Winnweiler

Winnweiler (German pronunciation: [ˈvɪnvaɪlɐ]) is a municipality in the Donnersbergkreis, in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is situated on the upper course of the river Alsenz, approx. 15 km (9.3 mi) north-east of Kaiserslautern. Winnweiler is the seat of the Verbandsgemeinde ("collective municipality") Winnweiler. Winnweiler station is on the Alsenz Valley Railway (Alsenztalbahn), running between Hochspeyer and Bad Münster am Stein. The settlement in Rhenish Franconia was first mentioned in an 891 deed, from the 12th century onwards it was a possession of the Counts of Falkenstein. As a Lorraine exclave it fell to the House of Habsburg upon the marriage of Maria Theresa of Austria with Duke Francis III Stephen in 1736. It was thereafter administered as an Oberamt of Further Austria until its occupation by French troops in 1797.