Landau in the Palatinate can be explored through its history of fortifications, distinctive cultural sites and routes through the city and wine-growing countryside. Options range from a botanical walk through the fortifications to longer routes connecting historic defensive structures with the old town, parks and other parts of the city. There are also churches, Art Nouveau architecture, art at the Strieffler House and wine tastings. You can tailor your stay to your own interests in history, architecture, outdoor activities or wine.
City History and Fortifications
The Museum of City History covers the period from the granting of city rights in 1274 to the 2015 State Garden Show. The exhibition spans around 250 square metres. Its centrepiece is a thoroughly restored historical model of Landau’s fortifications from around 1740. It gives the history of the defenses a specific focus within the broader overview of the city’s history.
Outdoors, the Fort Circular Trail offers a different experience: This 3.7-kilometre botanical walk leads through Landau’s fortifications, with historic and wildlife-related points along the way. The approximately 7.6-kilometre Vauban Route connects surviving sections of the historic ring of fortifications with the old town, parks, waterways and later city districts. Information boards at prominent fortifications explain how they were built, their purpose and their reuse after their military function ended. The two routes therefore differ both in length and in their thematic focus.
The circular route Around Landau can be started at any point and shortened by leaving it in the direction of the city centre. It also reaches the Kleine Kalmit, from where panoramic views extend to the Palatinate Forest and across the vineyards of the Southern Palatinate. In addition to offering several starting points and the option to shorten the route, it also provides a scenic highlight. When planning, it is worth comparing these features with the focus of the two fortress routes.
Churches, Art Nouveau and Art
The Collegiate Church, Augustinian Church and St Catherine’s Chapel are surviving historic churches from the city’s first period of prosperity and continue to shape Landau’s cityscape. The Jugendstil-Festhalle offers a different architectural accent: This significant Art Nouveau cultural monument in southern Germany was built between 1905 and 1907 and can accommodate up to 1,200 people at events. Together, the churches represent earlier chapters in the city’s history, while the Landau Festival Hall connects the city with a building from the early 20th century.
The Strieffler House offers a glimpse into another part of Landau’s art history. The largely preserved former Art Nouveau and Art Deco home of painter Heinrich Strieffler and his daughter Marie has an exceptionally large attic studio. As a bequest site, exhibition space and memorial, the house preserves the authentic context of the works. The Strieffler House of the Arts Association organises temporary exhibitions there. The Strieffler House thus focuses both on the artists and their former home, as well as on changing exhibitions.
Cycling and Wine Tastings
In Landau and its surroundings, cycling routes follow both signposted and unmarked bike paths, as well as farm tracks through vineyards and the historic city centre. The Winemaker Cycling Route offers a way back to Landau through the Birnbach Valley, the Vauban Quarter, Goethe Park and Town Hall Square. These routes connect different landscapes and parts of the city, so you need not focus your stay on just one of them.
Wine is another possible focus: Visitors can enjoy wine tastings in Landau, often combined with cellar tours or walks through the vineyards. This makes cycling and wine two different elements of a stay. Those primarily interested in city history and architecture will find other points of interest in the museums, churches and fortress routes. This range makes Landau a place where you can balance culture and outdoor activities according to your own interests.
Discover more destinations: Siebeldingen, Nußdorf, Gleiszellen-Gleishorbach, Barbelroth, Pleisweiler-Oberhofen, Gossersweiler-Stein, Sankt Martin, Schweighofen.
Go to the main travel overview: Southern Wine Route.
