Features

Connecting Airmen with local history

Story and photos by Magdalena Knodt
86th Airlift Wing Host Nation Office
March 7, 2025
A group of Airmen stands on the ground where the Imperial Castle and Casimir Castle used to be. Stones from these two destroyed historic buildings were used to build the Count Palatinate Hall in 1934, which is now used by the city of Kaiserslautern for official receptions and events.

On Feb. 26, Airmen from different units on Ramstein Air Base were invited to a tour of the Count Palatinate Hall and the Underground Tunnels in Kaiserslautern. The tour was part of a collaboration between the 86th Airlift Wing Integrated Primary Prevention Workforce and the 86th AW Host Nation Office to strengthen resilience by fostering connections between Airmen and their local communities.

The city of Kaiserslautern provided a tour guide, who shared the long history of the historic site in front of the Kaiserslautern city hall at Willy-Brandt-Platz. The Imperial Palace was built in 1158 by order of Emperor Frederick Barbarossa, also known as Red Beard. As the first palace built during his reign, it became one of the most famous and magnificent structures of its time. Parts of the building still stand today.

The group stands in the underground tunnels in Kaiserslautern and learns this area was used to store beer by the Brauerei Wächter in 1842 because of the cool temperatures.

Next to the Imperial Palace, Count Palatinate Johann Casimir built the Renaissance-style Casimir Castle in 1571. Both buildings suffered heavy damage during the Thirty Years’ War and deteriorated further after an attack by French troops in 1703. In 1813, the French owners auctioned off the ruins, and in 1825, the Royal Bavarian State Government built the central prison of the Palatinate on the site.

In 1842, the Wächter Brewery repurposed parts of the castle area for their brewery and attached beer garden. Later, in 1934, stones from both the Imperial Palace and Casimir Castle were used to build the Count Palatinate Hall, which is still in use today by the city of Kaiserslautern for official receptions and events.

Information panels outlining important historic events line the walls of the subterranean passages below the city of Kaiserslautern.
A sandstone marker outlines the history of the historic site. The “Kaiserburg” (Imperial Castle) was built in 1152 by Emperor Friedrich Barbarossa, renovated and expanded by Count Palatinate Johann Casimir between 1577 and 1583. The building was largely destroyed by French troops in 1703 and abandoned to complete decay in 1797. Between 1821 and 1825, the central prison for the Palatinate region was opened here.
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