The Zellertal is a
valley
A valley is an elongated low area often running between Hill, hills or Mountain, mountains, which will typically contain a river or stream running from one end to the other. Most valleys are formed by erosion of the land surface by rivers ...
region in the east of the
North Palatine Uplands
The North Palatine Uplands (german: Nordpfälzer Bergland), sometimes shortened to Palatine Uplands (''Pfälzer Bergland''), is a low mountain range and landscape unit in the German state of Rhineland-Palatinate and belongs mainly to the Palat ...
in the German state of
Rhineland-Palatinate
Rhineland-Palatinate ( , ; german: link=no, Rheinland-Pfalz ; lb, Rheinland-Pfalz ; pfl, Rhoilond-Palz) is a western state of Germany. It covers and has about 4.05 million residents. It is the ninth largest and sixth most populous of the ...
. Its western part belongs to
Palatine
A palatine or palatinus (in Latin; plural ''palatini''; cf. derivative spellings below) is a high-level official attached to imperial or royal courts in Europe since Roman times. Donnersbergkreis
The Donnersbergkreis is a district (''Kreis'') in the middle of Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. Neighboring districts are Bad Kreuznach (district), Bad Kreuznach, Alzey-Worms, Bad Dürkheim (district), Bad Dürkheim, Kaiserslautern (district), Kaise ...
, its eastern part to
Rhenish Hessian Alzey-Worms
Alzey-Worms () is a district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is bounded by (from the east and clockwise) the district Groß-Gerau (Hesse), the city of Worms and the districts of Bad Dürkheim, Donnersbergkreis, Bad Kreuznach and Mainz-Bingen. ...
. The valley is named after the old municipality of
Zell Zell may refer to:
Places Austria
* Zell am See, in Salzburg state
* Zell am Ziller, in Tyrol
* Zell, Carinthia, in Carinthia
* in Upper Austria:
** Bad Zell
** Zell am Moos
** Zell an der Pram
** Zell am Pettenfirst
Germany
* Zell im Fichtelgebi ...
, which became part of the new
Zellertal
Zellertal is a municipality in the Donnersbergkreis district, in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. The villages of , Harxheim and Niefernheim form Zellertal.
Zellertal is in Zellertal region, which in turn is part of the Palatinate wine region an ...
municipality in 1976.
Geography
The Zellertal is a trough-shaped valley with relatively gently sides and is bounded in the north and south by two chains of low
hill
A hill is a landform that extends above the surrounding terrain. It often has a distinct Summit (topography), summit.
Terminology
The distinction between a hill and a mountain is unclear and largely subjective, but a hill is universally con ...
s that are under 300 m. The distance between the two hill ridges is 2 to 3 kilometres. In between, the valley stretches from west to east, sheltered from north winds. Flowing through the valley in this direction is the
Pfrimm
The Pfrimm is a , left or western tributary of the Rhine in the Rhineland-Palatinate (Germany).
Course
The Pfrimm rises in the southern part of the Donnersbergkreis. Its spring lies in the northern part of the Palatinate Forest Nature Park, ...
, a left ban tributary of the
Rhine
), Surselva, Graubünden, Switzerland
, source1_coordinates=
, source1_elevation =
, source2 = Rein Posteriur/Hinterrhein
, source2_location = Paradies Glacier, Graubünden, Switzerland
, source2_coordinates=
, so ...
which is just under 43 kilometres long.
The exit to the valley in the east lies at a height of about 135 m in Rhenish Hesse in the
collective municipality of Monsheim, to which belong the first 3 valley parishes of
Monsheim
Monsheim is an ''Ortsgemeinde'' – a municipality belonging to a ''Verbandsgemeinde'', a kind of collective municipality – in the Alzey-Worms district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany.
Geography
Location
Monsheim lies in the southern Wonne ...
,
Wachenheim
Wachenheim an der Weinstraße (formerly called ''Wachenheim im Speyergau'') is a small town in the Bad Dürkheim district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany, roughly 1 km south of Bad Dürkheim and 20 km west of Ludwigshafen. It is known ...
and
Mölsheim as we travel upriver. To the west, on the Palatine side, follow the next three parishes of Zellertal (
Niefernheim, Zell and
Harxheim) and the parishes of
Einselthum
Einselthum is a municipality in the Donnersbergkreis district, in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe a ...
,
Albisheim
Albisheim is a municipality in the Donnersbergkreis, Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is in the middle of the Zellertal.
History
In the year 835 the village is first mentioned in a document. It has been a market town for many years. Also t ...
and
Marnheim
Marnheim is a municipality in the Donnersbergkreis district, in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe aft ...
. The Zellertal ends here after 12 km at 185 m.
Sights
The symbol of the valley is the 15-metre-high Zellertal Memorial which can be seen from a long way off. The
Expressionist
Expressionism is a modernist movement, initially in poetry and painting, originating in Northern Europe around the beginning of the 20th century. Its typical trait is to present the world solely from a subjective perspective, distorting it rad ...
New Gothic
New Gothic or Neo-Gothic is a contemporary art movement that emphasizes darkness and horror.
Manifesto
"The Art Manifesto" was written by Gothic subculture artist Charles Moffat in 2001, who also coined the term in an effort to differentiate it ...
monument was built in 1928 as a
war memorial
A war memorial is a building, monument, statue, or other edifice to celebrate a war or victory, or (predominating in modern times) to commemorate those who died or were injured in a war.
Symbolism
Historical usage
It has ...
in honour of the fallen of the
First World War
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
. It is located on an exposed viewing point near the
K 64 which runs along the hillside between Zell and Mölsheim.
The
Baroque
The Baroque (, ; ) is a style of architecture, music, dance, painting, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished in Europe from the early 17th century until the 1750s. In the territories of the Spanish and Portuguese empires including t ...
pilgrimage church
A pilgrimage church (german: Wallfahrtskirche) is a church to which pilgrimages are regularly made, or a church along a pilgrimage route, like the Way of St. James, that is visited by pilgrims.
Pilgrimage churches are often located by the graves ...
of Zell is dedicated to
Philip of Zell, who was elevated to the
sainthood
In religious belief, a saint is a person who is recognized as having an exceptional degree of holiness, likeness, or closeness to God. However, the use of the term ''saint'' depends on the context and denomination. In Catholic, Eastern Ortho ...
in the
Bishopric of Speyer
The Prince-Bishopric of Speyer, formerly known as Spires in English, (German: ''Hochstift Speyer, Fürstbistum Speyer, Bistum Speyer'') was an ecclesiastical principality in what are today the German states of Rhineland-Palatinate and Baden-Würt ...
.
Other sights are described in the individual village articles.
File :Kriegerdenkmal-Zellertal-01.JPG, Zellertal Memorial
File :Zellertal (Zell) 07.JPG, Pilgrimage church of Zell - exterior
File :Wallfartskirche St. Philipp von Zell retouched.jpg, Pilgrimage church of Zell - interior
File :Zellertal (Zell) 08.JPG, Vineyards in the Zellertal
Economy and infrastructure
Viticulture
The Zellertal is the northern end of the
Palatine wine region; while the
Rhenish Hesse wine area begins at the eastern end of the valley. The Zellertal wine region covers a larger area that the valley itself, has 15
vineyard
A vineyard (; also ) is a plantation of grape-bearing vines, grown mainly for winemaking, but also raisins, table grapes and non-alcoholic grape juice. The science, practice and study of vineyard production is known as viticulture. Vineyards ...
s with a
lagen with a
vine area of 550 hectares.
The wine region includes other wine-growing municipalities such as
Bischheim,
Rittersheim and
Gauersheim, which are in the side valley of the
Leiselsbach, a left bank tributary of the Pfrimm.
Transport
The Zellertal is accessed by the
B 47 (
Worms Worms may refer to:
*Worm, an invertebrate animal with a tube-like body and no limbs
Places
*Worms, Germany, a city
**Worms (electoral district)
*Worms, Nebraska, U.S.
*Worms im Veltlintal, the German name for Bormio, Italy
Arts and entertainme ...
–Marnheim), which runs between the
A 63 (
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 ...
–
Mainz
Mainz () is the capital and largest city of Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany.
Mainz is on the left bank of the Rhine, opposite to the place that the Main (river), Main joins the Rhine. Downstream of the confluence, the Rhine flows to the north-we ...
) in the west and the
B 271 (
Neustadt an der Weinstraße
Neustadt an der Weinstraße (, formerly known as ; lb, Neustadt op der Wäistrooss ; pfl, Naischdadt) is a town in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. With 53,300 inhabitants , it is the largest town called ''Neustadt''.
Geography
Location
T ...
–
Alzey
Alzey () is a ''Verband''-free town – one belonging to no ''Verbandsgemeinde'' – in the Alzey-Worms district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is the fifth-largest town in Rhenish Hesse, after Mainz, Worms, Germany, Worms, Ingelheim am Rhein ...
) in the east. On the western edge of Wachenheim, the B 47 has been extended to the west as a
ring road
A ring road (also known as circular road, beltline, beltway, circumferential (high)way, loop, bypass or orbital) is a road or a series of connected roads encircling a town, city, or country. The most common purpose of a ring road is to assist i ...
.
On Sundays and holidays from the beginning of May to the end of October the
Zeller Valley Railway runs from Monsheim via
Langmeil to
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 ...
.
External links
Location of the Zellertalat: {{GeoQuelle, DE-RP, LANDIS-Karte, ref=nein
References
Valleys of Rhineland-Palatinate
North Palatinate