There are a number of well-known towns and villages in the Rheingau area – Rüdesheim, for example—but chances are that you have never heard of Kiedrich. You will also not find a single souvenir shop here. However, being low-key does not mean that Kiedrich is without appeal or interesting sights. The fact that it is off the beaten track is actually part of the reason why we spent a week here this summer. Congratulations to George G and PortMoresby, who correctly identified Kiedrich as this week’s mystery location.
The wine barrel with the large ‘Welcome’ message sits on the road leading to the village’s historic centre. Before you get to the barrel you pass a more conventional sign.
I have included a photo of this one, too, because it features a nice shot of the vineyards, with the ruins of Kiedrich’s castle (‘Scharfenstein’) in the background. The two women on the right are the wine queen and princess, respectively, who are welcoming visitors on behalf of the local restaurants.
There are quite a few restaurants and wine taverns here and several are located in beautiful historic buildings – like that pictured below, which overlooks the old market square.
The one in the next photo lies a couple of hundred metres further up the road.
Some of the restaurants also have lovely courtyards with outdoor seating.
The wine lists, as you might expect, tend to focus on local growers. We thought that the prices generally were quite reasonable – certainly lower than in the more touristy parts of the area – and what we sampled never disappointed. One of the more unusual wines we tried was a delicious Red Riesling.
I had never heard of this variety. It have since found out that it is a rare mutation of the ordinary Riesling grape, which copes better with high temperatures.
We also enjoyed the food on offer. The portions were frequently generous, to say the least.
The half-timbered buildings of the restaurants in the earlier photos are typical of much of Kiedrich’s old centre.
A stroll through the streets takes you past many more examples.
The small outhouse attached to a larger building near the market square used to contain the village’s communal scales (originally dating from 1887). It now houses what the local history society refers to as ‘probably the smallest weighing scale museum in the world’. There are apparently around 40 scales on display, but we never found the door open when we went past.
Kiedrich can trace its history back to the 10th century, when the name first appeared in official records. There has also been a church here since that time, but the imposing building you see today dates from the end of the 15th century.
The church is commonly referred to just as St. Valentin. I believe it was officially closed when we visited, but a couple of other people were being given a guided tour and, finding the door unlocked, we sneaked in.
There was a lot more to see than we had expected. St. Valentin’s status in the Catholic church is that of a ‘Basilica Minor’ and, whilst I am not sure what precisely is needed to qualify for this designation, it is clearly not just an ordinary village church.
The altar room with its huge stained glass windows is particularly impressive. The high altar commemorates the life of Kaspar von Eltz, a local dignitary in the service of the archbishop of Mainz, who commissioned it a few years before his death in 1619.
The laity and choir stalls are richly decorated with carvings of vines and flowers as well as various inscriptions. They date from the early 16th century.
A side aisle on the right houses a reliquary containing skull fragments of St. Valentine. It is perhaps worth noting that the reason the church was dedicated to him had nothing to do with notions of romance and the like – he was venerated as the patron saint of epileptics.
The next photo shows the ‘Kiedrich Madonna’, a sculpture from the middle of the 14th century.
At the end of the left side aisle is the colourful 15th century ‘Johannesaltar’ (Altar of St. John). I did not know that there were two different saints called John – the altar contains effigies of both.
The organ has been repaired and partially rebuilt several times over the centuries, but it originally dates from the 15th century and represents one of the oldest playable organs.
A portable antique organ from Flanders was donated to the church in 1860. It is apparently still used.
When we visited the church we had little to no knowledge of the history and/or the significance of some of the things we were taking photos of. We merely thought they were attractive or interesting. Having done a bit of research in the process of putting this piece together, I have a much better appreciation of what we were looking at.
Below is another shot of the church from the outside. The fountain in the foreground originally stood at the market square.
According to the inscription at the top, it dates from 1541.
Further along the wall is a side entrance into the church grounds. It leads directly to the funeral chapel next to the church itself (‘Michaelskapelle’).
If you have followed the week’s clues, you will have already come across the little sculpture that sits above the entrance.
You will also have seen a picture of the fountain below, albeit without the backdrop of vineyards.
It is located in the grounds of the Robert Weil winery, where the final two photos were also taken.
The mansion pictured has an interesting history. It was built in the 1860s by an Englishman, Sir John Sutton, who fell in love with Kiedrich and decided to settle here. He became an important benefactor of the village and there is still a street named after him. (He was also the person who donated the portable organ to the church.) A couple of years after Sutton’s death (in 1873) Robert Weil, who already owned some vineyards in Kiedrich, acquired the property and established his wine business here.
There is some more information about Kiedrich HERE
It makes a good base for exploring the Rheingau as well as the nearby city of Wiesbaden, which is less than 20km away. Mainz, on the other side of the Rhine, is also fairly close.
