Landstuhl
Town
Remains of Nanstein Castle
Coat of arms
Location of Landstuhl within Kaiserslautern district
Landstuhl Show map of Germany Landstuhl Show map of Rhineland-Palatinate
Coordinates: 49°24′44″N 07°34′20″E / 49.41222°N 7.57222°E / 49.41222; 7.57222
Country	Germany
State	Rhineland-Palatinate
District	Kaiserslautern
Municipal assoc.	Landstuhl
First mentioned	1323 (701 years ago) (1323)
Government
• Mayor (2019–24)	Ralf Hersina (SPD)
Area
• Total	15.34 km2 (5.92 sq mi)
Elevation	248 m (814 ft)
Population  (2021-12-31)[1]
• Total	8,356
• Density	540/km2 (1,400/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+01:00 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+02:00 (CEST)
Postal codes	66849
Dialling codes	06371
Vehicle registration	KL
Website	landstuhl.de

Landstuhl (German pronunciation: [ˈlantʃtuːl] ^ⓘ), officially the Sickingen Town of Landstuhl (German: Sickingenstadt Landstuhl), is a town in the Kaiserslautern district of Rhineland-Palatinate in Germany. It is the seat of Verbandsgemeinde Landstuhl, a kind of municipal association. Landstuhl is situated on the north-west edge of the Palatinate Forest, 11 miles (18 km) west of Kaiserslautern. It is also located near the U.S. Air Force base Ramstein Air Base.

History

Early history

The earliest traces of human settlement in Landstuhl date from around 500 BC. The "heathen rock" (Heidenfels) from the Celtic period was a holy site until Roman times, and a Roman settlement dates from the 1st century. About 1152, Emperor Frederick I had Nanstein Castle built on the mountain south of town.

Early Modern period

During the 15th Century, the lords of Sickingen assumed responsibility for Landstuhl and the surrounding area.^[2] The most famous member of this dynasty was Franz von Sickingen. He converted the castle – Nanstein Castle (German: Burg Nanstein), the most visible landmark in Landstuhl and the surrounding area – into a dominating fortress. In August 1522, Sickingen moved to further expand his feudal domains by capturing Trier. After several unsuccessful attempts to lay siege to the city, he withdrew to Nanstein Castle and was subsequently besieged by a coalition of Richard, Archbishop of Trier; Louis V, Elector Palatine; and Philip I, Landgrave of Hesse. During the 1523 siege of Nanstein Castle, Sickingen fell mortally wounded. His sons rebuilt the castle in Renaissance style, but it was largely destroyed by Louis XIV's army during the Rhine campaign of the Nine Years' War.

Politics

Landstuhl's mayor is Ralf Hersina^[3]

Economy and infrastructure

Landstuhl is home to Landstuhl Hospital, also known as Landstuhl Regional Medical Center, a U.S. Army installation atop the Kirchberg.^[2]

Notable people

• Aaron Altherr – German-American baseball player
• Shawn Bradley – German-American basketball player
• LeVar Burton – American actor
• Shelley FKA DRAM – American musician
• David Rouzer – American politician
• Franz von Sickingen – German knight
• Rob Thomas – American musician
• Reggie Williams – American football player

International relations

Landstuhl is twinned with:

• Pont-à-Mousson, France (1967)
• Bad Münster am Stein-Ebernburg, Germany (1998)