Rhineland-Palatinate - in the middle of Europe

The state of Rhineland-Palatinate was formed after the end of World War II, on 30 August 1946, by the French military government. Traditional structures were not taken into account; instead parts of Germany were merged that had never before belonged together: parts of the Prussian Rhine provinces, the territory of Hessen on the left bank of the Rhine, and the strongly Bavarian-influenced Palatinate. These regions have become closely knit over time, however, and Rhineland-Palatinate has acquired its own identity.

Rhineland-Palatinate has profited greatly from its geographical location. The extensive modernized network of autobahns and federal highways, the convenient rail connections between the cities of Mainz, Kaiserslautern, Trier, Ludwigshafen and Koblenz, the major waterways Rhine and Mosel, as well as the state's proximity to three economically powerful centers - the Rhine-Main, Rhine-Neckar and Rhine-Ruhr regions - have created optimal framework conditions for the development of Rheinland-Pfalz into one of Germany's most dynamic regions.