The Pfalz, formerly the Rheinpfalz, is known in English as the Palatinate. Over the years its reputation has been that of a region with few superior-quality estates.
Bockenheim, at the beginning of the district, is the starting point of the Deutsche Weinstrasse. From here it runs south down the east side of the Pfälzer Wald nature reserve to the little town of Grünstadt, and the vine-growing villages of Kirchheim and Kallstadt.