Rheingau

County of the Rhine district, The Rhinegraviate
Grafschaft der Rheingau, Rheingrafschaft
State of the Frankish Empire State of the Holy Roman Empire
937–1866
The Rheingau shown on a 1905 map of Hesse-Nassau
Capital		Rheingrafenstein in Kreuznach; later Eltville
Government		Principality
Historical era		Middle Ages
•	Established	ca 937 937
•	Donation of Verona:    given to Abp Mainz	983
•	Archbishopric dissolved;    to Duchy of Nassau	1806
•	Prussia annexes Nassau    into Hesse-Nassau	1866 1866
Preceded by Succeeded by Kingdom of the Franks Kingdom of Prussia

The Rheingau (literally "Rhine District") consists of the district on the Northern side of the Rhine between the German towns of Wiesbaden and Lorch near Frankfurt, reaching from the Western Taunus to the Rhine. It is situated in the German state of Hesse and is part of the Rheingau-Taunus-Kreis administrative district. It is famous for Rheingau wines, especially the "Rheingauer Riesling," and its many taverns.

History

The Rheingau was as a Gau or county of the Frankish Empire, bordered by the Niddagau, the Maingau, the Oberrheingau, and the Lahngau; the counts of the Rheingau were known as Rhinegraves. The first Rhinegrave on record is Hato VI (937–960).^[1]

In 983, Otto II, Holy Roman Emperor, gave the Rheingau, together with other territories, to the Archbishopric of Mainz during the Diet of Verona. When the Archbishopric was dissolved in 1806, the Rheingau was given to the Duchy of Nassau.

Following the marriage between John III (1383–1428) and Adelheid, scion of the Wildgraves of Kyrburg, John V (1476–95) inherited several territories in the Obersalm Wasgau, to the left of the Rhine (from the Nahegau, on the River Nahe and in the Alsace) from the Wildgraves and the counts of Salm, and these territories were also linked to their name, with the counts using the title "Wild- and Rhinegraves of Salm".^[1]

Gallery

• 
  Rheingau valley with the River Rhine
• 
  Rheinberg castle keep ruins, near Lorch
• 
  View from the Niederwald-Monument into the Rheingau
• 
  Schloss Vollrads near Oestrich-Winkel
• 
  The Drosselgasse in Ruedesheim
• 
  Electoral castle in Eltville
• 
  The Rheingauer Dom in Geisenheim

Events

• The Rheingau Musik Festival takes place every year in July and August in many locations throughout the region.
• The Rheingau Wine Festival takes place in Wiesbaden every year in August.
• Most towns celebrate their own annual wine festival.

References

1. (German) Rheingraf at Meyers Konversationslexikon, 1888

External links

• German wine regions: Rheingau