Wolfstein | ||
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Coordinates: 49°35′3″N 7°36′22″E / 49.58417°N 7.60611°ECoordinates: 49°35′3″N 7°36′22″E / 49.58417°N 7.60611°E | ||
Country | Germany | |
State | Rhineland-Palatinate | |
District | Kusel | |
Municipal assoc. | Lauterecken-Wolfstein | |
Government | ||
• Mayor | Herwart Dilly | |
Area | ||
• Total | 13.75 km2 (5.31 sq mi) | |
Elevation | 189 m (620 ft) | |
Population (2015-12-31) | ||
• Total | 2,019 | |
• Density | 150/km2 (380/sq mi) | |
Time zone | CET/CEST (UTC+1/+2) | |
Postal codes | 67752 | |
Dialling codes | 06304 | |
Vehicle registration | KUS, WOS | |
Website | www.wolfstein.de |
Wolfstein is a town in the Kusel district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. Before 1 July 2014 it was the seat of the like-named Verbandsgemeinde, since then it is part of the Verbandsgemeinde Lauterecken-Wolfstein. Wolfstein is known for its two castle ruins, Neu-Wolfstein standing over the heart of the town, and Alt-Wolfstein standing at the narrowest spot in the Lauter valley at the town’s northern entrance. Wolfstein is a state-recognized recreational resort (Erholungsort).
The town lies in the North Palatine Uplands, in the so-called Königsland (“Kingsland”), between Idar-Oberstein and Kaiserslautern. The municipal area measures 1 377 ha, of which 644 ha is wooded. Also, 154 ha is given over to residential properties and transport facilities, 574 ha to agriculture and 5 ha is taken up by other uses and open water. Geographically, the municipal area belongs to the Glan-Alsenz mountain and hill country, which meets the Kaiserslauterer Senke (a depression) to the north. The town centre lies in the Lauter valley, cut narrowly into the land, between the steep slopes on either side of the Lauter, the Königsberg on the left bank and the Eisenknopf on the right. The Königsberg (not to be confused with the former East Prussian city) is the town’s highest point at 568.4 m above sea level. Other selected elevations are as follows:
The town lies roughly 23 km northeast of Kusel, and 20 km northwest of Kaiserslautern.
Wolfstein borders in the north on the municipalities of Lohnweiler and Heinzenhausen, in the northeast on the municipalities of Oberweiler-Tiefenbach and Einöllen, in the east on the municipality of Relsberg, in the southeast on the municipality of Niederkirchen, in the south on the municipality of Kreimbach-Kaulbach, in the southwest on the municipality of Rutsweiler an der Lauter and in the west on the municipality of Aschbach. Wolfstein also meets the municipalities of Hohenöllen, Eßweiler and Offenbach-Hundheim at single points in the northeast, southwest and northwest respectively.