Country Germany District Kaiserslautern Elevation 248 m (814 ft) Area 15.34 km² Postal code 66849 | State Rhineland-Palatinate Municipal assoc. Landstuhl Time zone CET/CEST (UTC+1/+2) Local time Sunday 11:33 AM Population 8,680 (31 Dec 2008) | |
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Weather 12°C, Wind NE at 14 km/h, 46% Humidity | ||
Landstuhl ( [ˈlantʃtuːl]) is a municipality of over 9,000 people in southwestern Germany. It is part of the district of Kaiserslautern, in the Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany, and is home to the Sickinger Schloss, a small castle. It is situated on the north-western edge of the Palatinate forest, approx. 10 km west of Kaiserslautern.
Map of Landstuhl, Germany
The earliest traces of human settlement in Landstuhl date from about 500 BCE; the “Heidenfels” (i.e. "heathen rock") from the Celtic period was a holy site even until Roman times, and a Roman settlement dates from the 1st Century CE.
The place is said to have been called, late in the first millennium, Nannenstuhl, with the sense "seat of Nanthari" (who was also called "Nanno"); perhaps once memory of Nathari was centuries dead, the reference to him mutated into "Land", with "Landstuhl" construable as "seat [for governing] [the settlement's surrounding] territory".
In the 15th Century, the noble family of Sickingen assumed responsibility for Landstuhl and the surrounding area. The most famous member of this family was Franz von Sickingen. Franz von Sickingen built his castle in Landstuhl – Burg Nanstein (the most visible landmark in Landstuhl and the surrounding area) - into a dominating fortress that was supplemented by Burg Landstuhl. From this base he moved to expand his domains by conquering other parts of southwestern Germany.
After several defeats, Sickingen withdrew to his castle and was besieged by Richard Greiffenklau, Archbishop of Trier, and the Counts of the Rhine and Hesse. During the bombardment of Nanstein, Franz von Sickingen was killed. The castle was later expanded by Sickingen’s descendants, but it was heavily damaged by the French in 1689.
Landstuhl is the seat of the Verbandsgemeinde ("collective municipality") Landstuhl.
Landstuhl is the location of Landstuhl Regional Medical Center, a major U.S. Army hospital, consequently there are many Americans living in the area. Landstuhl is also known for being the birthplace of these Americans:
Landstuhl is home to the Landstuhl Falcons Baseball Club.