Dear people of Wiesbaden,

In June, we are celebrating 500 years of living wine-growing history on our Neroberg - with special wines, atmospheric events and many opportunities to experience, taste and celebrate the Neroberg. The festive kick-off event is on Wednesday, June 4, from 11 a.m. - on the Neroberg, of course.

Since November 25, 1525 - by decree of Count Philipp III of Nassau-Weilburg - the Neroberg has been used as a vineyard. Over the centuries, it has changed from a noble private estate to a royal domain and today belongs to the city of Wiesbaden. Since 2005, the Kloster Eberbach winery has managed the monopollage exclusively. The vineyard on the Neroberg is one of the few inner-city vineyards in Germany. Thanks to the unique terroir, Rieslings with a fine interplay of fruit aromas and elegant fruit acidity are produced here, some of which also exhibit floral and flowery notes. Today, the vineyard is considered a cultural monument and is under a preservation order.

There is evidence of viticulture in the Wiesbaden area as early as the 2nd century AD in the form of tool finds. The oldest vineyard in Wiesbaden is considered to be an area in Weidenbornfeld, north of today's southern cemetery, the yield of which was donated to St. Jacob's Monastery in Mainz in 1096. There is older documentary evidence for the Wiesbaden suburbs, such as the donation of a royal estate in Kostheim, which included vineyards, to St. Alban's Monastery in Mainz in 927. In 973, Emperor Otto II called vineyards in Schierstein his own. Otto II called vineyards in Schierstein his own. The Counts of Nassau have owned vineyards since 1369. The local noble families of Allendorf and the Knights of Groenesteyn also had their wines cultivated here. Bleidenstadt Monastery obtained wine for its abbot from its Schierstein estates. 120 winegrowers are mentioned here in 1570. Official documents repeatedly refer to viticulture in other places in the region, such as Biebrich in 991 and Kastel in 1090. In 1275, vineyards are mentioned in Dotzheim, where Eberbach Monastery and the Archbishop of Mainz owned extensive vineyards in the 14th century. Frauenstein first appears in documents in the 12th century. In addition to the Archbishop of Mainz, lower nobles and burghers also cultivated wine below the castle. Vineyards in Nordenstadt are mentioned in documents in 1263. Viticulture was discontinued there in the 1970s. Wiesbaden's districts, where today mostly only field or street names remind us of viticulture, were also planted with vines in ancient times. There were considerable vineyards in Breckenheim around 1500, from which the mass wine for the Bleidenstadt monastery came. An interest register from 1589 lists numerous vineyards in Biebrich. Vineyards in Erbenheim are first mentioned in the middle of the 16th century. Viticulture has been practiced in Delkenheim since 1290.

Today, only six of Wiesbaden's 26 districts still have a total of 239 hectares of officially recognized vineyards. Currently, 183 hectares are planted with vines. Almost half of this is in Kostheim (89 hectares). The districts of Frauenstein (51 hectares) and Schierstein (35 hectares) also still play an important role in Wiesbaden's viticulture. The current cultivation areas in Nordost (3.4 hectares), Dotzheim (3.3 hectares) and Delkenheim (1.6 hectares) are comparatively small.

In an average wine year, Wiesbaden's winegrowers bring 15,000 hectoliters into their cellars. Riesling dominates with a share of around 80 percent, followed at a considerable distance by Pinot Noir (around ten percent).

The Neroberg is one of Wiesbaden's most popular excursion destinations, regardless of the wine-growing. Once you reach the top of the Neroberg, you can enjoy a fantastic view down over the city. The 245-metre-high hill offers many leisure activities. One eye-catcher is the Monopteros, a small viewing temple in the style of the Italian Renaissance, which has conveyed a feeling of Mediterranean grandeur here for a good 170 years.

All information about the anniversary celebrations can be found here (opens in a new tab)!

Sincerely

Gert-Uwe Mende
Lord Mayor