Fort circular route

1. The circular route begins at Rathausplatz. This was established as early as 1689 and in 1989, during the city's redevelopment, planted with 38 Japanese ornamental cherry trees, which bloom wonderfully in April. In the middle of the square stands an equestrian statue of Prince Regent Luitpold!

2. Through the passage at the market, through the Böckingsche House, you can directly see the small garden of the Frank Loebschen House. A garden full of art in greenery, decorated with beautiful climbing roses on the wrought-iron fence. When you enter the courtyard of the Frank Loebschen House, you see impressive wooden galleries and a magnificently climbing wisteria. Diagonally opposite is the Katharinen Chapel, on its south side, where two closely standing acacias await.

3. The path continues to the left to Martha Saalfeld-Platz. Eight common Judas trees adorn the beautiful raised beds. No less attention should be paid to the artwork of Landavia. 'Unaesthetic' and 'vulgar': These were the reactions about 40 years ago to the life-size bronze image of a curvy woman, which first stood in the courtyard of Villa Streccius and in Goethepark and today has found its permanent place here at Martha-Saalfeld-Platz in the heart of Landau city center. Today, the critics of the work have long since quieted, and the over two meters tall and seven and a half hundredweight lady named “Palatina Bacchabunda,” better known as Landavia, has become a true emblem of the South Palatinate metropolis.

4. The path continues over the west-market street into Kramstraße, the Kleiner Platz with its fourteen splendid globe robinias, up to the German Gate. In fortress times, this was the northern city exit. Walking around the gate leads directly to the nearly 5000 sqm green area on the north side. There is a small playground there and columnar cypresses, sugar maples, as well as pedunculate and red oaks adorn the square. Older deciduous trees such as winter lindens, Norway maples, sycamores, a bluebell tree, and four tall wild cherry trees can also be found.

5. The path leads over the north ring planted with winter lindens into Neustadter Straße up to the 11,000 sqm Nordpark. The path, popularly known as Nußdorfer Alle, is lined with eight old sycamores and ten younger winter lindens. At the entrance area, there is a stately specimen of a devil's tree, as well as a sycamore with a trunk diameter of over 80 cm.

6. After leaving the park, the circular route turns right into Daniel-Knobloch-Straße and after a few meters into the natural green space of the Derivation canal. It is densely planted and wooded with sycamores, yews, ashes, hornbeams, hazels, lindens, elderberries, willows, wild cherries, and robinias. Some native wild herbs also grow here.

7. Passing the fortress wall, the Hindenburgstraße is crossed. On the sidewalk heading north, which leads along the zoo, some perennial beds with palms can be seen. Taking the path to the right, looking at Bodelschwinghstraße, we see immediately on the left at the seating area a columnar oak, planted in 1982 by the Association for Flower and Garden Friends in memory of Erich Mehlis. Below rises a swamp oak, a yellow paulownia, and on the right side of the path a winter linden, as well as a tulip tree.

8. Back on the small hill and already entering the actual fort complex. This covers approx. 11.2 ha and is densely overgrown. The complex has about a 4.5 km long network of paths. A whole 2800 trees keep visitors cool even in the hottest South Palatinate summer. The fort is less than 600 m away from the city center and is therefore very easily accessible.

9. The actual circular walk begins here. Descending some steps, you reach the Moses Fountain. Previously, the fountain, framed by boxwood bushes, represented a waterfall-like stone formation. Today, this quiet trickling can only be guessed.

10. Continuing along the middle path, you reach the Nußdorfer water supply and the Nußdorfer Gate, an opening in the fortress wall.

11. Heading west, pause at the right fork of the path by the lantern and see on the left a stately sycamore with a trunk diameter of 1 m. A few steps further is a memorial stone erected in honor of Landau’s earliest sponsors, Count Emich von Leiningen and King Rudolph of Habsburg. In the immediate vicinity rises a beautiful Douglas fir and a red oak.

12. Continuing straight ahead, go to the Schweizerhäusel, where two false cypresses and a robinia, as well as four red beeches and two pedunculate oaks, stand out. A few steps further west is the Bismarck Tower, a building erected in honor of Chancellor Bismarck. The best view is from the directly opposite bench. The bench is framed by two young, tall-leaved ginkgo trees.

13. Behind the bench, the path continues south. At the sycamore, turn left above the wall to reach the ramp between, the lower level, the full bastion No. 64.

14. Continuing south, you cross the earthen embankment, the trench scissor. At the bottom, you see on the right above the wall a California sequoia. It has a trunk diameter of 140 cm, a circumference of 440 cm, a crown diameter of 13 m, and ends at about 32 m height. The unusually high number of sequoias in Landau and its surroundings probably goes back to the founders of the Gleisweiler Clinic. They maintained good relations with the city of Landau, as the owner of the clinic came from Landau, and the entire park of the clinic grounds in Gleisweiler was planted with exotic trees. Thus, one or another young tree also found its way into the city area.

15. Leaving the fort, you discover a field maple on the left at the exit. Not especially marked, but present in the complex are beeches, lindens, boxwoods, Douglas firs, walnuts, black pines, privet, hawthorns, holly, and ivy.

16. At Eichbornstraße turn left, offering a view of a stately building at Nordring 1. It dates from between 1898 and 1899 and was built by the brick manufacturer August Ludowici. To the left of the villa stands an almost equally old copper beech.

17. Crossing the street, you enter Schillerpark, which lies parallel to An 44 street and is bordered on the west side by the Derivation canal. Plane trees, red maples, and cherry blossoms are also present in the park.

18. Over the Westring, the path leads back to Rathausplatz, where the circular route ends.