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GERMANY | The Rhine Valley, Germany Travel Guide
Friday, April 19, 2024
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Rüdesheim
Rüdesheim, Germany (cc)
Photo: JeLuF
Rüdesheim
Rüdesheim is the most popular tourist town in the Rheingau and caters well for the estimated three million visitors that come here from early spring to late autumn. Up to the middle of the 19th century, the fast and treacherous rapids of the Bingen Gorge made the Rhine unnavigable between Bingen and Lorch. As a result, cargo was carted overland between Rüdesheim and Lorch. Rüdesheim did well out of this and, since much of the cargo involved wine, soon established itself as the center of the wine trade. By the time the rapids were blasted to submission in the mid-19th century, tourists, mainly led by the British, had discovered the Romantic Rhine and Rüdesheim swiftly established itself as the premier tourist town in the area.
Sightseeing in Rüdesheim
Eating, drinking, and having a good time is the essential Rüdesheim experience. The most famous street is the Drosselgasse leading from the Rhine Promenade uphill. On both sides, this narrow alley is lined with bars and restaurants. Live music is expected on weekends from noon until around midnight and sometimes during the week as well. Weekends, and especially Sunday afternoons, can be crowded. German guidebooks often snigger that the garish mixture of faux Gothic and Rhine Romantic style buildings here are what Japanese and American tourists demand, but more German than English is heard.
Rüdesheim has several cultural sights to offer apart from the festivities. The RheingauerWeinmuseum Brömser burg (Rheingau Wine Museum), Rheinstraße 2, is inside the Brömserburg, one of the oldest castles along the Rhine, dating from the ninth century. Apart from information on wine making, the museum has a collection of more than 2,000 wine glasses on display, ranging from Roman times up to the present.
Siegfried’s Mechanisches Musikkabinett, Im Brömserhof, Oberstraße 27-29, was the first musical cabinet museum in Germany. It has one of the largest collections in the world of self-playing musical instruments from the past three centuries. Some of the more than 350 instruments are played during the 45-minute tours.
The Mittelalterliches Foltermuseum (Medieval Torture Museum) Oberstraße 49-51, demonstrates the judicial history of medieval Germany with special emphasis on witch-hunts.
High on the hills above Rüdesheim is the Niederwalddenkmal. This monument, featuring a huge bronze statue of Germania, was completed in 1883. It is dedicated to the soldiers who died in the struggle for German unity in the latter half of the 19th century. More rewarding than the monument are the views from here across the Rhine Valley.Walking from here through the vineyards down to Rüdesheim can be done in 30 minutes via the straightest route, but there are many options and making a detour via the ruins of Ehrenfels Castle is popular as well. From here, there is a lovely view of the Mäuseturm, a little fortress on a small island near the opposite bank of the Rhine.
Last updated March 10, 2012
Posted in Germany | The Rhine Valley
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