Do you remember learning about the "Electors Palatine" in history? Maybe, maybe not.

Do you remember what they were? Nor did I, until I moved here!

Let me explain …..

The Palatinate - a quiet corner of Germany

In the South West of Germany, bordering on France, there is a little-known area, mainly rural, unspoilt and yet with a reliable and serviceable infrastructure. It is the ideal place for enjoying pleasant countryside and walks, for good food and wine and large stretches of woodlands.

It is the Palatinate - in German "Die Pfalz". (pronounced Pffalts. In the local dialect it is pronounced Palts, but more about that later). The word comes from the type of government that ruled that area back in and after the middle ages. It means, basically, an area governed by the feudal lord, as opposed to a prince or monarch (the Electors Palatine mentioned above). It is in the German State of Rheinland-Pfalz (Rheno-Palatinate), which also includes similar rural regions such as the Eiffel and Westerwald and along the Rhine (with the picturesque towns of Bacharach, Rüdesheim and Bingen). However, this entry deals with the region to the South of that, spreading westwards from the Rhine...

Geography

The political State or Province of Rheinland-Pfalz is not synonymous with the geographical region of the Pfalz. This is a non-political division, approximately the Southern half of the Rheinland-Pfalz you will find on the map. It is distinguished by its countryside, but mainly by the mentality and dialect of its inhabitants.

To the West, the border is the German/French border, to the East the Rhine. (This often confuses the French, who think that France stretches to the Rhine in the East.) The tiny neighbouring State of Saarland is embedded into the West of Rheinland-Pfalz halfway up, making that even closer to France. To the South, the countryside merges into the Black Forest. In France, to the West, the forests and mountains continue, and are known as the Vosges (German : 'Die Vogesen'). Two of the most famous and important towns in the Palatinate are Kaiserslautern - home of Pfaff sewing machines (who have now gone bankrupt) and the football club, and Ludwigshafen, home of the BASF. Mainz, Speyer, Worms and Landau are all in the Pfalz and have historical and cultural significance far outside the borders of the Pfalz and even Germany.

For further orientation, you might care to look for Heidelberg on a map and follow the Neckar back down to the Rhein. These two rivers meet in Mannheim. Mannheim which is not officially in the Palatinate, as it is on the other side of the Rhine, although the palace of the electors Palatine is there (now houses the University). Spreading left from the Rhein just North and South of Mannheim is the Palatinate, and a further search will show you the towns mentioned above. Failing that, hitch a ride on Air Force One next time the President comes.

The climate is very mild, but varies from 'muggy' in the Rhine valley, especially in the summer, where smog warnings are not unknown after several hot dry days, (use of cars is limited) up to 'fresh' in the mountainous parts, graduating away from the valley, up to 900 m. The Rhine valley in particular, usually averages 3 -5 °C above the temperatures of the surrounding areas.

History

Being a border area, the history is full of conflicts and battles - this is reflected in the large number of ruined castles scattered all through the forests of the Palatinate. Part of the time the area was under French rule, part of the time it was German, a fate it shares with its neighbour, Alsace, which is now in France. During the Occupation of the Allies from 1945 to 1990 the area was mainly in the French zone, with parts of it in American hands (Kaiserslautern was a major base; Ramstein, the airbase used these days by American Presidents on their way to the Near and Middle East is also in the Pfalz)

Worms is approximately the place where Siegfried and the Nibelungen are reputed to have hung out. The local buildings, monuments and streets reflect these legends, with names like Nibelungen- or Rheingold- being used for streets, schools, chemists or stadiums. Of course, the town is more famous for the Diet of Worms, which took place in 1521 when King Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor, called Martin Luther to talk on his theses, a confrontation which turned out unfavourably for Luther.

The area was favoured by the kings, princes and bishops who ruled at the time of the Crusades. Building work on the famous Cathedrals of Speyer and Worms started in the 11th Century. They took several hundreds of years to build, but are still basically in the uncluttered Romanesque style, typically red in colour due to the prevailing local sandstone.

In the days where Church and monarchy were almost one and the same thing, in the Holy Roman Empire, Speyer was what could be called the capital of Germany. To this day you can see the Salian Emperors' (1024-1125) last resting places in the architecturally impressive crypt of the Cathedral in Speyer. Both Speyer and Mainz have Catholic Bishops, although they are relatively close together.

Despite - or maybe because of - this strong Catholic influence in the region, both Speyer and, of course, Worms, played an extremely significant role during the Reformation when Martin Luther and his teachings started to become known at the end of the 15th Century.

The Palatinate also boasts the 'cradle of German democracy' when in 1832 an uprising led to a huge gathering in Hambach, near Neustadt an der Weinstraße. At this meeting the red, gold and black flag was flown for the first time, and from that day on many reforms took effect, changing the political landscape over the whole of Germany.

Famous People from the Palatinate

The most famous native of the Pfalz (which makes him a 'Pfälzer') of recent times is Helmut Kohl, who comes from Oggersheim, a suburb of Ludwigshafen, and was Chancellor from 1983 to 1998 - during Perestroika and the reunification of Germany, the Gulf War and the latest very disputed 'Rechtschreibreform' - when the German language was given new rules which no one understands, particularly with regard to spelling and the use of capital letters.

Many Americans turn out to have been born in the Palatinate on one of the American bases, and have found it is a good selling point for the large and wealthy German public. Bruce Willis springs to mind (well, he usually does anyway, in my case), and the mother of Eva Cassidy (of recent fame, the female singer who posthumously shot up the charts) also comes from the area, Bad Kreuznach.¹

Dialect

The language has absorbed copious French words and a German coming from the North will have difficulty understanding a local Pfälzer.(This is, of course mutual). Some French words still in use are "Trottoir" (pavement), "Porte-monnaie" (purse) and "Chaise" (a baby's pram).

The pronunciation is very wide and at the same time the consonants are soft. The "F" in words such as "Pfalz" is not pronounced, the "n"s at the end of words is always left off. (Infinitives and many adjectives end in "n"). An "e" at the end of a word is pronounced "ee" and almost all vowels are very different from the proper German pronunciation. These vary so much even from village to village, that it is difficult to give any examples. People who speak with a strong accent may be able to manage normal German, however, and the standard of English spoken is high. It is quite rare to find someone who speaks French, contrary to what you might expect.

However, should you cross the border into Alsace, you will find that anyone over 50 will speak German (the local patois, Alemannisch, is more German than French) as a matter of course, and anyone over 20 will speak German as a second language. Most children also understand it thanks to their grandparents.

The Pfälzer are very proud of their dialect and humour and you will find many books explaining the language - even some Pfälzisch-English dictionaries. They have local heroes of literature who write poetry and prose in the language, comedians, and dialect competitions for all the amateur poets, standup comedians and writers. Each tiniest village has an amateur dramatics society which puts on their own play in dialect, once a year, and often written by a member of the society.

Specialities

The area is first and foremost a wine-growing area. However, the beer is quite passable and it also prides itself on vegetables of all sorts, particularly potatoes, onions and other root vegetables. In May and June the asparagus is in season. In Germany this is grown and eaten white. In the summer, the tobacco ripens, and the leaves are picked individually and hung up in large barns to dry.

The sandy soil is not so good for fruit trees, but these are also cultivated in a similar way to the vines - low-growing trees in rows in spalier formation, so that the area is at least self-sufficient in apples, plums, etc.

Typical grapes include:

• Morio Muskat - very sweet

• Müller-Thurgau - a very distinctive taste, a little sweet

• Riesling - an all purpose white wine, now also used for making a serviceable sparkling wine

• Scheurebe - literally "Shy Grape" - a dry and tasty white wine, somewhat drier than the Riesling

• Kerner - a fruity white wine, not too sweet

• Sylvaner - also an all-purpose, dryish white wine

• Portugieser Weißherbst - a delicious rosé

• Dornfelder - a fabulous red wine, can compete with the French or Italian wines, has recently become deservedly very fashiohable

• Dunkelfelder - a thick fruity red wine - the ultimate in decadance

At higher altitudes, the soil is better and the newspapers always show pictures of the first almond blossoms of the year, or spectacular displays of cherry or apple orchards in flower.

In the autumn, when most of these products are harvested, it is usual to serve the following strange mixtures: - potato soup WITH plum cake (a flat cake more like a pizza with a yeast dough base and covered with slices of plum) - a drink of the first wine pressed accompanied by an onion cake - a kind of quiche or flan, again with a yeast base and a thick covering of onions, cream, bacon, etc). As the wine is usually quite potent in the first throes of fermenting, this can be quite an 'explosive' meal.

The Palatinate boasts many gourmet restaurants, notably the "Schwarzer Hahn" in Deidesheim where Helmut Kohl, when he was Chancellor, would entertain heads of State. The most famous speciality a Pfälzer butcher can sell is the "Saumagen". This is none other than stuffed pig's stomach, so it is a cousin to the haggis in a way. The pig's stomach is stuffed with various bits of offal and meat and seasoned with lots of marjoram and various other locally grown herbs. It is cut into slices the thickness of a man's thumb and fried and served with potatoes, either fried or boiled.

How to spend time when you visit the Palatinate

Hiking

The large areas of unadulterated woodland call for hikes - long, short, steep, whichever suits you. Of course, the Germans wouldn't be the Germans if they hadn't long since organised this activity. The Pfälzerwaldverein is a large association of hikers who go on organised trips on foot through the woods. The really serious ones can attain medals for walking certain distances. While the idea of doing it in groups may not be to many people's taste, this Association serves the further purpose of providing maps, servicing huts, providing cheap food and drink along the way, and marking out routes (usually little coloured lines or circles on trees, rocks and posts). See the section on the Palatinate in the entry on Great Walks

Wine tasting

In each tiny village there are usually at least half a dozen vintners ready to serve you wine and extremely happy to sell you a few crates. Don't worry, it is really cheap, and, as you've tasted it, you know what you're getting! On the increase are "Biowinzer" - vintners who have chosen to use less chemicals and are producing plenty of wine - they can sell at just as reasonable prices. Cheap is around DM 5 per bottle, very good is DM 15, very expensive is DM 25, but you'd have a job to find many over DM 10.

At any time of year, some village will be having a fest to celebrate its local wine or other produce. There is the "Rettichfest" (horseradishes) in Schifferstadt, the Strohhutfest (straw hats) in Frankenthal, the Brezelfest (pretzels - see the entry on German Bread) in Speyer, or the Backfischfest (fried fish) in Worms. One of the sights to visit in Bad Dürkheim is the giant barrel which now houses a restaurant.

Enjoy a civilised football match

The only team the Palatinate has in the German First Division is FC Kaiserslautern. They are, however, renowned for the fairness of their fans and the cheerful atmosphere in their Stadium (Fritz-Walter-Stadion). Many families have season tickets and even the children are infected by the Red Devils. The club has had its ups and downs, but in recent years has featured in European Championships, and one or two famous German national football players have come from its ranks. Football is played from approximately September to May, with the team playing at home every other Saturday.

Skiing

There are a couple of resorts which offer skiing and some great tobogganing, but only for a very limited time - snow is not guaranteed.

Canoeing/Rowing

The Rhine meanders along the Eastern side of the Palatinate. At the end of the 19th Century it was straightened out, to facilitate the transport of goods along the waterways. The oxbow lakes and large stretches of water that remained are areas of great interest to naturalists, and offer all kinds of water for canoes and rowing boats. You can also row, sail or paddle up the Rhine itself, but the water is not terribly nice if you fall in.

Celebrate

The Carnival season, (known as Fasching in the Palatinate, is celebrated with great gusto. Most famous is the broadcast from Mainz of the variety show with many very high quality acts and the usual politically satirical speeches in rhyme.

Why go there?

This is the perfect place for a quiet, and very cheap holiday. If you don't have to come on business (maybe to Mannheim, Ludwigshafen, Karlsruhe, Kaiserslautern) or if you aren't an American airman, you have the choice of coming simply for a holiday. Bring walking shoes, and check out the lovely old towns, or the Roman ruins, drink wine and eat as much as you can, admire the scenery and get to know the people. Make sure you've got a ticket back, or you might be tempted to stay!