The Rheingau and the neighboring UNESCO World Heritage Site "Upper Middle Rhine Valley"
The wild and romantic cultural landscape of the Rheingau stretches over a length of approx. 40 km, nestled between the banks of the Rhine and the gentle hills of the Rheingau Mountains, the Taunus.
The 400 million year old Taunus Mountains force the Rhine to deviate from its south-north route at Wiesbaden/Mainz. As far as Rüdesheim/Bingen, it flows from east to west along almost the entire Rheingau, before taking a sharp bend and returning to its original direction. Now its path leads into the fantastically beautiful narrow valley of the Rhine with the Loreley and its many castles. Even in the Romantic era, this landscape captivated travelers.
Archaeological finds prove that people settled in this historic region as early as the Neolithic Age, around 6000 years ago.
For 800 years, the Rheingau belonged to the territory of the archbishops in Mainz, who defended "their" Rheingau with the "Gebück", a hedge of trees. This affiliation shaped people and landscape alike. This also includes over 1200 years of viticulture, which was already cultivated here in the time of Charlemagne.
Hildegard von Bingen, closely associated with the Rheingau through her founding of the Eibingen monastery (Rüdesheim), reported on the health-promoting effects of wine almost 1000 years ago. The Cistercian monks in the Rheingau monastery of Eberbach (secularization in 1803), which achieved fame not only as the setting for the film "The Name of the Rose", also made a significant contribution 800 years ago to the undisputed world-class quality of Rheingau wine today.
Internationally recognized quality standards such as Spätlese and Kabinett originate from the Rheingau. The Pinot Noir that matures here is also on a par with its French "brother" Pinot Noir.
The climatically and scenically very attractive region along the 50th parallel with its vineyards planted on the sun-drenched southern slopes of the Rheingau mountains has attracted many noble and aristocratic families over the centuries. Their imposing residences take us back in time, as do the monuments of the Rheingau monastery culture and, last but not least, the alleyways and squares of the Rheingau villages.
The fertility of the region, its mild climate and its premium location on Europe's liveliest and busiest river, which has proven to be very advantageous for trade from time immemorial, has produced a hard-working, sociable and humorous people who meet strangers with open-minded curiosity and pride.
Your cultural journey through the past and present of the incomparable landscape of the Rheingau can begin just 60 km west of Frankfurt am Main. Don't hesitate, you will be impressed! We warmly welcome you!