The Rheingau (; ) is a region on the northern side of the

Rhine ), Surselva, Graubünden, Switzerland , source1_coordinates= , source1_elevation = , source2 = Rein Posteriur/Hinterrhein , source2_location = Paradies Glacier, Graubünden, Switzerland , source2_coordinates= , source ...

between the German towns of

Wiesbaden Wiesbaden () is a city in central western Germany and the capital of the state of Hesse. , it had 290,955 inhabitants, plus approximately 21,000 United States citizens (mostly associated with the United States Army). The Wiesbaden urban area ...

and Lorch near

Frankfurt Frankfurt, officially Frankfurt am Main (; Hessian: , " Frank ford on the Main"), is the most populous city in the German state of Hesse. Its 791,000 inhabitants as of 2022 make it the fifth-most populous city in Germany. Located on it ...

, reaching from the Western

Taunus The Taunus is a mountain range in Hesse, Germany, located north of Frankfurt. The tallest peak in the range is '' Großer Feldberg'' at 878 m; other notable peaks are '' Kleiner Feldberg'' (825 m) and '' Altkönig'' (798 m). The Taunus range spa ...

to the Rhine. It is situated in the German state of

Hesse Hesse (, , ) or Hessia (, ; german: Hessen ), officially the State of Hessen (german: links=no, Land Hessen), is a state in Germany. Its capital city is Wiesbaden, and the largest urban area is Frankfurt. Two other major historic cities are ...

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 Francia, also called the Kingdom of the Franks ( la, Regnum Francorum), Frankish Kingdom, Frankland or Frankish Empire ( la, Imperium Francorum), was the largest post-Roman barbarian kingdom in Western Europe. It was ruled by the Franks dur ...

, 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).Rheingraf
at '' Meyers Konversationslexikon'', 1888 In 983, Otto II, Holy Roman Emperor, gave the Rheingau, together with other territories, to the

Archbishopric of Mainz The Electorate of Mainz (german: Kurfürstentum Mainz or ', la, Electoratus Moguntinus), previously known in English as Mentz and by its French name Mayence, was one of the most prestigious and influential states of the Holy Roman Empire. In t ...

during the Diet of

Verona Verona ( , ; vec, Verona or ) is a city on the Adige River in Veneto, Italy, with 258,031 inhabitants. It is one of the seven provincial capitals of the region. It is the largest city municipality in the region and the second largest in nor ...

. 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 John V may refer to: * Patriarch John V of Alexandria or John the Merciful (died by 620), Patriarch of Alexandria from 606 to 616 * John V of Constantinople, Patriarch from 669 to 675 * Pope John V (685–686), Pope from 685 to his death in 686 * ...

(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 Alsace (, ; ; Low Alemannic German/ gsw-FR, Elsàss ; german: Elsass ; la, Alsatia) is a cultural region and a territorial collectivity in eastern France, on the west bank of the upper Rhine next to Germany and Switzerland. In 2020, it had ...

) 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".

Gallery

Image:Assmannshausen Hoellenberg.jpg , Rheingau valley with the

Image:Burg-Rheinberg-JR-G6-2607-2008-08-17.jpg , Rheinberg castle

keep A keep (from the Middle English ''kype'') is a type of fortified tower built within castles during the Middle Ages by European nobility. Scholars have debated the scope of the word ''keep'', but usually consider it to refer to large towers in c ...

ruins, near Lorch Image:RheinPanoNiederwaldD501m.jpg, View from the Niederwald-Monument into the Rheingau Image:2010-05-16 Schloss Vollrads.jpg, Schloss Vollrads near Oestrich-Winkel Image:Drosselgasse1.jpg, The Drosselgasse in Ruedesheim File:Biedermeier-Pärchen und Kurfürstliche Burg Eltville.jpg, Electoral castle in Eltville File:Rheingauer Dom, Geisenheim, Northwest view 20140916 1.jpg, The

Rheingauer Dom is the colloquial name for the Catholic parish church in Geisenheim, Germany. Officially (Holy Cross), the large church in the Rheingau region is called ''Dom'' although it was never a bishop's seat. The present building was begun in the 16th ce ...

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

External links

German wine regions: Rheingau
{{coord missing, Hesse 1866 disestablishments States and territories established in the 930s Former states and territories of Hesse Carolingian counties Upper Rhine