Visiting the German towns of Rudesheim and Bingen

If you’re described as a doorway, as is the case with the medieval towns of Rudesheim and Bingen – “the portal to Germany’s Upper Middle Rhine Valley”, I wouldn’t be surprised if you had a bit of a chip on your shoulder.

A portal, by definition, is something people pass through, not somewhere they stay. And if that’s how holiday brochures are describing your town, then how on earth do you hold on to tourists?

That’s the challenge facing the towns in southwest Germany and they react with remarkable grace.

In fact, the tourist boards, although not apologetic, even admit there are “better places to see along the river”.

Which leads me to the second surprise: if you do decide to buck the trend and stay, and wander through the cobbled streets, past gabled houses with geranium-filled windows and beer gardens with twinkling lights, you’ll discover Rudesheim and Bingen are really rather lovely after all.

Shopkeepers smile, hoteliers are ready to help and I imagine that if you got chatting to a local in one of the beer gardens and suggested turning a casual drink into a bit of a night out, they’d respond with an agreeable nod of the head.

Of course, a glass of the region’s Riesling would probably jolly things along nicely too.

Cruising on the Rhine

The Rhine is famous for riesling, and with the river flowing east to west, vines on both sides of the valley benefit from all day sun. I took a cable car over Rudesheim’s leafy terraces to one of the town’s main attractions – the hilltop Niederwald monument. Its colossal central figure, a woman, is popularly known as Germania. Christian Schuller, my guide, explained she represented the reestablishment of the German empire after the country defeated France in the Franco-Prussian war (1870-71).

Then he rattled off statistics; erected in 1883, six years to build, 38 metres tall with Germania alone weighing 36,000 kg. That’s one whopping woman.

But I didn't fully appreciate her size until Christian supplemented the stats with one of his own; that he’d climbed the scaffolding during renovation work and “stuffed an entire fist” up one of her nostrils. How’s that for insider (or is that inside her) knowledge?

From Germania we went on a hike through Niederwald Forest where we discovered a brick igloo (the sign said “historic enchanted cave”) with a long, winding tunnel for an entrance.

The unusual attraction was built by a count in the 1700s to entertain guests staying at his hunting lodge.

We stopped at a viewpoint where Beethoven is said to have admired the Rhine and again on a rocky ledge overlooking Bingen hole – a hidden slate ridge in the river that wrecked many 18th century barges.

Here, Christian pointed out the Mauseturm, a turetted “Mouse” tower on an island in the water. It was built in the 14th century to protect Ehrenfels Castle near Bingen and was where the Archbishops of Mainz used to demand tolls from passing ships.

“But why mouse?” I asked.

Now there’s a story. Legend states that in the 16th century the people of Mainz demonstrated against the extortionate tolls charged by a bishop called Hatto. Hatto sent them to prison, mocking them for screaming like mice when they begged for his mercy.

God showed his displeasure by sending a plague of mice. They pursued Hatto from Mainz to Bingen where he bishop tried to hide in his toll tower.

But the rodents caught up with him and ate him alive; his turn to scream no doubt.

Karen tries a hurdy gurdy

That night I ate at Rudesheimer Schloss, a lively restaurant in Rudesheim, where a local band that had played there for 20 years, lowered tubas and trumpets from the ceiling via pulleys and encouraged everyone to get up and dance. Everyone did.

I ordered handkas (local cheese marinaded in vinegar) and fresh trout from the Wisper river. On the menu, the fish was marked with an H, in honour of Hildegard von Bingen, a local 12th century abbess who promoted healthy living. A Benedictine order named after her has a convent above town.

The next morning I came across Hildegard again, at Bingen museum, a short ferry ride across the river. The abbess, it seemed, was multi-talented, excelling at prophecy, theology, oratory and botany. Outside the museum, I strolled round a small garden planted with verbena, rose bushes, and brambles – the kind of plants Hildegard used to make medicine in the Middle Ages.

A short drive away, there was a small centre dedicated to her teaching. Run by nuns, it proved the ideal place for lunch, served in a conservatory overlooking an apple orchard.

On my last morning, I returned to Rudesheim to visit the Museum of Mechanical Instruments.

I was shown round with a group of Americans who danced their way through the entire tour as our guide wound up hurdy gurdys, pianolas and musical cabinets. Many were decorated with Victorian china dolls and freaky-looking monkeys dressed as drummers.

It proved an harmonious end to a weekend away and I was glad I’d paused on the valley’s lintel, instead of charging straight through the door.

ESSENTIALS

* For more on Rudesheim & Bingen: rudesheim.de bingen.de
* Stay at: Hotel-Restaurant Zu Grunen Kranz, Rudesheim gruenerkranz.com
* Cable car trips over vineyards seilbahn.rudesheim.de
* Museum of Mechanical instruments smmk.de
* Hildegard Centre, Bingen: hildegard-forum.de
* Eat at: Rudesheimer Schloss, Rudesheim: rudesheimer-schloss.com
Zollamt restaurant, Bingen zollamtbingen.de

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