Merzalben is a municipality in

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 B ...

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 ...

, western

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG),, is a country in Central Europe. It is the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany lies between the Baltic and North Sea to the north and the Alps to the sou ...

, deriving its name from the Merzalbe, also known as the Merzalb, that flows through the village. Along with 5 other '' Ortsgemeinden'' ("local municipalities") Merzalben belongs to the '' Verbandsgemeinde Rodalben'' ("collective municipality of Rodalben") in Südwestpfalz, wherein it is the largest in terms of physical area, but the smallest in terms of population. The municipality contains several distinct natural and cultural landmarks, with the earliest known records dating back to 1237. It was also considered a state-approved tourist resort (

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...

: '' Fremdenverkehrsort'') before the title was dropped in Rhineland Palatinate in 2016 and all communities awarded the designation were barred from its use in 2020.

Geography

Location

The town is located in the Palatinate Forest (

: ''Pfälzerwald''), primarily within its sub-area Gräfenstein Land, with only the northeast portion located within the Frankenweide. The district area, which is 91% forested, is home to a number of notable tourist attractions, such as the Birkwieserhof restaurant, hiking trails on the Kupenberg, and the hamlet of Wieslauterhof. Merzalben is also neighbored by Leimen, exclave of

WIlgartswiesen Wilgartswiesen is a municipality in Südwestpfalz district, in Rhineland-Palatinate, western Germany. Geography The municipality lies in the southern part of the Palatine Forest, the German part of the Wasgau, in the middle of the Palatine ...

, exclave of Annweiler am Trifels,

Wilgartswiesen Wilgartswiesen is a municipality in Südwestpfalz district, in Rhineland-Palatinate, western Germany. Geography The municipality lies in the southern part of the Palatine Forest, the German part of the Wasgau, in the middle of the Palatine ...

, Münchweiler an der Rodalb and Clausen with the next largest town being

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 ...

to the southwest.

Mountains

Merzalben is encompassed by 6 mountains. Located about two kilometers east of the town are the mountains Winschertberg and

Schlossberg Schlossberg or Schloßberg (German for ''Castle Mountain''; usually a hill or mountain with a "castle" on it) may refer to: Places *Schlossberg (Bavaria), a part of the municipality of Stephanskirchen in Bavaria, Germany *Schloßberg (Bopfingen), a ...

, reaching 1709.32ft (521m) and 1433.73ft (437m) tall, respectively. Further south-east are the Wartenberg and its plateau, the Wartenberger Kopf, at 1617.45ft (493 m), as well as the Vorderer Winschertkopf and the

Schmale Hals Schmale is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Antonia Schmale (born 1980), German former footballer *Jamie Schmale, Canadian politician * Julia Schmale, German environmental scientist See also *Schmale Heide, is a 9.5-kilome ...

. In the outermost eastern region of the district, the Weißenberg and Hortenkopf rise to 2000.98ft (609.9m) and 1988.84ft (606.2m) tall, with the 1938.32ft (590.8m) tall Mühlenberg stretching along the boundary to Leimen in the west.

Bodies of Water

The Palatine Watershed (

: ''Pfälzische Hauptwasserscheide'') runs directly through the municipal area with the Merzalbe flowing through the settlement area and the Wilhelmsbach connecting from the left. The Wartenbach flows further south, beyond the watershed and the residential areas, and is dammed shortly after its source to form the Gambswoog. Its left tributary, Scheidbach, initially forms the district boundary, which is then continued by the Wartenbach. In the area of the Merzalben/Münchweiler/Wilgartswiesen district triangle, the Wartenbach flows from the left into the Lauter, which starts about one kilometer north-west, above the Wieslauterhof, and continues past the district of Merzalben after absorbing the Wartenbach.

History

Merzalben was first mentioned in 1237 in a document between the brothers Friedrich III and

Emich IV of Leiningen Emich or Emicho is a masculine given name of Germanic origin. It is a reduced form of Emmerich (name), Emmerich. Similar names include Emrich, Emch (disambiguation), Emch, Emig, Amick, Emick.Castrum Grebinstein" with the villages "Merichisalbin", " Rothalbin" and " Eiswilre". In 1381, the region that previously belonged to the

Diocese of Metz The Diocese of Metz ( la, Dioecesis Metensis; french: Diocèse de Metz) is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Catholic Church in France. In the Middle Ages it was a prince-bishopric of the Holy Roman Empire, a ''de facto ...

was transferred to the

Prince-Bishopric of Worms The Prince-Bishopric of Worms, was an ecclesiastical principality of the Holy Roman Empire. Located on both banks of the Rhine around Worms just north of the union of that river with the Neckar, it was largely surrounded by the Electorate of the ...

. Until the end of the 18th century, the village of Merzalben belonged to the

Margraviate of Baden The Margraviate of Baden (german: Markgrafschaft Baden) was a historical territory of the Holy Roman Empire. Spread along the east side of the Upper Rhine River in southwestern Germany, it was named a margraviate in 1112 and existed until 1535, ...

. Then, in 1794, the left bank of the Rhine was occupied during the

War of the First Coalition The War of the First Coalition (french: Guerre de la Première Coalition) was a set of wars that several European powers fought between 1792 and 1797 initially against the constitutional Kingdom of France and then the French Republic that succ ...

. From 1798 to 1814, when the

Palatinate Palatinate or county palatine may refer to: *the territory or jurisdiction of a count palatine United Kingdom and Ireland *County palatine in England and Ireland * Palatinate (award), student sporting award of Durham University *Palatinate (col ...

was part of the

French First Republic In the history of France, the First Republic (french: Première République), sometimes referred to in historiography as Revolutionary France, and officially the French Republic (french: République française), was founded on 21 September 1792 ...

(until 1804) and then part of the

Napoleonic Empire The First French Empire, officially the French Republic, then the French Empire (; Latin: ) after 1809, also known as Napoleonic France, was the empire ruled by Napoleon Bonaparte, who established French hegemony over much of continental Eu ...

, Merzalben was incorporated into the

Canton of Waldfischbach Canton may refer to: Administrative division terminology * Canton (administrative division), territorial/administrative division in some countries, notably Switzerland * Township (Canada), known as ''canton'' in Canadian French Arts and ent ...

in the First French Republic department,

Mont-Tonnerre Mont-Tonnerre was a department of the First French Republic and later the First French Empire in present-day Germany. It was named after the highest point in the Palatinate, the '' Donnersberg'' ("Thunder Mountain", possibly referring to Donar ...

. During this time, the district was the seat of a town hall ( French:

Mairie In local government, a city hall, town hall, civic centre (in the UK or Australia), guildhall, or a municipal building (in the Philippines), is the chief administrative building of a city, town, or other municipality. It usually house ...

), which also included Leimen. Based on the agreements made at the

Congress of Vienna The Congress of Vienna (, ) of 1814–1815 was a series of international diplomatic meetings to discuss and agree upon a possible new layout of the European political and constitutional order after the downfall of the French Emperor Napoleon B ...

, the area first became part of

Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...

in June 1815 and then ceded 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 E ...

in 1816 on the basis of a state treaty. Under the Bavarian administration, Merzalben belonged to the Land

Commissariat of Pirmasens A commissariat is a department or organization commanded by a commissary or by a corps of commissaries. In many countries, commissary is a police rank. In those countries, a commissariat is a police station commanded by a commissary. In some ar ...

in the

Circle of the Rhine 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 Kingdom ...

(

: ''Rheinkreis'') from 1817, which was subsequently converted into a district office. In 1939, Merzalben was incorporated into the district of Pirmasens (later known as the district of Südwestpfalz in 1997). After

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 ...

, the municipality of Merzalben became part of the Regierungsberzirk of Palatinate in the then newly formed state of Rhineland-Palatinate within the

French occupation zone The French occupation zone in Germany (, ) was one of the Allied-occupied areas in Germany after World War II. Background In the aftermath of the Second World War, Winston Churchill, Franklin D. Roosevelt and Joseph Stalin met at the Yalta ...

. In the course of the

first administrative reform in Rhineland-Palatinate First or 1st is the ordinal form of the number one (#1). First or 1st may also refer to: *World record, specifically the first instance of a particular achievement Arts and media Music * 1$T, American rapper, singer-songwriter, DJ, and reco ...

, the municipality was incorporated into the newly created ''Verbandsgemeinde Rodalben'' in 1972.

Residents

Population growth

The growth of the population of Merzalben is based on censuses recorded from 1871 to 1987:

Religion

At the end of 2014, 62.3% of the residents were Catholic, belonging to the

Prince-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 ...

, and 20.8% were Protestant, belonging to the

Evangelical Church of the Palatinate Evangelical Church of the Palatinate (german: Evangelische Kirche der Pfalz (Protestantische Landeskirche)) is a United Protestant church in parts of the German states of Rhineland-Palatinate and Saarland, endorsing both Lutheran and Calvinist ...

. The remaining population belonged to another religion or were non-denominational. Until 1723, Merzalben belonged to the Catholic parish of Rodalben before it became independent in this regard. Initially, the local parish was also responsible for Leimen before the latter became independent in 1864.

Politics

The local council (

: ''Gemeinderat'') in Merzalben consists of 16 councillors, who were appointed in the local election (

: ''Kommunalwahl'') on May 26, 2019, and whose honorary local mayor is the chairman. Allocation of seats in the municipal council: * SPD = Social Democratic Party of Germany * CDU =

Christian Democratic Union of Germany The Christian Democratic Union of Germany (german: link=no, Christlich Demokratische Union Deutschlands ; CDU ) is a Christian democratic and liberal conservative political party in Germany. It is the major catch-all party of the centre-rig ...

* BGM = Civic Community of Merzalben (

: ''Bürgermeisterschaft Merzalben e. V.'')

Mayor

Michael Köhler (CDU) became Mayor of Merzalben on July 10, 2019. In the direct election (German: ''Direktwahl'') on May 26, 2019 he was elected for five years with 75.38% of the vote. Köhler's predecessor was Benno Schwarz (CDU).

Coat of Arms

Blazon In heraldry and heraldic vexillology, a blazon is a formal description of a coat of arms, flag or similar emblem, from which the reader can reconstruct the appropriate image. The verb ''to blazon'' means to create such a description. The visua ...

: "Parted by blue and gold, above a growing gold-armed silver griffin, holding a small golden shield with a red slanting bar, below on green hill a red castle."'' ''Justification:'' ''It was approved by the

Mainz Ministry 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 joins the Rhine. Downstream of the confluence, the Rhine flows to the north-west, with Mainz ...

of the Interior in 1956 with the griffin commemorating the former affiliation with the

.''

Culture and Landmarks

Cultural Monuments

The region contains two major monument zones (

: ''Denkmalzonen''), including the ruins of Gräfenstein Castle which are about two kilometers east of the settlement area and give the region its name, as well as the Wieslauterhof, a

hamlet ''The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark'', often shortened to ''Hamlet'' (), is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play, with 29,551 words. Set in Denmark, the play depi ...

located between the ''Orstgemeinden'' Hinterwedenthal and Merzalben. There are also a total of 13 individual objects that are protected as

cultural property Cultural property does not have a universal definition, but it is commonly considered to be tangible (physical, material) items that are part of the cultural heritage of a group or society, as opposed to less tangible cultural expressions. They in ...

(

: ''Denkmalschutz''), including the 91.86ft (28m) tall Luitpold Tower, built in 1909 on the summit of the Weißenberg, as an observation tower. Additionally, the

Dreiherrenstein A ''Dreiherrenstein'' or ''Dreiherrnstein'' is the topographic name of a historical tripoint, especially in the German-speaking lands of central Europe, i.e. a place where the border of three princely territories met, together with any enclosures ...

, which is also identified as Ritterstein 57, is located directly on the district boundary to

Natural Landmarks

The core zone headwaters of the Wieslauter in the

Palatinate Forest Nature Park The Palatinate Forest Nature Park (german: Naturpark Pfälzerwald) lies in the south of Rhineland-Palatinate in Germany and borders on France. The nature park covers an area of and some 76% of its area is under the woods of the Palatinate Fore ...

(

: ''Naturpark Pfälzerwald''), which span roughly 2,400-hectare (9.27 sq mi), are partly located within the Merzalben area.

Local Nickname

The local nickname for the residents of Merzalben was once "''Neecher''", from the Palatinate dialect for "Negro"; this supposedly originates from the words of a pastor named Richard Frank: "You want to be Christians? heathen you are. ''Neecher'' you are!"

Carnival

Since 2017, the so-called night parade (German: ''Nachtumzug'') has taken place every year on Shrove Tuesday (

: ''Fasching'' or ''Fastnacht''), organized by local carnival club, "''Närrische Neecher Merzalben''", meaning "Foolish Negros of Merzalben", which derived its name from the local nickname "''Neecher''". In 2019, the regional broadcasting corporation specific to southwest German, SWR (

: ''Südwestrundfunk'' meaning ''Southwest Broadcasting''), covered the controversy behind the group's name. After the club's Facebook page was banned due to accusations of racism as a result of the name, the club decided to adopt a new name, "''Merzalwer Burgnarren''", meaning "Merzalben Castle Jesters" in 2021. "Recently, when the Black Lives Matter movement picked up speed, it was clear that this name couldn't go any further," said club chairwoman Sylvia Teuscher in an interview with SWR. The club logo was also abolished, which previously showed "a black man jumping over the wall of Gräfenstein Castle".

Ritterstein

A Ritterstein ("knight stone") is a sandstone marker with chiseled inscriptions indicating historically or naturally remarkable locations throughout the Palatinate Forest and a few of these markers can be found throughout the district of Merzalben. In addition to the aforementioned Dreiherrenstein, designated as Ritterstein 57, there is also Ritterstein 54 Schäferei, which refers to the sheep farm of Gräfenstein Castle, Ritterstein 55 Spalt, a ravine popularly called "Split", and Ritterstein 56 Königswoog, which marks a woog of the same name that was once used for timber drifting.

Economy and Infrastructure

Economy

After the Second World War, Merzalben was part of the Pirmasens Military Community, which has since been dissolved. A local importer also temporarily sold Jaguar cars, among others. The municipality was the seat of ''Raiffeisenkasse Merzalben eGmbH'', which later merged into VR-Bank Südwestpfalz Pirmasens-Zweibrücken in 1962 and several subsequent mergers. Merzalben-Forsthaus Hoehstrasse 2-06-gje

Merzalben-Forsthaus Hoehstrasse 2-06-gje

Traffic

State road 496 runs through the town. District road 52 connects the settlement area with Gräfenstein Castle. There is a connection to long-distance traffic via the nearby Thaleischweiler-Fröschen slip road of the A 62.

Tourism

On the outskirts of the village is the Gräfensteinhütte, a hut or refuge managed by Merzalben's local Palatine Forest Club (

: ''Pfälzerwald-Verein''). A cycle path, called the Palatinate Forest Tour (German: ''Pfälzerwald-Tour''), runs through the entire municipality, leading from Kaiserslautern to Hinterweidenthal, along with a so-called quality hiking trail (German: ''Prädikatswanderweg''), known as the Palatinate Forest Path (German: ''Pfälzer Waldpfad''), which also connects Merzalben to Kaiserslautern and Schweigen-Rechtenbach. Additionally, Merzalben is a location on the Donnersberg-Donon long-distance hiking trail (German: ''Fernwanderweg Donnersberg–Donon'') and the Nahegau-Wasgau-Vogesen long-distance hiking trail (German: ''Fernwanderweg Nahegau-Wasgau-Vogesen''). A number of smaller hiking trails can also be found running through the forest district, including one marked with a blue cross, and one marked with a green cross which leads from Freinsheim to the Erlenkopf. A path marked with a blue and red bar also leads from Kirchheimbolanden to Pirmasens.

Important Figures

Sons and Daughters of the Community

* Karl Maenner (1850–1927), Reich judicial councilman *

Isidor Markus Emanuel Isidore ( ; also spelled Isador, Isadore and Isidor) is an English and French masculine given name. The name is derived from the Greek name ''Isídōros'' (Ἰσίδωρος) and can literally be translated to "gift of Isis." The name has survived ...

(1905–1991), Bishop of Speyer

People who worked on site

Pietro Pileo di Prata Pietro Pileo di Prata (or da Prata) (c.1330–1400) was an Italian bishop and Cardinal. He was a significant diplomat and go-between in the affairs of his times, and was nicknamed the "cardinal with three hats", which he obtained successively ...

(~1330–1401),Eubel, ''Hierarchia catholica'' I, p. 23, no. 2. Italian count, bishop, cardinal and papal diplomat, initiated Merzalben's change of diocese in 1381. * Rudolf Frieß (1881-1965), hunter and author; head forester in the Merzalben forest office from 1924 to 1935.

References

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