Rhineland-Palatinate

state of the Federal Republic of Germany

Rhineland-Palatinate (German: Rheinland-Pfalz, Rhine Franconian: Rhoilond-Palz) is one of 16 states (German: Bundesländer) of Germany. It has an area of 19,847 km2 (7,663.0 sq mi) and 4.073 million people living in it. The capital is Mainz.

Rhineland-Palatinate
Rheinland-Pfalz
Flag of Rhineland-Palatinate
Coat of arms of Rhineland-Palatinate
Position of the Rhineland-Palatinate within Germany
Position of the Rhineland-Palatinate within Germany
CountryGermany
CapitalMainz
Government
 • Minister PresidentAlexander Schweitzer (SPD)
 • Governing partiesSPD / FDP / Greens
Area
 • Total19,847.21 km2 (7,663.05 sq mi)
Population
 (31 December 2016)
 • Total4,073,280
 • Density210/km2 (530/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+1 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+2 (CEST)
Websiterlp.de

History

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Rhineland-Palatinate was created on 30 August 1947. It was formed from the northern part of the French Occupation Zone (the Rhenish Palatinate or German: pfalz which had been a part of Bavaria) as well as the southern parts of the Prussian Rhine Province, Birkenfeld which formerly belonged to Oldenburg, parts of the Prussian Province of Nassau (see Hesse-Nassau), and parts of Hesse-Darmstadt as well as Rheinhessen on the western banks of the Rhine.

The people of the new state voted to accept the boundary changes in a referendum on 18 May 1947.

Geography

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Rhineland-Palatinate borders on (from the north and clockwise) North Rhine-Westphalia (another German state), Hesse (another German state), Baden-Württemberg (another German state), France, Saarland (another German state), Luxembourg, and Belgium.

The main axis of the state is the Rhine river, that forms the border with Baden-Württemberg and Hesse in the southeast before running across the northern part of Rhineland-Palatinate. The Rhine Valley is bounded by mountains with some of the historically most significant places of Germany.

In the northwest there are the southern parts of the Eifel mountains. Farther south there is the Hunsrück mountain, which is continued by the Taunus mountains on the opposite side of the Rhine. The hilly lands in the south of the state are called the Palatine Forest (Pfälzerwald).

These mountains are separated from each other by the tributaries of the Rhine: the Moselle (Mosel), the Lahn and the Nahe.

Government

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Rhineland-Palatinate is a parliamentary democracy. Every five years, all Germans over the age of 18 elect the members of the Rhineland-Palatinate Parliament, German: Landtag. This regional parliament or legislature then elects the premier and confirms the cabinet members. Rhineland-Palatinate is the only German Bundesland (state) to have a cabinet minister for winegrowing.

Castles

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This is only some of the castles in Rhineland-Palatine:

 
Marksburg zu Braubach
 
Trifels
 
Schloss Stolzenfels
Name Place
Burg Arras Alf
Alte Burg Boppard
Reichsburg Cochem Cochem
Dahn Dahn
Festung Ehrenbreitstein Koblenz, Ehrenbreitstein district
Ehrenburg Brodenbach
Burg Eltz Münstermaifeld
Burg Falkenstein Falkenstein
Frauenburg Frauenberg
Hambacher Schloss Neustadt an der Weinstraße, Hambach district
Burg Hohenfels Imsbach
Burg und Schloss Idar-Oberstein Idar-Oberstein
Burg Lahneck Lahnstein
Burg Altleiningen Altleiningen
Marksburg Braubach
Burg Nassau Nassau
Nürburg Nürburg
Burg Olbrück Niederdürenbach
Burg Pfalzgrafenstein on an island in the Rhine, by Kaub
Burg Reichenstein Trechtingshausen
Burg Rheinfels Sankt Goar
Rheinstein Trechtingshausen
Schloss und Burg Sayn Bendorf
Schloss Bürresheim Sankt Johann, Mayen-Koblenz, Bürresheim district
Schloss Neuwied Neuwied
Schloss Stolzenfels Koblenz, Stolzenfels district
Schmidtburg Schneppenbach
Schönburg Oberwesel
Burg Sooneck Niederheimbach
Burg Stahleck Bacharach
Trifels Annweiler am Trifels
Schloss Montabaur Montabaur
Thurant Alken

Universities

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There are 7 universities and 13 "Fachhochschulen".

 
Fachhochschule Ludwigshafen

Politics

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The Ministers President since 1947:

Partnerships

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Administration

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Rhineland-Palatinate is divided into 24 districts, grouped into the three administrative regions: Koblenz, Trier and Rheinhessen-Pfalz.

Districts

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(with county code car plate)

 
Karte der Landkreise in Rheinland-Pfalz
  1. Ahrweiler (AW)
  2. Altenkirchen (AK)
  3. Alzey-Worms (AZ)
  4. Bad Dürkheim (DÜW)
  5. Bad Kreuznach (KH)
  6. Bernkastel-Wittlich (WIL)
  7. Birkenfeld (BIR)
  8. Cochem-Zell (COC)
  9. Donnersbergkreis (KIB)
  10. Eifelkreis Bitburg-Prüm (BIT)
  11. Germersheim (GER)
  12. Kaiserslautern (KL)
  1. Kusel (KUS)
  2. Mainz-Bingen (MZ)
  3. Mayen-Koblenz (MYK)
  4. Neuwied (NR)
  5. Rhein-Hunsrück-Kreis (SIM)
  6. Rhein-Lahn-Kreis (EMS)
  7. Rhein-Pfalz-Kreis (formerly LU, now RP)
  8. Südliche Weinstraße (SÜW)
  9. Südwestpfalz (PS)
  10. Trier-Saarburg (TR)
  11. Landkreis Vulkaneifel (DAU)
  12. Westerwaldkreis (WW)

Big cities

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  1. Mainz
  2. Koblenz
  3. Kaiserslautern
  4. Ludwigshafen
  5. Neuwied
  6. Landau
  7. Pirmasens
  8. Mayen
  9. Bad Kreuznach
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