Leimen is a municipality in the district of

Südwestpfalz Südwestpfalz is a district (''Kreis'' or more precise ''Landkreis'') in the south of Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. Neighboring districts are (from west clockwise) Saarpfalz, the district-free city Zweibrücken, the districts Kaiserslautern and Ba ...

in the

European Union The European Union (EU) is a supranational political and economic union of member states that are located primarily in Europe. The union has a total area of and an estimated total population of about 447million. The EU has often been des ...

state of

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

. It is located between the cities of

Kaiserslautern Kaiserslautern (; Palatinate German: ''Lautre'') is a city in southwest Germany, located in the state of Rhineland-Palatinate at the edge of the Palatinate Forest. The historic centre dates to the 9th century. It is from Paris, from Frankfur ...

and

Pirmasens Pirmasens (; pfl, Bärmesens (also ''Bermesens'' or ''Bärmasens'')) is an independent town in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany, near the border with France. It was famous for the manufacture of shoes. The surrounding rural district was called ''Lan ...

, and is situated in the heart of the Pfaelzerwald (Palatinate Forest). Leimen belongs to the municipal association of Rodalben. Leimen was founded before 1152 under the auspices of the

Benedictine , image = Medalla San Benito.PNG , caption = Design on the obverse side of the Saint Benedict Medal , abbreviation = OSB , formation = , motto = (English: 'Pray and Work') , foun ...

cloister A cloister (from Latin ''claustrum'', "enclosure") is a covered walk, open gallery, or open arcade running along the walls of buildings and forming a quadrangle or garth. The attachment of a cloister to a cathedral or church, commonly against a ...

Herbitzheim Herbitzheim () is a commune in the Bas-Rhin department in Grand Est in north-eastern France. Herbitzheim is one of 45 member communes of the Communauté de communes de l'Alsace Bossue. Location The village is located in the north west of Als ...

. Possession of Leimen later passed to the Counts of Leiningen, who administered the region from their seat at

Gräfenstein Castle Gräfenstein Castle (german: Burg Gräfenstein) is a ruined rock castle about east of the village of Merzalben in the German state of Rhineland-Palatinate. It is in the county of Südwestpfalz within the Palatine Forest and is often called ''Mer ...

References

*''850 Jahre Leimen - Die Geschichte einer Gemeinde in Pfaelzerwald'', 2002 Palatinate Forest Südwestpfalz {{Südwestpfalz-geo-stub