Location and landscape
Friedelsheim is an Ortsgemeinde in the district of Bad Dürkheim in Rhineland-Palatinate. The municipality is located on the edge of the Haardt, a spur of the Palatinate Forest, and belongs to the Qualitätsweinbaugebiet Mittelhaardt in the Pfalz. It lies in a shallow hollow protected from strong winds.
Climate and soils
Friedelsheim is situated in the Vorderpfälzer lowland with an overwhelmingly dry, sunny and comparatively continental climate. Local conditions allow the cultivation of almonds, kiwis, figs and apricots. In the surrounding area, loess, Pleistocene sands and gravels shape soil formation; in the Bischofsgarten vineyard, sandy loam and calcareous loess are found.
Viticulture
Friedelsheim is surrounded by vineyards and cultivates more than 300 hectares of vineyard area. The 2024 vineyard area directory lists the sites Gerümpel with 56.0 hectares, Rosengarten with 29.0 hectares, Kreuz with 38.6 hectares, Schloßgarten with 98.3 hectares, as well as the Friedelsheim share of Bischofsgarten with 85.5 hectares. Gerümpel and Rosengarten are assigned to the Großlage Hofstück, while Kreuz, Schloßgarten and Bischofsgarten belong to the Großlage Schnepfenflug on the Weinstraße.
Historical development
Friedelsheim is documented in the Lorsch Codex on 24 June 770; the entry also mentions a vineyard among the endowed lands. Viticulture is documented for the year 773. In 1757, the vineyard area was classified for tax purposes according to local information by the city scribe J. A. Hauck of Wachenheim. The former vineyard site Neuberg was given the name Bischofsgarten in 1971.
