
Many members of the Kaiserslautern Military Community have found temporary or even permanent homes in one of the many villages and towns surrounding Kaiserslautern or in the heart of the Palatinate Forest.
Our series will highlight the union communities within the County of Kaiserslautern, Kaiserslautern itself and neighboring communities. It aims to inform service members and their families about the villages and towns they’re joining during the time in the KMC. We will feature a different community every week and provide facts about its history, heritage and the local experiences it offers. A Union Community is an administrative territorial community composed of a group of individual towns or villages.
We will kick off with the introduction of the Union Community of Ramstein-Miesenbach and invite you to discover interesting facts about your home away from home.
The Union Community of Ramstein-Miesenbach was founded Dec. 15, 1971 and recently celebrated its 50th anniversary. It is comprised of the four individual communities of Hütschenhausen, Kottweiler-Schwanden, Nieder-mohr and Steinwenden, as well as the City of Ramstein-Miesenbach.
With Ramstein Air Base being located within its boundaries, the union community is host to the largest air base in Europe, with organizations such as the 86th Airlift Wing, two sister wings, U.S. Air Forces in Europe and Air Forces Africa, Third Air Force, NATO Headquarters and international tenant units.
The Mayor of the Union Community, Ralf Hechler, has been in office since 2016 and shares close ties to the base’s leadership as well as an open and friendly relationship to the large military populace.
Romans to a runway
There are traces of a settlement prior to the Roman era along the old west-east road, located north of the West Palatinate moorland. Ceramic and coin findings are reminiscent of a settlement during the Roman era about 2000 years ago.
Ramstein was first officially mentioned in a certificate dated June 2, 1215, when emperor Friedrich II, grandson of Friedrich Barbarossa, granted the patronage of the mother church to Ramstein and of two daughter churches in Weilerbach and Spesbach to Reinhard of Lautern. In the late 14th century Ramstein became a part of the “Kurpfalz” (Electoral Palatinate) as a part of Bavaria. The years after World War II and in particular the establishment of the air base in 1951, initiated by the French forces, brought about many economic and social changes. Ramstein village had to surrender about one third of its 4300 hectares of premises for the construction of the air base.
In 1969, Ramstein and Miesenbach fused into one community, and in 1991 the City of Ramstein-Miesenbach was given its city rights.
While there were about 2,000 inhabitants in Ramstein in the early 1900s, today’s population in the total union community is about 17,800, which in addition is also home to approximately 7,800 members of the Kaiserslautern Military Community (U.S. and NATO).
Hikes, bikes and other outdoor likes
The Union Community of Ramstein-Miesenbach offers a multitude of leisure activities. Hikes through the Palatinate Forest and moorland, the AZUR Freizeitbad offers aqua fun for young and old, including outdoor and indoor pools and a sauna facility the year around. Biking trails, for example a stretch along Barbarossa Radweg or Sickinger Mühlenradweg offer nature and an experience of the Palatinate Forest. The Pfälzer Seentour biking trail leads you to the lakes and ponds of the western Palatinate on a 62 km tour, which can be cycled on individual partial routes.
The Seewoog in Miesenbach is the ideal venue for a stroll around the lake, offers a picnic and grill area and a playground for children. A kiosk serves food and drinks on the lake terrace and in the summer months concerts may also take place for a relaxing musical afternoon.
An array of sports and culture clubs offer activities ranging from soccer to gymnastics and yoga, musical orchestras and choruses, film and photo fun, a voluntary fire department, a chess club and even a garden and floristic association, to name a few.
Culture and American history
The Congress Center Ramstein is the cultural and conference center of the city. Besides adaptable rooms with a seating capacity for up to 800 people and modern conference equipment, the facility offers a varied entertainment and event program. The in-house restaurant “Die Bühne / Backstage” provides catering for each occasion. The Museum im Westrich in the former townhall has historic artefacts on display. The Docu Center Ramstein, established in an assortment of containers, is dedicated to documenting the history of Americans in Rheinland-Pfalz since 1945 and offers changing exhibits throughout the year, with a special display planned for March this year.
Festivals, Fastnacht and funky tunes
There is a wide range of restaurants and cafés that offer differing gastronomic delights for every taste. A quaint shopping and strolling area leads you along historic buildings and holds surprises, such as the Marktbrunnen (fountain) in front of the historic city hall, along the way.
Prominent festivals are the “Seewoogfest” in June, the “Ramstein Summernights” at the CCR, the German-American Friendship Fest, the “Kerwe” in September, the Farmers Market in October, the “Wendelinusmarket” and Oktoberfest in October, and the Nikolaus Market in early December.
Ramstein hosts the largest Fasching Parade in the Westpfalz region and draws up to 30.000 spectators, with KMC participation, such as the funky USAFE Band, and various interest groups. Organizations from neighboring France and other communities truly make this an exciting and fun-filled event with international spirit. This year the parade will take place Tuesday, March 4 and groups from the KMC are cordially invited to participate (see Unterwegs for details).
Fun facts:
People of almost 90 different nationalities live in the union community.
The cellar under the historic city hall was once used as a storage area for salt and beer, then later as a prison and is now used as a popular wedding location and for other special events!
Ramstein formerly had two large textile factories and a “trouser factory” with almost 1,000 workers.
If you have any further questions about Ramstein-Miesenbach, please visit the “Window to Rheinland-Pfalz” information counter, located in the KMCC on Ramstein Air Base. Or check the website www.ramstein-miesenbach.de
Stay tuned for further union communities in the next few weeks!