I traveled to this city to see my friend Nicole. We worked together the first year in China and I have not seen her for 6 years. Actually the last time was the Christmas before COVID started…
The area was settled by the Celt’s and then the Romans (structures can still be seen today). In the 12th century, Roman emperor Fredrick I “Barbarossa” built an imperial palace Kaierpfalz, which is the ruins in one of the pictures below. He named the city using Kaiser (emperor) and Lautern (of the river). The city became protestant during the Reformation and was heavily damaged during the 30 years war and the French and Germany.
During the Napoleanic wars, it was under control of the French. After the defeat of Napolean, it became part of Bavaria. It is known for its textile production and was heavily damaged during WWII.
It has a 2000 year history shaped by emperor’s, wars, and rebuilding.
We spent the first day going around the Christmas markets and some of the sights. This city actually has an American Air base (Rammstein) and a university so it is very international. Both have heavily influenced the economy and culture.
The next morning we went to walk in the Palatinate Forest to a very old stone tower (Humbergtum) to look at the views.
It was a beautiful day and the views from the top were amazing.
We also noticed that there were some holes in the ground, possibly a badger or hedgehog.
This one had fresh dirt outside the entrance.
