Landau ( pfl, Landach), officially Landau in der Pfalz, is an autonomous (''kreisfrei'') town surrounded by the

Südliche Weinstraße Südliche Weinstraße ( pfl, Siedlischi Woischdrooß; en, "Southern Wine Route") is a district (''Kreis'') in the south of Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. Neighboring districts are (from west clockwise) Südwestpfalz, Bad Dürkheim, the district- ...

("Southern Wine Route") district of southern

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 ...

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 betwee ...

. It is a university town (since 1990), a long-standing cultural centre, and a market and shopping town, surrounded by vineyards and wine-growing villages of the Palatinate wine region. Landau lies east of the Palatinate forest, on the

German Wine Route The German Wine RouteScheunemann J., Stewart J., Walker N. and Williams C. (2011), ''Back Roads Germany'', Dorling Kindersley, London. . or Wine Road (german: Deutsche Weinstraße) is the oldest of Germany's tourist wine routes. Located in th ...

. It contains the districts (''Ortsteile'') of Arzheim, Dammheim, Godramstein, Mörlheim, Mörzheim, Nussdorf, Queichheim, and Wollmesheim.

History

Landau was first mentioned as a settlement in 1106. It was in the possession of the counts of Leiningen-Dagsburg-Landeck, whose arms, differenced by an escutcheon of the Imperial eagle, served as the arms of Landau until 1955. The town was granted a charter in 1274 by King Rudolf I of

, who declared the town a Free Imperial Town in 1291; nevertheless Prince-Bishop Emich of

Speyer Speyer (, older spelling ''Speier'', French: ''Spire,'' historical English: ''Spires''; pfl, Schbaija) is a city in Rhineland-Palatinate in Germany with approximately 50,000 inhabitants. Located on the left bank of the river Rhine, Speyer lie ...

, a major landowner in the district, seized the town in 1324. The town did not regain its ancient rights until 1511 from Maximilian I. An Augustinian monastery was founded in 1276. LASB K Hellwig 1040

After the

Peace of Westphalia The Peace of Westphalia (german: Westfälischer Friede, ) is the collective name for two peace treaties signed in October 1648 in the Westphalian cities of Osnabrück and Münster. They ended the Thirty Years' War (1618–1648) and brought pe ...

in 1648, control of Landau was ceded to France, although with certain ill-defined reservations. Landau was later part of

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

from 1680 to 1815, during which it was one of the ''

Décapole The Décapole (''Dekapolis'' or german: Zehnstädtebund) was an alliance formed in 1354 by ten Imperial cities of the Holy Roman Empire in the Alsace region to maintain their rights. It was disbanded in 1679. In 1354 Emperor Charles IV of Luxembo ...

'', the ten free cities of

Alsace Alsace (, ; ; Low Alemannic German/ gsw-FR, Elsàss ; german: Elsass ; la, Alsatia) is a cultural region and a territorial collectivity in eastern France, on the west bank of the upper Rhine next to Germany and Switzerland. In 2020, it had ...

, and received its modern fortifications by

Louis XIV Louis XIV (Louis Dieudonné; 5 September 16381 September 1715), also known as Louis the Great () or the Sun King (), was List of French monarchs, King of France from 14 May 1643 until his death in 1715. His reign of 72 years and 110 days is the Li ...

's military architect Vauban in 1688–99, making the little town (its 1789 population was approximately 5,000) one of Europe's strongest citadels. In the

War of the Spanish Succession The War of the Spanish Succession was a European great power conflict that took place from 1701 to 1714. The death of childless Charles II of Spain in November 1700 led to a struggle for control of the Spanish Empire between his heirs, Phil ...

it had four sieges. After the siege of 1702 lost by the French, an Imperial garrison was installed in Landau. In a subsequent siege from 13 October to 15 November 1703 the French regained the town, following their victory in the

Battle of Speyerbach The Battle of Speyerbach took place on 15 November 1703 in the War of the Spanish Succession. A French army besieging Landau surprised and defeated a German relief army near Speyer. Prelude In mid October 1703, the allied armies prepared to ...

. A third siege, begun on 12 September 1704 by Louis, Margrave of Baden-Baden, ended on 23 November 1704 with a French defeat. During this siege King Joseph I arrived at Landau coming from Vienna in a newly developed convertible carriage. This carriage would become very popular and became named the

landau Landau ( pfl, Landach), officially Landau in der Pfalz, is an autonomous (''kreisfrei'') town surrounded by the Südliche Weinstraße ("Southern Wine Route") district of southern Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is a university town (since 1990 ...

in English, or Landauer in German. The French recaptured Landau once more in a final siege which lasted from 6 June to 20 August 1713 by Marshal General Villars. Landau was part of

Bas-Rhin Bas-Rhin (; Alsatian: ''Unterelsàss'', ' or '; traditional german: links=no, Niederrhein; en, Lower Rhine) is a department in Alsace which is a part of the Grand Est super-region of France. The name means 'Lower Rhine', referring to its lo ...

department between 1789 and 1815. After

Napoleon Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader wh ...

Hundred Days The Hundred Days (french: les Cent-Jours ), also known as the War of the Seventh Coalition, marked the period between Napoleon's return from eleven months of exile on the island of Elba to Paris on20 March 1815 and the second restoratio ...

following his escape from Elba, Landau, which had remained French, was granted to the

Kingdom of Bavaria The Kingdom of Bavaria (german: Königreich Bayern; ; spelled ''Baiern'' until 1825) was a German state that succeeded the former Electorate of Bavaria in 1805 and continued to exist until 1918. With the unification of Germany into the German ...

in 1815 and became the capital of one of the thirteen ''Bezirksämter'' (counties) of the Bavarian

Rheinkreis The Circle of the Rhine (german: Rheinkreis) or Rhine Circle, sometimes the Bavarian ( or ), was the name given to the territory on the west bank of the Rhine from 1816 to 1837 which was one of 15 (later 8) administrative districts of the Kingdo ...

, later renamed Pfalz. In 1840 famous political cartoonist

Thomas Nast Thomas Nast (; ; September 26, 1840December 7, 1902) was a German-born American caricaturist and editorial cartoonist often considered to be the "Father of the American Cartoon". He was a critic of Democratic Representative "Boss" Tweed and ...

was born in Landau. Following

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

, Landau was an important barracks town for the

French occupation French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Fran ...

Main sights

Landau's large main square (''Rathausplatz'') is dominated by the town hall (''Rathaus'') and the market hall (''Altes Kaufhaus''). In the 19th century, the former fortifications gave way to a ring road that encircles the old town centre, from which the old industrial buildings have been excluded. A convention hall, the ''Festhalle'', was built in

Art Nouveau Art Nouveau (; ) is an international style of art, architecture, and applied art, especially the decorative arts. The style is known by different names in different languages: in German, in Italian, in Catalan, and also known as the Modern ...

style, 1905–07 on a rise overlooking the town park and facing the modernist ''Bundesamt'', the regional government building. The Protestant

Collegiate Church In Christianity, a collegiate church is a church where the daily office of worship is maintained by a college of canons: a non-monastic or "secular" community of clergy, organised as a self-governing corporate body, which may be presided over by ...

(

Stiftskirche In Christianity, a collegiate church is a church where the daily office of worship is maintained by a college of canons: a non-monastic or "secular" community of clergy, organised as a self-governing corporate body, which may be presided over by ...

) in Landau in der Pfalz is one of the oldest buildings in the town. With the construction of the church started in the 14th century, was completed in the mid-16th century. The zoo is located close to the center of Landau alongside the historical fortifications. Animals are held in natural enclosures. The zoo contains numerous exotic species such as tigers and cheetahs, but also seals, penguins, kangaroos and flamingos and many more.

Economy

Wine-making continues to be an important industry of Landau.

Culture

The "

," a luxury open carriage with a pair of folding tops, was invented in the town during the

. A frequent

Ashkenazi Ashkenazi Jews ( ; he, יְהוּדֵי אַשְׁכְּנַז, translit=Yehudei Ashkenaz, ; yi, אַשכּנזישע ייִדן, Ashkenazishe Yidn), also known as Ashkenazic Jews or ''Ashkenazim'',, Ashkenazi Hebrew pronunciation: , singu ...

surname In some cultures, a surname, family name, or last name is the portion of one's personal name that indicates one's family, tribe or community. Practices vary by culture. The family name may be placed at either the start of a person's full name ...

originates in this town. Probably its most famous bearer was

Yechezkel Landau Yechezkel ben Yehuda HaLevi Landau (8 October 1713 – 29 April 1793) was an influential authority in halakha (Jewish law). He is best known for the work ''Noda Biyhudah'' (נודע ביהודה), by which title he is also known. Biography Land ...

, an 18th-century

talmud The Talmud (; he, , Talmūḏ) is the central text of Rabbinic Judaism and the primary source of Jewish religious law ('' halakha'') and Jewish theology. Until the advent of modernity, in nearly all Jewish communities, the Talmud was the ce ...

ist and halakhist and the

chief rabbi Chief Rabbi ( he, רב ראשי ''Rav Rashi'') is a title given in several countries to the recognized religious leader of that country's Jewish community, or to a rabbinic leader appointed by the local secular authorities. Since 1911, through a ...

Prague Prague ( ; cs, Praha ; german: Prag, ; la, Praga) is the capital and largest city in the Czech Republic, and the historical capital of Bohemia. On the Vltava river, Prague is home to about 1.3 million people. The city has a temperate ...

Twin towns – sister cities

Landau in der Pfalz is twinned with: *

Haguenau Haguenau (; Alsatian language, Alsatian: or ; and historically in English: ''Hagenaw'') is a Communes of France, commune in the Bas-Rhin Département in France, department of France, of which it is a Subprefectures in France, sub-prefecture. ...

, France *

Ribeauvillé Ribeauvillé (; Alsatian: ''Rappschwihr''; ) is a commune in the Haut-Rhin department in Grand Est in north-eastern France. It was a sub-prefecture of the department until 2015. Its inhabitants are called ''Ribeauvillois''. Geography The ...

, France *

Ruhango Ruhango is a town and capital of the Ruhango District in Southern Province, Rwanda Rwanda (; rw, u Rwanda ), officially the Republic of Rwanda, is a landlocked country in the Great Rift Valley of Central Africa, where the African Grea ...

, Rwanda

Notable people

Jan Boner Jan, JaN or JAN may refer to: Acronyms * Jackson, Mississippi (Amtrak station), US, Amtrak station code JAN * Jackson-Evers International Airport, Mississippi, US, IATA code * Jabhat al-Nusra (JaN), a Syrian militant group * Japanese Article Numb ...

(1463–1523), German-Polish merchant and banker *

Johann Caspar Bagnato Johann Caspar Bagnato (13 September 1696 – 15 July 1757), also known as ''Giovanni Gaspare Bagnato'', was born in Landau in the Palatinate of the Rhine. He was an architect of the Baroque-period, most active in the southwest of Germany and i ...

(1696–1757), German-Italian architect * Johann Christoph Wendland (1755–1828), botanist *

Johann Birnbaum Johann Birnbaum, later Johannes von Birnbaum (born 6 January 1763, Queichheim, now Landau in der Pfalz - 20 May 1832, Zweibrücken) was a jurist in the Electorate of the Palatinate and a president of the ''"Court of Appeal A court of appea ...

(1763–1832), jurist *

Jacques-Louis Copia Jacques-Louis Copia, a French engraver, was born at Landau in 1764. He went to Paris, and among other plates executed a charming little portrait of Queen Marie Antoinette, after Piauger, which is very rare. He also engraved a head of Marat, terr ...

(1764–1799), German-French engraver * Charles-Frédéric Soehnée (1789–1878), German-French painter *

Heinrich Jakob Fried Heinrich Jakob Fried (11 March 1802, Queichheim - 2 November 1870, Munich) was a German painter. Life and work He studied at Stuttgart and Augsburg, and from 1822 under Johann Peter von Langer and Peter von Cornelius at the Academy of Fine Art ...

(1802–1870), painter * François Fleischbein (1804–1878), painter * Franz Joseph Lauth (1822–1895), egyptologist *

Michel Bréal Michel Jules Alfred Bréal (; 26 March 183225 November 1915), French philologist, was born at Landau in Rhenish Palatinate. He is often identified as a founder of modern semantics. Life and career Michel Bréal was born at Landau in Germany ...

(1832–1915), German-French philologist * Ludwig Levy (1854–1907), architect *

Jakob Ritter von Danner Jakob Ritter von Danner (7 August 1865 in Queichheim/Landau – 28 December 1942 in Munich) was a Bavarian general in the Imperial German Army and the Reichswehr. As commandant of the Munich garrison of the ''Reichswehr'', he was a central figur ...

(1865–1942), general * Ludwig Maria Hugo (1871–1935), Roman Catholic bishop in Mainz * Heinrich Kaspar Schmid (1874–1953), composer *

Helmuth Theodor Bossert Helmuth Theodor Bossert (September 11, 1889 – February 5, 1961) was a German art historian, philologist and archaeologist. He is best-known for his excavations of the Hittite fortress city at Karatepe, Turkey, and the discovery of bilingual insc ...

(1880–1961), art historian, philologist and archaeologist * Ludwig Kohl-Larsen (1884–1969), physician * Ferdinand Jodl (1896–1956), general *

Ernst Maisel __NOTOC__ Generalleutnant Ernst Maisel (16 September 1896 – 16 December 1978) was a general in the Wehrmacht of Nazi Germany during World War II. As a Generalmajor he was Chief of the Office Group for Officers' Education and Welfare of the Army ...

(1896–1978), general *

(1840–1902), American caricaturist and editorial cartoonist *

Gustav Harteneck __NOTOC__ Gustav Harteneck (27 July 1892 – 13 January 1984) was a German general in the Wehrmacht during World War II. He was a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross of Nazi Germany. Awards and decorations * Knight's Cross of ...

(1892–1984), general *

Lil Picard Lil Picard, born Lilli Elisabeth Benedick (October 4, 1899 – May 10, 1994), was a cabaret actress, artist, journalist and critic, born in Landau, Germany, who took part in several generations of counterculture and avant-garde art in Berlin an ...

(1899–1994), German-American cabaret actress * Richard Rudolf Klein (1921–2011), composer, musician and teacher *

Friedrich Wetter Friedrich Wetter (born 20 February 1928) is a German cardinal of the Catholic Church. He was Archbishop of Munich and Freising, Germany, from 1982 to 2007. He was Bishop of Speyer from 1968 to 1982. He has been a cardinal since 1985. Early l ...

(born 1928), Roman Catholic bishop in Munich *

Fritz Strack Fritz Strack (born February 6, 1950) is a German social psychologist and professor emeritus at the University of Würzburg. Strack is a member of Germany's National Academy of Sciences Leopoldina and was awarded the Ig Nobel Prize for psychology ...

(born 1950), psychologist * Albrecht Hornbach (born 1953), businessman * Volker Zotz (born 1956), German-Austrian philosopher and writer *

Éric de Moulins-Beaufort Éric de Moulins-Beaufort (born 30 January 1962) is a French prelate of the Catholic Church who has been a bishop since 2008 and the Archbishop of Reims since 2018. He was elected president of the Bishops' Conference of France in 2019. Life Ér ...

(born 1962), French prelate of the Roman Catholic Church * Anne Lünenbürger (born 1964), operatic soprano * Charlotte Seither (born 1965), composer and pianist * Christine Schneider (born 1972), politician (CDU) * Bas Kast (born 1973), science writer * Bernd Metz (born 1979), artist *

Kris Menace Kris Menace (born Christoph Hoeffel) is a German electronic musician and music producer. History Christophe Hoeffel began to work as a producer and writer in the mid-1990s for different projects and started using the pseudonym "Kris Menace" in 2 ...

(born 1980), electronic musician * Benjamin Auer (born 1981), footballer * Marlene Zapf (born 1990), handball player *

Michael Schultz Michael Schultz (born November 10, 1938) is an American director and producer of theater, film and television. Life and career Schultz was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, the son of an African-American mother Katherine Frances Leslie (1917-1995) ...

(born 1993), footballer * Ricarda Lobe (born 1994), hurdler *

Jan May Jan May (born 11 June 1995 in Landau) is a German male track cyclist, representing Germany at international competitions. He won the bronze medal at the 2016 UEC European Track Championships The 2016 UEC European Track Championships is the s ...

(born 1995), cyclist *

Niklas Hoffmann Niklas Hoffmann (born 9 April 1997) is a German professional footballer who plays as a defensive midfielder for 2. Liga club SV Horn. Career Born in Landau, Rhineland-Palatinate, Hoffmann began playing football at TSV Fortuna Billigheim-Ingen ...

(born 1997), footballer

References

External links

*
Official website

Pictures
{{Authority control Free imperial cities Palatinate Forest South Palatinate Anterior Palatinate Palatinate (region) Vauban fortifications