# Rodalben
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{{Infobox German location
|type = Stadt
|image_photo = Rodalben vom Bruderfelsen-01-Panorama-gje.jpg
|image_coa = DEU Rodalben COA.svg
|coordinates = {{coord|49|14|N|7|39|E|format=dms|display=inline,title}}
|image_plan = Rodalben in PS.svg
|state = Rheinland-Pfalz
|district = Südwestpfalz
|Verbandsgemeinde = Rodalben
|elevation = 256
|area = 15.69
|postal_code = 66976
|area_code = 06331
|licence = PS
|Gemeindeschlüssel = 07 3 40 038
|website = [http://www.rodalben-stadt.de/ www.rodalben-stadt.de]
|mayor = Claus Schäfer[[https://www.wahlen.rlp.de/de/kw/wahlen/kd/gebiete/3400000000000.html Direktwahlen 2019, Landkreis Südwestpfalz], Landeswahlleiter Rheinland-Pfalz, accessed 9 August 2021.]
|leader_term = 2019–24
|party =
}}
'''Rodalben''' ({{IPA|de|ˈʁoːtˌʔalbm̩|lang|De-Rodalben.ogg}}) is a municipality in the [Südwestpfalz](/source/S%C3%BCdwestpfalz) district, in [Rhineland-Palatinate](/source/Rhineland-Palatinate), [Germany](/source/Germany). It is situated in the [Palatinate forest](/source/Palatinate_forest), approx. 5 km northeast of [Pirmasens](/source/Pirmasens).
Rodalben is the seat of the ''[Verbandsgemeinde](/source/Verbandsgemeinde)'' ("collective municipality") [Rodalben](/source/Rodalben_(Verbandsgemeinde)). Having a population above 7000 it is the largest local authority district.
==History==
Rodalben was founded by a [Celt](/source/Celt)ic tribe.
In 1237 Rodalben was first mentioned as a "Meyerhof". Over the centuries mainly farmers lived there.
The origin of the name is not clarified. The suffix "alb (alben)" is a Celtic word for rivers or brooks.
=== Modern era ===
thumb|Centre of Rodalben in 1895
thumb|View of Rodalben in 1900
Before the [Thirty Years' War](/source/Thirty_Years'_War) 150 people lived in the ''Amt'' of Gräfenstein. By 1680, around 30 years after the war, the ''Amt'' had 30 families or inhabitants. Around 50 years later, in 1698, there were 50, of which 20 lived in Rodalben. The village grew steadily and was given greater importance by the transfer of the administration of the Gräfenstein ''Amt'' to Rodalben. Around 1720 Rodalben was given its first school. The ''Feine Häusel'', which had been transported from [Münchweiler](/source/M%C3%BCnchweiler_an_der_Rodalb) to Rodalben and until then had been used as the vicarage, was converted into a school hall and teacher's residence. The house still exists and is used as a private dwelling.
The advent of industrialization did not stop at Rodalben. For example, the former [shoemaker](/source/shoemaker)'s trade grew into a footwear industry that increasingly determined the image of Rodalben. A separate [tannery](/source/tannery) was established. After the [Second World War](/source/Second_World_War), during the time of the [German economic miracle](/source/German_economic_miracle), the shoe industry flourished. At times there were over 60 shoe factories in the town, including family businesses. With a population of nearly 6000 inhabitants, that meant one in a hundred was a shoemaker.
In 1955, [Petersberg](/source/Petersberg_(Pfalz)), which had hitherto been part of the parish of Rodalben, became independent. On 17 March 1963 the municipality of Rodalben was granted town rights.[''[http://www.rodalben.de/gemeinden/historie-vg.htm Zur Geschichte der Verbandsgemeinde Rodalben] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140203012146/http://www.rodalben.de/gemeinden/historie-vg.htm |date=2014-02-03 }}'' bei Rodalben.de (Verbandsgemeinde Rodalben).] The opening up of global markets had a negative effect on the labour-intensive footwear industry, however, so that one shoe factory after another was forced to close. Nevertheless, the shoe remained a hallmark of the region, albeit now more through trade. On 7 June 1969 the Neuhof, part of the city of [Pirmasens](/source/Pirmasens), with 371 inhabitants, was incorporated into Rodalben.[[http://www.statistik.rlp.de/fileadmin/dokumente/nach_themen/verlag/verzeichnisse/AmtlichesGemeindeverzeichnis_2006.pdf Statistisches Landesamt Rheinland-Pfalz – Amtliches Gemeindeverzeichnis 2006] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924110046/http://www.statistik.rlp.de/fileadmin/dokumente/nach_themen/verlag/verzeichnisse/AmtlichesGemeindeverzeichnis_2006.pdf |date=2015-09-24 }}, p. 194 (pdf; 2.6 MB)]
== Economy ==
The [German Shoe Road](/source/German_Shoe_Road), which still commemorates the German shoe industry, also runs through Rodalben. The economy of the town is mainly dominated today by [tourism](/source/tourism).
==Gallery==
Rodalben-Marienkirche-01-gje.jpg
Rodalben-Marienkirche-Innenraum-02-gje.jpg
Rodalben-Hauptstrasse 126-Alter Pfarrhof-1-gje.jpg
Rodalben-Josefskirche-12-mit Pfarrhaus-gje.jpg
Rodalben-Dr. Johann Peter Frank-Platz-11-Stephan Mueller-Medicinische Polizey-gje.jpg
Rodalben-Hauptstrasse 118-Graefensteiner Oberforstamt-1-gje.jpg
Rodalben-Hauptstrasse 68-Graefensteiner Zehntenscheune-3-2005-gje.jpg
Rodalben-Schulhaus Schulstrasse 20-4-Hofseite Sued-gje.jpg
==References==
{{Reflist}}
{{Cities and towns in Südwestpfalz (district)}}
{{Authority control}}
Category:Towns in Rhineland-Palatinate
Category:Palatinate Forest
Category:Südwestpfalz
Category:Palatinate (region)
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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Rodalben](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rodalben) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rodalben?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.