Meisenheim

Meisenheim lies on the River Glan in the western German lands. In 1315 King Ludwig granted town rights to the settlement of Count Georg of Veldenz, helping it become a political and economic centre of the lower Glan valley. The Veldenz inheritance passed to the rulers of Palatinate-Zweibrücken in 1444, and Meisenheim became one of their residences. The late Gothic castle church, built after an earlier church was damaged in 1461, served as a burial place for the dynasty. The town also retained important administrative functions and a mint until 1625. Its market hall, town hall and houses recall a community shaped by the court and its surrounding countryside. The Reformation changed religious life under the dukes, while the wars of the seventeenth century brought uncertainty to the region. In 1644 Meisenheim again became a ducal residence under Friedrich of Palatinate-Zweibrücken.