Maikammer ( pfl, Maikomma) is a municipality in the Südliche Weinstraße district, in

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 situated on the German Wine Route, approx. 5 km south of Neustadt an der Weinstraße. Maikammer is the seat of the ''Verbandsgemeinde'' Maikammer.

Geography

Location

Maikammer lies at elevations from 120 to 300 m at the foot of the

Kalmit The Kalmit is the highest peak in the Palatinate Forest and the second highest (after the Donnersberg) in the Palatinate region of Germany. It is and located south of the town of Neustadt an der Weinstraße. The mountain attracts many touris ...

, the highest mountain in the Palatine Forest (673 m), in a landscape dominated by

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. Vineyard ...

s. Other high ground within the boundaries of the parish includes the north flank of the Schafkopf (617 m), the Rotsohlberg (607 m), the north flank of the Stotz (603 m), the northeast flank of the Breitenberg (545 m), the Flachkopf (498 m) and the Wetterkreuzberg (401 m). Neighbouring municipalities are (clockwise): Neustadt an der Weinstraße, Kirrweiler (Pfalz), Edenkoben, Sankt Martin (Pfalz), Edenkoben (exclave), Gommersheim (exclave) and Kirrweiler (exclave).

Climate

Due to its mild climate, not only do grapes grow here but also exotic fruit such as kiwis, lemons,

almond The almond (''Prunus amygdalus'', syn. ''Prunus dulcis'') is a species of tree native to Iran and surrounding countries, including the Levant. The almond is also the name of the edible and widely cultivated seed of this tree. Within the genu ...

s and sweet chestnuts.

Industry

Maikammer's local economy is predominantly supported by the wine industry. The area is well known for the vineyards of Alsterweiler, Kappellenberg, Kirchenstück, Immengarten and

Heiligenberg Heiligenberg is a municipality and a village in the Bodensee district in Baden-Württemberg, about seven kilometres north of Salem, in Germany. Location and climate Heiligenberg (literally: the Holy Mountain or the Mountain of Saints) is loca ...

, which produce

Müller-Thurgau Müller-Thurgau is a white grape variety (sp. '' Vitis vinifera'') which was created by Hermann Müller from the Swiss Canton of Thurgau in 1882 at the Geisenheim Grape Breeding Institute in Germany. It is a crossing of Riesling with Madelein ...

and Riesling grapes. Wine has played a significant part in Maikammer's history, both economically and culturally. Maikammer is also host to numerous villas built by the original wine families of the area, which now help to attract tourists to the area. During the 1850s,

Anton Ullrich Johannes Anton Ullrich (1826–1895) was a German industrialist, inventor, and co-founder of the "Gebrüder Ullrich" in the Rhineland-Palatinate. Life Anton Ullrich was born on the 30 August 1826 in the small village of Maikammer, Germany. ...

and his brother

Franz Ullrich Franz Ullrich (1830–1891) was a German industrialist, and co-founder of the "Gebrüder Ullrich" in the Rhineland-Palatinate. Life Franz Ullrich was born on the 22 July 1830 in the small town of Maikammer, Germany. He was the youngest son of a ...

established an enameling factory in Maikammer producing enameled kitchenware. This factory was a major source of employment for the people of Maikammer, employing around 1,000 people at its peak. The products made in Maikammer were sold throughout

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...

, distribution extended as far east as

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-ei ...

. The factory was closed in 1928 as a result of Germany's hyperinflation.

Spelling variations

The town of Maikammer has also been spelled in the following ways: Meinkeimere (1315), Meinkemer (1329), Menkemer (1335), Menkemere (1345), Meinkemeren (1346), Meinkemer (1348), Meinkeymer (1350, 1366), Meinkeimer (1370), Meinkemer (1391, 1419), Meynkeimere (1437), Meynkamere (1464), Meinkheimer (1468), Meyekeymere (1500), Mainkeimer (1542), Meynkammer (1560), Maycammer (1650), and since 1800 Maikammer.

Mayors

* Sebastian Frantz (1860–1904) * Eduard Wolf (1904–1920) * Dr. J.C. Wolf (1920–1933) * Gustav Buchenberger (1933–1942) * Otto Wingerter (1942–1945) * Dr. J.C. Wolf (1945–1946) * Alfred Wagner (1946–1947) * Rudolf Straub (1947–1948) * Hermann Ullrich (1948–1955, CDU) * Johannes Damm (1955–1973, CDU) * Rudolf Müller (1973–1974, CDU) * Dieter Ziegler (1974–1994, CDU)Maikammer: Ex-Minister Dieter Ziegler gestorben
''Die Rheinpfalz'', 5 March 2019. * Karl Schäfer (1994–incumbent, CDU)

Notable residents

* General Jakob Freiherr von Hartmann (1797–1873) *

(1830–1891), industrialist

References

* Südliche Weinstraße {{SüdlicheWeinstraße-geo-stub