Rhineland-Palatinate

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Coordinates: 49°54′47″N 07°27′00″E / 49.91306°N 7.45000°E / 49.91306; 7.45000
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Not to be confused with North Rhine-Westphalia.
This article is about the German state. For the historical territory of the Elector of the Palatinate, see Electoral Palatinate. For the 19th-century territory, see Circle of the Rhine. For the Rhenish Palatinate, see Palatinate (region).
"Rheinland-Pfalz" redirects here. For the ships, see German frigate Rheinland-Pfalz.

Rhineland-Palatinate
Rheinland-Pfalz (
Palatine German)
State
NUTS Region
DEB
HDI (2021)0.929[2]
very high · 11th of 16
Websitewww.rlp.de Edit this at Wikidata

Rhineland-Palatinate (

Palatine German: Rhoilond-Palz) is a western state of Germany. It covers 19,846 km2 (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.[3] It is bordered by North Rhine-Westphalia, Saarland, Baden-Württemberg and Hesse and by France, Luxembourg and Belgium
.

Rhineland-Palatinate was established in 1946 after

winegrowing region, picturesque landscapes, and many castles and palaces.[4]

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 the Pennsylvania Dutch, Maryland Palatines, Ohio Rhinelanders, and Missouri Rhinelanders
.

History

Minister-president Peter Altmeier at the Rittersturz Conference in 1948
The Peter Altmeier Monument in Koblenz

The state of Rhineland-Palatinate was founded shortly after the

Rhenish Palatinate minus 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.[3] The region has a vast history, from the control of the Franks, to the control of the Holy Roman Empire
, and saw fighting during the First and Second World Wars.

Emergence

The present state of Rhineland-Palatinate formed part of the

Birkenfeld (Principality of Birkenfeld
).

On 10 July 1945, the

state in the Western Zone of Occupation to be established, by Regulation No. 57 of the French military government under General Marie-Pierre Kœnig.[5] 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.[6]

The

minister president
of the new state by the French military government.

Early years

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 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 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 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.[7][8][failed verification] After the government and parliament moved to Mainz, many state authorities and courts remained in Koblenz, including the Constitutional Court and the State Archives. In addition, the German Federal Archives and Federal Office of Hydrology were established in Koblenz in 1952.

Consolidation

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, 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 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 the present day.

Geography

Rhineland-Palatinate shares international borders with France (

SaarLorLux
euregion.

With 42% of its area covered by forests, it is the most forested state along with Hesse.[9] 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 is a common occasion.

The deep valleys of

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 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.[10]

Politics

Main article: Politics of Rhineland-Palatinate

Administration

Rhineland-Palatinate is divided into 24 districts (Landkreise), 12 independent cities (Kreisfreie Städte).

Districts and district-free cities of Rhineland-Palatinate

Districts

Listing with Vehicle registration plates of Germany

  1. Ahrweiler
    (AW)
  2. Altenkirchen (Westerwald)
    (AK)
  3. Alzey-Worms
    (AZ)
  4. Bad Dürkheim
    (DÜW)
  5. Bad Kreuznach
    (KH)
  6. Bernkastel-Wittlich
    (WIL, BKS)
  7. Birkenfeld
    (BIR)
  8. Cochem-Zell
    (COC, ZEL)
  9. Donnersbergkreis (KIB, ROK)
  10. Eifelkreis Bitburg-Prüm
    (BIT, PRÜ)
  11. Germersheim
    (GER)
  12. Kaiserslautern
    (KL)
  13. Kusel
    (KUS)
  14. Mainz-Bingen
    (MZ, BIN)
  15. Mayen-Koblenz
    (MYK, MY)
  16. Neuwied
    (NR)
  17. Rhein-Hunsrück-Kreis (SIM, GOA)
  18. Rhein-Lahn-Kreis (EMS, DIZ, GOH)
  19. Rhein-Pfalz-Kreis (RP)
  20. Südliche Weinstraße
    (SÜW)
  21. Südwestpfalz
    (PS, ZW)
  22. Trier-Saarburg
    (TR, SAB)
  23. Vulkaneifel
    (DAU)
  24. Westerwaldkreis (WW)

Independent cities

Listing with Vehicle registration plates of Germany

  1. Frankenthal (Pfalz)
    (FT)
  2. Kaiserslautern (KL)
  3. Koblenz (KO)
  4. Landau in der Pfalz
    (LD)
  5. Ludwigshafen am Rhein
    (LU)
  6. Mainz (MZ)
  7. Neustadt an der Weinstraße (NW)
  8. Pirmasens (PS)
  9. Speyer (SP)
  10. Trier (TR)
  11. Worms (WO)
  12. Zweibrücken (ZW)

Demographics

Historical population
YearPop.±% p.a.
18151,202,412—    
18351,614,684+1.48%
18711,832,388+0.35%
19052,434,505+0.84%
19392,959,994+0.58%
19503,004,784+0.14%
19613,417,116+1.18%
19703,645,437+0.72%
19753,665,777+0.11%
19803,642,482−0.13%
19853,615,049−0.15%
19903,763,510+0.81%
19953,977,919+1.11%
20014,049,066+0.30%
20113,989,808−0.15%
20224,094,169+0.24%
source:[11][12]
Selected foreign resident populations [13]
Nationality Population (31.12.2022) Population (31.12.2023)
 Turkey 59,630 61,880
 Romania 48,795 51,530
 Ukraine 52,460 51,300
 Syria 46,425 49,800
 Poland 44,635 44,715
 Italy 32,480 31,125
 Bulgaria 28,310 28,975
 Afghanistan 18,680 20,645
 Kosovo 14,530 15,665
 Croatia 16,600 15,645
 Luxembourg 12,195 11,815

Largest cities

See also: List of cities in Rhineland-Palatinate by population

The following table shows the ten largest cities of Rhineland-Palatinate:[14]

Pos. Name Pop. 2017 Area (km2) Pop. per km2
1 Mainz 215,110 98 2,201
2
Ludwigshafen am Rhein
 168,497 77 2,176
3 Koblenz 113,844 105 1,082
4 Trier 110,013 117 940
5 Kaiserslautern 99,684 140 714
6 Worms 83,081 109 764
7 Neuwied 64,661 87 748
8 Neustadt an der Weinstraße 53,353 117 456
9 Speyer 50,931 43 1,192
10 Bad Kreuznach 50,484 56 909

Vital statistics

[15]

  • Births from January–August 2016 = Increase 24,871
  • Births from January–August 2017 = Decrease 24,784
  • Deaths from January–August 2016 = Positive decrease 30,572
  • Deaths from January–August 2017 = Negative increase 32,167
  • Natural growth from January–August 2016 = Increase -5,701
  • Natural growth from January–August 2017 = Decrease -7,383

Religion

In 2018, 40.3% of the population of the state adhered to the

Muslims made up 5.0% of the total.[17]

Religion in Rhineland-Palatinate – 2018
religion percent
Roman Catholics
 
 40.3%
EKD Protestants
 
 26.8%
Muslims
 
 5.0%
Jewish
 
 0.5%
Other or none
 
 27.4%

Jewish culture

The league of

Speyer, and Worms, which became the center of Jewish life during medieval times.[18] 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.[19][20] Today, there are approximately 20,000 Jews (0.5% of the population) living in the state.[21][22]

Economy

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 was 33,100 euros or 110% of the EU27 average in the same year. The GDP per employee was 102% of the EU average.[23]

Industry

Rhineland-Palatinate leads all German

Joh. A. Benckiser, SGE Deutsche Holding, and Schott Glassworks conclude the top five companies in the state.[3]

Agriculture and viticulture

Rhineland-Palatinate is Germany's leading producer of wine in terms of grape cultivation and wine export. Its capital, Mainz, may be called 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.[24]

Of 13 wine regions producing quality wine in Germany, six (

Mosel, Nahe, Mittelrhein, and Ahr) are located in Rhineland-Palatinate, with 65 to 70% of the production of wine grapes in Germany having their origin within the state.[25] 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.[26][27]

Traditional grape varieties and a wide range of varieties developed during the last 125 years are characteristic for 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, 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.[28]

In addition, Pinot blanc, Pinot gris, Chardonnay as white varieties and Regent and St. Laurent as red varieties have been increasing their share, as 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

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, 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)).[29]

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 a result of business consolidation.

Unemployment

The unemployment rate stood at 4.1% in October 2018 and was lower than the German average.[30]

Year[31] 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018
Unemployment rate in % 7.3 6.8 7.2 7.7 7.7 8.8 8.0 6.5 5.6 6.1 5.7 5.3 5.3 5.5 5.4 5.2 5.1 4.8 4.4

See also

References

  1. ^ "Bruttoinlandsprodukt, Bruttowertschöpfung | Statistikportal.de". Statistische Ämter des Bundes und der Länder | Gemeinsames Statistikportal (in German). Retrieved 31 July 2023.
  2. ^ "Sub-national HDI – Area Database – Global Data Lab". hdi.globaldatalab.org. Archived from the original on 23 September 2018. Retrieved 13 September 2018.
  3. ^ a b c d e f "State Facts of Rhineland-Palatinate". State of Rhineland-Palatinate. Archived from the original on 8 July 2015. Retrieved 26 September 2011.
  4. ^ Rheinland-Pfalz, Staatskanzlei. "english". rlp.de. Archived from the original on 18 February 2019. Retrieved 24 July 2017.
  5. ^ Newssheet of the French Higher Command in Germany, No. 35 (1946), p. 292 Archived 29 April 2018 at the Wayback Machine
  6. ^ "Verfassungen in Rheinland-Pfalz". Verfassungen der Welt (in German). Archived from the original on 14 December 2021. Retrieved 14 December 2021.
  7. ^ 16 May 1950. Mainz wird Regierungssitz von Rheinland-Pfalz. Archived 24 May 2011 at the Wayback Machine in: Landeshauptarchiv Koblenz
  8. ^ "Mainz statt Koblenz: 60 Jahre Hauptstadt". Fr-online.de (in German). 17 May 2010. Archived from the original on 27 September 2015. Retrieved 14 December 2014.
  9. ^ "Forest facts – German forestry – 300 yrs of sustainability campaign". www.forstwirtschaft-in-deutschland.de. Archived from the original on 16 June 2017. Retrieved 24 July 2017.
  10. ^ "Holiday regions in Romantic Germany". Gastlandschaften Rheinland-Pfalz. Archived from the original on 18 July 2018. Retrieved 24 July 2017.
  11. ^ "Statistisches Landesamt Rheinland-Pfalz, Bevölkerungsdichte". 27 December 2012. Archived from the original on 27 December 2012. Retrieved 14 December 2021.
  12. ^ "Germany: States and Major Cities".
  13. ISSN 1863-9100. Archived
    (PDF) from the original on 20 February 2020. Retrieved 20 February 2020.
  14. ^ "Rhineland-Palatinate (Germany): Counties, Cities and Communes – Population Statistics, Charts and Map". www.citypopulation.de. Archived from the original on 22 December 2018. Retrieved 21 December 2018.
  15. ^ "Bevölkerung". Statistische Ämter des Bundes und der Länder. Archived from the original on 17 June 2018. Retrieved 16 June 2018.
  16. ^ Evangelische Kirche in Deutschland – Kirchemitgliederzahlen Stand 31. Dezember 2018 Archived 19 February 2020 at the Wayback Machine EKD, January 2020
  17. ^ "Rheinland-Pfalz: Gespräche mit Islamverbänden". Süddeutsche Zeitung. 4 April 2019. Archived from the original on 24 October 2020. Retrieved 27 August 2020.
  18. ^ "ShUM-Sites Speyer, Worms, Mainz: Jewish heritage for the world". SchUM Städte e.V. Archived from the original on 11 January 2023. Retrieved 31 January 2023.
  19. ^ "Application for UNESCO World Heritage "ShUM Cities" > Stadt Worms". www.worms.de. Archived from the original on 7 November 2017. Retrieved 2 July 2017.
  20. ISSN 2195-1349. Archived
    from the original on 31 January 2023. Retrieved 31 January 2023.
  21. ^ "Jüdisches Leben blüht auf". Landesregierung Rheinland-Pfalz. 15 April 2014. Archived from the original on 18 May 2021. Retrieved 27 August 2020.
  22. ^ "Antisemitismusbeauftragter: Juden sind verunsichert". Die Welt. 22 May 2019. Archived from the original on 3 October 2023. Retrieved 27 August 2020.
  23. ^ "Regional GDP per capita ranged from 30% to 263% of the EU average in 2018". Eurostat. Archived from the original on 17 April 2020. Retrieved 7 March 2020.
  24. ^ Viniculture and industry Archived 18 February 2019 at the Wayback Machinetitle at:Rhineland-Palatinate – in the middle of Europe, retrieved 1 November 2017
  25. ^ Mainz Archived 22 March 2017 at the Wayback Machine|Rheinhesse description on the pages of great wine capitals, retrieved 1 November 2017
  26. ^ "Summary of German Wine Institute (DWI) 2018 report". Archived from the original on 12 February 2020. Retrieved 12 February 2020.
  27. ^ "Weinbauland Rheinland-Pfalz auch beim Ökowein spitze – Griese fordert: Kaliumphosphonat wieder für Ökoweinbau zulassen". mueef.rlp.de. Archived from the original on 7 May 2021. Retrieved 2 July 2017.
  28. ^ Cultivated grape varieties in Rhineland-Palatinate 2005 Archived 6 February 2008 at the Wayback Machine publisher: Statistical Office of Rhineland-Palatinate.
  29. ^ "Financial Report Geschäftsbericht 2017/2018" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 28 July 2019. Retrieved 28 July 2019.
  30. ^ "Arbeitslosenquote nach Bundesländern in Deutschland 2018 | Statista". Statista (in German). Archived from the original on 27 June 2021. Retrieved 13 November 2018.
  31. ^ (Destatis), © Statistisches Bundesamt (13 November 2018). "Federal Statistical Office Germany – GENESIS-Online". www-genesis.destatis.de. Archived from the original on 13 November 2018. Retrieved 13 November 2018.

Further reading

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Rheinland-Pfalz.
Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Rhineland-Palatinate.

49°54′47″N 07°27′00″E / 49.91306°N 7.45000°E / 49.91306; 7.45000

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