What do most people think of when they hear the word »Palatinate«? They think of wine. And the people of the Palatinate region have certainly made their contribution here, as their 2000-year history boasts many a superlative when it comes to the drink of kings. The largest wine cask in the world Around 1934, the Dürkheim vintner and master cooper Fritz Keller had an idea that continues to impress millions of tourists today. He had a cask built that can hold no less than 1.7 million liters. Sadly, you can’t draw a glass from the largest wine cask in the world, but you can drink one inside it (it houses a restaurant)– and once a year experience the largest wine festival in the world, with more than half a million visitors. Some 300,000 liters flow down thirsty throats each year at the Dürkheimer Wurstmarkt [sausage fair]. With such huge volumes, it’s easy to forget that the Wurstmarkt is also one of the oldest Palatinate wine festivals. Way back in the 15th century, the citizens of Dürkheim fed and watered the pilgrims on their way to the Michelskapelle, with wine and sausages.