Germaniarunde

From the Ringmauer car park, follow the street “Am Eibinger Tor” up to the Adolf Störzel winery and into the vineyards. On a partly paved, partly gravel path, you will soon reach the route of the historic cog railway. The line was put into operation in spring 1884, half a year after the inauguration of the Niederwalddenkmal (23 Sept. 1883). At that time, it was the second tourist cog railway in Germany (after the Drachenfels cog railway in the Siebengebirge near Bonn). Until 1939, it brought visitors up to the monument. After its destruction during the war, it was not repaired. Since 1954, the cable car has been running up to the Niederwalddenkmal.

After about one kilometer from the start, you meet the Rheinsteig (marked with a white R on a blue background), which the Germaniarunde now follows to the monument. On the concrete service road, go initially about 50 meters to the left before the route bends half-right into the vineyard slope. During the ascent, you have the statue of Germania directly in front of you. At the edge of the forest, the route first bends again to the right, then after a short detour turns left back into the Niederwald.

On the forest path after a few meters, you go under the cable car and reach the Niederwald temple in the Osteinscher landscape park. It invites you to a first rest after the climb. Poets and thinkers have often praised the magnificent panoramic view from here, which is one of the most beautiful on the Rhine.

The Germaniarunde now takes you to the Niederwalddenkmal with the statue of Germania. The monument was inaugurated in September 1883 and commemorates the German victory over the French in the war of 1870/71 and thus the founding of the German Empire in 1871. On the way to the monument, several picture and information panels offer interesting facts.

The view from up here is world-famous. It extends along the Rhine upstream to the Rhine-Main area and to the hills of the Odenwald. On the opposite bank of the river lie Bingen and Bingerbrück, separated by the mouth of the Nahe river. In today’s Bingerbrück, Hildegard of Bingen (1098–1179) took over her first own monastery on the Rupertsberg in 1150. Behind the ridge of the Rochusberg with the chapel of the same name lies the Rheinhessische Hügelland, Germany’s largest wine-growing region. On the horizon, the Donnersberg, the highest mountain of the Palatinate, rises into the sky on a clear day.

To continue the round, return to the Niederwald temple and descend the stairs first to the Rebenhaus. The Germaniarunde here runs parallel to the Große Rüdesheimer Runde. After you walk down the 326 steps, the round bends left onto the paved vineyard path. Shortly afterwards, it goes right into the famous vineyard “Rüdesheimer Rottland”. Before Sieder Weg again leads left towards Rüdesheim, the Ramstein lookout point offers a short rest with a view of the Mäuseturm.

Shortly afterwards, you reach the Panoramaweg above Rüdesheim, which you follow in the direction of the starting point at the Ringmauer. From here above the town, you can see the St. Hildegard monastery in the vineyards above Eibingen.

You can also continue the descent towards the old town and use one of the places to eat before going to the car park or the station, which is located directly next to the former premises of the Asbach distillery.

If you arrive by train, you can turn left at the railway crossing onto Oberstraße and climb about 150 meters steeply at the junction “Am Feldtor” in the direction of Panoramaweg, where you will meet the Germaniarunde.