 and the foundation of the German Reich under Prussia 's leadership, the so-called Gründerzeit began. Its success did not impact

2236-795: The Trechirgau , the southern part to the Nahegau . The Trechirgau was managed by the so-called Bertholds , the Nahegau by the Emichones . The capital of the Trechirgau, Trigorium , was in Treis .  The Hundesrucha is mentioned for the first time in a 1074 deed from Ravengiersburg Abbey . In the Middle Ages, the Hunsrück was territorially fragmented between the counts Palatine of

2322-702: The minister president of the new state by the French military government. Adolf Süsterhenn submitted to the Advisory State Assembly a draft constitution, which was passed after several rounds of negotiation on 25 April 1947 in a final vote, with the absolute majority of the CDU voting for and the SPD and KPD voting against. A point of contention involved the draft constitution providing for separate schools based on Christian denomination. On 18 May 1947, 53% of

2408-552: The slowworm and smooth snake have found a home. The viper does not occur in the Hunsrück. Finds such as stone axes indicate that the Hunsrück has been settled since the New Stone Age . Older discoveries, which prove that the area was either settled or crossed during the Old Stone Age , are rare. Middle Palaeolithic (ca. 200,000–400,000 B.C.) surface finds from Weiler bei Bingen are an exception. By contrast

2494-520: The "backbone" of the economy in Rhineland-Palatinate. The principal employer is the chemical and plastics processing industry, which is represented by BASF in Ludwigshafen . Boehringer , BioNTech , Joh. A. Benckiser , SGE Deutsche Holding, and Schott Glassworks conclude the top five companies in the state. Rhineland-Palatinate is Germany's leading producer of wine in terms of grape cultivation and wine export. Its capital, Mainz, may be called

2580-697: The 20th-century life of a small fictional village in the Hunsrück. The electronic music festival Nature One is held at the Pydna missile base in Kastellaun . Rhineland-Palatinate Rhineland-Palatinate ( / ˌ r aɪ n l æ n d p ə ˈ l æ t ɪ n ɪ t , - l ə n d -/ RYNE -land pə- LAT -in-it, -⁠lənd- , US also /- ɪ n eɪ t / -⁠in-ayt ; German: Rheinland-Pfalz [ˈʁaɪnlant ˈpfalts] ; Luxembourgish : Rheinland-Pfalz [ˈʀɑɪnlɑm ˈpfɑlts] ; Palatine German : Rhoilond-Palz )

2666-736: The ARRATA Archaeology Society. In 2014, Late Palaeolithic rock carvings similar to those from southern France and Spain were found in the Hunsrück. They were portraits of animals, especially horses, about 25,000 years old carved into a 1.2 m² slab of slate. The oldest witnesses from the New Stone Age are dated to no later than the Middle Neolithic , relics of the so-called Rössen culture (whose sites include Biebernheim and Reckershausen ). The majority of finds, especially of stone axes date, however, to

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2752-461: The Americans to the French. To begin with, the French divided the region provisionally into two "upper presidiums" ( Oberpräsidien ), Rhineland-Hesse-Nassau (for the hitherto Prussian government districts and regions of Koblenz , Trier , and Montabaur ) and Hesse-Palatinate (for the hitherto Bavarian Palatinate and old Hessian-Darmstadt province of Rhenish Hesse ). The formation of the state

2838-714: The Constitutional Court and the State Archives. In addition, the German Federal Archives and Federal Office of Hydrology were established in Koblenz in 1952. A sense of community developed only very gradually in the "land of the retort", which had been established largely without regard to the historical affiliations of its inhabitants. It was given little chance of survival, especially as it had very few large industrial centres. However,

2924-805: The Early Iron Age ( Hallstatt period ) with the Laufeld culture and in the La Tène period (5th– 1st century B.C.) with the Hunsrück-Eifel culture , which has been linked with the Celts . Examples of this culture include the coach grave of Bell, the Waldalgesheim prince's grave , the circular rampart of Otzenhausen , the Pfalzfeld obelisk , the upland settlement of Altburg in

3010-661: The Hahnenbach valley and the numerous fields of tumuli . At that time, the Hunsrück was the tribal area of the Treveri . Between about 50 BC and AD 400 the Romans opened up the Hunsrück by building a dense network of roads. The best known relic of this is the Via Ausonia . Numerous finds of Roman farms ( Villa Rustica ), settlements, like the vicus Belginum , and military structures point to an almost total settlement of

3096-526: The Hunsrück Highway, 140 kilometres long, in just 100 days. Supply depots and airfields were built in the woods on both sides of the road. In the Second World War and post-war period, two places in the Hunsrück rose to notoriety: Hinzert concentration camp and Bretzenheim POW camp , the so-called "Field of Misery". In 1946, most of the Hunsrück became part of the new state of Rhineland-Palatinate , with small elements around Nonnweiler going to

3182-508: The Hunsrück children are taught the boundaries of the Hunsrück using the following rhyme: "Mosel, Nahe, Saar und Rhein schließen unsern Hunsrück ein." ("Moselle, Nahe, Saar and Rhine enclose our Hunsrück") The following table lists the highest mountains and hills of the Hunsrück by sub-range (Osburger and Schwarzwälder Hochwald, Idar Forest, Haardt Forest, Soonwald, Bingen Forest and Lützelsoon) and height in metres above sea level (NN) : Despite, in places, intensive agricultural or timber use,

3268-599: The Hunsrück in the late 18th century. In 1792, as a result of the French Revolution and the seizure of power by Napoleon , French troops once again invaded the territories west of the Rhine and annexed them during the French period . After the defeat of Napoleon at Waterloo in 1815, most of the Hunsrück was reallocated at the Congress of Vienna to Prussia 's Rhine Province . Parts of today's Birkenfeld and

3354-816: The Hunsrück is formed by the Hunsrück Plateau and the Simmern Bowl. In the northwest the Hunsrück is bounded by the Moselle river and in the east by the Rhine . Its northeasternmost tip is thus formed by the Deutsches Eck . The Nahe – on the edge of the Bingen Forest , the Soonwald and the Lützelsoon – borders the mountains to the south. The Lower Naheland is not part of

3440-545: The Hunsrück region. They achieved this through the creation of dairy cooperatives , postal agencies and, in particular, through adult education . The First World War , the Occupation Period and inflation also had a serious impact on the economy of the Hunsrück and its inhabitants, but there were not the political tensions that arose in many places in the German Reich. A pioneer of industrialisation in

3526-469: The Hunsrück remains a landscape with a biodiversity , because many elements of the landscape can only be extensively utilised or even not used at all. The plant world of the Hunsrück is rich and varied. In the Soonwald there are over 850 species of ferns and flowers. The traditional forest monocultures are increasingly giving way, especially as a result of windthrow damage, to mixed woods , supporting

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3612-417: The Hunsrück until later, which is why many job seekers and even entire families went looking for work in the Ruhr area and migrated there. The Protestant pastor, later Prussian Landtag MP, Richard Oertel , founder of the Hunsrück Farmers' Union in 1892, and Albert Hackenberg , acting pastor in Hottenbach from 1879 to 1912, successfully worked to improve the economic, social and technological conditions in

3698-400: The Hunsrück was entrepreneur, Michael Felke . In 1919 he founded the Felke Möbelwerke , a company that produced and sold furniture in Central Europe until the late 1990s. It was one of the first major employers in the region. In 1938 and 1939, the German army became interested in the Hunsrück region as a strategic deployment route to the German-French border and the Siegfried Line , building

3784-429: The Hunsrück, a large part of it in Woppenroth , also known as Schabbach . In 2012, Reitz returned to the Hunsrück for the shooting of his film Die andere Heimat - Chronik einer Sehnsucht in the village of Gehlweiler . The film focuses on the Vormärz era in the mid-19th century and the waves of emigration from the Hunsrück to Brazil. The German television drama series Heimat , directed by Edgar Reitz , examined

3870-442: The Hunsrück, but belongs to the Upper Rhine Plain . The Idar Forest , the Hochwald and the Wildenburger Kopf adjoin the Hunsrück to the southwest. Here the Upper Nahe Hills rise in the shadow of the Hunsrück. The Osburger Hochwald , Schwarzwälder Hochwald and the rivers Saar and Ruwer form the western perimeter. Its southern continuation is formed by the Westrich and the North Palatine Uplands . The low mountain range

3956-480: The Nahe (south), and the Rhine (east). It is continued by the Taunus mountains, past the Rhine and by the Eifel past the Moselle. To the south of the Nahe is a lower, hilly country forming the near bulk of the Palatinate region and all of the, smaller, Saarland . Below its north-east corner is Koblenz . As the Hunsrück proceeds east it acquires north-south width and three notable gaps in its southern ridges . In this zone are multi-branch headwaters including

4042-452: The Prussian Rhine Province ), the parts of the Province of Rhenish Hesse ( Rheinhessen ) west of the River Rhine and belonged to the People's State of Hesse ( Volksstaat Hessen ), parts of the Prussian province of Hesse-Nassau ( Montabaur ), and the former Oldenburg region around Birkenfeld ( Principality of Birkenfeld ). On 10 July 1945, the occupation authority on the soil of the present-day Rhineland-Palatinate transferred from

4128-426: The Rhine , the archbishops of Trier , the counts of Sponheim and the successors of the Emichones (the Wildgraves , the Raugraves and the counts of Veldenz ). There were also a number of smaller dominions. Due to the multitude of dominions, many castles and customs stations were built, mainly between 11th to mid 14th century, which still shape the landscape today. In 1410 the Principality of Simmern emerged as

4214-449: The Saarland. During the Cold War until the early 1990s, the Hunsrück was home to numerous military airfields, ammunition dumps, command positions and missile sites. The most famous were Hahn Air Base , Pferdsfeld Air Base, the Börfink Command Bunker and the Pydna Missile Base . In 1986/87, as a result of the NATO Double-Track Decision , 96 cruise missiles , fitted with nuclear warheads , were to be stored at Pydna. On 11 Oct 1986, on

4300-495: The Simmerbach ending at Simmertal on the southern edge. This interior is therefore rarely higher than 450 metres (1,480 ft) above sea level. Peaks and escarpments are principally: the (Black Forest) Hochwald , the Idar Forest , the Soonwald , and the Bingen Forest . The highest mountain is the Erbeskopf (816 m; 2,677 ft), towards the region's south-west. Notable towns are Simmern , Kirchberg , and Idar-Oberstein , Kastellaun , and Morbach . Frankfurt-Hahn Airport

4386-522: The capital of the German wine industry, being the home of the German Wine Institute, the German Wine Fund in the Haus des Deutschen Weines (House of German Wine), and the Verband Deutscher Prädikatsweingüter (VDP) Wine Bourse, which brings together the top winemakers of Germany and the wine merchants of the world. Of 13 wine regions producing quality wine in Germany, six ( Rheinhessen , Pfalz , Mosel , Nahe , Mittelrhein , and Ahr ) are located in Rhineland-Palatinate, with 65 to 70% of

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4472-497: The center of Jewish life during medieval times. The Takkanot Shum ( Hebrew : תקנות שו"ם ), or Enactments of ShU"M were a set of decrees formulated and agreed upon over a period of decades by their Jewish community leaders. Today, there are approximately 20,000 Jews (0.5% of the population) living in the state. The gross domestic product (GDP) of the state was 147.0 billion euros in 2018, accounting for 4.4% of German economic output. GDP per capita adjusted for purchasing power

4558-412: The control of the Franks , to the control of the Holy Roman Empire , and saw fighting during the First and Second World Wars. The present state of Rhineland-Palatinate formed part of the French Zone of Occupation (1945–1949) after the Second World War. It comprised the former Bavarian Palatinate, the Regierungsbezirke ("government districts") of Koblenz and Trier (which formed the southern part of

4644-409: The county of Saarpfalz . The Joint German-Luxembourg Sovereign Region ( Gemeinschaftliches deutsch-luxemburgisches Hoheitsgebiet ) is the only unincorporated area of the state of Rhineland-Palatinate. This condominium is formed by the rivers Moselle , Sauer , and Our , where they run along the border between Luxembourg and Rhineland-Palatinate or the Saarland. The region has a vast history, from

4730-490: The east of the Rhine the crest of the Hunsrück is continued by the Taunus . Geomorphologically the Hunsrück bears great similarities to the Eifel , the Taunus and the Westerwald , which are also part of the Rhenish Massif . The Hunsrück hill road runs from west to east from Saarburg to Koblenz . A Roman military road , the so-called Via Ausonia also once ran through the mountains in an east-west direction and linked Trier with Bingen . In many primary schools in

4816-420: The electorate adopted the Constitution for Rhineland-Palatinate in a referendum . While the Catholic north and west of the new state adopted the constitution by a majority, the majority in Rhenish Hesse and the Palatinate voted against it. On the same date the first elections took place for the state parliament, the Landtag of Rhineland-Palatinate . The inaugural assembly of parliament took place on 4 June 1947 in

4902-464: The establishment of numerous military bases, both Allied and Bundeswehr , helped to some extent to boost the economy. In 1956, under Article 29 of the Basic Law for the Federal Republic of Germany , petitions were made in the regions of Koblenz, Trier, Montabaur, Rhenish Hesse, and Palatinate for their separation from the state and incorporation into the respective states of North Rhine-Westphalia, Hesse, Bavaria, and Baden-Württemberg. All petitions for

4988-403: The father of the Saarland ’s smelting industry. The later “iron barons” of the family Stumm dominated and characterized the Saar region's economic history for a good two hundred years. While Johann Nikolaus might have been said to concern himself with the “rougher” things in life as an industrialist, his younger brother, Johann Michael Stumm (born 1683) was rather one who concerned himself with

5074-477: The finer things in life. Johann Michael was a skilled goldsmith and a music lover, and became the founder of the Stumm organ -building “dynasty”. His last instrument, completed in 1746, is still in service at the church in his home village. The first Stumm organ ever built was installed in the church in the neighbouring village of Rhaunen in 1723. All together, Johann Michael Stumm and his descendants built roughly 370 organs in Sulzbach, installing them in churches in

5160-575: The foliage and soil. The Rhenish Massif forms roughly the northern half of the state, including the regions Eifel, Moselle Valley , Hunsrück , Westerwald , and parts of the Taunus . The Palatinate forms the biggest part of the southern half along with Rhenish Hesse . The Nahe Valley separates both parts. Rhineland-Palatinate is divided into 24 districts ( Landkreise ), 12 independent cities ( Kreisfreie Städte ). Listing with Vehicle registration plates of Germany Listing with Vehicle registration plates of Germany The following table shows

5246-535: The growing conditions improve in Rhineland-Palatinate. The state supports the wine industry by providing a comprehensive consultancy and education program in the service supply centers (German: DLR ) of the land. The Geilweilerhof Institute for Grape Breeding is fully financed by the state. Many well-known new varieties such as Morio-Muskat , Bacchus , Optima , and Regent have been created in these institutes. The worldwide leader in sparkling wine production, producing 224,4 million bottles in 2017/18,

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5332-450: The headquarters of the state government and parliament was provisionally established in Koblenz . On 22 November 1946, the constituent meeting of the Advisory State Assembly ( Beratende Landesversammlung ) took place there, and a draft constitution was drawn up. Previously, local elections had been held. Wilhelm Boden was (after a short term of office as the Oberregierungspräsident of Rhineland-Hesse-Nassau) nominated on 2 December as

5418-483: The highest peak in the Hunsrück and in the Rhenish Massif west of the Rhine. It continues to the NE as the Idar Forest with its highest peaks, An den zwei Steinen (766.2 m) and the Idarkopf (745.7 m). Its northeasternmost part is formed by the Soonwald (highest mountain: the Ellerspring , 656.8 m), the Lützelsoon ( Womrather Höhe , 599.1 m) and the Bingen Forest ( Kandrich , 638.6 m). All these ranges form an almost unbroken belt of forest. – To

5504-482: The honorary mayor as chairman. Sulzbach's mayor is Horst Schmäler. The German blazon reads: In geteiltem Schild oben in Gold ein rotes Fabeltier mit einem Wolfskopf und weit geöffneten Schwingen belegt mit einem schwarzen Wolfshaken, unten in Blau elf silberne Orgelpfeifen. The municipality's arms might in English heraldic language be described thus: Per fess Or a monster with a wolf's head and an eagle's body sans talons displayed gules, its breast charged with

5590-456: The large city hall at Koblenz . Wilhelm Boden was elected the first minister-president of Rhineland-Palatinate. Just one month later, Peter Altmeier succeeded him. The constitutional bodies – the Government ( Landesregierung ), the Parliament ( Landtag ) and the Constitutional Court ( Verfassungsgerichtshof ) – established their provisional seat in Koblenz. In the following period, Koblenz and Mainz each emphasized their suitability as

5676-452: The manufacture of implements for the house, farming and handicrafts: ovens, pans, boilers, weights, spades, nails, hammers, anvils, looms, spinning wheels and ammunition (cannonballs and shells weighing from 2 to 30 pounds). Leaders in the iron processing industry were the family of Stumm. Their progenitor, Christian Stumm, was a blacksmith in Rhaunensulzbach . Two of his sons were important entrepreneurs. Johann Nikolaus Stumm (1668-1743)

5762-422: The market place in Bell, what was probably the largest demonstration in the Hunsrück's history took place. Around 200,000 people, 95% of whom were not from the Hunsrück, peacefully protested against the deployment of the missiles. At the end of the day the "Hunsrück Declaration" was read out which called for a reversal of the security policy. This did not happen, however, the Cold War ended two years later anyway, and

5848-406: The missile based was closed on 31 August 1993, the land being acquired by the Kastellaun garrison authority. Likewise the US airbase at Hahn was transferred in 1993 to the German authorities and became a civilian facility, Frankfurt-Hahn Airport . The airport has expanded steadily since that time. In the early 1980s, the film director Edgar Reitz shot the first part of his trilogy Heimat in

5934-458: The northern Saarland belonged to the Oldenburg Principality of Birkenfeld until 1937. The economic situation in the Hunsrück became serious during the years 1815-1845. A poor harvest in 1815 was followed by the year without a summer in 1816; grain prices rose rapidly and 1817 became a year of famine. In September 1822, the Brazilian government sent Georg Anton Schäffer to Germany to recruit mercenaries and colonists . He arrived in 1823, as

6020-427: The option open of annexing further areas west of the Rhine after the Saarland was turned into a protectorate . When the Americans and British, however had led the way with the establishment of German states, the French came under increasing pressure and eventually followed their example by setting up the states of Baden , Württemberg-Hohenzollern, and Rhineland-Palatinate. However the French military government forbade

6106-409: The other ran straight over the Idarkopf to the Temple of Sirona in Hochscheid , and onwards to a junction in the Zolleiche district with the ancient Via Ausonia (or Ausoniusstraße in German ), which itself runs between Bingen and Trier . Heuchelheim market was also the location of a Celtic -Roman worship centre, which later served as the mediaeval Rhaunen high court's thingstead (the court

6192-524: The present day. Rhineland-Palatinate shares international borders with France ( Grand Est ), Luxembourg ( Clervaux , Diekirch , Echternach , Grevenmacher , Remich , and Vianden ), and Belgium ( Wallonia ). Within Germany, its neighbours are Baden-Württemberg , Hesse, North Rhine-Westphalia , and the Saarland . It is the ninth-largest state by area. Rhineland-Palatinate is part of the SaarLorLux euregion. With 42% of its area covered by forests, it

6278-399: The production of wine grapes in Germany having their origin within the state. About 13,000 wine producers generate 80 to 90% of the German wine export. The total estimated production from the six Rhineland-Palatinate regions was nearly 7 million hectoliters in 2018. Traditional grape varieties and a wide range of varieties developed during the last 125 years are characteristic for

6364-593: The region by the Romans. The final years of the 4th century saw the decline and fall of the Western Roman Empire . The Franks conquered the Roman territories and began to divide them up. This was the start of the great western and central European empire of Francia . In the mid-8th century this was divided into gaus under Carolingian rule. The northern part of the present Hunsrück foreland belonged to

6450-651: The region whose limits are marked by Saarbrücken , Karlsruhe and the Middle Rhine . Right near Sulzbach lies the historical Heuchelheim marketplace at the fork in an ancient trade road between the Glan and the Moselle . This road was already in use in the Bronze Age , was expanded in Roman times and continued to be used on into the Middle Ages . One fork led by way of Rhaunen and Büchenbeuren to Enkirch , while

6536-448: The region. Classical white varieties are cultivated at 63,683 hectares (157,360 acres). These comprise the famous Rieslings 14,446 hectares (35,700 acres), Müller-Thurgau (8,663 hectares (21,410 acres)), Silvaner (3,701 hectares (9,150 acres)), and Kerner (3,399 hectares (8,400 acres)). The share of red varieties grew constantly during the last decades and amounts to 20,000 hectares (49,000 acres). Dornfelder ,

6622-454: The same year. The climate sees mists that rise most mornings. More rain than the German average is caused by a combination of an oceanic influence and relief precipitation . Culturally, the region is best known for its Hunsrückisch dialect and through depictions in the Heimat film series. The region saw great emigration in the mid-19th century, particularly to Brazil . The heart of

6708-614: The state capital in a public debate. From the beginning, Minister-President Altmeier pressed for Mainz as the capital because he knew that the south of the country, especially the Palatinate, would not accept Koblenz, which was far to the north and formerly Prussian. On 16 May 1950, the Landtag decided to relocate itself and the Landesregierung from Koblenz to Mainz. After the government and parliament moved to Mainz, many state authorities and courts remained in Koblenz, including

6794-633: The ten largest cities of Rhineland-Palatinate: In 2018, 40.3% of the population of the state adhered to the Roman Catholic Church and 26.8% to the Protestant Church in Germany ; 32.9% of the population was irreligious or adheres to other religions. Muslims made up 5.0% of the total. The league of ShUM-cities in the later Rhineland-Palatinate comprised the Jewish communities of Mainz, Speyer , and Worms , which became

6880-531: Was 33,100 euros or 110% of the EU27 average in the same year. The GDP per employee was 102% of the EU average. Rhineland-Palatinate leads all German states with an export rate around 50%. Important sectors are the winegrowing , chemical , pharmaceutical , and auto parts industries . "Distinctive regional industries" includes gemstones , ceramics and glass, and leather. Small and medium enterprises are considered

6966-468: Was a smeltery owner and his sons, Johann Ferdinand, Friedrich Philipp and Christian Philipp Stumm , bought the Neunkirchen ironworks on 22 March 1806, part of today's Saarstahl AG. Johann Michael Stumm (1683-1747) was the founder of an organ building workshop . The notorious robbers, Johannes Bückler (known as Schinderhannes ) and Johann Peter Petri ( Black Peter ) brought insecurity to

7052-438: Was an administrative body as much as it was a judicial one). In 1829, the plot was still known as Galgenfeld (“Gallows Field”). Sometime after 1870, its appearance was enhanced with the planting of some trees in a Kaisergarten (“Emperor’s Garden”). Today it is a place for picnicking and recreation. The council is made up of 8 council members, who were elected by majority vote at the municipal election held on 7 June 2009, and

7138-544: Was announced in Dunkirk , that free passage to Brazil would no longer be possible. At this time there were over 800 people waiting there. Prussia refused to give any assistance to the impoverished and helpless emigrants. They were transported from France in three warships to Algeria and settled in the villages of Stidia and Sainte-Léonie. Most of their descendants returned to France after the Algerian War in 1962. As

7224-447: Was consecrated by 1326, and its solidly built tower bears witness to its once having been a fortified church . Sulzbach's historical claim to fame stems from the birth of two industries of rather disproportionate importance to the village's size. Both also sprang from the same family. The Sulzbach village smith, Johann Nikolaus Stumm (born 1669), bought up several old Hunsrück hammermills and ran them with such great success that he became

7310-563: Was established in 1946 after World War II , from parts of the former states of Prussia (part of its Rhineland and Nassau provinces ), Hesse ( Rhenish Hesse ) and Bavaria (its former outlying Palatinate kreis or district), by the French military administration in Allied-occupied Germany . Rhineland-Palatinate became part of the Federal Republic of Germany in 1949 and shared the country's only border with

7396-541: Was ordained on 30 August 1946, the last state in the Western Zone of Occupation to be established, by Regulation No. 57 of the French military government under General Marie-Pierre Kœnig . It was initially called Rhenish-Palatinate ( Rheinpfälzisches Land or Land Rheinpfalz ); the name Rhineland-Palatinate ( Rheinland-Pfalz ) was first confirmed in the constitution of 18 May 1947. The provisional French government at that time wanted originally to leave

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