Rüdesheim
Encyclopedia
Rüdesheim is a winemaking
town in the Rhine Gorge
and thereby part of the UNESCO
World Heritage Site
. It lies in the Rheingau-Taunus-Kreis
district in the Regierungsbezirk
of Darmstadt
in Hesse
, Germany
. It is officially known as Rüdesheim am Rhein, which distinguishes it from Rüdesheim an der Nahe
.
on the Rhine’s right (east) bank on the southern approach to the Lorelei
. The town belongs to the Frankfurt Rhine Main Region and is one of Germany’s biggest tourist attractions. Only Cologne Cathedral
draws more tourists from other countries. Making the town worth visiting is, not only the wine or even the Old Town itself, but also the picturesque Rheingau
landscape together with the romantic
Rhine.
, in the south on the town of Bingen
, in the west on the communities of Weiler
and Trechtingshausen
(all three in Mainz-Bingen
district in Rhineland-Palatinate
) over on the other side of the Rhine, and in the west and north on the town of Lorch.
was forcibly amalgamated with the town by the National Socialists, against the community inhabitants’ will. In 1977, within the framework of municipal reform, Assmannshausen
, Aulhausen
and Presberg also became new Ortsteile of Rüdesheim.
and later by Mattiaci
. In the first century, the Romans
pushed forth to the Taunus
. In Bingen
they built a castrum
, and on the other side, near what is now Rüdesheim, lay a bridgehead on the way to the Limes
.
The Romans were followed by the Alamanni
, and along with the Migration Period
(Völkerwanderung) came the Franks
. Archaeological
finds of glass from this time suggest that there was already winegrowing in Rüdesheim even then. The town’s origin as a Frankish Haufendorf (roughly, “clump village”) can still be seen on today’s town maps.
Rüdesheim had its first documentary mention in 1074. Its livelihood came mainly from winegrowing and shipping, particularly timber rafting
.
On 1 January 1818, Rüdesheim received town rights.
After Prussia
annexed the Duchy of Nassau in 1867 and divided the area into districts
(Kreise), Rüdesheim became a district seat in the newly founded Rheingaukreis. This status it held for 110 years until 1977, when in the course of municipal reform in Hesse the districts of the Rheingaukreis and the Untertaunuskreis were merged into the new Rheingau-Taunus-Kreis
, and Rüdesheim had to yield the district seat to Bad Schwalbach
. However, owing to its widespread recognizability, the old car licence designation RÜD came through the shift in district alignment unchanged, despite all the existing rules that would have seen SWA become the new district’s designation.
In 1877, the first foundation stone for the Niederwalddenkmal
, which would be finished in 1883, was laid. This patriotic monument drew a great many tourists, who at that time reached the site high above the town on a cog railway, although today it is a gondola lift
that brings visitors up to the monument. Tourism is more and more displacing shipping as a source of income.
In 1970, a single
was released under the title Rüdesheim liegt nicht an der Themse (“Rüdesheim Does Not Lie on the Thames”). The artist was British
hit singer David Garrick, who had a great hit with this song.
, Côte-d'Or
, France
Juliénas
, Rhône, France (twinned with outlying centre of Assmannshausen) Oingt
, Rhône, France (twinned with outlying centre of Presberg) Mezőkövesd
, Borsod-Abaúj-Zemplén County
, Hungary
Swanage
, Dorset
, England
, United Kingdom
from Wiesbaden
by way of Lahnstein
to Bonn
leads through Rüdesheim’s municipal area by both the monastery and the Niederwalddenkmal
. Another trail is the Riesling-Route. It leads along the Rhine and through Rüdesheim’s enchanting vineyard
s on the way to Wiesbaden.
The Wine Queen and her princesses represent the town of Rüdesheim and its wine in other communities and other winegrowing areas.
In the deeds held by the Counts of Katzenelnbogen
, vineyards are already found in the Rüdesheim area in 1399: auf dem Berge (“on the mountain”), bei dem Morgen Marschalls (“near Marshal’s acre”) and unterhalb Eibingen am Fluß (“beneath Eibingen at the river”).
Rüdesheim lies in the north-west corner of the German wine
producing region Rheingau. Riesling
grapes are the main type grown in this area, producing mainly high-quality white wines. One can taste the local wines, including the Rüdesheimer Riesling, in the many wine houses in Rüdesheim.
(1402–1482), papal legate
and Prince-Bishop of Breslau. After studying at the University of Heidelberg, he went on to Rome
and became friends with Pope Pius II
. He was named Prince-Bishop of Breslau in 1468.
Winemaking
Winemaking, or vinification, is the production of wine, starting with selection of the grapes or other produce and ending with bottling the finished wine. Although most wine is made from grapes, it may also be made from other fruit or non-toxic plant material...
town in the Rhine Gorge
Rhine Gorge
The Rhine Gorge is a popular name for the Upper Middle Rhine Valley, a 65 km section of the River Rhine between Koblenz and Bingen in Germany...
and thereby part of the UNESCO
UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations...
World Heritage Site
World Heritage Site
A UNESCO World Heritage Site is a place that is listed by the UNESCO as of special cultural or physical significance...
. It lies in the Rheingau-Taunus-Kreis
Rheingau-Taunus-Kreis
Rheingau-Taunus is a Kreis in the west of Hesse, Germany. Neighboring districts are Limburg-Weilburg, Hochtaunuskreis, Main-Taunus, district-free Wiesbaden, Mainz-Bingen, Rhein-Lahn.-Geography:...
district in the Regierungsbezirk
Regierungsbezirk
In Germany, a Government District, in German: Regierungsbezirk – is a subdivision of certain federal states .They are above the Kreise, Landkreise, and kreisfreie Städte...
of Darmstadt
Darmstadt (region)
Darmstadt is one of the three Regierungsbezirke of Hesse, Germany, located in the south of the state.- External links :*...
in Hesse
Hesse
Hesse or Hessia is both a cultural region of Germany and the name of an individual German state.* The cultural region of Hesse includes both the State of Hesse and the area known as Rhenish Hesse in the neighbouring Rhineland-Palatinate state...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
. It is officially known as Rüdesheim am Rhein, which distinguishes it from Rüdesheim an der Nahe
Rüdesheim an der Nahe
Rüdesheim is a municipality in the district of Bad Kreuznach, in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is situated near the Nahe River, approx. 3 km west of Bad Kreuznach...
.
Location
It lies at the foot of the NiederwaldNiederwalddenkmal
The Niederwalddenkmal is a monument located in the Niederwald Landscape park, near Rüdesheim am Rhein in Hesse, Germany.- History :The monument was constructed to commemorate the foundation of the German Empire after the end of Franco-Prussian War. The first stone was laid on September 16, 1871, by...
on the Rhine’s right (east) bank on the southern approach to the Lorelei
Lorelei
The Lorelei is a rock on the eastern bank of the Rhine near St. Goarshausen, Germany, which soars some 120 metres above the waterline. It marks the narrowest part of the river between Switzerland and the North Sea. A very strong current and rocks below the waterline have caused many boat...
. The town belongs to the Frankfurt Rhine Main Region and is one of Germany’s biggest tourist attractions. Only Cologne Cathedral
Cologne Cathedral
Cologne Cathedral is a Roman Catholic church in Cologne, Germany. It is the seat of the Archbishop of Cologne and the administration of the Archdiocese of Cologne. It is renowned monument of German Catholicism and Gothic architecture and is a World Heritage Site...
draws more tourists from other countries. Making the town worth visiting is, not only the wine or even the Old Town itself, but also the picturesque Rheingau
Rheingau
The Rheingau is the hill country on the north side of the Rhine River between Wiesbaden and Lorch near Frankfurt, reaching from the western Taunus to the Rhine. It lies in the state of Hesse and is part of the Rheingau-Taunus-Kreis administrative district...
landscape together with the romantic
Romanticism
Romanticism was an artistic, literary and intellectual movement that originated in the second half of the 18th century in Europe, and gained strength in reaction to the Industrial Revolution...
Rhine.
Neighbouring communities
Rüdesheim borders in the east on the town of GeisenheimGeisenheim
Geisenheim is a town in the Rheingau-Taunus-Kreis in the Regierungsbezirk of Darmstadt in Hessen, Germany, and is known as Weinstadt , Schulstadt , Domstadt and Lindenstadt ....
, in the south on the town of Bingen
Bingen am Rhein
Bingen am Rhein is a town in the Mainz-Bingen district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany.The settlement’s original name was Bingium, a Celtic word that may have meant “hole in the rock”, a description of the shoal behind the Mäuseturm, known as the Binger Loch. Bingen was the starting point for the...
, in the west on the communities of Weiler
Weiler bei Bingen
Weiler bei Bingen is an Ortsgemeinde – a municipality belonging to a Verbandsgemeinde, a kind of collective municipality – in the Mainz-Bingen district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany...
and Trechtingshausen
Trechtingshausen
Trechtingshausen is an Ortsgemeinde – a municipality belonging to a Verbandsgemeinde, a kind of collective municipality – in the Mainz-Bingen district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany....
(all three in Mainz-Bingen
Mainz-Bingen
Mainz-Bingen is a district in the east of Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. Neighboring districts are Rheingau-Taunus, the district-free cities Wiesbaden and Mainz, the districts Groß-Gerau, Alzey-Worms, Bad Kreuznach, Rhein-Hunsrück.-History:During the French occupation under Napoleon the district...
district in Rhineland-Palatinate
Rhineland-Palatinate
Rhineland-Palatinate is one of the 16 states of the Federal Republic of Germany. It has an area of and about four million inhabitants. The capital is Mainz. English speakers also commonly refer to the state by its German name, Rheinland-Pfalz ....
) over on the other side of the Rhine, and in the west and north on the town of Lorch.
Constituent communities
In 1939, under the secrecy that held sway at the time, the formerly self-governing community of EibingenEibingen
Eibingen, now a part of Rüdesheim am Rhein, Hessen, Germany is the location of Eibingen Abbey, the Benedictine monastery founded by Hildegard of Bingen in 1165 ....
was forcibly amalgamated with the town by the National Socialists, against the community inhabitants’ will. In 1977, within the framework of municipal reform, Assmannshausen
Assmannshausen
Assmannshausen is, since the incorporation in 1977, a quarter of Rüdesheim am Rhein in the Rheingau, located on the Rhine in the state of Hesse, Germany. The village has a lithium spring, spa and a Kurhaus, and is famed for its red wine made from Pinot noir , which resembles red Burgundy wine...
, Aulhausen
Aulhausen
Aulhausen was first mentioned in 1108 as Aulhausen im Rheingau. It lies in Hessen and has about 1200 Inhabitants . From 1970 to 1977 Aulhausen was a district in Assmannshausen. The wine and air recreation town lies in a valley above Assmannshausen...
and Presberg also became new Ortsteile of Rüdesheim.
History
The area was settled first by the Celts, then after the turn of the Christian Era by UbiiUbii
thumb|right|350px|The Ubii around AD 30The Ubii were a Germanic tribe first encountered dwelling on the right bank of the Rhine in the time of Julius Caesar, who formed an alliance with them in 55 BC in order to launch attacks across the river...
and later by Mattiaci
Mattiaci
The Mattiaci were an ancient Germanic tribe. They were possibly a branch of the Chatti, their Germanic neighbors to the east. The Mattiaci were settled on border of the Roman Empire on the right side of the Rhine in the area of present-day Wiesbaden , the southern Taunus, and the Wetterau.Tacitus...
. In the first century, the Romans
Ancient Rome
Ancient Rome was a thriving civilization that grew on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 8th century BC. Located along the Mediterranean Sea and centered on the city of Rome, it expanded to one of the largest empires in the ancient world....
pushed forth to the Taunus
Taunus
The Taunus is a low mountain range in Hesse, Germany that composes part of the Rhenish Slate Mountains. It is bounded by the river valleys of Rhine, Main and Lahn. On the opposite side of the Rhine, the mountains are continued by the Hunsrück...
. In Bingen
Bingen am Rhein
Bingen am Rhein is a town in the Mainz-Bingen district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany.The settlement’s original name was Bingium, a Celtic word that may have meant “hole in the rock”, a description of the shoal behind the Mäuseturm, known as the Binger Loch. Bingen was the starting point for the...
they built a castrum
Castra
The Latin word castra, with its singular castrum, was used by the ancient Romans to mean buildings or plots of land reserved to or constructed for use as a military defensive position. The word appears in both Oscan and Umbrian as well as in Latin. It may have descended from Indo-European to Italic...
, and on the other side, near what is now Rüdesheim, lay a bridgehead on the way to the Limes
Limes Germanicus
The Limes Germanicus was a line of frontier fortifications that bounded the ancient Roman provinces of Germania Inferior, Germania Superior and Raetia, dividing the Roman Empire and the unsubdued Germanic tribes from the years 83 to about 260 AD...
.
The Romans were followed by the Alamanni
Alamanni
The Alamanni, Allemanni, or Alemanni were originally an alliance of Germanic tribes located around the upper Rhine river . One of the earliest references to them is the cognomen Alamannicus assumed by Roman Emperor Caracalla, who ruled the Roman Empire from 211 to 217 and claimed thereby to be...
, and along with the Migration Period
Migration Period
The Migration Period, also called the Barbarian Invasions , was a period of intensified human migration in Europe that occurred from c. 400 to 800 CE. This period marked the transition from Late Antiquity to the Early Middle Ages...
(Völkerwanderung) came the Franks
Franks
The Franks were a confederation of Germanic tribes first attested in the third century AD as living north and east of the Lower Rhine River. From the third to fifth centuries some Franks raided Roman territory while other Franks joined the Roman troops in Gaul. Only the Salian Franks formed a...
. Archaeological
Archaeology
Archaeology, or archeology , is the study of human society, primarily through the recovery and analysis of the material culture and environmental data that they have left behind, which includes artifacts, architecture, biofacts and cultural landscapes...
finds of glass from this time suggest that there was already winegrowing in Rüdesheim even then. The town’s origin as a Frankish Haufendorf (roughly, “clump village”) can still be seen on today’s town maps.
Rüdesheim had its first documentary mention in 1074. Its livelihood came mainly from winegrowing and shipping, particularly timber rafting
Timber rafting
Timber rafting is a log transportation method in which logs are tied together into rafts and drifted or pulled across a water body or down a flatter river. It is arguably the second cheapest method of transportation of timber, next after log driving...
.
On 1 January 1818, Rüdesheim received town rights.
After Prussia
Prussia
Prussia was a German kingdom and historic state originating out of the Duchy of Prussia and the Margraviate of Brandenburg. For centuries, the House of Hohenzollern ruled Prussia, successfully expanding its size by way of an unusually well-organized and effective army. Prussia shaped the history...
annexed the Duchy of Nassau in 1867 and divided the area into districts
Districts of Germany
The districts of Germany are known as , except in the states of North Rhine-Westphalia and Schleswig-Holstein where they are known simply as ....
(Kreise), Rüdesheim became a district seat in the newly founded Rheingaukreis. This status it held for 110 years until 1977, when in the course of municipal reform in Hesse the districts of the Rheingaukreis and the Untertaunuskreis were merged into the new Rheingau-Taunus-Kreis
Rheingau-Taunus-Kreis
Rheingau-Taunus is a Kreis in the west of Hesse, Germany. Neighboring districts are Limburg-Weilburg, Hochtaunuskreis, Main-Taunus, district-free Wiesbaden, Mainz-Bingen, Rhein-Lahn.-Geography:...
, and Rüdesheim had to yield the district seat to Bad Schwalbach
Bad Schwalbach
Bad Schwalbach is the district seat of Rheingau-Taunus-Kreis, in Hesse, Germany.- Geographic Location :Bad Schwalbach is a spa town some 20 km northwest of Wiesbaden. It lies at 289 to 465 m above sea level in the Taunus, along the small river Aar...
. However, owing to its widespread recognizability, the old car licence designation RÜD came through the shift in district alignment unchanged, despite all the existing rules that would have seen SWA become the new district’s designation.
In 1877, the first foundation stone for the Niederwalddenkmal
Niederwalddenkmal
The Niederwalddenkmal is a monument located in the Niederwald Landscape park, near Rüdesheim am Rhein in Hesse, Germany.- History :The monument was constructed to commemorate the foundation of the German Empire after the end of Franco-Prussian War. The first stone was laid on September 16, 1871, by...
, which would be finished in 1883, was laid. This patriotic monument drew a great many tourists, who at that time reached the site high above the town on a cog railway, although today it is a gondola lift
Gondola lift
A gondola lift is a type of aerial lift, normally called a cable car, which is supported and propelled by cables from above. It consists of a loop of steel cable that is strung between two stations, sometimes over intermediate supporting towers. The cable is driven by a bullwheel in a terminal,...
that brings visitors up to the monument. Tourism is more and more displacing shipping as a source of income.
In 1970, a single
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
was released under the title Rüdesheim liegt nicht an der Themse (“Rüdesheim Does Not Lie on the Thames”). The artist was British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
hit singer David Garrick, who had a great hit with this song.
Town council
The municipal election held on 26 March 2006 yielded the following results:| Parties and voter communities | % 2006 |
Seats 2006 |
% 2001 |
Seats 2001 |
|
| CDU | Christian Democratic Union of Germany | 44.8 | 14 | 52.0 | 19 |
| SPD | Social Democratic Party of Germany Social Democratic Party of Germany The Social Democratic Party of Germany is a social-democratic political party in Germany... |
23.4 | 7 | 32.3 | 12 |
| FDP | Free Democratic Party Free Democratic Party (Germany) The Free Democratic Party , abbreviated to FDP, is a centre-right classical liberal political party in Germany. It is led by Philipp Rösler and currently serves as the junior coalition partner to the Union in the German federal government... |
3.0 | 1 | 15.7 | 6 |
| WIR | Freie Wähler-WIR. Wählerinitiative Rüdesheim am Rhein | 23.6 | 7 | – | – |
| Offene Grüne Liste | Offene Grüne Liste Rüdesheim | 5.1 | 2 | – | – |
| Total | 100.0 | 31 | 100.0 | 37 | |
| Voter turnout in % | 46.4 | 49.7 | |||
Town partnerships
MeursaultMeursault
-See also:* Communes of the Côte-d'Or département* Route des Grands Crus* French wine-External links:* * In French.* * In French....
, Côte-d'Or
Côte-d'Or
Côte-d'Or is a department in the eastern part of France.- History :Côte-d'Or is one of the original 83 departments created during the French Revolution on 4 March 1790. It was formed from part of the former province of Burgundy.- Geography :...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
Juliénas
Juliénas
Juliénas is a commune in the Rhône department in eastern France.-See also:*Juliénas AOC, a Beaujolais wine from the commune of Juliénas*Communes of the Rhône department-References:*...
, Rhône, France (twinned with outlying centre of Assmannshausen) Oingt
Oingt
Oingt is a commune in the Rhône department in eastern France.-References:*...
, Rhône, France (twinned with outlying centre of Presberg) Mezőkövesd
Mezokövesd
Mezőkövesd is a town in Borsod-Abaúj-Zemplén county, Northern Hungary. It lies from Miskolc and from Eger.-History:The area has been inhabited since the Great Migration. It's likely that the first Hungarian settlement was formed here shortly after the conquest of Hungary, but in 1275 in a church...
, Borsod-Abaúj-Zemplén County
Borsod-Abaúj-Zemplén County
Borsod-Abaúj-Zemplén is the name of an administrative county in north-eastern Hungary , on the border with Slovakia. It shares borders with the Hungarian counties Nógrád, Heves, Hajdú-Bihar and Szabolcs-Szatmár-Bereg. The capital of Borsod-Abaúj-Zemplén county is Miskolc...
, Hungary
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
Swanage
Swanage
Swanage is a coastal town and civil parish in the south east of Dorset, England. It is situated at the eastern end of the Isle of Purbeck, approximately 10 km south of Poole and 40 km east of Dorchester. The parish has a population of 10,124 . Nearby are Ballard Down and Old Harry Rocks,...
, Dorset
Dorset
Dorset , is a county in South West England on the English Channel coast. The county town is Dorchester which is situated in the south. The Hampshire towns of Bournemouth and Christchurch joined the county with the reorganisation of local government in 1974...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
Museums
- Siegfrieds Mechanisches Musikkabinett, the first German museum for data-storage musical instruments. On an exhibition area of over 400 m², the visitor is introduced in an amusing way to the history of self-playing music and its instruments. From the gentle musical clock to the orchestrionOrchestrionAn orchestrion is a generic name for a machine that plays music and is designed to sound like an orchestra or band. Orchestrions may be operated by means of a large pinned cylinder or by a music roll and less commonly book music. The sound is usually produced by pipes, though they will be voiced...
, which weighs tons, the visitor sees and hears a cross-section from four centuries. Curiosities: unique collection of self-playing strings, such as the Hupfeld Phonoliszt Violina with six strings, Hupfeld Violina Orchestra (only known original in the world), Poppers Violinovo, and so on. - Mittelalterliches Foltermuseum (“Mediaeval TortureTortureTorture is the act of inflicting severe pain as a means of punishment, revenge, forcing information or a confession, or simply as an act of cruelty. Throughout history, torture has often been used as a method of political re-education, interrogation, punishment, and coercion...
Museum”), with many instruments of torture - Asbach Distillery
- Rheingauer Weinmuseum Brömserburg, tells the Rüdesheim area’s 1,000-year winegrowing history in the oldest castle in the Rhine GorgeRhine GorgeThe Rhine Gorge is a popular name for the Upper Middle Rhine Valley, a 65 km section of the River Rhine between Koblenz and Bingen in Germany...
World Heritage SiteWorld Heritage SiteA UNESCO World Heritage Site is a place that is listed by the UNESCO as of special cultural or physical significance...
.
Buildings
- Niederwalddenkmal from 1883
- Ostein family’s Niederwald Landscape Park from the 18th century
- Drosselgasse (lane): The Drosselgasse is the heart of Rudesheim's old town full of beautifully decorated restaurants. Live band entertainment, brass instrumentBrass instrumentA brass instrument is a musical instrument whose sound is produced by sympathetic vibration of air in a tubular resonator in sympathy with the vibration of the player's lips...
s and dance music play all day and all night during the summer in the many wine taverns and open-air garden taverns along the 144-metre-long narrow cobblestone pedestrianPedestrianA pedestrian is a person traveling on foot, whether walking or running. In some communities, those traveling using roller skates or skateboards are also considered to be pedestrians. In modern times, the term mostly refers to someone walking on a road or footpath, but this was not the case...
street. Built in the 15th century, the Drosselgasse was for boat owners to move items from the river to homes in the town. Since it is Rüdesheim's most famous attraction it is almost always crowded with tourists. - Pfarrkirche St. Jakobus (“Saint James’s Parish Church”) from the 15th century
- Burg Ehrenfels (Hessen)Burg Ehrenfels (Hessen)Ehrenfels Castle is a ruined castle above the Rhine Gorge near the town of Rüdesheim am Rhein in Hesse, Germany. It is located on the steep eastern bank of the river amid extended vineyards...
(ruined castle) - Brömserburg, the oldest castle in the Rhine Gorge World Heritage Site with wine museum. It was built in the 10th century on the site of a RomanAncient RomeAncient Rome was a thriving civilization that grew on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 8th century BC. Located along the Mediterranean Sea and centered on the city of Rome, it expanded to one of the largest empires in the ancient world....
fortificationFortificationFortifications are military constructions and buildings designed for defence in warfare and military bases. Humans have constructed defensive works for many thousands of years, in a variety of increasingly complex designs...
. From the 10th to the 13th century it was owned by the Archbishop of Mainz. The old fortress was converted into a residence in the 12th century. It then passed into the control of the Knights of Rüdesheim. A branch of these knights was the Brömser. It was retaken by Archbishop Werner II von Eppenstein in 1281. The castle withstood a number of attacks. In 1640, during the Thirty Years' WarThirty Years' WarThe Thirty Years' War was fought primarily in what is now Germany, and at various points involved most countries in Europe. It was one of the most destructive conflicts in European history....
, the top of the tower was destroyed by French troops under the command of Henri II d'Orléans, duc de LonguevilleHenri II d'Orléans, duc de LonguevilleHenri II d'Orléans, duc de Longueville or Henri de Valois-Longueville , a legitimated prince of France and peer of France, was a major figure in the civil war of France, the Fronde, and served as governor of Picardy, then of Normandy.Longueville headed the French delegation in the talks that led...
. The Archbishopric sold it in 1803 and it has had several owners since then. The town of Rüdesheim bought the castle in 1941. Today it is a wine museum. It has a collection of wine pressWine pressA wine press is a device used to extract juice from crushed grapes during wine making. There are a number of different styles of presses that are used by wine makers but their overall functionality is the same. Each style of press exerts controlled pressure in order to free the juice from the fruit...
es and other wine paraphernalia. It has walls that are more than two-metre-thick and a metre-thick vault tower. Originally, it was right on the bank of the Rhine, surrounded by water. - Binger MäuseturmMouse TowerThe Mouse Tower is a stone tower on a small island in the Rhine, outside Bingen am Rhein, Germany. The Romans were the first to build a structure on this site. It later became part of Franconia, and it fell and had to be rebuilt many times....
from the 14th century. - Eibingen AbbeyEibingen AbbeyEibingen Abbey is a community of Benedictine nuns in Eibingen near Rüdesheim in Hesse, Germany.The original community was founded in 1165 by Hildegard von Bingen...
above the outlying centre of Eibingen - Remains of the Hindenburgbrücke (bridge destroyed in the Second World War)
Hiking trails
The RheinsteigRheinsteig
The Rheinsteig is a hiking trail following a mainly elevated path along the righthand side of the river Rhine in Germany, its 320 km route stretches from Bonn to Wiesbaden, running parallel to the Rheinhöhenweg Trail and Rheinburgenweg Trail.-Description:...
from Wiesbaden
Wiesbaden
Wiesbaden is a city in southwest Germany and the capital of the federal state of Hesse. It has about 275,400 inhabitants, plus approximately 10,000 United States citizens...
by way of Lahnstein
Lahnstein
Lahnstein is a verband-free town of Rhein-Lahn-Kreis in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is situated at the confluence of the Lahn River with the Rhine, approximately south of Koblenz...
to Bonn
Bonn
Bonn is the 19th largest city in Germany. Located in the Cologne/Bonn Region, about 25 kilometres south of Cologne on the river Rhine in the State of North Rhine-Westphalia, it was the capital of West Germany from 1949 to 1990 and the official seat of government of united Germany from 1990 to 1999....
leads through Rüdesheim’s municipal area by both the monastery and the Niederwalddenkmal
Niederwalddenkmal
The Niederwalddenkmal is a monument located in the Niederwald Landscape park, near Rüdesheim am Rhein in Hesse, Germany.- History :The monument was constructed to commemorate the foundation of the German Empire after the end of Franco-Prussian War. The first stone was laid on September 16, 1871, by...
. Another trail is the Riesling-Route. It leads along the Rhine and through Rüdesheim’s enchanting vineyard
Vineyard
A vineyard is a plantation of grape-bearing vines, grown mainly for winemaking, but also raisins, table grapes and non-alcoholic grape juice...
s on the way to Wiesbaden.
Tradition
A well known old tradition is the Weinkönigin (“Wine Queen”) with her princesses. Each year in the summertime, the Rüdesheim wine festival is held, whose highlights include the Wine Queen’s and the princesses’ coronation.The Wine Queen and her princesses represent the town of Rüdesheim and its wine in other communities and other winegrowing areas.
In the deeds held by the Counts of Katzenelnbogen
County of Katzenelnbogen
The County of Katzenelnbogen was an immediate state of the Holy Roman Empire. It existed between 1095 and 1479, when it was inherited by the Landgraves of Hesse.The estate comprised two separate territories...
, vineyards are already found in the Rüdesheim area in 1399: auf dem Berge (“on the mountain”), bei dem Morgen Marschalls (“near Marshal’s acre”) and unterhalb Eibingen am Fluß (“beneath Eibingen at the river”).
Rüdesheim lies in the north-west corner of the German wine
German wine
German wine is primarily produced in the west of Germany, along the river Rhine and its tributaries, with the oldest plantations going back to the Roman era. Approximately 60 percent of the German wine production is situated in the federal state of Rhineland-Palatinate, where 6 of the 13 regions ...
producing region Rheingau. Riesling
Riesling
Riesling is a white grape variety which originated in the Rhine region of Germany. Riesling is an aromatic grape variety displaying flowery, almost perfumed, aromas as well as high acidity. It is used to make dry, semi-sweet, sweet and sparkling white wines. Riesling wines are usually varietally...
grapes are the main type grown in this area, producing mainly high-quality white wines. One can taste the local wines, including the Rüdesheimer Riesling, in the many wine houses in Rüdesheim.
Regular events
- Magic-Bike-Rüdesheim (as a rule on Corpus ChristiCorpus Christi (feast)Corpus Christi is a Latin Rite solemnity, now designated the solemnity of The Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ . It is also celebrated in some Anglican, Lutheran and Old Catholic Churches. Like Trinity Sunday and the Solemnity of Christ the King, it does not commemorate a particular event in...
weekend) - Tal total yearly on the last Saturday in June. On this day, BundesstraßeBundesstraßeBundesstraße , abbreviated B, is the denotation for German and Austrian national highways.-Germany:...
42 between Rüdesheim and KoblenzKoblenzKoblenz is a German city situated on both banks of the Rhine at its confluence with the Moselle, where the Deutsches Eck and its monument are situated.As Koblenz was one of the military posts established by Drusus about 8 BC, the...
on the Rhine’s right bank and Bundesstraße 9 on the left between BingenBingen am RheinBingen am Rhein is a town in the Mainz-Bingen district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany.The settlement’s original name was Bingium, a Celtic word that may have meant “hole in the rock”, a description of the shoal behind the Mäuseturm, known as the Binger Loch. Bingen was the starting point for the...
and Koblenz are closed to motorized traffic and left free for cyclists and skaters. - Rheingau Musik FestivalRheingau Musik FestivalThe Rheingau Musik Festival is an international summer music festival in Germany, founded in 1987. It is mostly for classical music, but includes other genres...
, usually a concert in the Eibingen Abbey and/or in the church St. Jakobus - Rhein in FlammenRhein in FlammenRhein in Flammen is the name of five different firework displays along the river Rhine in Germany. The displays take place annually, at various locations along the river. On the five different dates, brightly illuminated ships sail the river in an evening convoy for their passengers to see the...
(fireworks festival) on first Saturday in July - World Heritage celebration at the Niederwalddenkmal (since 2003 usually in late July on a Friday and Saturday)
- Weinfest (wine festival third weekend in August)
- Gallustag (Saint GallSaint GallSaint Gall, Gallen, or Gallus was an Irish disciple and one of the traditionally twelve companions of Saint Columbanus on his mission from Ireland to the continent. Saint Deicolus is called an older brother of Gall.-Biography:...
s day), festival to honour the grape harvest, mediaeval market and event - Tage des Federweißen (year’s last wine festival) late October, early November
- Weihnachtsmarkt der Nationen (“Christmas Market of the Nations”) 120 stalls, open daily from late November until Christmas
Education
- Hildegardisschule (RealschuleRealschuleThe Realschule is a type of secondary school in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, and Liechtenstein. It has also existed in Croatia , Denmark , Sweden , Hungary and in the Russian Empire .-History:The Realschule was an outgrowth of the rationalism and empiricism of the seventeenth and...
and primary school spread between two buildings) - Nikolausschule (Assmannshausen primary school)
- Grundschule Presberg (primary school)
Famous people
The town’s noble family called itself “von Rüdesheim”. Its foremost representative was Rudolf of RüdesheimRudolf of Rüdesheim
Rudolf of Rüdesheim was a German Bishop of Breslau and papal legate.From 1422 to 1426 he studied at the University of Heidelberg from which he graduated as master...
(1402–1482), papal legate
Papal legate
A papal legate – from the Latin, authentic Roman title Legatus – is a personal representative of the pope to foreign nations, or to some part of the Catholic Church. He is empowered on matters of Catholic Faith and for the settlement of ecclesiastical matters....
and Prince-Bishop of Breslau. After studying at the University of Heidelberg, he went on to Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
and became friends with Pope Pius II
Pope Pius II
Pope Pius II, born Enea Silvio Piccolomini was Pope from August 19, 1458 until his death in 1464. Pius II was born at Corsignano in the Sienese territory of a noble but decayed family...
. He was named Prince-Bishop of Breslau in 1468.
Sons and daughters of the town
- Jacob Fidelis AckermannJacob Fidelis AckermannJacob Fidelis Ackermann was a German professor of anatomy and surgery.Ackermann was born in Rüdesheim am Rhein. He began his studies at Würzburg and earned his doctorate in Mainz in 1787. After extensive research travel he was promoted to private lecturer for forensic medicine in 1789...
(1765–1815), physician - Theodor Friedrich Ludwig Dilthey (6 February 1825 – 22 March 1892), entrepreneur: He took over his father’s wine wholesaling business, Dilthey-Sahl & Co. in Rüdesheim, in 1852 and undertook many business trips to England and Russia to further German wine and sekt exports. In 1867 he was cofounder and first president of the WiesbadenWiesbadenWiesbaden is a city in southwest Germany and the capital of the federal state of Hesse. It has about 275,400 inhabitants, plus approximately 10,000 United States citizens...
chamber of commerceChamber of commerceA chamber of commerce is a form of business network, e.g., a local organization of businesses whose goal is to further the interests of businesses. Business owners in towns and cities form these local societies to advocate on behalf of the business community...
. He composed many poems in praise of wine. - Georg Geiling (1 June 1863–1947), master cooperCooper (profession)Traditionally, a cooper is someone who makes wooden staved vessels of a conical form, of greater length than breadth, bound together with hoops and possessing flat ends or heads...
: Geiling studied after his apprenticeship as a cooper in ReimsReimsReims , a city in the Champagne-Ardenne region of France, lies east-northeast of Paris. Founded by the Gauls, it became a major city during the period of the Roman Empire....
and ÉpernayÉpernayÉpernay is a commune in the Marne department in northern France. Épernay is located some 130 km north-east of Paris on the main line of the Eastern railway to Strasbourg...
and in 1890 founded the sekt cellar “Georges Geiling & Cie.” in Reims. In 1894, he settled in BacharachBacharachBacharach is a town in the Mainz-Bingen district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It belongs to the Verbandsgemeinde of Rhein-Nahe, whose seat is in Bingen am Rhein, although that town is not within its bounds....
, where in 1919 he built up his own sparkling wineSparkling wineSparkling wine is a wine with significant levels of carbon dioxide in it making it fizzy. The carbon dioxide may result from natural fermentation, either in a bottle, as with the méthode champenoise, in a large tank designed to withstand the pressures involved , or as a result of carbon dioxide...
factory. - Antonius Wallenstein (20 January 1890 – 28 December 1964 on the Abtsberg near GengenbachGengenbachGengenbach is a town in the district of Ortenau, Baden-Württemberg, Germany and a popular tourist destination on the western edge of the Black Forest with about 11,000 inhabitants....
in Baden), Catholic priest of a religious orderReligious orderA religious order is a lineage of communities and organizations of people who live in some way set apart from society in accordance with their specific religious devotion, usually characterized by the principles of its founder's religious practice. The order is composed of initiates and, in some...
, spiritual writerWriterA writer is a person who produces literature, such as novels, short stories, plays, screenplays, poetry, or other literary art. Skilled writers are able to use language to portray ideas and images....
. Works (selection): Das Problem der Willensfreiheit unter besonderer Hervorkehrung der methodischen Gesichtspunkte, in: PhJ 36 (1923), 1–24 (excerpts from his dissertation); KatechismusCatechismA catechism , i.e. to indoctrinate) is a summary or exposition of doctrine, traditionally used in Christian religious teaching from New Testament times to the present...
der christlichen Vollkommenheit, Freiburg 1930 (2nd ed. 1936); Kindheit und Jugend als Erziehungsaufgabe, Freiburg 1951; Klarheit über Gott, Leutesdorf 1959. - Hermann Asbach (18 March 1894 – unknown), entrepreneur: one of Hugo Asbach’s three sons and later owner of the firm Asbach (Asbach UraltAsbach UraltAsbach Uralt is a German brandy produced by the company Asbach Gmbh, which also makes other spirits and chocolate. The company is located in the city of Rüdesheim am Rhein, Germany.Asbach's history dates back to 1892 when Hugo Asbach founded the company...
, brandyBrandyBrandy is a spirit produced by distilling wine. Brandy generally contains 35%–60% alcohol by volume and is typically taken as an after-dinner drink...
). - Rudolf Krämer-Badoni (1913–1989), writer and publicist.
- Hans Otto Jung (1920–2009) and his wife Ursula Jung, sponsors of musical institutions such as a chamber music series and "Brahmstage" in Rüdesheim, "Die Kammermusik" in Wiesbaden (he was president of the association since 1976), Dr. Hoch's KonservatoriumHoch ConservatoryDr. Hoch’s Konservatorium - Musikakademie was founded in Frankfurt am Main on September 22, 1878. Through the generosity of Frankfurter Joseph Hoch, who bequeathed the Conservatory one million German gold marks in his testament, a school for music and the arts was established for all age groups. ...
and the Hochschule für Musik und Darstellende Kunst Frankfurt am MainFrankfurt University of Music and Performing ArtsThe Frankfurt University of Music and Performing Arts is a state Hochschule for Music, Theater and Dance in Frankfurt and is the only one of its kind in the Federal State of Hesse. It was founded in 1938....
, founding members of the Rheingau Musik FestivalRheingau Musik FestivalThe Rheingau Musik Festival is an international summer music festival in Germany, founded in 1987. It is mostly for classical music, but includes other genres...
. - Karl Heinz Hock (born 1930), publicist and journalist.
- Marianne Vater (born 1952), professor of zoologyZoologyZoology |zoölogy]]), is the branch of biology that relates to the animal kingdom, including the structure, embryology, evolution, classification, habits, and distribution of all animals, both living and extinct...
at the University of Potsdam. Publications (selection): FrequenzFrequencyFrequency is the number of occurrences of a repeating event per unit time. It is also referred to as temporal frequency.The period is the duration of one cycle in a repeating event, so the period is the reciprocal of the frequency...
analyse und Frequenzrepräsentation im peripheren Hörsystem von Fledermäusen; EcholocationAnimal echolocationEcholocation, also called biosonar, is the biological sonar used by several kinds of animals.Echolocating animals emit calls out to the environment and listen to the echoes of those calls that return from various objects near them. They use these echoes to locate and identify the objects...
in Bats & Dolphins. - Johannes Schild (born 1965), composer and conductor as well as professor at the College for Music in Cologne.
- Jennifer BraunJennifer BraunJennifer Braun is a German singer. She was runner-up at the talent show Unser Star für Oslo, Germany’s national pre-selection show for the Eurovision Song Contest 2010. Her first hit single was "I Care for You".-Early life:...
(born 1991), pop/rock singer, runner-up of Unser Star für OsloGermany in the Eurovision Song Contest 2010Germany is the Eurovision Song Contest 2010 winner, which was held in May 2010 in Bærum, Norway. The country's entry was selected in a series of competitive heats and a national final – Unser Star für Oslo 2010 – which was organised jointly by the public broadcasters ARD and NDR and the...
2010.
- Note: The poet Stefan GeorgeStefan GeorgeStefan Anton George was a German poet, editor, and translator.-Biography:George was born in Bingen in Germany in 1868. He spent time in Paris, where he was among the writers and artists who attended the Tuesday soireés held by the poet Stéphane Mallarmé. He began to publish poetry in the 1890s,...
(1868–1933) was not – as is often claimed – born in Rüdesheim, but rather in Büdesheim near Bingen, which is, of course, only a stone’s throw away from Rüdesheim on the other side of the Rhine.
Other people linked with the town
- The composer Johannes BrahmsJohannes BrahmsJohannes Brahms was a German composer and pianist, and one of the leading musicians of the Romantic period. Born in Hamburg, Brahms spent much of his professional life in Vienna, Austria, where he was a leader of the musical scene...
(1833–1897) was repeatedly a guest at the family Beckerath's house in Rüdesheim (Oberstraße/Schmidstraße, today Sekthaus Solter) between 1874 and 1895. In 1883 in Wiesbaden he wrote the Symphony No. 3Symphony No. 3 (Brahms)The Symphony No. 3 in F major, Op. 90, is a symphony written by Johannes Brahms. The work was written in the summer of 1883 at Wiesbaden, nearly six years after he completed his Second Symphony...
in F major, Op. 90. At this time he also took part in the festive unveiling of the NiederwalddenkmalNiederwalddenkmalThe Niederwalddenkmal is a monument located in the Niederwald Landscape park, near Rüdesheim am Rhein in Hesse, Germany.- History :The monument was constructed to commemorate the foundation of the German Empire after the end of Franco-Prussian War. The first stone was laid on September 16, 1871, by...
in Rüdesheim. In his witty letter of 1887 to Rudolf von Beckerath he let it be known that he enjoyed “things like your cellar and your fiddle, the wife’s pouring and the husband’s getting in the mood”. In the rooms of the former Villa Sturm on Rheinstraße, the yearly Rüdesheimer Brahms-Tage (days) take place in the composer’s memory. - Bernhard Hopffer (7 August 1840 in BerlinBerlinBerlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
– 20 August 1877 at the Niederwald hunting palace near Rüdesheim), an almost forgotten composer, he studied music at the Kullak'sches Conservatorium and lived as a composer in Berlin. His last years he lived, owing to his lung illness, in various spas. He wrote symphonies, chamber music, songs – among others, Lockung, Op. 22/1 (1872) after Joseph von Eichendorff – as well as an opera, Frithjof, which was first produced in Berlin in 1871. - The celebrated German violinist Gerhard TaschnerGerhard TaschnerGerhard Taschner was a noted German violinist and teacher.-Biography:Taschner was born in Krnov , Czechoslovakia, of Moravian origins. After studying with his grandfather, he played Mozart's Violin Concerto No. 5 at his debut in Prague, when aged only 7...
(1922–1976) lived from 1946 to 1950 in the house of the art-minded winemaker Carl Jung in Rüdesheim. In the piano trio with Ludwig Hoelscher and the legendary pianist Walter GiesekingWalter GiesekingWalter Wilhelm Gieseking was a French-born German pianist and composer.-Biography:Born in Lyon, France, the son of a German doctor and lepidopterist, Gieseking first started playing the piano at the age of four, but without formal instruction...
, he gave a series of private concerts here.
Literature
- Ursula Jung 100 Jahre Villa Sturm zu Rüdesheim am Rhein Ein Beitrag zur Musiktradition im Rheingau (1991), DNBGerman National LibraryThe German National Library is the central archival library and national bibliographic centre for the Federal Republic of Germany...
External links
- Town’s official webpage
- Rüdesheim am Rhein website
- Brömserburg Wine Museum
- Gondala website
- The History of the Oldest Riesling of the World
Documents
- Bild 1 von Rüdesheim aus J.F. Dielmann, A. Fay, J. Becker (Zeichner): F.C. Vogels Panorama des Rheins, Bilder des rechten und linken Rheinufers, Lithographische Anstalt F.C. Vogel, Frankfurt 1833
- Bild 2 von Rüdesheim aus J.F. Dielmann, A. Fay, J. Becker (Zeichner): F.C. Vogels Panorama des Rheins, Bilder des rechten und linken Rheinufers, Lithographische Anstalt F.C. Vogel, Frankfurt 1833