Rhineland
In 1946, the Rhineland was divided into the newly founded states of Hesse, North Rhine-Westphalia, and Rhineland-Palatinate. North Rhine-Westphalia is one of the prime German industrial areas, containing significant mineral deposits, (coal, lead, lignite, magnesium, oil, and uranium) and water transport. In Rhineland-Palatinate agriculture is more important, including the vineyards in the Ahr, Mittelrhein, and Mosel regions.
Starkenburg, Rhineland-Palatinate
About 1350, the Grevenburg in Trarbach became the seat of the Counts of Sponheim. In 1558, the Reformation was enforced throughout the Sponheim domains. The wars that came in the French Revolution’s wake swept the County of Sponheim away. At the Congress of Vienna, Starkenburg was annexed to Prussia. Since 1947, it has been part of the then newly founded state of Rhineland-Palatinate.