Hambach an der Weinstraße

Hambach is located in the Anterior Palatinate on the eastern slope of the Haardt and on the west side of the Upper Rhine Plain, approximately 150 to 300 m above NHN;[3] the old townhall has an altitude of 182 m.[3] The central city of Neustadt an der Weinstraße joins in the North-East and the Diedesfeld district is located in the South.

Because it is situated on a hillside on the edge of the lowlands, there is a mild Climate. Cold airmasses, which appear during spring nights and cause late frosts, float down the slopes into the valley and flow into the level country. The western elevations Häuselberg, Heidelberg and Schlossberg, which are parts of the Haart, keep away the majority of the precipitation.

The town's advisory committee consists of 15 members and is chaired by municipal administrator Gerda Bolz.[5]

The former coat of arms depicts a downfacing silver horseshoe with a toe cap and seven rectangular nail holes on a green background.

Hambach has more than three areas with over a hundred individual buildings which are under conservation. Hambach Castle is located on the Schlossberg, looking down on the town. It is also known under its former name "Kästenburg" (from the Palatine "Keschde", meaning chestnut tree, which grow on the Schlossberg) and "Maxburg" (since 1842, named after the former Bavarian King Maximilian II of Bavaria). The fortified church in Oberhambach dates back to the Middle Ages, as does the castle. The old town hall was built in 1739 by the prince-bishop Damian Hugo Philipp von Schönborn, cardinal and knight of the Teutonic Order, in 1739. The episcopal forestry lodge is located in Unterhambach.

Andergasser Festival The annual Andergasser Fest is one of the biggest wine festivals of the Palatinate and takes place at the beginning of May. The name of the festival derives from the Andergasse, which is in fact the road on which the festival takes place. Hambach Castle can be seen from the western end of the street.

The Andergasser Fest begins with the setting up of the maypole in the Obergasse as well as the so-called "Küfer" dance by the local winegrowers. Local restaurants offer local wines and regional specialities of the Palatinate cuisine such as Rotisserie, homemade smoked ham or „Flääschknepp“, which are broth-cooked meatballs with horseradish.

Hambach Black-Red-Gold (Hambach Schwarz-Rot-Gold) As a follow-up event to Hambach's Brunnen- und Gässelkerwe (from German Kerwe, meaning "parish fair"), the wine festival Hambach schwarz-rot-gold (Hambach black-red-gold) has been celebrated on the second weekend of June since 2012. The name of the festival is a reference to the Hambach Festival of 1832, in which the current German flag was carried along and which is considered the starting point of the German democratic movement. The festival was named Wine Festival of the Year 2013 by the Palatinate wine advertisers in 2013.

Other Events The Jakobus-Kerwe ("James parish fair") (last week-end of July), CuliVino (Whit Saturday and Whit Sunday) and the year-round Events of the Hambach Castle are also popular events.

Wineyards near Hambach

The convenient climate conditions enable the cultivation of high-quality wines. The vineyard locations of Hambach are Feuer, Kaiserstuhl, Kirchberg, Römerbrunnen and Schlossberg. The plants are not only sold worldwide, but can also be savoured at local wineries, taverns and restaurants.

Besides sweet chestnuts, almonds, figs and citrus fruits grow in the region. The Schlossberg especially strikes one with the light green foliage of its sweet chestnut trees (which represent 80% of the tree population) in early spring.

Hambach is an officially recognised resort and has a large heated lido on its eastern edge.

With over 5000 inhabitants, Hambach is Neustadt's largest town. It had 5531 inhabitants in June 2011,[6] and 5288 in January 2012.[7] Being situated on a hillside, it already had a reputation of being a quality residential suburb of Neustadt before the amalgamation. Particularly the Römerweg is a popular residential area.

Hambach is connected to the A 65 (interchange 13/Neustadt-Süd), which goes to Ludwigshafen and Karlsruhe as well as to the former B 38 (L 516 today) and the German wine route(also called "Weinstraße"), which crosses the village and leads North to Neustadt. In a southern direction, the German wine route reaches Diedesfeld after 1 km.

• Jakob Friedrich Bussereau (1863–1919), Catholic cleric
• Emil Josef Clade (1916–2010), German combat pilot and aviation pioneer

• Karolina Burger (1879–1949), Catholic teacher and monastery founder, worked as a sick leave cover in Hambach in 1898.
• Eibe Riedel (born 1943), retired law professor, lives in Hambach.
• Johannes von Geissel (1796–1864), Catholic cleric, Bishop of Speyer, Archbishop of Cologne and Cardinal, was briefly a chaplain in Hambach in 1818/19.
• Georg Grohé (1846–1919), landowner and vintner in Hambach, was a Reichstag deputy and mayor.
• Franz Xaver Remling (1803–1873), Catholic cleric, minister of Hambach in 1833–1852, episcopal cleric advisor, Canon of the diocese of Speyer, produced many historic works.
• Franz Schwarzwälder (born 1949), goalkeeper with 1. FC Nürnberg and FSV Mainz 05, grew up in Hambach.
• Aloys Weisenburger (1815–1887), Catholic cleric, preacher, author and publicizer, lived in Hambach.
• Benno Zech (born 1928), was municipal administrator from 1969 to 1996, and a teacher at the Dr. Albert Finck School from 1957 to 1983, and head from 1977.