Merzalben

Merzalben
Coat of arms
Merzalben Location of Merzalben within Südwestpfalz district
Coordinates: 49°14′40″N 7°43′51″E / 49.24446°N 7.73077°E / 49.24446; 7.73077Coordinates: 49°14′40″N 7°43′51″E / 49.24446°N 7.73077°E / 49.24446; 7.73077
Country	Germany
State	Rhineland-Palatinate
District	Südwestpfalz
Municipal assoc.	Rodalben
Government
• Mayor	Benno Schwarz (CDU)
Area
• Total	30.01 km2 (11.59 sq mi)
Elevation	281 m (922 ft)
Population (2017-12-31)[1]
• Total	1,153
• Density	38/km2 (100/sq mi)
Time zone	CET/CEST (UTC+1/+2)
Postal codes	66978
Dialling codes	06395
Vehicle registration	PS
Website	www.merzalben.de

Merzalben is a municipality in Südwestpfalz district, in Rhineland-Palatinate, western Germany.

It is a tourist resort recognised by the state.

Merzalben's earliest known records date to 1237.

Religion

In 2007 66.3% of the inhabitants were Roman Catholic and 19.3% were Protestant. The rest either belonged to another religion or none.

Politics

The local council in Merzalben consists of 16 councillors, who were elected in the local election on 7 June 2009, and whose honorary local mayor is the chairman.

Culture

The 28-metre-high Luitpold Tower (Luitpoldturm) was established 1909 on the summit of the 610-metre-high Weißenberg hill as observation tower. Gräfenstein Castle is a castle ruin of about two kilometres east of Merzalben. It gave its name to the region.

House of the foster

References