The Rheingau has a long cultural tradition and is famous today for its excellent wines and its vineyard landscape, in which romantic villages, castles and monasteries are embedded.
The possibilities of modern architecture to improve wineries and towns in general have so far only been used sparingly. You can find examples worth seeing in the Rheingau with our architectural tours.
One of them is the state winery Domain Steinberg. The delicate concrete architecture harmonizes with the old walls and vineyards. From the terrace you have a wonderful view of the Rheingau. The enjoyment of the landscape benefits from the fact that a large part of the wine press was built underground. This led to controversial discussions in the planning phase.
The Georg Breuer winery in Rüdesheim is also worth a visit. This winery provides a pleasant counterpoint for architecture lovers to the overflowing tourist decor in this traditional tourist destination. The sculptural roof and the delicate wooden facade of a warehouse add value to a crossroads. The balanced, puristic design in the wine shop is a delight.
Are you interested in the area and the destinations mentioned? We have put together suggestions for architectural tours under the keywords Architecture + Wine and Architecture + Hiking in the Rheingau, but we are also always happy to develop an individual route for our customers.
Tasting architecture + wine
An architectural tour as a half-day addition to a visit to Frankfurt, Wiesbaden or other sights in the Rhine-Main area. From Frankfurt, it takes about 45 minutes to get to the Rheingau. Various restaurants with wonderful panoramic views also invite you to eat there.
Architecture + wine + hiking
It's simple: you can hike or walk through the beautiful landscape and the winegrowers will give you small samples from their cellars. The routes and winegrowers are chosen in such a way that the modern architectural elements also make it an architectural tour.
A first tour suggestion: travel to Eltville, from there by public or rented bus to Eberbach Monastery. The impressive historical complex of this first Cistercian monastery in Germany has now been excellently renovated using modern elements. Theatrical gloom can still be found in the vaults of the wine press or wine cellar. This attracted the makers of the film "The Name of the Rose" to use this backdrop to shoot the interior shots. A tour of the monastery or an architectural tour of the Steinberg estate are possible or can be requested. Both are only 10 minutes' walk from each other. From there, the tour continues through vineyards to Hattenheim, where you can stop for short tastings at two wineries who also have something to offer in terms of architectural design in their premises. Either through the vineyards, along the Rhine or by public transport we reach Eltville, where the tour can be concluded with an aperitif in a wine shop worth seeing and then with dinner in a traditionally high-quality Eltville restaurant.
A second suggestion: travel to Geisenheim, take a look at the outside of the university buildings (the university teaches viticulture and landscape architecture, among other things) that were designed by Volker Staab and schneider + schumacher, walk through the vineyards to Rüdesheim with a view of the 'Campus Freistil', an innovative cross-generational housing project in which people with disabilities also live. In the center of Rüdesheim, things then become touristy. Some are warned, others may enjoy the traces of the 1950s wine bliss that can also be found here in many places. Thanks to tourist demand, there is a cable car to the Niederwald Monument. On the way there is a wonderful view, which can be enjoyed again in peace once you reach the top. There, remarkable for a tourist attraction in Germany, the attractive landscape planning and the award-winning architectural design of the modern restaurant pavilion are also a delight. (Grabowski Stork Architekten, Bierbaum Aichele Landschaftsplan)
At the end of the tour, there is a wine tasting at the Georg Breuer winery, which, in addition to an excellent selection of wines, also stands out for its wine shop and a storage building designed by Collective architects from Austria. This office has played a part in making Austrian wine regions a travel destination for architecture lovers. The design of the Georg Breuer winery not only created an architecturally attractive wine shop, but also managed to add design value to a street corner with a rather windowless commercial building.
For those who are more experienced runners and who are interested in enjoying the scenery, there are also longer routes available, for example from Eberbach Monastery to Johannisberg or from there via St Hildegard Abbey to Rüdesheim. Wine tastings are also available here.
- Duration: half day or full day
- Getting around: with sturdy shoes or hiking boots, intermediate transfer by public or rented bus
- Services: hiking-loving architect as a guide, tastings with explanations of the wine and the architecture of the vinotheque, dinner reservation on request
- Languages: German, English, Dutch
- Group size: 8-15 people
- Price: as the tour offers many possible variations, we will make you an offer when the concept program is ready
On request, we also offer a complementary wine seminar.
All this information only gives a rough overview. We would be happy to provide you with further information on the range of possibilities, and tailor the level of exertion of the hike as well as the rest of the program to your wishes.
project selection Eltville, Eberbach Monastery, Hattenheim
- Vinothek Kloster Eberbach, 2008 (Scheffler & Partner; Landscape architects Bernard and Sattler, Berlin)
- Hessian state winery Steinberg, 2008 (Friess + Moster Independent Architects, Neustadt; Landscape architecture: The landscape architects, Wiesbaden)
- Barth sparkling wine cellar Hattenheim, 2014 (Planning office i21)
- 'Kunstkeller' (art cellar) Hattenheim
- RheinSchänke Hattenheim 2018 (Bialucha Architects)
- Y Eltville, 2019 (Ghetto interior design) – Info clip on the Y from our cooperation partner 100 places
Project selection Östrich-Winkel, Geisenheim
- Probeckscher Hof - Rheingau-Taunus Culture and Tourism GmbH 2001 (smp Architekten)
- Conference venue Kloster Johannisberg, renovation 2023 (schneider + schumacher with office Weller Interior Design)
- Geisenheim University, Phytomedicine renovation 2012 (schneider + schumacher)
- Geisenheim University, FAG laboratory and institute building 2009 (Staab architects)
Project selection Rüdesheim
- Georg Breuer Winery 2021 (Architects Collective)
- Leitz Winery 2017 (Architects Collective)
- Niederwalddenkmal Visitor Center 2016 (Grabowski Spork with The landscape architects, Wiesbaden)
- Campus Freestyle 2020 (Waechter + Waechter)
Project selection of historical places
- Eberbach Monastery, 12th century
- Johannisberg Castle, 18th century
- Johannisberg basilica, 12th century - reconstruction after being destroyed in the war by Rudolf Schwarz
- Hattenheim village ensemble
- City ensemble Eltville
- City ensemble Oestrich
- Graues Haus, Winkel, 11th century
- Abbey of St Hildegard – Founded in the 12th century by Hildegard von Bingen, building from 1904
