The Musikantenland ("Musician's Land") is an area of the northern

West Palatinate Western Palatinate or West Palatinate (, ) is a sub-region in the west of the Palatinate (region), Palatinate, a German cultural and historic region in the state of Rhineland-Palatinate. It includes the western part of the Palatine Forest, the cent ...

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

, north of the Landstuhler Bruch in the area of the rivers Glan and

Lauter Lauter may refer to: People *Lauter (surname) Places *Lauter, Saxony, town in the district of Aue-Schwarzenberg, Saxony, Germany *Lauter, Bavaria, village in the district of Bamberg, Bavaria, Germany Rivers *Lauter (Baunach), tributary to the B ...

. On the fringes of this region are the city of

Kaiserslautern Kaiserslautern (; ) is a town 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 Frankfurt am Main, 666 kilometers (414 m ...

and the towns of

Kusel Kusel (; written ''Cusel'' until 1865) is a town in the Kusel (district), Kusel Districts of Germany, district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is the seat of the Kusel-Altenglan ''Verbandsgemeinde'' and is also the district seat. The well-kno ...

Rockenhausen Rockenhausen () is a town in the Donnersbergkreis, in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is situated on the river Alsenz, approx. north of Kaiserslautern. Rockenhausen is the seat of the ''Verbandsgemeinde'' ("collective municipality") Nordpfälz ...

and

Meisenheim Meisenheim () is a town in the Bad Kreuznach (district), Bad Kreuznach Districts of Germany, district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It belongs to the Meisenheim (Verbandsgemeinde), like-named ''Verbandsgemeinde'', and is also its seat. Meise ...

(only Kusel being counted as part of the Musikantenland). The region is located in the counties of

and

. This region is named after the Westphalian Wandering Musicians, who originated from here, especially from 1850 until the

First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

Usage

Today, the term "Musikantenland" is often used in this area for tourism purposes. For example the county of Kusel operates its tourist industry under the slogan ''"Palatine Uplands - Kusel Musikantenland''". Regional dishes are described with the prefix "Musikantenland", there is for example a'' Musikantenland'' Roast and'' Musikantenland''

Bratwurst ''Bratwurst'' () is a type of German sausage made from pork or, less commonly, beef or veal. The name is derived from the Old High German , from , finely chopped meat, and , sausage, although in modern German it is often associated with the ver ...

. The Musikantenland Museum in Lichtenberg Castle near Kusel and the West Palatine Musikanten Museum in

Mackenbach Mackenbach is a municipality in the district of Kaiserslautern, in Rhineland-Palatinate, western Germany. it is home to numerous restaurants and bay about 8 beauty salons and one grocery store Culture and sights Music Mackenbach's reputation ...

recall the history of West Palatinate's wandering musicians. Since 1984, the county of Kusel has awarded the Lichtenburg Musikantenland Prize in recognition of special achievements for those cultivating and developing the West Palatinate musical tradition. Elmar Wolf, also a Lichtenburg Prize winner, founded the publishing house ''EDITION Musikantenland'', after leaving the ''EWOTON-Musikverlag'' music publishing company, as a token of his affection for the Kusel Musikantenland. In 2003, the County school of Music, founded in 1948, was renamed the Kusel Music School Musikantenland. Buildings such as the'' Musikantenland'' Hall, a multi-purpose hall in Jettenbach, also bear the name.

External links

Palatinate Uplands - Kuseler Musikantenland

Kusel Music School Musikantenland
Regions of Rhineland-Palatinate West Palatine travelling music tradition Western Palatinate