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Rheinhessen-Pfalz offers a variety of vacation pleasures to the visitor.
Rheinhessen is the northern part of the region, consisting of the two districts Mainz-Bingen and Alzey-Worms. The remaining eight districts make up the Palatinate (Pfalz).
Rheinhessen has two attractions: the vineyards and the three cities Mainz, Worms and Speyer.
The vineyards on the left bank of the Rhine between Worms and Bingen make up the largest of the 13 wine-producing regions of Germany. Its principal wine products are Müller-Thurgau, Riesling and Silvaner.
Mainz, the largest of the three cities and capital of Rhineland-Palatinate (Rheinland-Pfalz), is located at the commercially important juncture of the Main and Rhine rivers. It was a military stronghold in Roman Times. Its cathedral was first constructed in the 10th century. In the 15th, it was the home of Johannes Gutenberg when he printed his first books, including the famous Gutenberg Bible.
Worms was a Roman garrison town and later the locale of the events depicted in the Nibelungenlied. The Worms cathedral is a fine specimen of Romansque architecture.
Speyer, the smallest of the three cities was a Roman settlement as well. Later, in the middle ages, the bishops bacame the effective local rulers. In 1990, Speyer celebrated its 2000 year anniversary. It has become an important center of tourism.
In the middle ages, Mainz, Worms and Speyer had a significant Jewish presence. They became flourishing centers of Jewish learning where great rabbinical leaders were recognized as authorities by all of Ashkenazic Jewry. They produced the Takkanot Shum, a compendium of rules and legal decisions. Shu'm is the Hebrew acronym for the three cities.
The eight southern districts make up the Palatinate (Pfalz). Its wine-growing region is number 2 in size among Germany's 13 regions. The 50mile long Deutsche Weinstraße (German Wine Route) starts at Bockenheim in the North and ends at the French border. It is the centerpriece of the Ferienregion (Vacation Region) of the same name.
Kaiserslautern, Pirmasens and Zweibrücken are the three urban centers. Kaiserslautern, a city of 100,000. is NATO military headquarters. Americans call it K-Town. Pirmasens is famous as a shoe producer, Zweibrücken for diverse manufacuring.
West of the wine-growing region is the Palatinate Forest (Pfälzerwald), Germany's largest forest area. The local Natur Park is a favorite destination for hikers.
The Rheinhessen-Pfalz Region is divided into ten districts (Kreise) as shown in the map below. Towns and cities are listed in the "Hotels" section of this page by district and hotel information is accessed by clicking on the location of interest.
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