Neustadt an der Weinstraße

Neustadt an der Weinstraße
Market square in the centre of Neustadt
Neustadt an der Weinstraße
Coordinates	49°21′0″N 8°09′0″E
Administration
Country	Germany
State	Rhineland-Palatinate
District	Urban district
Mayor	Hans Georg Löffler (CDU)
Basic statistics
Area	117.10 km2 (45.21 sq mi)
Elevation	136 m  (446 ft)
Population	52,941 (31 December 2011)
- Density	452 /km2 (1,171 /sq mi)
Other information
Time zone	CET/CEST (UTC+1/+2)
Licence plate	NW
Postal codes	67433, 67434, 67435
Area codes	06321, 06327
Website	neustadt-weinstrasse.de

Neustadt an der Weinstraße (formerly known as "Neustadt an der Haardt") is a town located in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. With 53,892 inhabitants as of 2002, it is the largest town called Neustadt.

Etymology

Officially abbreviated as Neustadt a. d. Weinstr., the name can be shortened as Neustadt/Weinstrasse (as on train departure and arrival boards) or Neustadt (Weinstrasse). The name means new city on the wine route, as it lies on the German wine route (Deutsche Weinstrasse) and is located in Rhineland-Palatinate, in Germany. It is one of several dozen German and Austrian places called Neustadt. These new towns are typically distinguished by the rivers upon which they lie (e. g., Neustadt (Aisch)), the regions they are located in (e. g., Neustadt/Hessen) or, in this case, a peculiar distinctive feature - namely Weinstraße - "Wine Route."

History

Chronological table

Period	Event
774	First recorded mention of the villages of Winzingen, Lachen and Speyerdorf
around 1200	Construction of Wolfsburg Castle by Count Palatine Louis I
early 13th Century	Founding of the new town (Neue Stadt) by Count Palatine Louis I and his son, Otto II below their Winzingen Castle
1254	Member of the Great Rhenish Town Federation (Großer Rheinische Städtebund)
1275	Granting of town rights
bis 1797	Part of the Electorate of Palatinate, seat of the Oberamt Neustadt an der Haardt
1797–1815	Neustadt French (Département du Mont-Tonnerre)
1816–1945	Neustadt Bavarian (Rheinkreis, later Rheinpfalz)
1832	Hambach Festival: Demonstration by 30,000 people at Hambach Castle for democracy and state unity
1847	Opening of the Ludwigshafen am Rhein–Neustadt railway
1892	Incorporation of the village of Winzingen
1969/1974	Incorporation of nine surrounding parishes

Sights

The market square is surrounded by many half-timbered houses. Neustadt has one of the warmest climates in Germany, and summer temperatures of 30-35^oC are common. Most important for Neustadt's economy are tourism and wine, as in the entire Palatinate. The largest local employer is the BASF, located in Ludwigshafen am Rhein - one of the largest chemical companies in the world.

Casimirianum, University from 1578

The symbols of Neustadt are Elwedritsche, mythical animals of local folklore. Depictions of them are carved on a well in the town centre. Neustadt is less than an hour away from larger cities such as Mannheim, Ludwigshafen, Heidelberg and Frankfurt.

Subdivisions

The nine boroughs of Neustadt a. d. W. are: Diedesfeld, Duttweiler, Geinsheim, Gimmeldingen, Haardt, Hambach, Königsbach,Lachen-Speyerdorf, and Mußbach. The district of Hambach has become well known for the Hambacher Fest held in 1832 at the Hambach Castle.

Partner cities

• Quanzhou, People's Republic of China
• Lincoln, Lincolnshire, United Kingdom
• Mâcon, France
• Wernigerode, Germany
• Musange, Rwanda
• Manchester, New Hampshire USA
• Mersin-Yenisehir, Turkey

External links

• Neustadt/Weinstrasse tourist information in English
• Neustadt-Links - about 1200 links to enterprises and organizations in Neustadt (in German)
• French garnison in Neustadt (in French)