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When talking about the Kaiserslautern Military Community most people will think of the area in and around Kaiserslautern. But, many don’t realize that the community of Baumholder, located about 50 kilometers north-west, is officially a part of the U.S. Garrison Rheinland-Pfalz, which is headquartered at Rhine Ordnance Barracks in Kaiserslautern.
Baumholder, pronounced ‘baum’ (as in town), literally means “pretty or lovely tree” and is located within the county of Birkenfeld. The total number of residents within the District of Baumholder, including 13 villages and the city of Baumholder, has 9.700 inhabitants and additionally about 8,000 U.S. military and civilian members and their dependents. This adds up to a remarkable 42 percent of the total population.
The community was first officially mentioned as “Bemondula” in a documentary in 1156 and was later held by the Bishop of Verdun. In the early 20th century, Baumholder became a garrison town when the Wehrmacht built barracks and a Military Training Area. After World War II, being in the French occupational zone, French forces were stationed there until 1951 when the U.S. Army took over the barracks buildings and expanded the installation. This later developed into one of the largest U.S. garrisons in Germany and Smith Barracks as well as Wetzel Kaserne are still home to the 16th Sustainment Brigade and other units, such as the 95th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion, 16th Special Troop Battalion, 5-7 Air Defense Artillery regiment, 44th Expeditionary Signal Battalion-Enhanced, and the 421st Multifunctional Medical Battalion.
The small rural city of Baumholder experienced a considerable economic upswing in the 1950’s when bars, dance and music halls and cabarets popped up one after the other. Residents found job opportunities in their war-torn region and many a farmer or house owner became a landlord or lady overnight to house the over 20,000 members at that time.
But, not all was fun and games and “boomtown” Baumholder quickly became known for its wild nightlife and bar fights far beyond the region. Although it was never stated by name, the town gave inspiration to a trilogy on German television in 2021 entitled “Ein Hauch von Amerika” (A breath of America). The series tells a story of struggle, farmers protesting to keep their fields, misunderstandings between the local population and the “occupants,” but also of mutual respect, friendship and love between Germans and Americans.
Baumholder has a lot to offer when it comes to military history and an interesting place to visit is the regional museum “Goldener Engel,” where there are photographs, music, press articles and artefacts depicting how the “American way of life” was brought to a small agricultural town. There is also a historical room at the U.S. Army Garrison Rheinland-Pfalz Baumholder Military Community headquarters, building 8698, which displays the military history of Baumholder.
The site is looking forward to the Special Operations Forces in Stuttgart relocating to Baumholder in 2026 and in preparation a $500 million construction project will provide homes to about 1,000 residents. Rheinland-Pfalz Minister of the Interior, Michael Ebling, recently visited the site to inform himself about the current and future infrastructure at Baumholder Military Community.
Baumholder has a quaint historic section and night watchmen Dieter Heinz and Ernst Schmitz will lead you through the old town on a walking tour. You can learn about the history and visit the Alte Rathaus (town hall) and Schmiede Bier (blacksmith shop). The “Dicker Turm” is part of the city wall and was built as a thick round tower. Romantic couples can enjoy an extraordinary wedding ceremony from May through October. English tours can be arranged upon request at the city administration/tourist office at email: tourismus@vgv-baumholder.de
The Stadtweiher, a natural lake in the middle of town, has a section dedicated to swimming free of charge, relaxing and a kiosk offers snacks and drinks at Strandterrassen. An adventure playground for children to climb and explore and a boule area is a fun place to spend time with family and friends.
A number of clubs and associations offer sport activities such as soccer, athletics, city runs, a dog sports club, golfing, fishing and a bee-keepers association to name a few.
Baumholder was the host of the Rheinland-Pfalz-Tag (State Fair) in 2007. A number of local U.S. Army units participated in displays along with the German Bundeswehr und U.S. Air Force counterparts. The whole town became one giant and colorful fairground with about 100,000 visitors on three days.
The surroundings offer further places of interest such as an Oven Museum in Reichenbach that displays 40 antique and ornamental woodfired ovens from three centuries. There is also a special exhibition that focuses on the time of the plague that wiped out about half of the population and the obscure means of combatting the pandemic with leather masks.
National Park Hunsrück-Hochwald is partially in Rheinland-Pfalz and in the neighboring State of Saarland. The large, combined forest area is a “hot spot” for biological diversity. The largest number of wild cats in Europe live in the park, who are very shy and need plenty of space and undisturbed nature. As long as they are kept on a leash, the park is also very frisky friendly for your furry friends.
To deepen the ties between Germans and Americans a regular “German-American Stammtisch” takes place every other Wednesday. https://www.facebook.com/people/Deutsch-amerikanische-Freundschaft-in-Baumholder and Baumholder has been a sister city to Delaware, Ohio since 2011.
Don’t miss out on exciting activities and festivities around the year, with the 33rd Old Town Festival taking place in August, a Triathlon Competition in June, as well as a Christmas Market in December.
Baumholder may be a small community but has a great impact on the Westpfalz Region. For more information about the District of Baumholder, visit: https://www.vgv-baumholder.de
