Alzey

Alzey
Alzey
Location of Alzey within Alzey-Worms district
Coordinates: 49°45′6″N 8°6′58″E / 49.75167°N 8.11611°E / 49.75167; 8.11611Coordinates: 49°45′6″N 8°6′58″E / 49.75167°N 8.11611°E / 49.75167; 8.11611
Country	Germany
State	Rhineland-Palatinate
District	Alzey-Worms
Government
• Mayor	Christoph Burkhard
Area
• Total	35.21 km2 (13.59 sq mi)
Population (2015-12-31)
• Total	17,826
• Density	510/km2 (1,300/sq mi)
Time zone	CET/CEST (UTC+1/+2)
Postal codes	55219–55232
Dialling codes	06731
Vehicle registration	AZ
Website	www.alzey.de

Alzey (German pronunciation: [ˈaltsaɪ]) is a Verband-free town – one belonging to no Verbandsgemeinde – in the Alzey-Worms district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is the fourth-largest town in Rhenish Hesse, after Mainz, Worms, and Bingen.

Alzey is one of the Nibelungenstädte – towns associated with the Nibelungenlied – because it is represented in this work by the character Volker von Alzey. Hence, Alzey is also known as Volkerstadt.

Alzey lies in Rhenish Hesse on the western edge of the northern part of the Upper Rhine Plain. It is surrounded by the northern part of the Alzey Hills, which meets the Rhenish Hesse Hills towards the south and the North Palatine Uplands towards the east. The town is found some 30 km southwest of Mainz and some 22 km (as the crow flies, in each case) northwest of Worms. Through Alzey, in places underground, flows the river Selz, a left-bank tributary to the Rhine.

Yearly precipitation in Alzey amounts to 586 mm, which is rather low, falling into the lowest fourth of the precipitation chart for all Germany. At 18% of the German Weather Service's weather stations, even lower figures are recorded. The driest month is February. The most rainfall comes in June. In that month, precipitation is 1.9 times what it is in February. Precipitation varies moderately. At 41% of the weather stations, lower seasonal swings are recorded.