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ABOUT
FRANKWEILER
HISTORY OF PARTNERSHIP
View Frankweiler Brochure (in German) -
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ABOUT
FRANKWEILER:
Frankweiler, Germany
- our sister city - was the hometown of our founder
Col. John G. Cullmann. Cullman and Frankweiler
formed a permanent partnership in 1987. Since that time there have been many
visits between our two cities. We're sure you will enjoy this page dedicated to
our sister city.
Situated on the eastern slopes of the Haardt mountains, Frankweiler lies about 6
km north of Landau "The Garden Town." It is a municipality in
Südliche Weinstraße district in
Rhineland-Palatinate in western Germany. The difference in altitude between
the high lying and the low lying houses is about 100 m (c.300 feet), ranging
from 250-350 (750-1100 feet) above sea level.
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Postcard Photo of Frankweiler
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sharply protruding corner of rock near the Steigerter Hof on the northern foot
of Ringelsberg Mountain was the former site of the Altscharfeneck castle. A fort
is said to have stood here in Roman times, which would explain the many relics
from that time found there.
Frankweiler has always offered magnificent walks through the vineyards and the
adjoining, seemingly endless woods as well as spectacular views of the Rhine
valley as far as the Black Forest. Today, Frankweiler is an important place of
recreation for many people from near and far, a gem of their Palatinate
homeland.
 To the south of Frankweiler stands the Dagobert Bush in a location called
Chattenacker. Until the year 1823 a beautiful hawthorn that had grown into a big
tree had stood there. Legend has it that the Franconian King Dagobert hid under
this tree, which had stood there since time immemorial, when he had to flee from
his enemies. However, his loyal subjects from Frankweiler and the vicinity
chased his enemies away and freed the king. As a reward for their loyalty, King
Dagobert gave his large forests from Straßburg to Bad Dürkheim to the peasants.
This donation was officially certified and the document was kept in the
monastery at Weißenburg.
During a storm in 1817 the Dagobert Tree lost a big branch and the crown was
completely destroyed in a hailstorm on September 9, 1823. The trunk was taken to
a sawmill in Albersweiler and more than a cord of wood was put to use in
Frankweiler. To keep the memory of the tree alive, Heinrich Anlag planted a new
hawthorn in that same spot, but it died after only a few years.
The village schoolmaster Cullmann (Col. Cullmann's father) had the children
of the village plant another bush in 1852, which still stands there today. In
1864 a memorial stone with the name Dagobert engraved on it was placed next to
the bush by the community.
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 Approaching Frankweiler one notices right away the sandstone quarry, which
has contributed a lot to Frankweiler's history. Generations of people found work
and made a living there. The quarry was also the source of the materials for the
many fountains in the village, which were used to provide water for people and
cattle for a long time and are still in good condition today.
Until quite recently, agriculture was the main form of occupation in
Frankweiler. Grapes are the major product grown on the slopes and hills at the
foot of the mountains. In this mild and favorable climate the grapes ripen
extremely well and make excellent wines. Horticulture that was once important
(apples, pears, peaches, cherries) has lost its former significance as a
money-earner.
 The history of making wine in the Palatinate goes back about 1700 years. The
Roman emperor Probus Marcus Aurelius (3rd century AD) is generally considered
the father of wine production in the Frankweiler area.
The first detailed documents on vines and wines were put together by Heinrich
Adam Anlag, who recorded prices, profit, weather and related items from 1798
until 1857. Around 1930 there were 900 inhabitants in Frankweiler and 200
vintners with 137 hectares of vineyards. Now, there are over 1,000 inhabitants,
but the number of full-time vintners has gone down to about 30, with many more
doing it part-time.
The high quality standard of the Frankweiler wines has remained, if not
risen. Frankweiler is commonly known as the "Riesling village", where some of
the best Riesling wines can be sampled!
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Top of Page
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 HISTORY
OF PARTNERSHIP: During the week of May 13-20, 1987, the City of Frankweiler, Germany held a
celebration marking the permanent partnership of Cullman, Alabama, U.S.A. and
Frankweiler, Germany. Several dignitaries and citizens from Cullman
attended the ceremonies in Frankweiler, housed by the people of Frankweiler.
Since the twinning ceremony, citizens and officials from Cullman have made
numerous trips to Frankweiler and Frankweiler's citizens and officials have
visited us here in Cullman on several occasions. Visits take place every two
years.
As soon as the partnership train between Cullman and Frankweiler was moving
at full speed, it was the desire of many citizens of Cullman and Frankweiler to
found a friendship club to be able to carry out certain activities during the
period between visits and to have a general forum for the partnership. Thus,
citizens of Cullman founded the Cullman Friends of Frankweiler Club and the
citizens of Frankweiler founded the Der Freundeskreis Frankweiler -
Cullman/Alabama (Frankweiler Friends of Cullman Club).
In the years since the clubs were founded, membership has grown considerably.
Through the organization of festivities and visits, the members of these clubs
have been responsible for the strengthening of the ties between Cullman and
Frankweiler.
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Frankweiler, Germany (Our Sister City)
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