Südliche Weinstraße is a district (Kreis) in the south of Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. Neighboring districts are (from west clockwise) Südwestpfalz, Bad Dürkheim, the district-free city Neustadt (Weinstraße), Rhein-Pfalz-Kreis, Germersheim, and the French departement Bas-Rhin. The district-free city Landau is completely surrounded by the district.

History

On May 27, 1832 the Hambacher Fest took place in the castle of Hambach, an event which marks the beginning of the German democracy. The district was formed in 1969 by merging the districts Landau and Bergzabern. At first the name of the new district was Landau-Bad Bergzabern, it was renamed to Südliche Weinstraße in 1978.

Geography

The district is named after the first touristic route built in Germany in the 1930s, the Deutsche Weinstraße (German wine route). It starts in Bockenheim , goes through Bad Dürkheim, Deidesheim , and after 85 kilometers ends in Schweigen-Rechtenbach (near Bad Bergzabern ).

The river Lauter forms part of the boundary with France in the south.

Coat of arms

The coat of arms is very similar to the one of the previous district Landau. In the top-left is the lion of the Palatinate. The white bar in the middle symbolizes the Weinstraße, the touristic route which gave the district its name. The bottom-right show two grapes, again symbolizing the route. The cross stands for Speyer, as the diocese of Speyer owned land in the district historically. The crown in the middle is taken from the coat of arms of the Bad Bergzabern district, symbolizing the Trifels and Annweiler areas.

Towns and municipalities

External links

• Official website (German)