bacharach - rhein-nahe touristik
TRANSCRIPT
Founded by the Celts. Passed later into the
possession of the Archbishops of Cologne.
The latter granted the region of the four
valleys of Bacharach together with Burg
Stahleck to the Count Palatine Conrad of
Hohenstaufen. After the marriage of Agnes of
Hohenstaufen it passed into the hands of the
Wells of Brunswick in 1194 and then to the
Wittelsbachs as a result of another marriage
in 1225. Until the treaty of Lunéville in 1801
it remained in the possession of the Prince-
Electors and the Rhenish Counts Palatine.
The well-preserved town fortifications dating
from the 14th century (built 1322-1366)
comprise the old walls with many towers
encircling the old town. There is an interesting
walk on the battlements along the Rhine..
The Church of St. Peter. Protestant parish
church in the centre of the town. Built at va-
rious periods. Building began about 1100 and
was completed with the church tower in the
14th century (Romanesque Gothic transition
style). In contrast to the comparatively low
choir, built by an earlier architect, the nave
of the church rises to an impressive height.
There are two side galleries and an organ-loft,
Romanesque triforia, transept, continuing
over the small side naves, medieval fresco
paintings, half-columns on remarkable pe-
destals, decorative pendants on the keystones
of the arches, a number of interesting tombs
of medieval knights and noble families.
The Catholic parish church on the south-
eastern corner of the town is a simple but
impressive building erected by the Capuchin
Order in the 17th century. The crenellated
wall enclosing the presbytery garden forms a
harmonic whole with the church. The inside
of the church is simple and undecorated, in
the Baroque style of the 18th century. Barrel
vaulting and Baroque altars.
The ruins of the Chapel of Werner is the
symbol of Bacharach. 100 steps lead up to the
chapel. This was once the site of a St. Cunibert
chapel. Construction work on the new church,
which was named after a local boy called
Werner, began in 1294. The chapel took 140
years to build, as the costs were met solely by
donations given by pilgrims. The dead body
of the boy Werner was found near Bacharach.
Investigations undertaken by a professor of
diocesan history, Pauly in Trier, concluded
that the boy was probably sexually abused
and then murdered. The Jews were accused
of killing the boy and using his blood for their
rituals. The people regarded Werner as a saint.
The chapel built in his honour attracted huge
numbers of pilgrims. The Catholic historian
Iserloh of Münster disproved the legend, de-
claring it to be a fictitious, racially motivated
accusation. Werner has since been removed
from the Catholic Church’s calendar of saints.
The Chapel of St. Werner was destroyed in
1689 during the Palatine War of Succession
with Bacharach. Since then it has been pro-
tected as an ancient monument. In the 18th
century the northern wing was removed as it
was threatening to collapse.
The old Posthof in the centre of the town,
formerly the seat of the Knights Templars,
founded in the 11th century, is a fine patrician
house from the time of the Thurn and Taxis
family. Richly decorated half-timbered gable
and fine inner courtyard. In the courtyard, noti-
ce the newel of the winding staircase which is
made all of one piece.
Burg Stahleck was formerly a Staufen fortress
and since 1925 has been a youth hostel. The
origins of this castle are unknown. It is first
mentioned in old records in the year 1135.
Politically Bacharach belonged at that time
to the Electorale of Cologne and was given in
feudal tenure. One of the most famous bailiffs
of the castle was Hermann von Katzenelnbo-
gen, who resided in the castle 1140. In 1155
after Hermann´s death Conrad of Hohenstau-
fen held the castle and its bailiwick in fief. The
betrothal of Agnes of Hohenstaufen with Henry
the Welf, the son of Henry the Lion, in 1194,
brought about a conciliation between the
Welfs and the Hohenstaufen, who had been
living in feud. This episode has been described
in the famous German poem ”Das Wort der
Frau” (“The Woman` s Word“) by Heyden.
The “Altes Haus” in the market square is one
the Rhine´s most famous medieval half-tim-
bered buildings. Many Rhineland poets have
sung its praises and the “Old house” has also
provided a setting for several films. The well-
known opera by Robert Stolz “Wenn die kleinen
Veilchen blühen” (“When the Little Violets
Blossom”) was performed in the ”Alte Haus”.
Bacharach, a town since the year 1356 in the
reign of Emperor Charles IV, owes its fame to
its vineyards and its wine trade. Vines were
planted here in the time of the Romans. In the
Middle Ages Bacharach was the main trading
centre for the wines of the Middle Rhine, the
Nahe and the Rheingau. Besides many wine
taverns and cellars, Bacharach also has fa-
mous cellars for sparkling wines (Sekt). Every
year Pope Pius II used to order a cart-load of
Bacharach wine to be sent to Rome.
There is an old German drinking song of 1628
which goes something like this:
At Bacharach on the Rhine,
At Würzburg on the Stein,
At Klingenberg on the Main,
There, it is said,
You will find the best of wine.
Posthof and The Church of St. Peter
H I S T O R Y A N D I N T E R E S T I N G S I G H T S
Rhein-Nahe Touristik Tourist-Information
Oberstraße 10 · 55422 Bacharach
Tel.: +49 (0) 6743/919303
Mon to Fri 9:00 to 17:00 h
Sat, Sun 10:00 to 15:00 h
BACHARACH
Blücherstraße 82 · 55422 BacharachTel.: +49 (0) 6743/1653
3
Rh
ein
bu
rge
nw
eg
Fo
otp
ath
Sta
hle
ck
pfa
d
Fo
otp
ath
alo
ng
to
wn
wa
ll
Fo
otp
ath
alo
ng
to
wn
wa
ll
Ha
lbru
nd
-tu
rm
Vo
igts
wie
se
Ba
ch
ara
ch
er
Po
ste
n
Die
bstu
rm
Hu
ttu
rm
To
wn
ha
llHerters-
gässchen
Bauerstraße
So
nn
en
-tu
rm
Kü
hlb
erg
-tu
rm
Sp
itze
rTu
rm
Vie
win
g
pla
tfo
rm
Po
st
Off
ice
Old
Ho
use
Ch
urc
h o
f
Ch
urc
h o
f
Allo
tme
nt
ga
rde
n
He
yle
s'e
n
We
rth
Ch
ild
ren
´s
pla
yg
rou
nd
Sc
hif
fs-
an
leg
er
Schul-gässchen
St.
Jo
se
f C
ha
pe
l
We
rne
rC
ha
pe
l
Dis
tric
tH
en
sc
hh
au
se
n
Ma
ler-
win
ke
l
Main
zer
Str
aße
Dis
tric
tM
ed
en
sc
he
id
Fo
otp
ath
to
Ne
ura
th
Ste
eg
–
dir
ec
tio
n
Bu
rgru
ine
Sta
hlb
erg
–W
ild
ge
he
ge
Lang
str
aße
Ste
eg
–B
urg
ruin
e S
tah
lbe
rg –
Wild
ge
he
ge
Sch
loß
berg
Rab
en
ko
pf
Bu
rg S
tahle
ck
Youth
hoste
l
Ob
ere
r B
urg
en
we
g
K 2
4
Rh
ein
go
ldstr
aß
e
Old
Ro
ma
n r
oa
d
Pfa
rrg
art
en/
Zo
llho
f
Mid
dle
rhin
e H
all
L 2
24
K 2
1
Po
ste
n-
turm
Bahnstr.
dir
ec
tio
nH
en
sc
hh
au
se
n
Hik
ing
tra
il
Ne
ura
th/
Me
de
nsc
he
id
Fir
e b
rig
ad
e
Ga
rag
e
Ra
ilw
ay S
tati
on
Wh
eel H
ou
se
Cam
psite
Dis
tric
tN
eu
rath
Dis
tric
tS
tee
g
Lang
str
aße
dir
ec
tio
n
dir
ec
tio
n
Hik
ing
tra
il
Pla
yin
g f
ield
ca
r p
ark
ing
pla
ce
Bu
sp
ark
ing
pla
ce
To
uri
st-
Info
rma
tio
n
Off
ice
Po
sth
of
WC
Rh
ein
an
lag
en
Un
de
rpa
ss
Cyc
lep
ath
a
nd
Fo
otp
ath
Bo
ard
ing
pie
rs
543
mo
bile
ho
me
pa
rkin
g p
lac
e
B 9
Ko
ble
nz
Lein
pfa
d
Münzbach
car
park
ing
pla
ce
bu
s p
ark
ing
pla
ce
Lein
pfa
d
1
2
4
Blü
cher
stra
ße
14
85
54
22
Ba
cha
rach
-Ste
egTe
l.: +
49
(0
) 1
76
83
13
04
74
info
@fe
wo
-ka
chel
.de
ww
w.f
ewo
-ka
chel
.de
1 8
3
7
3
Dir
k B
ütt
ner
Blü
cher
stra
ße
82
· 5
54
22
Ba
cha
rach
Tel.:
+4
9 (
0)
67
43
/16
53
rhei
nta
l.rei
sen
@t-
on
line.
de
ww
w.r
hei
nta
l-re
isen
.de
4
Ob
erst
raß
e 6
4+
66
· 5
54
22
Ba
cha
rach
+4
9 (
0)
67
43
/17
15
· in
fo@
hot
el-d
ettm
ar.d
ew
ww
.ho
tel-
det
tma
r.de
Th
u t
o T
ue
11
:00
to
22
:00
h C
lose
d o
n W
ed
Re
sta
ura
nt
11
:30
to
14
:00
h, 1
7:3
0 t
o 2
1:0
0 h
5
Ma
rkts
tra
ße
8 ·
55
42
2 B
ach
ara
chTe
l.: +
49
(0
) 6
74
3/1
42
2in
fo@
ba
cha
rach
er-
ho
f.d
ew
ww
.ba
ch
ara
ch
er-
ho
f.d
e
eve
ry d
ay
18
:00
to
20
:30
h
Ko
ble
nze
r S
tr. 2
· 5
54
22
Ba
cha
rach
Tel.:
+4
9 (
0)
67
43
/12
38
info
@to
mis
-su
pe
rma
rkt.
de
Mo
nd
ay
to S
atu
rda
y 8
:00
to
12
:30
ha
nd
14
:00
to
18
:00
h
Lan
gst
raß
e 5
0 ·
55
42
2 B
ach
ara
chTe
l.: +
49
(0
) 6
74
3/1
24
3in
fo@
rhei
n-h
ote
l-b
ach
ara
ch.d
ew
ww
.rh
ein
-ho
tel-
ba
cha
rach
.de
Su
nd
ays
an
d p
ub
lic h
olid
ays
11
:30
to
14
:15
ha
nd
eve
ry e
ven
ing
17
:00
to
21
:15
h
2
Blü
cher
stra
ße
2 ·
55
42
2 B
ach
ara
chTe
l.: +
49
(0
) 6
74
3/9
47
78
0in
fo@
alt
koel
nis
cher
-ho
f.de
ww
w.a
ltko
eln
isch
er-h
of.d
e
Tue
to
Su
n 1
1:3
0 t
o 2
1:0
0 h
Clo
sed
on
Mo
nR
est
au
ran
t 1
2:0
0 t
o 1
4:0
0 h
, 17
:30
to
21
:00
h
Alt
koel
nis
cher
Ho
f
1,2
km
Fe
rie
n-
wo
hn
un
ge
n K
ac
he
l
0,4
km
Rh
ein
tal-
Re
ise
n
5
6
8
7
6
Tele
fon +
49 (
0)
67 4
3 –
9 3
0 6
0