Landstuhl

Lived here when I was in middle school. Would love to go back.

If you are US military you’ll probably end up here, there is a large US medical center, a little town, and a couple esso stations. There is also an english speaking cinema in the town. It’s cool, it’s a town in Germany, check it out.

While visiting my boyfriend last week, I spent a few hours just strolling the city, taking pictures of things that caught my eye. (I added several of them to the photo gallery here in 43 Places.)

I was most fascinated by the cemetery. You really can learn a lot just by taking a walk through a cemetery. I know, I know, morbid. I didn’t go there due to morbid fascination though. I saw an elderly couple exit their car and walk arm and arm through a gate. I peeked in to see where they were going, and I realized it was a cemetery. I kept on walking though. After photographing a big green football/soccer player in a traffic circle garden (see the photo gallery) I backtracked my way back home. I passed the cemetery entrance and decided to peek in.

The first thing I saw was a simple plot solely for WWI soldiers. Their graves all had red poppies growing around the headstones. Several steps away was a Jewish section, separated from the rest of the cemetery and less than half full. I walked around about 2/3 of the cemetery an was struck by how there were no WWII soldiers and relatively few people who passed away between the 30’s and 50’s. Granted, I didn’t get through the whole place, but it still struck me as odd.

After I left the cemetery I walked back toward town and noticed what looked like a church. Curious, I walked behind it. There was an iron cross on a pedestal and behind a small hedge I noticed several iron cross headstones. The years of death on all the stones were in the early 1940’s. I’ve searched the internet for more information and I encountered this photo montage taken at the second cemetery I encountered. http://media.tbo.com/photos/tbo/2005/warstories/landstuhl/

As far as the town goes, it’s what you’ll typically find in German towns in this area. Lots of restaurants and shops, a train station, and lots of houses. It’s not someplace I would go see on a vacation but not an unpleasant place to spend time, if need be. It’s near Ramstein Airbase and a US military hospital is there, so therefore you’ll find lots of Americans living in the area.

The halloween party at Landstuhl Castle is absolutely NOT to be missed! The atmosphere of castle ruins, halloween night, ghoulish creatures, and German beer is WAY to much fun to pass up. If you find yourself near Landstuhl, Germany at the end of October (or anytime really)… visit the castle, it’s well worth it!