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Germany City Travel Guide: Kaiserslautern

Kaiserslautern

• Located in Rhineland Palatinate, south western Germany
• Close to Heidelburg and the Palatinate Forest
• Population of 120,000 people
• Relaxed and friendly city with a 'provincial' feel
• Historic center going back to the 9th century
• Within easy reach of France and Luxembourg
• Location for the annual World Garden Show
• Site of large US Army base - 'K-Town' in nearby Ramstein
• Lively local rock and jazz music scene
• Kaiserlautern's town symbol is a 'fish'

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Kaiserslautern's history dates back to around 830 AD. The Emperor Barbarossa built his imperial palace - the Kaiserpfalz - here in 1152. The site of the palace is near the present-day Rathaus, a 1960s skyscraper with a viewing platform at the top. The town hall incorporates the ruins of a Renaissance palace built by Johann Casimir in 1571. The new Pfalztheater is an impressive, modern building.

Subsequent wars destroyed many of the city's historical buildings but some fine old churches remain, including the Gothic Stiftskirche and St Martinskirche.

The Theodor Zink Museum displays the history of the city and is next to Wadgasserhof - a 17th century manor house.

At the height of the Cold War from 1950 to 1955, Kaiserslautern (K-Town) grew into the largest US military community outside the United States and around 40,000 service men and women are still based in the area.

This leads to some lively night life with a good jazz and rock scene. Acts from the US come over regularly to perform in Kaiserslautern's numerous clubs.

Kaiserslautern's main attraction is the expanse of nature on its doorstep: the Palatinate forest is the largest continuous wooded area in the country. There are eleven clearly marked trails from Kaiserslautern and hikers can enjoy walks in the beautiful beech woods of the Karlstal Gorge area.

Within the city limits is the relaxing Volkspark with Sunday concerts.

From April to October the city hosts a World Garden Show including a beautiful Japanese garden and Europe's largest dinosaur exhibition. The city also has a pleasant zoo and a downtown winter skating rink.

Today, Kaiserslautern is a modern center of information and communications technologies as well as automobile manufacture. Kaiserslautern has numerous well-known universities, international research institutes and technical colleges located throughout the city.

The Palatine Gallery is well worth a visit and dates from 1874 featuring exhibits of painting and sculpture from the 19th century to the present day.

The historic university town of Heidelberg with its lively nightlife is also within easy reach of the city.

Kaiserslautern Tourist Offices

City Hall office
Willy-Brandt-Platz 1
67653 Kaiserslautern
Tel: 0631 365 2316/4316
Fax: 0631 365 2723
touristinformation@kaiserslautern.de
www.kaiserslautern.de
All images are copyright © Stadt Kaiserslautern

Railway Station office
Richard-Wagner-Strasse 107
67655 Kaiserslautern
Tel: 0631 414 5239
Fax: 0631 414 5241
touristinfo@gmx.de
www.kaiserslautern.de

Getting to Kaiserslautern

Air

Saarbrücken is the nearest airport 55km away (45 minutes by train) while both Frankfurt and Luxembourg airports are approximately 120km away. These major airports are served by several European airways including British Airways (BA), Air France and KLM.

Train

Kaiserslautern has rail connections to Berlin (10 hours), Stuttgart (2 hours), Frankfurt (1 hour 30 mins), Munich (6 hours), Cologne (3 hours), Paris (5 hours) and Basel (4 hours).

Bus/Road

Kaiserslautern connects by autobahn with Paris (A-6), Basel and Frankfurt (A-5), and Cologne (A-61).

Car Hire

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Accommodation

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Kaiserslautern Accor Hotels - Sofitel, Mercure, Ibis

Eating

The main eating and drinking areas in Kaiserlautern are around St. Martinsplatz in the Altstadt, and on Richard-Wagner-Strasse leading from the train station.

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Drinking

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Local football teams

FC Kaiserslautern are four times national champions 1951, 1953, 1991 and 1998 and a famous name in the German game. Their home the Fritz Walter Stadion (formerly the Betzenbergstadion known affectionately as "der Betze") seats 48,500 capacity and is being reconstructed for the 2006 World Cup.

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