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Today we’ll venture out to our neighboring county in the north: Donnersberg County. The county seat is in Kirchheimbolanden, a picturesque residential style town with a quaint historic center. Winnweiler lies just south at the foot of Donnersberg and we invite you to discover interesting and maybe not-so-well-known facts about your home away from home.
Union Community Winnweiler consists of the individual towns of Börrstadt, Breunigweiler, Falkenstein, Gonbach, Höringen, Imsbach, Lohnsfeld, Münchweiler an der Alsenz, Schweisweiler, Sippersfeld, Steinbach am Donnersberg, Wartenberg-Rohrbach and Winnweiler as the administrative seat with its town sections Hochstein, Alsenbrück-Langmeil and Potzbach.
The total union community has about 13,800 inhabitants and an additional 900 Kaiserslautern Military Community members also call it their home.
Prisoners of war and a new settlement
Winnweiler was founded in the second half of the 8th century. It was first officially mentioned on Feb. 10, 891, as the village “Winidowilan,” which can be translated to “the settlement of the Wenden.” The Wenden, a Slavik population group, was settled as prisoners of war by Charlemagne within his territory. In the 18th century Winnweiler was the seat of a Habsburg-Lorraine upper office for the County of Falkenstein. The castle was built in 1604 and demolished 200 years later, but the Chapel of the Cross, which can be seen from afar, is a reminiscence of the time and a popular church for weddings.
A strategic military installation
The Union Community of Winnweiler also plays an important role in U.S. military history. After World War II, when Germany was divided into four occupational zones, with Rheinland-Pfalz in the French zone, the French began constructing an airfield. Upon heavy protest by local farmers, a compromise was agreed upon and one section of the newly constructed Sembach airfield was located in the County of Kaiserslautern. About one mile north an administrative area was developed on Heuberg, a sandy area of little agricultural value, but located within Donnersberg County. Up until 1995 both sections were known as “Sembach Air Base,” home to the 86th Fighter Wing and 17th Air Force. The installation is now used by various U.S. Army units, such as a Military Police Brigade, the Medical Readiness Command, Europe, the U.S. Army Corrections Facility Europe, a small Navy unit and the Air Defense Artillery Brigade Headquarters. The post is now commonly referred to as “Sembach Installation”
Celts and Romans
Celts and Romans were also fond of the valley surrounding Donnersberg mountain and left numerous traces that can be seen and experienced. Over 2,000 years ago, Celts erected an impressive central city on the plateau of the mountain, referred to as an Oppidum. This Oppidum was the central hub in the Rhine River valley and is one of the largest Celtic settlements north of the Alps. Romans, on the other hand, built settlements and created clay products in neighboring Eisenberg and near the village of Katzenbach.
Keltendorf
A visit to the Celtic village in Steinbach is like a fascinating journey into the mystical world of early inhabitants at Donnersberg. The small, reconstructed village is more than a museum, you can actually experience the culture of the Celts. Venture into the lives of the people who inhabited Donnersberg more than 2,000 years ago. Dwellings with wooden posts and semi-timbered structures, wooden shingles and facades made of clay, give realistic insight into the Celtic period. Visitors can try handcraft techniques such as felting, building arrows or creating beads out of clay. For more info, visit https://www.donnersberg-touristik.de/de
Falkenstein Castle
Falkenstein Castle is first recorded in 1135 as the castle of the Lords of Falkenstein and is located just northwest of the village of Imsbach. Around 1500 Uhland I acquired the castle rights and expanded it. In 1674 it was besieged by French troops and eventually remained a ruin until it was partially restored after 1979 and is now used for medieval festivals and other festivities throughout the year, including a romantic Christmas market. The tiny town of Falkenstein with 220 inhabitants boasts two restaurants and a nostalgic, “timeless” café that offers homemade cake.
Mining and Minerals
The Pfälzische Bergbau-museum (mining museum) in Imsbach invites you to experience over 2,000 years of mining in the area. You can learn about ores, rocks, and fossil fuels of the region in the former schoolhouse in Imsbach, which now houses a museum. The extraction and processing of iron, manganese, copper, cobalt, gold, silver, and mercury are explained as well as the use of current stones and raw materials, while the mineral display “Terra Crystallum” is new. You can experience historical mining in the “Weiße Grube” and “Grube Maria” (mine pits). English tours are also available. For more info, visit www.bew-imsbach.de.
A synagoge and a Rococo church
Winnweiler has a rich history of Jewish culture, a former synagogue and a Jewish cemetery. The “Jüdisches Museum der Nordpfalz” gives valuable insight to the Jewish community first mentioned in 1674. In 1901 a new synagogue was opened but destroyed during the regime in the late 1930’s. A memorial sandstone plaque with a carving is situated at the former site of the synagogue. Descendants of former Jews from Winnweiler from all parts of the world, including the United States, gather for family reunions or meetings annually. https://www.jüdisches-museum-winnweiler.de
On the other hand, a picturesque Rococo church can be found in the small town of Schweisweiler which was built in 1750 and restored from 1987 to 1993. The adjacent farmhouse with a garden gives insight into the history of the village based on a selection of old photographs.
100 years of photography and a wild train ride
Discover the only model train that can transport passengers in Börrstadt. The Gartenbahn at a scale of 1:5 will take you on an exciting ride from an actual train station, a signal box, tunnels and bridges and will let your heart beat faster. The “Museum für Fotografenhandwerk” (photography museum) in Winnweiler will lead you through 100 years of history of photography and there are changing displays in the gallery in the tower. For more info, visit http://www.fotomuseum-winnweiler.de and https://www.gartenbahn-boerrstadt.de
Hikers and bikers
You might wish to take a breathtaking view of the surroundings on Donnersberg mountain, hike along one of the many trails in the region or enjoy a mountain bike ride in the valley, such as the Donnersberg trail. Another option is a stroll at Retzbergweiher/Pfrimmerhof near Sippersfeld and dive into the atmosphere of a typical country style “Landgasthof.” For more info, visit https://www.donnersberg-touristik.de/de
Festivals and fun
A selection of small restaurants in the pedestrian area invites you to take in a taste of regional, German and international dishes. Small, often family-owned shops offer goods from clothing to antiques, regional produce and whisky and schnaps tasting as well as live music events.
Winnweiler has two annual festivals, the Johannismarkt in June and Oktobermarkt in early October, a Christmas market is during the holiday season. Each village has its individual village celebration during the summer months.
Fun facts
The actual border line between Kaiserslautern County and Donnersberg County runs straight through the guard shack at Sembach Kaserne.
Donnersberg is the highest mountain in the Pfalz region with a peak of 687 meters (2,253 feet).
The name Donnersberg (thunder mountain) is thought to refer to “Donar”, the Germanic god of thunder.
For more information about the Union Community of Winnweiler, visit: www.winnweiler-vg.de
