Southern Wine Route
The perfect place to visit
Because this is the place to stay: Stop off in rustic wine taverns or dine in excellent houses. Stay in cosy guesthouses or in a romantic castle. Look forward to hospitality that could not be more heartfelt. You will discover a landscape that combines everything your heart desires in its diversity: gently rolling vineyards, green meadows and streams, the stately Palatinate Forest with its castles and small picturesque villages. Go on a journey of discovery, on foot or by bike, and enjoy all the benefits of a designated health region. Experience our cheerful wine festivals and a cultural and leisure programme that is widely appreciated.
Geography & Demography Southern Wine Route
- Federal state: Rhineland-Palatinate
- Administrative seat: Landau in der Pfalz
- Area: 639.83 km²
- Population: 110,526 (2015)
- Highest point: 672.6 metres (Kalmit)
- Sunshine hours: 2,000 per year
History Southern Wine Route
The area of today's district belonged to Bavaria from 1816, divided into the districts of Bergzabern and Landau, which later became counties. After the Second World War, the two districts of Bergzabern and Landau became part of the state of Rhineland-Palatinate and initially belonged to the administrative district of Palatinate. The district was created on the occasion of the 1969 district reform by merging the two old districts to form the "Landau-Bad Bergzabern District". In 1972, six municipalities were incorporated into the independent city of Landau in der Pfalz. In 1974 Hayna was added from the district of Germersheim, and in 1978 it was renamed "Landkreis Südliche Weinstraße".
Location
The Südliche Weinstraße district and the city of Landau are located in the south of Rhineland-Palatinate in the Rhine-Neckar metropolitan region and the Karlsruhe technology region. The region derives its name from Germany's first tourist route, the German Wine Route, the southern half of which runs from south to north through the Southern Palatinate. The region shares the Palatinate Rhine plain in the east and the Palatinate Forest in the west. The largest watercourses are the Queich and the Lauter, which runs close to the border with France and is called the Wieslauter in its upper reaches.
