 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
|||||||||
  |
|||||||||
The City of LandauThe city of Landau is in the heart of Europe
on the Franco-German border, surrounded
by a sea of vineyards.You can retrace the long history in architecture
and relax in the spacious pedestrian zone,
surrounded by history.[click on the images to enlarge]
After the conflagration of the town in 1689 it was set up as a parade ground. It was renamed many times: 1794-Place de Egalite, 1816-Parade Sq., 1824-Max Joseph Sq., finally it got its present name - Town Hall Sq. In the middle of the square is the equestrian statue of Prince Luitpold, Regent of Bavaria.
Landau was granted its city rrights in 1274.
In 1688 Louis XIV ordered his masterbuilder
Vauban to enlarge Landau as a fortress.
Many historical buildings are still part of Landau today.
Red Barrack
The last remaining barrack building built 1756 - 1759 inside the fortifications. Birthplace of Thomas Nast, "The father of American political cartoons" who was born in Landau 1840 and died in the United States in 1902.
Today the Departments of English and German are housed here.County Court
Built in 1900.Half-Timbered House
In the Markstrasse in Landau, right opposite of the Red Barrack.Augustine monastry church A Catholic parish church with a 3 nave basilica construction, started in 1405 and compleated in 1413. Built in place of the dilapidated church of the Augustine mendicants friars. In 1794 after the expulsion of the monks it was used secularly as an arsenal, warehouse, tobacco store and for concerts and exhibitions. In 1893 the Catholics regained possession after the dissolution of the Simultaneum and became a parish church.. The choirs were badly damaged by bombing in 1945 an restoration began in 1962, completed in 1964. During the restauration a concrete gallery was installed and the choir transformed to suit the new liturgical requirements.
Art Nouveau Festival Hall Built between 1905 and 1907 by Hermann Goerke, an architect from Düsseldorf. Constructed by Dr. August Ludowici. Conferences are regularly held either in the large hall (1200 seats) or the smaller (140). Internationally renowned artists appear and perform here and the hall is justly regarded as a cultural center of the Southern Palatinate.
Frank-Loebsches Haus (Anne Frank´s grandfather) The oldest part is Gothic with wooden galleries that encompass the court-yard on two floors. It has been a guesthouse since the 17th century called >>Zur Blum<< (the flower). A permanent exhibition of the history of Jews in Landau and documentations of Sinti and Roma in the Palatinate can be seen as well as various exhibitions of Fine Art.
Enjoy the rich history of Landau by
visiting various cultural events!
Such as the Festival of Cultures:
For more information visit the city's website www.landau.de (only in German) which also offers a virtual guided tour of Landau in three languages: http://www.landau.de/sl.phtml?La=1&FID=343.9.1&st=1&tm=10000.
For more information on Landau (in German) you can also go to www.ld7.de
(c) B. Pretzsch 2005
.JPG)
