State capital: Mainz Population: 4.0 million Area: 19,849 sq km
Rhineland-Palatinate was formed by the French after World War II out of regions that would never have unified voluntarily; the Bavarian-like Palatinate, Prussian Rhine provinces, and parts of the territory of
Hesse.
However, since then, they have merged well to become one of Germany's most important states. With an export rate of 40%, it is one of Germany's economic centers. Two-thirds of the country's wine comes from
Rhineland - Palatinate.
The state is also a major producer of lumber, chemicals, and automobile components. Inside of Rheinland-Pfalz can be found Trier, one of Germany's oldest cities, as well as Speyer, and Worms, where a
diet condemned Martin Luther and began the counter- Reformation, which created wounds only now being healed.
Here, also, is Germany's oldest synagogue, built in 1034.
In 1834, Hambach Castle, in Nordrhein-Pfalz, was the scene of Germany's first democratic-republican assembly, and is considered the cradle of German democracy.
Mainz was the birthplace of Johann Gutenberg, and is now the home of the Gutenberg Museum, a world famous exhibition of the printer's art. North Rhine - Westphalia was also the home of Karl Marx, whose philosophy led to the developement of communism.
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The state is also a major producer of lumber, chemicals, and automobile components. Inside of Rheinland-Pfalz can be found Trier, one of Germany's oldest cities, as well as Speyer, and Worms, where a
diet condemned Martin Luther and began the counter- Reformation, which created wounds only now being healed.