Kaiserslautern

This is the article about the city, for the district see Kaiserslautern (district)

Kaiserslautern^ⓘ is a city in southwest Germany, located in the Bundesland of Rheinland-Pfalz at the edge of the Palatine Forest (Pfälzer Wald). The historic center dates to the 9th century and is within easy reach of Paris (459 kilometres) and Luxembourg (159 kilometres).

Kaiserslautern is home to 99,469 people. In the city and its surrounding district (Landkreis Kaiserslautern) live an additional approximately 30,000 NATO military personnel members (mainly American), who often call the city K-Town.

History

Prehistoric settlement in the area of what is now Kaiserslautern has been traced to at least 800 B.C. Some 2,500-year-old Celtic tombs were uncovered at Miesau, a town about 29 kilometres west of Kaiserslautern. The recovered relics are now in the Museum for Palatinate History at Speyer.

Kaiserslautern received its name from the favorite hunting retreat of Holy Roman Emperor Frederick Barbarossa who ruled the Holy Roman Empire from 1155 until 1190. The Lauter was then an important river that made the old section of Kaiserslautern an island in medieval times. Ruins of Frederick's original castle, built 1152–1160, can still be seen in front of the Rathaus (city hall). A second castle, Nanstein Castle, was built at Landstuhl to guard the western approach to the city. Because of the influence Frederick Barbarossa had on the town, it is nicknamed a "Barbarossa town".

The Stiftkirche, Kaiserslautern's oldest church, was constructed in 1250–1350. As the population of Kaiserslautern grew, Emperor Rudolf von Habsburg chartered the town in 1276. St. Martin's Kirche (church) was built from 1300–1350 for an order of monks. Today a section of the original city wall still stands in the courtyard of the church.

In 1519, Franz von Sickingen became the owner of Nanstein Castle. He became a Protestant, and in 1522 Nanstein was a stronghold for local nobles favoring the Reformation. Sickingen and the local nobles began their battle against the Archbishop of Trier; but the attack was unsuccessful, and they retreated to Nanstein. Nanstein was then besieged by cannon-armed German Catholic princes. Sickingen died after the castle surrendered, and the Protestant nobility of the Palatinate were subdued by the Catholic princes.

Count of the Palatinate Johann Casimir, came to Kaiserslautern during the Thirty Years' War (1618–1648). Harsh Spanish occupation in 1621–1632 ended when Protestant Swedish armies liberated the area. But, in 1635, the ruthless Croatian troops of the Austrian emperor's army entered Kaiserslautern and killed 3,000 of the 3,200 residents in three days' plundering. Landstuhl was saved from a similar fate by surrendering without a fight. It took Kaiserslautern about 160 years to repopulate itself.

The trouble did not end with the Peace of Westphalia in 1648. The Elector of the Pfalz had difficulty with many of his subjects and ordered all castles, including Nanstein, destroyed. The French repeatedly invaded and occupied the area, residing in Kaiserslautern in 1686–1697. The entire Palatinate was the scene of fighting between French and German troops throughout the 18th century. In 1713, the French destroyed Barbarossa's castle and the city's wall towers. From 1793 until Napoleon's defeat at Waterloo in 1815, the area was under French administration.

As French power declined after 1815, Kaiserslautern and the Palatinate became a Bavarian province and remained so until 1918. After World War I, French troops again occupied the Palatinate for several years.

In World War II, more than 60% of Kaiserslautern was destroyed by bombs from Allied aircraft. The railway and several main roads were primary targets. The heaviest attacks occurred January 7, August 11, and September 28, 1944. Of the 20,000 homes, 11,000 were destroyed or damaged. The cemetery wall opposite Kleber Kaserne still bears shell marks of these raids.

On March 20, 1945, as the last of Omar Bradley's 1st Army crossed the Rhine at Remagen, the U.S. 80th Division, 319th Infantry, part of George Patton's 3rd Army, seized Kaiserslautern without resistance. The war was over for this area, but there was little reconstruction until the currency reform of 1948. The pace of the economy remained slow until 1952, when construction for newly established garrisons of American troops brought economic growth to the area.

The city's coat of arms is a red and white shield, with an open-mouthed carp on it. This was reportedly Frederick's favorite dish.

Sites and buildings

Today, Kaiserslautern is a modern center of information and communications technology as well as numerous well-known universities, international research institutes and technical colleges located throughout the city.

The Palatine Gallery is well worth a visit and dates from 1874 featuring exhibits of painting and sculpture from the 19th century to the present day.

Town Hall Kaiserslautern is one of the tallest buildings and is located in the city's downtown district. The bar and coffe-shop on the top floor provides a paranoramic views of the city and surrounding countryside.

The tallest building in the center of Kaiserslautern is Marienkirche, a Catholic church.

The television tower, in fact the highest structure in Kaiserslautern is not in the city center, but located at Dansenberg, a suburb in the southwest of the city.

Kaiserslautern's large botanical gardens feature a Japanese-style garden. Another unusual feature is the Waschmühle, an enormous 160-metre public swimming pool that is the largest in Europe. There are several pedestrian only shopping zones with numerous and varied restaurants and bars located in the downtown area surrounding the old city or Altstadt. In the Altstadt you will find the "Kaiserbrunnen", a large ornamental fountain in which various historically important features of the city are represented, including eg. a sewing machine - for the Pfaff-werke, a football, and various creatures, which children can climb on.

University of Kaiserslautern

University of Kaiserslautern was founded on 13 July 1970. Earlier, it was part of the twin University Trier/Kaiserslautern. It started with the faculties of Mathematics, Physics and Technology. Later many more faculties were added.

Culture and Sports

Pfalztheater Kaiserslautern Theatregoers have the chance to see plays, operas, ballets, concerts or musical at the local theatre Pfalztheater which employs more than 300 people and plays a notable role in the German theatre scene. The first German performance of West Side Story took place there. The arts in Germany is strongly supported by the government, thereby making ticket prices very reasonable. Pfalztheater Kaiserslautern hosts the most important award for Germanwriting drama authors, Else-Lasker-Schüler-Preis, which in 2003 was awarded to Austrian author Elfriede Jelinek, who won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 2004.

The Kammgarn The Kammgarn is classified as a historical site. Its buildings and courts served as a spinning factory before being transformed into the cultural heart of Kaiserslautern. This renovation has not removed the historical vestiges of the past but has carefully incorporated the latest sound and lighting technologies to create a unique vintage flavor which enhances the entertainment experience for all its patrons. Although it may be surprising to the uninitiated, the Kammgarn stands among the top venues in Germany and has had the honor to serve as a first-call club, for rising groups and performers as well as established jazz, rock, blues and pop artists wishing to enter the European market.

Past performances have included international stars like B.B. King, Manfred Mann's Earth Band, Pat Metheny, Uriah Heep and Jan Garbarek.

Gartenschau (Garden exhibition) Better known as the 'Dino Park' because of its lifesize dinosauer models, the Gartenschau is open from April through October. This is a fantastic destination, especially for families with kids. Having begun as a series of botanical displays, enjoying big success of the first State Garden Exhibition of Rhineland-Palatinate in Kaiserlautern in 2000, this 54 acre park has been transformed into one of the most multi-dimensional cultural centers in Germany.

Fritz Walter Stadium The newly renovated Fritz Walter Stadion can now host 48,500 soccer fans. In June 2006, Kaiserslautern was one of 12 German cities to host matches of the 2006 FIFA World Cup. 5 matches were played at the venue. This stadium saw the first goal ever from an Australian team in a World Cup finals match in 2006.

The town is also home to the Soccer/Football team 1. FC Kaiserslautern, which achieved the title "Deutscher Meister" (German champion) four times.

Museums and libraries

Palatinate Gallery of Art Pfalzgalerie (artgallery, mainly pictures and sculptures from the 19th and 20th century)
Wadgasserhof/ Theodor-Zink-Museum (local history)
Stadtbibliothek (Municipal Library)
Universitätsbibliothek (university library of Kaiserslautern)
Hochschulbibliothek (Bibliothek of Fachhochschule)
Pfalzbibliothek (scientific library with a main focus on palatinate issues)

Religion

There are many religious buildings in the city.

Churches

The largest church is the Mary Church. There is also a historic Apostel Church.

Mosques

The city has two mosques. The first mosque was built by the Turks living in the city. It is located on the Richard-Wagner Str. The second mosque was built more recently. It is named "Islamic Center Kaiserslautern" and is located at Humbold str 33. Both of the mosques can be reached through bus nr 2 by getting off at the bus-stop called "Rosen Str.". University students can pray in the office of the "Muslim Students Group" allocated by the university (building 03, Room-U5). It can be reached by bus nr 5 by getting off the bus-stop called "Pestalozzi Schule".

Nature

Kaiserslautern is located in Germany's largest forest area (Pfälzer Wald) and offers numerous hiking trails and lakes to visitors.

Other places of interest in Kaiserslautern are:

Humbergturm, an observation tower, built in 1900, offering a great view over the Palatinate Forest
Kaiserslautern Zoo at Siegelbach
Karlstal (a whitewater canyon)
Kaiserpfalz, the castle of emperor Barbarossa (Redbeard)
Burg Nanstein, Landstuhl, a castle in the district
Burg Hohenecken, a castle in a suburb/ward of Kaiserslautern
Gartenschau, a horticultural show, including the largest dinosaur show of Europe
Japanischer Garten (Japanese Garden), largest garden of its kind in Europe.

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