Gleisweiler: Holiday Apartments and Holiday Homes

Gleisweiler is located at the transition between the eastern Palatinate Forest and the vineyards of the Southern Wine Route. Its south-easterly orientation and the protective western hills provide a notably mild, Mediterranean-influenced climate. This mild climate supports the cultivation of almonds, figs, lemons, kiwis and sweet chestnuts. Anyone wishing to rent a holiday apartment in Gleisweiler can then continue searching for accommodation.

Nature and Trails

Signposted hiking trails begin and end in Gleisweiler; destinations include St. Anna Pilgrimage Church. The Trifelsblick Trail connects the village with the Trifelsblick Hut and the Weather Cross on Teufelsberg.

The historic centre of Gleisweiler overlooks the Rhine Plain and is connected to an extensive network of hiking trails with huts, as well as the historic forest shower. The forest shower was built in the Hainbach Valley in 1848 for cold-water treatments associated with the Bad Gleisweiler clinic. Today, it is a cold-water shower facility with water temperatures of 8–12 °C.

Culture and History

The listed historic centre of Gleisweiler has largely preserved, contiguous historic buildings, picturesque streets and houses dating mainly from the 16th to the 18th century.

The Catholic Church of St. Stephen is described as an example of medieval architecture in the Palatinate. It is also part of the European Sternenweg – Chemin des Étoiles project. A building from the 18th century serves as a venue for art, design and photography from the 20th and 21st centuries.

The Paper Museum presents the history of paper and traditional paper production based on Gleisweiler’s paper mill, founded in 1818. Visitors can make paper there themselves using traditional methods.

Wine and Village Life

Winegrowing in Gleisweiler dates back at least to 1770; the local vineyard designation is “Hölle”. Traditionally, the Wein & Kunst festival takes place in Gleisweiler on the first weekend of August. It includes an annual exhibition vernissage at the Kurpfälzischer Zehnthof. During Wein & Kunst, winegrowers’ estates open their doors and serve culinary offerings together with local wine.

The F. G. Kost winery has been cultivating typical Palatinate grape varieties for several generations. In the winery’s wine tavern, Saumagen and liver dumplings are served with wine.

Surroundings

The Southern Wine Route region combines vineyards, the Rhine Plain, the Palatinate Forest, castles, viewpoints and a dense network of hiking and cycling trails.

More village pages: Blankenborn, Göcklingen, Knöringen, Billigheim-Ingenheim, Völkersweiler, Roschbach, Gleiszellen-Gleishorbach, Klingenmünster.

To the higher-level travel overview: Southern Wine Route.