Niederwalddenkmal

Go here for the history of this grand memorial: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Niederwalddenkmal

This thing is HUGE. You walk out of the woods and BAM! A large clearing with this monument overlooking part of the Rhine.

There are many small billboards explaining the history behind the Niederwalddenkmal, with German on one side and English on the other.

Take your time to look the whole thing over....the carvings are full of detail. Then turn around and face the Rhine river valley and get some great photos before moving on.

We had no knowledge of this monument before visiting. Our friends who live in Germany wanted to show it to us, and I'm glad they did!

28/2021

Beautiful HUGE statue overlooking the Rhine River. Pay to park and enjoy snacks, beer and wine at a little outdoor eatery.

This is a fantastic destination for a walk. At all times of year it makes for an enjoyable stroll and can be done to accommodate various levels of fitness depending where you start from. The tram that takes you to the top is closed due to COVID, but walking up is even more rewarding. It was gorgeous in the fall when all the grape leaves had turned golden.

Visit during off season and certainly avoided crowds! Most of the town is closed, but enjoyed the hike to the monument (45 minutes). Nice cool weather and great view of Rhine with accompanying castles lit up after dark.

I was traveling with my two college-aged children, and this was our last day of a 10 day trip to Germany. We stayed at a hotel a couple blocks from the station and rode the gondola up. Once on top you can stroll around - if you go the the monument area there are some wonderful vantage points to see the valley. The whole area is very wide open so lots of places to stroll or for children to run around. We then walked down following the paths in front of the monument and was actually able to walk into some of the vineyards. This area is dramatically steep, so taking pictures was a little challenging, but to be able to be that close to the vines and everything was a fun little adventure. We rode the gondola back down which is very peaceful. Would definitely go again!

If you in the area and it is a nice day, take this hike or the gondola ride up. The views of the Rhine and surrounding vineyards are breath-taking and definitely worth a picture or two. The monument itself was pretty, but compared to the historic castles and other buildings in the area along the River, it is not astonishing.

Heads up - the hike is pretty strenuous!

Date of Visit: March 2016. This place is pretty cool. It is very picturesque. I have heard that you can hike up to this monument or take cable cars. I chose to go by cable car because I had a time constraint. You have to pay a certain fee if you go by cable cars. Prior to getting to the location, you have to go to their office to buy a ticket.

By cable car, you cross a vineyard and are able to see the river and all it's glory. On the particular day that I went, it was a bit chilly and windy so the cable cars were a bit shaky but nothing too concerning. This place is great. Just getting up to the monument is exciting, but once you're there is truly beautiful. The history behind it is interesting as well. One day I will return to this location, but next time I will try to hike up to it instead.

Always a pleasure to visit the Niederwalkddenkmal. It´s view over the Rhein is simply stunning. Either you walk up or take one of the Cable Cars to get up there. Whatever you do take your time to take in the view and make sure to take lots of pictures!

It always makes me proud to come here, what a nice monument on top of the mountin, this seems like the Statue of Liberty for Germany, build to watch out over the river rhine and to protect us from the French.

The Niederwalddenkmal was constructed shortly after the end of the German-French War in order to remember the foundation of the new German Reich. It was developed by the sculptor Johannes Schilling and the architect Karl Weisbach.

The foundation stone was laid on September 16th, 1871, by Wilhelm Friedrich Ludwig (Kaiser Wilhelm der Große / Emperor William the Great). After six years of construction and costs of more than one million gold marks, the Niederwalddenkmal was finally inaugurated on September 28th, 1883. The monument measuring 38 meters is regarded as a symbol of the union of all German tribes.

The central figure of the monument is the 10.5 meters high and 32 tons heavy "Germania". In her right hand she is proudly holding the recovered crown of the emperor, with her left she leans self-confidentially on the sword of the empire. Data and emblems on the pedestal she is standing on tell from the time of the foundation of the empire. The largest relief shows emperor William I. on his horse amidst of sovereigns, army commanders and soldiers of all corps.

A very important, if not the most important, song of the time around 1870 was "Die Wacht am Rhein" ("The Watch on the Rhine") by Max Schneckenburger (1819-1849). Here you can learn more about this folk hymn.

I'm going to be honest. This is not the prettiest landmark and it's not the most interesting to visit if you don't know much about the history behind it. I would definitely try and avoid visiting on a gloomy day. Something to note is that you can climb up to an elevated part of the monument if you want to get a better view. What of, I have no idea.