Neustadt: a little about the town

It occurs to me that, just because German is the focus of my little universe, there just might be a slim chance that this doesn't hold true for everyone. (Even despite the lure of delicious beer and the promise of a glamorous waitressing job for those who study languages.) So! A little note on the name of the town, to calm those long nights everyone has doubtlessly spent wondering about it:

Neustadt an der Weinstrasse ("Noy-shtot on dehr Vine-shtrah-seh") literally means, "New Town on the Wine Road." Which is kinda funny, since Neustadt was officially founded in the early 1200's; but I suppose at the time, it was newer than the surrounding villages. :) The entire region around here is referred to as the Pfalz ("pfahlts" -- yep, you actually say the p before the f!), and, when not laid with vineyards, is thickly covered by nationally-protected forest. Hence the name of the state, "Rheinland-Pfalz": located in the middle of far-western Germany, up against the French border, this state encompasses both the Pfalz and a lot of the Rhein river valley. Historically speaking, it's been a much-fought-over area: Louis the XIV once set fire to the entire Pfalz to keep Bavaria from getting her hands on it. Only one town was spared: Neustadt. Everything else had to be rebuilt. So perhaps the city deserves its name, after all...

Neustadt is often referred to as the capital of German winecountry. It sits in the middle of a cluster of other cute, wine-oriented towns that also have their own festivals; but, being the biggest, Neustadt is the hub around which most activity rotates. The town is self-consciously aware of its own beauty: the five-hundred-year-old Fachwerk (wood beam facade work) is carefully preserved and painted, and the narrow, cobblestone streets are not only sparkling clean, but overarched with fluffy grapevines, twinkling lights, and, downtown, streamers of German and French flags. The historic German Wine Road (the Weinstrasse -- "vine-shtra-seh") runs right through the middle of Neustadt, and is lined with little shops and restaurants that serve their own wine, made from grapes grown right in the fields which lie mere meters away.

It's absolutely enchanting. Wanna come visit? :)