The German Wine Route Deutsches Weintor to Speyer - TravelDK

166 BACK ROADS GERMANY
DRIVE 15: The German Wine Route 167
Right Red sandstone Katharinenkirche,
Oppenheim Far right Old city walls in
the town of Worms Below Outdoor cafés
in front of the Kaiserdom, Speyer
WHERE TO STAY
OPPENHEIM
Hotel Merian moderate
A 17th­cen tury house has been
transformed into this stylish hotel in the
centre of town, with 11 double rooms
and one single room.
Wormser Strasse 2, 55276; 06133 949
40; www.merianhotel.de
Hotel Zwo moderate
Merian’s stylish sister hotel with a
gourmet restaurant, bistro and Davidoff
cigar lounge. Rooms are modern, with
good bathrooms and wireless Internet.
Friedrich Ebert Strasse 84, 55276; 06133
949 40; www.hotelzwo-oppenheim.de
SPEYER
Domhof moderate
This ivy­clad hotel is very close to
Speyer’s cathedral, with 49 single and
double rooms furnished in conser vative
style. It also has its own microbrewery.
Bauhof 3, 67346; 06232 132 90;
www.domhof.de
0 metres
0 yards
h
ZENTRALPARK-
PLATZ
1Landskron
Michaelskapelle
3
BURGSTRASSE
Rathofkapelle
8
SCHLOSSG
150
150
4
Katharinenkirche
2Ruprechtsturm
Oppenheimer
Stadtmuseum 5
n
6Marktplatz
K R Ä MERSTRAS SE
RATHOFSTR
AM STADTG R A B E N
ZUCKERBERG
KATHARINENSTR
BACKG
R A T H O F S T R A S S E
Geschlechterbrunnen
K I R C H S T R A S S E
W O R M S E R S T R A S S E
Deutsches
7 Weinbaumuseum
G A R T E N S T R A S S E
MERIANSTR
Burgrestaurant
Landskrone
S C H U L S T R AS S E
s Oppenheim
Rhineland-Palatinate; 55276
A ruined castle and a magnificent Gothic church are powerful
reminders of Oppenheim’s medieval heyday. Raised to the status
of a Free City of the Holy Roman Empire in 1225, it lost its independence
in the following century and was levelled by French troops
during the War of the Palatine Succession (1688–97). This winegrowing
village, on a pretty, sunny site overlooking the Rhine,
also has an intriguing underground labyrinth to explore.
A one-hour
walking tour
Park at the Zentralparkplatz,
on the western
edge of the
Where to Stay: inexpensive, under €70; moderate, €70–€150; expensive, over €150
D A L B ER G E R S T R A S S E
KLOSTERG
WORMSERSTR
PFAU G ASSE
BÄDERG A S S E B Ä D E R G A S S E
CAR L-KOCHSTR
ROHRGASSE
S T E C K E N G A S S E
H ASENBRUNNENG
MAIN Z E R S TRASSE
FRIEDRICH-EBERT-STRASSE
Altstadt, before
head ing uphill
along Gaustrasse
and Burgstrasse.
At the top of Burgstrasse
ascend the Schlangenweg
path to reach Landskron
1, a ruined imperial castle.
At the far end of the castle,
metal steps lead into a
vineyard. Take the path
through it, beyond the
gate in the town wall at
the far end. Cross the road
to the Landskronhalle.
The Burgrestaurant
Landskrone here is a good
place for a snack. Follow
the road down hill to the
Ruprechtsturm 2, a mockmedieval
folly built in 1903
on the site of a medie val
tower destroyed during
the French occu pa tion.
Con tinue downhill to
Geschlechterbrunnen, a
Renaissance well dating
from 1546, and the arched
entrance to the church yard
beyond it. Go through this,
Winery sign,
Oppenheim
turning right to reach the
Michaelskapelle 3, a 13thcen
tury Gothic chapel. In the
basement is the maca bre
Beinhaus (ossuary), where
the bones of 20,000 citizens
of Oppenheim who died
between 1400 and 1750
lie neatly stacked. Further
along the north wall is the Lapidarium,
with gargoyles and Gothic carvings.
Continue around the outside of the
Katharinenkirche 4 (open daily), a
Protestant parish church, to enter on
the south side. Construc tion began in
1225 in the Romanesque style, but
most of what exists today is Gothic,
including the 14th­century Rose
of Oppenheim win dow. From the
south side of the church yard, go
down the steps to Merian strasse to
the Oppenheimer Stadtmuseum 5
(open daily), with displays on local history,
and the tourist information office
(www.stadt-oppenheim.de), which
organ izes tours of the Oppenheimer
Kellerlabyrinth (tours Sat, Sun & public
hols), an exten sive subterranean
network of cellars and passageways.
Merianstrasse leads onto the central
Marktplatz 6, dominated by the
17th­century Rathaus. Cross the
square to reach the Catholic church
of St Bartholomäus, once part of a
now­vanished Franciscan monastery.
Follow Kirchstrasse to Wormserstrasse
to the Deutsches Weinbaumuseum
7 (Apr–Oct: closed Mon), with exhibits
on Germany’s wine making history.
Walk back up Wormserstrasse and
turn left into Rathofstrasse, following
the street around to the Rathofkapelle
8, a tiny chapel which is now a
restau rant. Beyond it, a plaque commemo
rates Oppenheim’s Jewish
community on the site of a synagogue
destroyed on “Kristallnacht” in an anti­
Jew attack in 1938 in Nazi Germany.
At the end of the Rathofstrasse, turn
left into Krämer strasse, which ends at
the Gautor, a surviving gate of the
town walls, built in 1566. Exit through
the gate to return to the car park.
ª Leave Oppenheim along the B9/
Rheinstrasse to Guntersblum, turn
right and continue through Alsheim
and Osthofen to Worms.
d Worms
Rhineland-Palatinate; 67547
One of Germany’s oldest cities,
Worms is closely associated with
Protestant reformer Martin Luther
and the Legend of the Nibelungen
from Germanic mythology. It boasts
a magnificent 12th­century cathedral,
the Dom St Peter (open daily) and an
ancient Jewish cemetery, Heiliger
Sand (open daily), where the oldest
grave stone dates from 1076.
ª Follow Ludwigstrasse to the B9,
then follow signs for Speyer. At Speyer
follow signs for Zentrum along the B39.
DAY TRIP OPTIONS
The route can be broken down into
day trips for those with less time or a
special interest to follow.
Wine country
Food and wine lovers should head to
Edenkoben 8 and stop at the restaurants
and wineries along the route to
Above Oppenheim’s Marktplatz, lined with tall buildings
f Speyer
Rhineland-Palatinate; 67346
The smallest of Pfalz’s three great
cathedral cities is also the most perfectly
preser ved, with a broad main
street, Maximilianstrasse, which runs
west from the Kaiserdom (open daily).
One of the fin est surviving examples
of Romanesque architecture in
Europe, the imperial cathedral is a
UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Above Heiliger Sand, an ancient Jewish cemetery
in Worms
Jews of the Rhineland
Jewish culture was established in
the region in the 10th century with
settlements in Speyer, Worms and
Mainz. The cities had a major influence
on the development of
Ashkenazi Jewish culture, since it was
here in the early Middle Ages that
the Yiddish language emerged as an
offshoot of the Middle High German.
Freinsheim y. Oenophiles can take
the drive from Mainz o to Worms
d through some of the most
popular wine­growing villages.
Follow the driving instructions from
Edenkoben to Freinsheim, then follow
the route to Mainz. From Mainz follow
instructions to Worms.
VISITING WORMS
Parking
There is a car park opposite the Dom on
Andreasstrasse with limited paid onstreet
parking.
Tourist Information
Am Neumarkt 14, 67547; 06241 250 45;
www.worms-de; Apr–Oct: open daily;
Nov–Mar: open Mon–Fri
EAT AND DRINK
OPPENHEIM
Restaurant Völker moderate
This restaurant was once home to Paul
Wallot, architect of the Reichstag in
Berlin. Excellent wines are available here.
Krämerstrasse 7, 55276; 06133 22 69;
www.restaurant-voelker.de; open
Wed–Sun
Restaurant im Zwo expensive
This stylish restaurant offers creative
dishes and an extensive wine list.
Friedrich Ebert Strasse 84, 55276; 06133
949 40; www.hotelzwo-oppenheim.de;
SPEYER
Ratskeller moderate
Brick­vaulted cellar­restaurant beneath
Speyer’s 18th­century town hall.
Maximilianstrasse 12, 67346; 06232 786
12; closed Sun dinner & Mon
Zum Alten Engel moderate
Cozy cellar­restaurant that is an
adherent of the Slow Food move ment.
Mühlturmstrasse 5, 67346; 06232 709
14; www.zumaltenengel.de; open
Mon–Sat dinner; open Sun in winter
Castles and villages
Those interested in art and architecture
can explore fairy­tale castles and
charming half­timbered villages
along the route from Bad Bergzabern
2 to Burg Trifels 6.
Follow the driving instructions from
Bad Bergzabern to Burg Trifels.
Eat and Drink: inexpensive, under €20; moderate, €20–€40; expensive, over €40