Rüdesheim am Rhein – established town rights January 1, 1818
Along the Rhine River sits a little town called Rüdesheim am Rhein, or Rüdesheim, which is well known for its wine. This stretch of the Rhine River, around 65 kilometers from Koblenz to Rüdesheim, is designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It was designated due to the amount of history that can be seen as you travel along the river. All along the embankments are vineyards as far as the eye can see on steep slopes, castles, and historic towns.
After I arrived at the train station I ventured into the downtown. Previously I have visited this town during Christmas market season so I was leery that it would not have the same amount of charm without Christmas tunes blasting through the streets, the smell of sausage being grilled, and Glühwein sold in adorable cups. Much to my surprise as I wandered through the small cobblestone streets I quickly decided that fall surpasses winter. The amount of vines growing along all the buildings, and the colors on the slopes just blew me away. It truly felt like you are walking back in time.
A major tourist attraction is the cable car (seilbahn) that can be seen from the river and train as you arrive into town. It takes you from downtown up over the vineyards overlooking the Rhine River with numerous castles in view to the top of the slope. It drops off near the Niederwald monument (Niederwalddenkmal), which you can then walk to in less than five minutes. You can purchase either a round trip ticket or one way and meander through the vines as long as you make sure to stay on the paved roads or designated trails. I chose the one way option with a lift up the hillside for the view and to saunter my way down while soaking in the view. To say the cable car did not disappoint is an understatement. I would highly recommend a trip up for the view alone.
The Niederwald monument took six years to build and was completed in 1883. It is a celebration of the victory and founding of Germania after uniting the 25 individual states at the end of the Franco-Prussian War. The statue of Niederwalddenkal keeps watch on the Rhine with her crown raised and her sword lowered. She stands over 10.5 meters high (34 feet), with the total height of the monument measuring 38 meters tall (124 feet).
The views from the base of the monument are incredible, especially with the fall foliage in the vineyards. Bingen am Rhein can be seen lurking across the Rhein River in the distance waiting to be explored. There is a ferry that will take pedestrians and cars between the two towns and it will be on my list for the next time I am in the area looking for a new location to explore.
As you continue exploring the top of the hill there are quite a few trails that you can take to explore. I chose to amble down to the ruins of the Ehrenfels Castle (Burgruine Ehrenfels) because the signs told me it was 2.2 km and would take roughly 30 minutes. The beginning of the trail led me through the trees, popping out right above a set of vines.
The trail down to the castle turned out to be more of an Alltrails path, even though it was a short distance it failed to mention the steep elevation loss as you continued closer to the water. You would think I would realize that the castle would be close to the water for the access to the river which is why they were originally built, but sadly I did not. It was only after I fully committed in my mind that I was going to go see a castle that I realized what I had unwittingly signed myself up for.
The hike down to the ruins was well worth it. I only saw one other family during my walk down which made it feel like my own personal castle. It was interesting passing all the vines which had labels for the different wineries that opened them. I was surprised to see some vines still had grapes drying on them.
Ehrenfels Castle marks the entrance to the UNESCO World Heritage site of the Upper Middle Rhine Valley and the chain of castles that are to come if you continue traveling along the river to Koblenz. The castle is about 80 meters above the water line and was built between 1208 and 1220. There are no exact documents on when it was built, we only have documents stating when it was handed over to the Archbishop of Mainz in 1222. In the 14th to 19th centuries the Mainz Archbishops and electors used the castle to live in and hold cathedral treasures. Louis XIV (King of France) covered the area during the Palatinate Succession War with military troops, occupied the castle, and ultimately set it on fire when withdrawing on October 30, 1689. This left the castle in the ruined state we see today.
After exploring the castle I decided to make the trek back up to the monument thinking I would explore the remaining trails. About halfway up, sucking wind and calves burning, I realized I could take any of the paved roads across the hill as long as I kept on walking towards the cable car I could see in the distance. I was astonished that I did not pass anyone as I was wandering the flatter paved paths as I continued getting closer to civilization. Eventually I came across signs which did point me in the correct direction for Rüdesheim, which was just continuing downhill.
I finally did run across some people when I found the wine truck. I had seen advertisements while strolling with a phone number to call to find the wine truck. It is a pickup truck with a large wine barrel in the truck bed selling local wine from the region. Sadly they were cash only so I was unable to taste the wine on my trek down.
Finally I made my way back into town and could taste the local wine! RheinWeinWelt KG located across from the train station is a delightful stop. It is located in a historic brandy cellar with large tanks that now have wine tastings from over 80 wine makers from the Rhine Palatine, Middle Rhine, and Rheingau regions. You pay for 10 coins which operate the wine dispensers, giving you 10 tastings. Also, they give you free popcorn to cleanse the pallet. I never will turn down a free snack. I like this option because I was able to wander between the eight rooms trying out wines, especially those from Rüdesheim. Along the walls, they have the information for each winemaker. It is in German but with wifi and Google Translate it made for interesting reading while sipping.
Overall I highly recommend this small town for either a day trip or overnight stay. I think it will be beautiful in any season with the vines growing, blooming, or even covered in snow. I think fall wins for me at the moment but why not try all four seasons?