Portrait of the Rheingau

The excellent architectural variety positively demands cultural events – and this demand is met. With a multitude of splendid events from all cultural sectors, Wiesbaden and the region have long made a name for themselves and are proud to count a large number of regular visitors among their guests. The Rheingau Music Festival with its consistently excellent programme has long become a tradition, is known beyond the boundaries of the region and is a permanent fixture in the event calendar of national and international music-lovers. The same goes for the International May Theatre Festival in Wiesbaden. And the Theatre Biennial also attracts attention.

The brilliantly coloured spectacle with the largest procession of ships in Europe has a long tradition and is the largest and oldest firework display in Germany. Every year bengal fireworks bathe the villages, castles and chateaux along the Rhine in romantic light and delight the spectators.

"A cultural landscape of great variety and beauty": these were the words with which UNESCO honoured the cultural landscape of the Upper Middle Rhine Valley, which was added to the list of World Heritage Sites in 2002. The World Heritage Site Upper Middle Rhine Valley, which is deemed the most prominent section of the river, was added to the list of World Heritage Sites to be representative for the whole of the Rhine.

The richness of the landscape and the varied cultural products are the reasons why this section of river, in which excellent monuments are to be found in numbers and densities not seen in any other European cultural landscape, is so fascinating. No wonder then that the epitome of the “romantic Rhine” has inspired not only writers but also musicians and painters to world-famous works.