Location and landscape
Kirchheimbolanden is located in the northern Pfalz in the Donnersberg district of Rhineland-Palatinate, between Kaiserslautern and Mainz. The town stretches along the slopes of the Wartberg, which is known today as Schillerhain, and is dominated by the Donnersberg, which is 687 metres high. The gently hilly Bolander Randhöhen form a foreland zone of the North Palatinate Uplands and reach about 310 metres above sea level.
Climate and geology
The climate is influenced by maritime and continental factors, and is dry and warm. The annual precipitation is about 550 millimetres, and the average annual temperature is around 9 °C. The surrounding area is shaped by rhyolitic igneous rock on the Donnersberg, shore deposits of the former Tertiary Sea at Schillerhain, as well as more recent patterns of sedimentation and erosion.
History
Kirchheim was first mentioned in records in 774 and was granted town rights in 1368. As a Nassau residence, the town developed particularly in the 18th century; the palace and the palace gardens were also created during this time. The originally geometrically designed Baroque garden was later partly converted into an English landscape garden.
Winegrowing in the palace garden
The Schloßgarten is registered as an official wine-growing site in the winegrowing directory of Rhineland-Palatinate. A former terrace-garden area has been used for winegrowing since 1941; the later use as a vineyard partly affected the historical garden structures.
