Niederwald Monument
The pride of the German Empire was often an embarrassment to the 20th century. Monumental and overloaded with meaning, the Niederwald Monument commemorates the founding of a small German confederation after the victory in the Franco-Prussian War. Today it is one of the best-visited monuments in Germany.
At a glance
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65385 Rüdesheim am Rhein
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The monument and the forest are freely accessible
History
In Rüdesheim am Rhein, at a magnificent vantage point, stands a “Prussian Madonna”. The nickname originated in the Rheingau for the “Germania”, the colossal statue on the Niederwald Monument. Indeed, a trip to see her takes you back to a time that was largely under Prussian control. Picturesquely situated at the entrance to the UNESCO World Heritage Upper Middle Rhine Valley, the monument commemorates the founding of the German Empire after the Franco-Prussian War of 1870/71, when 25 individual states were united into one nation and Germania embodies it: Her crown raised and her sword peacefully lowered, she looks towards the new state, keeping “watch on the Rhine”.
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Frontal view of the Niederwald Monument from the air
Foto: Michael Leukel, 2019
Exodus of the allied Germans to war as the theme of the commander’s relief
Foto: Michael Leukel, 2019
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The peace figure
Foto: Michael Leukel, 2019
Gastronomy
Niederwald Gastronomie
at the visitor centre
Restaurant manager: Peter Häfner
Am Niederwald 4
65385 Rüdesheim am Rhein
Tel.: +49 (0)6722 71033-70
