Kaiserslautern, known locally as K-Town or simply Lautern, sits in the heart of the Palatinate Forest, the largest contiguous area of woodland in Germany. The city has a dual identity that makes it unlike almost anywhere else in the country: it is simultaneously a mid-sized German city with medieval roots and a major American military hub, home to Ramstein Air Base and a large US Army garrison. This gives the city a distinctive atmosphere, with American diners and car dealerships sitting alongside traditional German bakeries and Weinstuben.
The city takes its name from Emperor Frederick Barbarossa, who built a palace here in the twelfth century. The ruins of the Kaiserpfalz are being excavated in the city center and are open to visitors. More rewarding is the Pfalzgalerie, the regional art museum, which has a solid collection ranging from the nineteenth century to contemporary work. The Japanischer Garten, one of the largest in Europe, is a surprisingly tranquil escape from the busy city center.
Football matters here. FC Kaiserslautern, the Red Devils, are one of German football's great romantic stories. They won the Bundesliga in 1998 as a newly promoted team, a feat that will probably never be repeated, and the Fritz Walter Stadion on the Betzenberg hill is an atmospheric place to watch a match. Even when the team has been in the lower divisions, the fans have stayed passionate and numerous.
The Palatinate Forest surrounding the city is the real draw for outdoor types. The Pfälzerwald is laced with well-marked hiking trails, and the sandstone rock formations around Dahn, about 40 minutes south, are spectacular for scrambling and climbing. The forest merges seamlessly into the Vosges on the French side of the border, and the wine villages along the Deutsche Weinstrasse to the east produce some of Germany's best Riesling and Dornfelder. A day combining forest hiking with a wine tasting in Bad Dürkheim or Deidesheim is hard to beat.