Kaiserslautern

This article is about the town. For the surrounding district, see Kaiserslautern (district).

Kaiserslautern (German pronunciation: [ˌkaɪzɐsˈlaʊtɐn] ; Palatinate German: Lautre) 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 459 kilometres (285 miles) from Paris, 117 km (73 miles) from Frankfurt am Main, 666 kilometers (414 miles) from Berlin, and 159 km (99 miles) from Luxembourg.

Kaiserslautern Lautre (Palatine German)
Town
City centre of Kaiserslautern
Flag Coat of arms
Location of Kaiserslautern in Rhineland-Palatinate <imagemap>File: Rhineland-Palatinate KL (urban).svg | 240x240px poly 22 151 26 148 23 142 31 127 33 126 34 124 41 123 54 125 59 135 59 138 63 142 65 147 64 150 64 153 52 157 39 159 33 159 30 163 27 160 24 158 26 156 26 155 Bruchmühlbach-Miesau poly 72 167 73 163 73 161 76 157 82 154 86 157 93 169 98 169 98 171 96 173 88 179 83 178 81 180 74 170 Gerhardsbrunn poly 30 163 33 159 39 159 52 157 51 162 46 167 44 169 41 171 37 166 31 165 Lambsborn poly 64 153 64 150 65 147 80 140 84 147 88 147 87 152 86 153 82 154 76 157 73 161 69 160 65 156 Langwieden poly 44 169 46 167 51 162 52 157 64 153 65 156 69 160 73 161 73 163 72 167 74 170 64 178 61 177 50 172 Martinshöhe poly 228 92 228 92 241 81 247 66 245 59 246 52 250 50 253 59 260 51 268 57 271 45 275 45 278 44 279 45 276 54 279 60 282 72 276 73 276 76 246 91 243 95 234 101 228 92 Enkenbach-Alsenborn poly 234 107 235 101 234 101 243 95 246 91 276 76 276 84 278 90 276 92 278 93 266 97 262 97 259 103 251 100 239 108 237 108 Fischbach poly 259 103 262 97 266 97 278 93 283 106 287 105 292 115 280 121 277 123 277 126 273 120 267 115 270 110 Frankenstein poly 215 141 239 131 239 135 243 137 273 120 277 126 278 129 280 132 283 135 275 143 259 142 229 161 220 156 224 148 216 150 215 141 215 141 Waldleiningen poly 253 127 251 130 253 130 255 127 253 127 253 127 Waldleiningen poly 237 108 239 108 251 100 259 103 270 110 267 115 273 120 243 137 239 135 239 131 240 127 238 114 237 108 237 108 Hochspeyer poly 208 86 208 79 214 78 220 71 217 69 224 57 231 62 234 62 245 59 247 66 241 81 228 92 214 95 208 86 208 86 Mehlingen poly 221 48 223 50 221 52 224 53 225 46 221 44 222 47 221 48 221 48 Mehlingen poly 250 50 251 48 252 44 257 43 259 43 265 43 268 45 271 45 268 57 260 51 253 59 Neuhemsbach poly 224 57 234 50 240 50 246 47 249 45 252 44 251 48 250 50 246 52 245 59 234 62 231 62 Sembach poly 115 137 117 136 119 135 130 134 139 128 147 124 149 128 150 130 153 138 140 139 122 151 119 154 118 153 118 146 116 143 Bann poly 59 138 59 135 62 135 65 134 72 133 79 134 79 136 79 138 80 140 65 147 63 142 Hauptstuhl poly 113 130 114 123 116 123 125 122 130 121 139 117 140 119 147 124 139 128 130 134 119 135 116 130 Kindsbach poly 138 159 158 144 159 145 159 147 162 146 163 151 163 152 160 158 159 162 150 175 149 177 144 170 143 166 140 165 141 160 Krickenbach poly 79 136 79 134 91 129 106 123 114 123 113 130 116 130 119 135 117 136 115 137 108 142 105 142 103 141 95 143 88 147 84 147 80 140 79 138 Landstuhl poly 127 175 129 166 133 167 136 166 140 165 143 166 144 170 149 177 146 176 144 176 142 176 140 176 138 176 135 176 133 176 131 176 129 176 127 175 Linden poly 82 154 86 153 87 152 88 147 95 143 103 141 105 142 106 146 101 157 103 158 98 169 93 169 86 157 Mittelbrunn poly 101 157 106 146 105 142 108 142 115 137 116 143 118 146 118 153 106 154 104 155 103 158 Oberarnbach poly 119 154 122 151 140 139 153 138 159 143 157 144 158 144 138 159 141 160 140 165 136 166 133 167 129 166 128 164 120 163 120 160 120 156 Queidersbach poly 148 183 149 177 150 175 159 162 160 158 164 159 175 159 180 164 176 168 174 171 174 175 166 178 163 179 161 179 153 180 151 181 149 182 Schopp poly 160 158 163 152 163 151 162 146 164 144 167 141 179 143 180 148 182 149 180 164 175 159 164 159 Stelzenberg poly 174 175 174 171 176 168 180 164 182 149 180 148 179 143 193 140 196 145 221 166 219 172 218 177 223 189 218 193 210 194 207 201 200 198 197 197 193 194 190 175 177 176 Trippstadt poly 120 53 121 47 122 45 125 43 129 41 136 38 144 42 144 43 143 46 132 50 125 52 Frankelbach poly 177 25 179 23 183 15 187 17 192 21 196 21 199 24 199 26 192 35 196 42 195 44 193 44 185 44 183 33 179 30 177 27 Heiligenmoschel poly 146 52 148 51 152 47 156 45 159 48 162 51 161 55 157 59 156 60 151 55 149 54 147 54 Hirschhorn poly 145 68 148 66 148 62 152 58 151 55 156 60 157 59 161 55 166 58 170 58 179 61 178 63 176 64 173 66 170 69 170 74 166 74 163 71 153 76 152 72 150 71 145 71 Katzweiler poly 156 45 161 45 171 40 175 40 175 42 180 44 183 50 183 55 183 57 179 61 170 58 166 58 161 55 162 51 159 48 Mehlbach poly 134 17 134 15 140 6 142 6 149 8 155 3 156 4 158 4 163 4 165 3 167 3 172 5 176 6 177 7 178 8 179 10 180 14 183 15 179 23 177 25 177 27 161 24 161 33 155 35 149 31 146 31 142 27 144 24 144 20 142 18 Niederkirchen poly 136 38 137 34 138 32 142 27 146 31 149 31 155 35 156 39 159 41 156 45 152 47 148 51 146 52 145 50 145 47 143 46 144 43 144 42 Olsbrücken poly 170 74 170 69 173 66 183 72 187 72 188 75 187 84 179 87 Otterbach poly 173 66 176 64 178 63 179 61 183 57 183 55 183 50 188 50 190 46 193 44 195 44 196 42 200 41 204 40 208 41 213 41 217 42 220 44 222 45 223 45 225 46 223 53 224 57 217 69 220 71 214 78 208 79 195 76 193 74 188 75 187 72 183 72 Otterberg poly 155 35 161 33 161 24 177 27 179 30 179 33 178 36 175 40 171 40 161 45 156 45 159 41 156 39 Schallodenbach poly 175 40 178 36 179 33 179 30 183 33 185 44 193 44 190 46 188 50 183 50 180 44 175 42 Schneckenhausen poly 120 53 125 52 132 50 143 46 145 47 145 50 146 52 147 54 149 54 151 55 152 58 148 62 136 59 131 61 128 60 125 57 122 56 Sulzbachtal poly 31 124 31 121 35 121 39 119 43 121 53 111 58 108 59 108 68 108 74 108 80 114 78 125 71 127 72 133 65 134 62 135 59 135 54 125 41 123 34 124 Hütschenhausen poly 71 78 74 74 86 74 97 78 92 89 90 91 89 94 74 83 72 79 Kottweiler-Schwanden poly 46 99 52 94 53 91 53 87 56 85 58 82 61 77 64 76 66 76 70 78 65 98 69 100 68 108 59 108 58 108 53 111 53 110 Niedermohr poly 71 127 78 125 80 114 74 108 83 107 92 100 89 94 90 91 92 89 97 78 101 82 110 93 120 89 124 103 128 104 131 114 129 115 130 120 130 121 125 122 116 123 114 123 106 123 91 129 79 134 72 133 Ramstein-Miesenbach poly 65 98 70 78 71 78 72 79 74 83 89 94 92 100 83 107 74 108 68 108 69 100 Steinwenden poly 115 59 117 57 120 53 122 56 125 57 128 60 132 66 136 68 137 74 133 74 128 73 124 71 120 68 119 62 Erzenhausen poly 128 60 131 61 136 59 148 62 148 66 145 68 145 71 142 73 140 74 139 76 137 74 136 68 132 66 Eulenbis poly 98 55 103 52 110 47 111 48 115 51 120 53 117 57 115 59 110 62 104 65 100 62 100 57 Kollweiler poly 97 78 100 79 106 81 111 80 116 87 120 89 110 93 101 82 Mackenbach poly 61 72 63 70 69 70 70 67 73 65 77 63 80 60 83 53 84 50 85 49 86 49 86 49 87 54 91 55 98 55 100 57 100 62 104 65 99 71 97 74 97 78 86 74 74 74 71 78 70 78 66 76 64 76 61 77 62 75 Reichenbach-Steegen poly 134 89 140 84 139 76 140 74 142 73 145 71 150 71 152 72 153 76 151 90 163 100 164 108 141 105 Rodenbach poly 97 78 97 74 99 71 104 65 110 62 115 59 119 62 120 68 124 71 119 74 117 79 111 80 106 81 100 79 Schwedelbach poly 111 80 117 79 119 74 124 71 128 73 133 74 137 74 139 76 140 84 134 89 141 105 132 105 132 113 131 114 128 104 124 103 120 89 116 87 Weilerbach poly 129 115 131 114 132 113 132 105 141 105 164 108 163 100 151 90 153 76 163 71 166 74 170 74 179 87 187 84 188 75 193 74 195 76 208 79 208 86 214 95 228 92 228 92 228 92 234 101 235 101 234 107 237 108 238 114 240 127 239 131 215 141 216 150 224 148 220 156 229 161 230 161 230 162 230 164 222 166 221 166 221 166 196 145 193 140 179 143 167 141 164 144 162 146 159 147 159 145 158 144 157 144 159 143 153 138 150 130 149 128 147 124 140 119 139 117 130 121 130 120 Kaiserslautern poly 29 217 28 200 27 197 26 196 21 197 21 192 20 190 25 181 26 177 26 170 24 158 27 160 30 163 31 165 37 166 41 171 44 169 50 172 61 177 64 178 74 170 81 180 83 178 88 179 96 173 98 171 98 169 103 158 104 155 106 154 118 153 119 154 120 156 120 160 120 163 128 164 129 166 127 175 129 176 131 176 133 176 135 176 138 176 140 176 142 176 144 176 146 176 149 177 148 183 149 182 151 181 153 180 161 179 163 179 166 178 174 175 177 176 189 175 193 194 197 197 200 198 207 201 210 194 218 193 223 189 218 177 219 172 221 166 221 166 222 166 230 164 232 170 238 170 232 183 238 196 239 200 241 201 241 217 Südwestpfalz poly 29 217 28 200 27 197 26 196 21 197 16 206 18 212 Zweibrücken poly 309 191 306 192 310 184 300 178 303 176 301 175 300 172 296 176 291 176 289 180 286 182 282 185 274 188 271 190 269 198 269 201 271 205 272 207 272 210 309 210 Südliche Weinstraße poly 245 221 243 220 241 217 241 201 239 200 238 196 250 197 259 193 269 198 269 201 271 205 272 207 272 210 Landau poly 305 62 292 71 282 72 276 73 276 76 276 84 278 90 276 92 278 93 283 106 287 105 292 115 280 121 277 123 277 126 278 129 280 132 283 135 275 143 259 142 229 161 230 161 230 162 230 164 232 170 238 170 232 183 238 196 250 197 259 193 269 198 271 190 274 188 282 185 286 182 289 180 291 176 296 176 300 172 301 175 303 176 304 176 Bad Dürkheim (district) poly 305 62 292 71 282 72 279 60 276 54 279 45 278 44 275 45 271 45 268 45 265 43 259 43 257 43 252 44 249 45 246 47 240 50 234 50 224 57 223 53 225 46 224 46 222 45 220 44 219 43 217 42 215 42 213 41 212 41 210 41 208 41 204 40 200 41 196 42 192 35 199 26 199 24 196 21 192 21 187 17 183 15 180 14 179 10 178 8 177 7 176 6 172 5 167 3 165 3 163 4 164 0 164 -3 164 -7 297 -1 305 62 Donnersbergkreis poly -18 148 8 154 10 163 24 158 26 156 26 155 22 151 26 148 23 142 31 127 33 126 34 124 31 124 31 121 35 121 39 119 43 121 53 111 53 110 46 99 52 94 53 91 53 87 56 85 58 82 61 77 62 75 61 72 63 70 69 70 70 67 73 65 77 63 80 60 83 53 84 50 85 49 86 49 86 49 87 54 91 55 98 55 103 52 110 47 111 48 115 51 120 53 121 47 122 45 125 43 129 41 136 38 137 34 138 32 142 27 144 24 144 20 142 18 134 17 134 15 140 6 142 6 149 8 155 3 156 4 158 4 163 4 164 0 164 -3 164 -7 44 -12 42 1 34 4 33 4 29 3 23 1 17 0 7 2 4 7 2 9 1 13 -1 15 -3 16 Kusel (district) poly 44 -12 42 1 34 4 33 4 29 3 23 1 17 0 7 2 4 7 2 9 1 13 -1 15 -3 16 -3 -12 Birkenfeld (district) poly -18 148 8 154 10 163 24 158 26 170 26 177 25 181 20 190 21 192 21 197 16 206 18 212 -18 212 Saarland desc bottom-right </imagemap>
Kaiserslautern Kaiserslautern
Coordinates: 49°26′41″N 7°46′8″E
Country	Germany
State	Rhineland-Palatinate
District	Urban district
Government
• Lord mayor (2023–31)	Beate Kimmel (SPD)
Area
• Total	139.74 km2 (53.95 sq mi)
Elevation	251 m (823 ft)
Population  (2022-12-31)
• Total	101,228
• Density	720/km2 (1,900/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+01:00 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+02:00 (CEST)
Postal codes	67655–67663
Dialling codes	0631, 06301
Vehicle registration	KL
Website	kaiserslautern.de

Kaiserslautern is home to about 100,000 people. Additionally, approximately 45,000 NATO military personnel are based in the city and its surrounding district (Landkreis Kaiserslautern).

History and demographics

Historical population

Year	Pop.	±%
1611	2,120	—
1683	940	−55.7%
1810	3,654	+288.7%
1830	7,292	+99.6%
1871	17,896	+145.4%
1900	48,310	+169.9%
1910	54,659	+13.1%
1919	55,707	+1.9%
1933	62,619	+12.4%
1950	62,761	+0.2%
1961	86,259	+37.4%
1970	99,617	+15.5%
1987	97,326	−2.3%
2011	96,340	−1.0%
2018	99,845	+3.6%
Population size may be affected by changes in administrative divisions. source:

Prehistoric settlement in the area of what is now Kaiserslautern has been traced to at least 800 BC. Some 2,500-year-old Celtic tombs were uncovered at Miesau, a town about 29 kilometres (18 miles) west of Kaiserslautern. The recovered relics are now in the Museum for Palatinate History at Speyer.

Medieval period

Kaiserslautern received its name from the favourite hunting retreat of Holy Roman Emperor Frederick Barbarossa who ruled the Holy Roman Empire from 1155 until 1190. The small river Lauter made the old section of Kaiserslautern an island in medieval times. Ruins of Frederick's original castle, built 1152–1160, can still be seen in front of the Rathaus (city hall). A second castle, Nanstein Castle, was built at Landstuhl to guard the western approach to the city. Barbarossa's influence on Kaiserslautern remains today, in its nickname as a "Barbarossa city". Local legends claim in 1497, a nearly 6 m long pike was caught in a lake, the Kaiserwoog, with a ring saying it was placed by Emperor Frederick II, personally in 1230, later finding its way onto the city's coat of arms.

The Stiftkirche, Kaiserslautern's oldest church, was constructed in 1250–1350. As the population of Kaiserslautern grew, King Rudolf von Habsburg chartered the town an imperial city in 1276. St. Martin's Church was built in the 14th century, originally as a Franciscan monastery church. Today a section of the original city wall still stands in the courtyard of the church.

By 1375, the city of Kaiserslautern was pledged to Electoral Palatinate and therefore became subsequently part of the Wittelsbach inheritance.

Reformation

In 1519, Franz von Sickingen became the owner of Nanstein Castle. He became a Protestant, and in 1522 Nanstein was a stronghold for local nobles favouring the Reformation. Sickingen and the local nobles began their battle against the Archbishop of Trier; but the attack was unsuccessful, and they retreated to Nanstein. Nanstein was then besieged by cannon-armed German Catholic princes. Sickingen died after the castle surrendered, and the Protestant nobility of the Electoral Palatinate were subdued by the Catholic princes.

Count of the Electoral Palatinate Johann Casimir, came to Kaiserslautern during the Thirty Years' War (1618–1648). Spanish occupation in 1621–1632 ended when Protestant Swedish armies liberated the area. The city would fall to invading forces again in an especially violent incident in 1635. Croatian troops within the Austrian emperor's army plundered the city, killing 3,000 of its 3,200 residents. It would not be repopulated for about another 160 years.

Conflict did not end with the Peace of Westphalia in 1648. The Elector of the Pfalz had difficulty with many of his subjects and ordered all castles, including Nanstein, destroyed. The French repeatedly invaded and occupied the area, residing in Kaiserslautern in 1686–1697. Nevertheless, after the treaty of Utrecht it was restored to be part of the Palatinate. During the unquiet episodes in the 18th century, the Palatinate was the scene of fighting between French and German troops of different states. In 1713, the French destroyed Barbarossa's castle and the city's wall towers. From 1793 until Napoleon's defeat at Waterloo in 1815, the area was under French administration.

Bavarian province

As French power declined after 1815, Kaiserslautern and the Palatinate became a Bavarian province and remained so until 1918. After World War I, French troops again occupied the Palatinate for several years.

World War II

In World War II, Allied bombing destroyed more than 85% of Kaiserslautern. The railway and several main roads were primary targets, with the heaviest attacks occurring on 7 January 11 August, and 28 September 1944. On 20 March 1945, as the last of the 1st Army crossed the Rhine at Remagen, the U.S. 80th Division, 319th Infantry, part of the 3rd US Army, seized Kaiserslautern without resistance. The city became part of the French occupation zone after the Second World War. The establishment of the state of Rhineland-Palatinate was ordered on 30 August 1946 as the last state in the western occupation zones by ordinance No. 57 of the French military government under General Marie-Pierre Kœnig. Little reconstruction took place until the currency reform of 1948. The pace of the economy remained slow until 1952, when construction for newly established garrisons of American troops brought economic growth to the area.

Unexploded ordnance from WWII continues to be discovered in and around Kaiserslautern. In May 2012 an unexploded 250-pound (110 kg) Allied bomb was found, buried deeply and reportedly covered by water pipe, during a construction project in the downtown area of the city. On 5 September 2013, another WWII bomb was found during construction near the train station in Enkenbach-Alsenborn.

Cold War era

In the late 1940s, Kaiserslautern area became the largest U.S. garrison outside the United States (Kaiserslautern Military Community).

On 14 November 1956, a U.S. Air Force F-86 fighter jet crashed into the district office in the Burgstrasse / Maxstrasse area. In addition to the pilot, two civilians were killed, and numerous wounded.

With the incorporation of the previously independent communities of Dansenberg, Erfenbach, Erlenbach, Hohenecken, Mölschbach, Morlautern and Siegelbach on 7 June 1969, Kaiserslautern became a city. The University of Kaiserslautern was founded in 1970.

Industry flourished around the time of the first oil crisis (1973). In the 1970s, many industrial companies went through a crisis. In 1981, the spinning mill went bankrupt; Pfaff and Opel fired employees. The downsizing of the American garrison and the withdrawal of the French garrison cost more jobs.

Climate

Kaiserslautern has a moderate climate with adequate rainfall year-round. It is classified as a "Cfb" (Marine West Coast Climate/Oceanic climate) by the Köppen Climate Classification system. On 16 September 2020 the temperature reached 38,2 ° and reached the highest temperature since 1901.

Climate data for Kaiserslautern
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Mean daily maximum °C (°F)	4 (39)	5 (41)	10 (50)	13 (55)	19 (66)	22 (72)	25 (77)	25 (77)	20 (68)	15 (59)	9 (48)	5 (41)	14 (58)
Daily mean °C (°F)	1.3 (34.3)	2.1 (35.8)	5.7 (42.3)	9.5 (49.1)	13.9 (57.0)	15.0 (59.0)	19.1 (66.4)	18.4 (65.1)	14.3 (57.7)	10.0 (50.0)	5.2 (41.4)	2.3 (36.1)	9.7 (49.5)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F)	−1 (30)	−2 (28)	2 (36)	3 (37)	8 (46)	12 (54)	14 (57)	13 (55)	9 (48)	6 (43)	3 (37)	1 (34)	6 (42)
Average precipitation mm (inches)	67 (2.6)	57 (2.2)	58 (2.3)	45 (1.8)	69 (2.7)	64 (2.5)	64 (2.5)	63 (2.5)	56 (2.2)	66 (2.6)	68 (2.7)	87 (3.4)	764 (30)
Average precipitation days	18	15	13	15	14	14	15	14	13	14	16	17	178
Average relative humidity (%)	86	83	76	71	70	75	76	79	80	83	88	90	80
Mean monthly sunshine hours	50	77	133	185	206	221	234	220	164	102	52	40	1,684
Source 1: Deutscher Wetterdienst(precipitation-sun)
Source 2: Wetterkontor

Culture, tourism, and sports

Modern-day Kaiserslautern is a centre of information and communications technology, home to a well-known university, a technical college and many international research institutes located throughout the city. Kaiserslautern is a popular destination for tourists, offering a range of attractions, and sites for tourists to visit.

Kaiserslautern Town Hall

Hauptbahnhof (Main Railway Station)

Town Hall Kaiserslautern is one of the tallest buildings and is located in the city centre. The bar and coffee shop on the top floor provides a panoramic view of the city and surrounding countryside.

The tallest building in the centre of Kaiserslautern is St. Mary's, a Roman Catholic church, whilst the highest structure in all Kaiserslautern is the television tower in the suburb of Dansenberg, southwest of the city centre.

The Japanese Garden in the botanic gardens

Kaiserslautern's large botanical gardens feature a Japanese-style garden. Another unusual feature is the Waschmühle (also known as "Wesch"), an enormous 160-metre (520 ft) public swimming pool that is the largest in Europe. There are several pedestrian-only shopping zones with numerous and varied restaurants and bars located in the city centre surrounding the old city (Altstadt). In the Altstadt you will find the "Kaiserbrunnen", a large ornamental fountain with symbols of the city's history such as a sewing machine, as produced by the Pfaff company in the city, a football representing the city's football club and various animals that children can climb.

Kaiserslautern has a diverse culinary sector, offering visitors the chance to sample dishes from across the world.

Kaiserslautern is located in one of the largest contiguous forested areas in Central Europe, the Palatinate Forest, which offers numerous hiking trails and lakes to visitors.

Notable attractions

Fruchthalle

Pfalztheater Kaiserslautern

Pfalztheater Kaiserslautern

Local theatre Pfalztheater employs more than 300 people and features plays, operas, ballets, concerts, and musicals. The first German performance of West Side Story took place there. As the arts in Germany are significantly subsidized by the government, its ticket prices are reasonably low. Pfalztheater Kaiserslautern hosts the Else-Lasker-Schüler-Preis awards for German literature.

The Kammgarn

The Kammgarn is classified as a historical site. It served as a spinning factory before being transformed into the cultural heart of Kaiserslautern. This renovation has preserved its historical character while incorporating the latest sound and lighting technologies. The Kammgarn stands among the top venues in Germany and serves as a first-call club for rising groups and performers as well as established jazz, rock, blues and pop artists in Europe. Performances have included international stars B.B. King, Manfred Mann's Earth Band, Pat Metheny, Uriah Heep and Jan Garbarek.

Gartenschau (garden exhibition)

Better known as the 'Dino Park' because of its lifesize dinosaur models, the Gartenschau is open from April through October and is popular with families. Having begun as a series of botanical displays and enjoying success at the first State Garden Exhibition of Rhineland-Palatinate in Kaiserslautern in 2000, this 54-acre (220,000 m²) park has been transformed into one of the most multi-dimensional cultural centres in Germany.

Fritz-Walter-Stadion

Fritz-Walter-Stadion, the stadium of 1. FC Kaiserslautern

The Fritz-Walter-Stadion is a football stadium that accommodates 48,500 fans. In June 2006, after renovation, the stadium was one of 12 to host the 2006 FIFA World Cup. It is also home to 1. FC Kaiserslautern, which won the Bundesliga four times and the wheelchair basketball team FCK Rolling Devils.

Kaiserslautern Zoo

The Kaiserslautern Zoo was founded in 1968 and is located in Kaiserslautern's Siegelbach neighbourhood. It is home to many different animals including some nearly extinct regional species.

Museums and libraries

• Palatinate Gallery of Art/Pfalzgalerie (art gallery, mainly pictures and sculptures from the 19th and 20th century)
• Wadgasserhof / Theodor-Zink-Museum (local history)
• Stadtbibliothek (Municipal Library)
• Universitätsbibliothek (university library of Kaiserslautern)
• Hochschulbibliothek (Bibliothek of Fachhochschule)
• Pfalzbibliothek (scientific library with a main focus on the Electorate of the Palatinate issues)

Other places of interest in Kaiserslautern, and the surrounding area, are:

• The Humberg Tower, an observation tower on the Humberg hill which was built in 1900 and offers a great view over the Palatinate Forest
• Karlstal (a whitewater canyon)
• Kaiserpfalz, the castle of emperor Barbarossa (Redbeard)
• Nanstein Castle, Landstuhl, a castle in the district
• Hohenecken Castle, in a suburb/ward of Kaiserslautern
• Gartenschau, a horticultural show, including the largest dinosaur show in the EU
• Quaidersberg (394 metres or 1,293 feet), a hill and natural monument 500 metres (1,600 feet) outside the city

Education, science, and business

Universities

• The Technical University of Kaiserslautern was founded on 13 July 1970. Earlier, it was part of the twin University of Trier/Kaiserslautern. It started with the departments of Mathematics, Physics and Technology. Later many more faculties were added.
• University of Applied Sciences, Kaiserslautern was founded in 1971. The main departments including Applied Logistics & Polymer Sciences, Building and Design, Business Administration, Engineering and Computer Sciences / Microsystems Technology.

Research centres

• German Research Centre for Artificial Intelligence
• Fraunhofer IESE
• Fraunhofer Institute for Industrial Mathematics
• Max Planck Institute for Software Systems
• Association Internationale pour les Technologies Objets

Businesses

Kaiserslautern has a broad-based commercial economy. Among the big companies located in the city are:

• Adam Opel AG (engines and components factory)
• AMEC Earth & Environmental (environmental consulting and engineering)
• Avid Technology (formerly Blue-Order)
• Empolis GmbH (content & knowledge management software)
• General Dynamics European Land Systems-Germany (until 2002 Eisenwerke Kaiserslautern; amphibious vehicles, mobile bridges for military use)
• IKEA
• John Deere Research and Development branch
• Johnson Controls, formerly Keiper (carseats)
• Pfaff Industrie Maschinen AG (sewing machines)
• EuroMaint

Religion

Churches

The largest church is St. Mary's (Marienkirche), a Roman Catholic church. There is also the historic Protestant Church of the Apostle (Apostelkirche). At the heart of the city is the large and old Stiftskirche (also Protestant). All three have large pipe organs and occasionally host concerts.

Mosques

In Kaiserslautern there is an Islamic Centre for the Muslim communities situated in the centre of the city. The Ditib Fatih Camii is a Turkish mosque in Kaiserslautern. There is also a university prayer room at the University of Kaiserslautern.

Synagogues

The city was once the site of the magnificent Moorish Revival Kaiserslautern synagogue. Built in 1886, the synagogue's great dome could be seen from across the city skyline. The Nazi government forcibly demolished the synagogue on 31 August 1938. The reason provided for the synagogue's demolition was to create a route for a Nazi parade, but the event served as an example of the Nazis' underlying intentions including ethnic cleansing in The Holocaust, even a few months before the Kristallnacht. A memorial archway was constructed at the site in 2002.

US military base

See also: Kaiserslautern High School

1950 photograph of barracks in Kaiserslautern

Between 1950 and 1955, Kaiserslautern developed into the largest US military community outside of the United States. For this reason Kaiserslautern is also referred to as "K-town"; a term coined by the early American military population who had difficulty pronouncing the name. The Kaiserslautern Military Community (KMC) is a combined community consisting of Army and Air Force components. The KMC consists of Army facilities at Kleber 32nd Air Defense HQ and Signal Corps, Panzer, Dänner-Kaserne, Landstuhl, Miesau, Einsiedlerhof, Pirmasens, Sembach, Baumholder, Rhine Ordnance Barracks and Pulaski Barracks along with Air Force facilities located at Ramstein Air Base, Vogelweh, and Kapaun Air Station.

Twin towns – sister cities

See also: List of twin towns and sister cities in Germany

Kaiserslautern is twinned with:

• Davenport, United States (1960)
• Douzy, France (1967)
• Saint-Quentin, France (1967)
• Newham (London), England, United Kingdom (1974)
• Bunkyō (Tokyo), Japan (1988)
• Brandenburg an der Havel, Germany (1988)
• Pleven, Bulgaria (1999)
• Columbia, United States (2000)
• Guimarães, Portugal (2000)
• Banja Luka, Bosnia and Herzegovina (2003)

Friendly cities

Kaiserslautern also has friendly relations with:

• Bitola, North Macedonia
• Igualada, Spain
• Rotherham, England, United Kingdom
• Silkeborg, Denmark

Notable people

Main page: Category:People from Kaiserslautern

Memorial for the 1. FC Kaiserslautern players in the 1954 FIFA World Cup Final. From left to right: Werner Liebrich, Fritz Walter, Werner Kohlmeyer, Horst Eckel and Ottmar Walter.

• Countess Palatine Dorothea of Simmern (1581–1631), countess
• Mathias Abel (born 1981), footballer
• Otto Bradfisch (1903–1994), economist, jurist, and SS-Obersturmbannführer
• Wolfgang Demtröder (born 1931), physicist and spectroscopist
• Ludwig Fischer (1905–1947), National Socialist lawyer, politician and a convicted war criminal
• Mark Forster (born 1983), singer
• Wilhelm Frick (1877–1946), politician of the NSDAP; Reich Minister of the Interior in the Hitler Cabinet 1933–1943
• Florian Fromlowitz (born 1986), footballer
• Reiner Gies (born 1963), boxer, Olympic medalist
• Stefanie Giesinger (born 1996), model
• Theo Härder (born 1945), computer science professor
• Wilhelm Helfer (1886–1954), Nazi SA general
• Johann Adam Philipp Hepp (1797–1867), physician and lichenologist
• Hans Robert Hiegel (born 1954), architect
• Raphael Holzdeppe (born 1989), pole vaulter, world champion
• Johann Heinrich Jung (1740–1817), author
• Klaus Knopper (born 1968), electrical engineer and free software developer
• Werner Kohlmeyer (1924–1974), footballer, 1954 World Cup winner
• Werner Liebrich (1927–1995), footballer, 1954 World Cup winner
• David May (1848–1927), Jewish emigrant to America and founder of department stores that later incorporated Macy's
• Markus Merk (born 1962), football referee
• Karl Mildenberger (1937–2018), heavyweight boxer
• Willi Orbán (born 1992), footballer
• Vanden Plas (formed 1986), progressive metal band
• Johan Adam Pollich (1741–1780), doctor, botanist and entomologist
• Johann Heinrich Roos (1631–1685), Baroque landscape painter and etcher
• Albert Speer (1934–2017), architect and urban planner
• Heinrich Steiner (1911–2009), painter and printmaker
• Johanna Terwin (1884–1962), actress
• Stefanie Tücking (1962–2018), radio and television presenter
• Fritz Walter (1920–2002), footballer, 1954 World Cup winner
• Ottmar Walter (1924–2013), footballer, 1954 World Cup winner
• Zedd (born 1988), Russian-German record producer, DJ, multi-instrumentalist and songwriter

See also

• Betzenberg, a Kaiserslautern district
• Betzenberg Wildlife Park

External links

• Kaiserslautern travel guide from Wikivoyage
• (in German)
• History of Kaiserslautern
• Website about some restaurant and festival reviews in and around K-Town
• Muslims five Prayer time