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Tour tip Nahe
Tour tip Nahe
Always close by
Everyone knows the Rhine, Moselle and Saar. But have you ever heard of the Nahe? If not, then you should definitely plan a tour through the winding valley of the Nahe.
Ralf Schanze
05/04/1999
Upstream along the Nahe. It’s around 130 kilometers from Bingen, where the river joins the Rhine, to the source near Selbach. Always along the foothills of the Hunsruck, and often the road and river meander through a narrow valley in which steep cliffs rise threateningly to the right and left. When the valley becomes wider and sweeter, winemakers in the picturesque country use the slopes between the dense forests for their vines. Every now and then it is worthwhile to leave the road on the banks of the Nahe and disappear into the vineyards. On the steep passages you can meet groups of cyclists panting up the mountain. But the way is worth it. When looking through the vines from the hilltops, the river is often only vaguely recognizable, and from this perspective the small villages look like toy figures on a model railway. Back down by the river, you roll comfortably through these charming wine-growing villages. Past spruced up houses with their lavishly stocked flower boxes and innumerable rustic inns where the delicious drops of the local winegrowers are served. In Idar-Oberstein the rocks finally reach so close to the river that one was once forced to go directly to the church to chisel in the middle of the stone above the roofs of the city. Along the main street below there is one gem shop after the other. Idar-Oberstein has always been considered the Mecca for gemstone processing. Until the middle of the last century there were rich deposits of agate here, and the water of the Nahe drove the mills of the countless grinding shops. In the meantime, most of the stones, which are more or less artfully presented in the shop windows below the Felsenkirche, come from Brazil. On a section of the “German Gemstone Road” you finally continue through the Saar / Hunsruck Nature Park in the direction of Nohfelden, to come across the Nahe source near Selbach: In a dark wooded area a trickle splashes between a few stones that hardly reminds of the river that one has followed from the mouth on the Rhine to this point.
The distance
Route length: around 180 kilometers Travel time: one day Refueling: Possible anywhere along the route. At the weekend, however, the small village petrol stations are sometimes closed. Route profile: Curvy country roads through a sometimes narrow river valley. Often steep passages in the vineyards. Coffee breaks: In Idar-Oberstein and Bingen many cafes with a view of the Nahe. Swimming: At the Bostalsee near the Nahe source. Worth seeing: castles along the route, the German Gemstone Museum in Idar- Oberstein and the former Schmittenstollen mine in Bad Munster.
Info
A tour along the Nahe is not only worthwhile because of the attractive route, but is also a recommendable alternative if the roads on the Rhine and Moselle are too crowded on weekends. A detour to the nearby Hunsruck is also worthwhile. The practical ACTION TEAM road book is unfortunately not available for this route. But if you want to extend your tour to the north, you can use the 28-page Aral tour guide Taunus / Westerwald with overnight tips and map excerpts for 9.90 marks plus shipping costs (five marks). Can be ordered from Motor Presse special sales by calling 0711 / 182-1229.
Arrival: If you want to start the tour along the Nahe an der Quelle, head for the Birkenfeld exit on the A1. If, on the other hand, you want to follow the river from the mouth to the source, it is best to take the A61 to one of the exits around Bingen.Overnight: There are hotels or guesthouses in every place along the route described. Here are some tips: Hotel Pension Kohl, Am Steiger 19, 55743 Idar-Oberstein, phone 06781/22511. One pays per person for the night including breakfast from 50 marks. A little more comfortable: Seehotel Weingartner, Bostalstrasse 12, 66625 Nohfelden, phone 06852/8850. The overnight stay including breakfast costs from 100 marks for one person. The Silencehotel Forellenhof, Rudolfshaus Reinhardsmuhle, 55606 Kirn, phone 06544/373 is located in the quiet Hahnenbachtal, where you have to calculate an overnight stay with breakfast for one person from 85 marks Idar-Oberstein, there are also numerous sights to discover outside of the motorcycle seat in the Naheland. A visit to Schloss Dhaun or Schloss Wartenstein near Kirn is worthwhile. The German Gemstone Museum in Idar-Oberstein, Hauptstrasse 118, also has interesting things to offer. Opening times from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., in summer until 6 p.m. Activities: The region around the Nahe has great recreational value. Mountain bikers, hiking or canoe fans will get their money’s worth here as well as motorcyclists and gourmets. On site you can contact Naheland Touristik GmbH (see below), which offers numerous leisure packages. Information: Information, brochures and room records are available from Naheland Touristik GmbH, Bahnhofstrasse 31, 55606 Kirn, phone 06752/2055, or from Hunsruck Touristik GmbH, Saarstrasse 9, 54424 Thalfang, phone 06504/914042, available. Literature: The HB-Bildatlas “Hunsruck, Naheland, Rheinhessen” offers a good overview of the region for 16.80 Marks. The now nine-year-old edition is still in the right mood for this region. Anyone who would like to find out more information can use the DuMont art guide »Hunsruck and Naheland. Discovery trips between the Moselle, Nahe, Saar and Rhine «for 44 marks. The Marco Polo general map sheet 5 on a scale of 1: 200000 is recommended to help you find your way. The anniversary edition with all twelve sheets currently costs only 19.80 marks.
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