Stadt Wolfstein

Geography

Wolfstein is located in the northwestern part of the Palatinate region in the North Palatinate Highlands, also known as the "Königsland," between Idar-Oberstein and Kaiserslautern in the northeastern part of the Kusel district. In the area, you can find minerals such as Analcime, Grossular, and Prehnite. The city covers an area of 13.74 square kilometers. Its neighboring municipalities, clockwise, include Heinzenhausen, Hohenöllen, Oberweiler-Tiefenbach, Einöllen, Relsberg, Niederkirchen, Kreimbach-Kaulbach, Rutsweiler an der Lauter, Eßweiler, Aschbach, Offenbach-Hundheim, and Lohnweiler.

Wolfstein is divided into two districts: Wolfstein with the neighborhoods of Pfingstweide, Reckweilerhof, and Schwanenhof, and Roßbach with the neighborhoods of Immetshausen, Mühle, and Stahlhausen.

The Lauter River flows through the city from south to north, with the Selbach joining it from the left, and the Roßbach and Breitbach joining from the right. Prominent mountains in the area include the Königsberg and the Eisenknopf.

Historical Background

Wolfstein was founded in 1275 by Rudolf I of Habsburg as a free city with the Speyer Law and was immediately granted city rights. In 1357, under Emperor Charles IV, Wolfstein came under the control of the Palatine Counts (later Elector Palatine). During this period, the city belonged to Pfalz-Lautern, which was an independent territory within the Holy Roman Empire from 1559 to 1592. Subsequently, Wolfstein served as the seat of a Palatine sub-district until the end of the 18th century, part of the larger Oberamt Lautern.

From 1792, French Revolutionary troops occupied the region and annexed it after the Peace of Campo Formio in 1797. Wolfstein was part of the First French Republic from 1798 to 1804 and later part of the Napoleonic Empire. The city was included in the Department of Donnersberg and served as the chief town (chef-lieu) of the eponymous canton.

In 1816, following the agreements made at the Congress of Vienna and a treaty with Austria, the region became part of the Kingdom of Bavaria. From 1818, Wolfstein was assigned to the Landkommissariat Kusel in the Bavarian Rhine District, which was converted into a district office (Bezirksamt) in 1862. In the 19th century, Wolfstein also became a center for itinerant musicians from the West Palatinate, with over 200 musicians in this profession hailing from the city. After the Palatine Uprising of 1848/49, many citizens emigrated to America. The evangelical church was built in 1866.

In 1915, amid World War I, Wolfstein served as a collection point for relief supplies for the surrounding communities.

In 1939, the city was incorporated into the Kusel district. After World War II, Rechtenbach became part of the newly formed state of Rhineland-Palatinate within the French occupation zone. As part of the first administrative reform in Rhineland-Palatinate, on June 7, 1969, the formerly independent municipality of Roßbach was incorporated into Wolfstein. Since 1971, the city has served as the administrative seat of the Verbandsgemeinde (collective municipality) of the same name, which merged with the Verbandsgemeinde Lauterecken in 2014 to form the new Verbandsgemeinde Lauterecken-Wolfstein, with its headquarters in Lauterecken.

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