The Bingen Forest (german: Binger Wald) is part of the

Hunsrück The Hunsrück () is a long, triangular, pronounced upland in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is bounded by the valleys of the Moselle-Saar (north-to-west), the Nahe (south), and the Rhine (east). It is continued by the Taunus mountains, past ...

, a low mountain range in the

Central Uplands The Central UplandsDickinson (1964), p.18 ff. (german: die MittelgebirgeN.B. In German die ''Mittelgebirge'' (plural) refers to the Central Uplands; das ''Mittelgebirge'' refers to a low mountain range or upland region (''Mittel'' = "medium" and ...

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

. It is up to and is located in the state of

Rhineland-Palatinate Rhineland-Palatinate ( , ; german: link=no, Rheinland-Pfalz ; lb, Rheinland-Pfalz ; pfl, Rhoilond-Palz) is a western state of Germany. It covers and has about 4.05 million residents. It is the ninth largest and sixth most populous of the ...

Location

The landscape of the Bingen Forest lies on the boundary of the counties of

Mainz-Bingen Mainz-Bingen is a district (''Kreis'') in the east of Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. Neighboring districts are (from north clockwise) Rheingau-Taunus, the district-free cities Wiesbaden and Mainz, the districts Groß-Gerau, Alzey-Worms, Bad Kreuzna ...

(north to southeast),

Bad Kreuznach Bad Kreuznach () is a town in the Bad Kreuznach district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is a spa town, most well known for its medieval bridge dating from around 1300, the Alte Nahebrücke, which is one of the few remaining bridges in th ...

(south) and

Rhein-Hunsrück-Kreis Rhein-Hunsrück-Kreis is a district (german: Kreis) in the middle of Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. The neighbouring districts are (from north clockwise) Mayen-Koblenz, Rhein-Lahn, Mainz-Bingen, Bad Kreuznach, Birkenfeld, Bernkastel-Wittlich, Coc ...

(west). It is located between the northeastern end of the

main ridge (northwest), the

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

valley (north and northeast), behind which the

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 spans ...

rises, the

Rhine Knee The Rhine knee or Rhine's knee (german: Rheinknie) is the name of several distinctive bends in the course of the river Rhine. Basel In Basel, the Rhine changes its westerly direction of flow in an angle of 90 degrees to a northerly direction, alo ...

near Bingen (east) and the

Soonwald The Soonwald is a forested, low mountain region, up to , which forms part of the Hunsrück mountains in the German Central Uplands. It lies within the counties of Rhein-Hunsrück-Kreis and Bad Kreuznach in the state of Rhineland-Palatinate. Geo ...

(southwest).

Flora

The

flora Flora is all the plant life present in a particular region or time, generally the naturally occurring (indigenous) native plants. Sometimes bacteria and fungi are also referred to as flora, as in the terms '' gut flora'' or '' skin flora''. E ...

of the densely wooded Bingen Forest, about 40% of which consists of

oak An oak is a tree or shrub in the genus ''Quercus'' (; Latin "oak tree") of the beech family, Fagaceae. There are approximately 500 extant species of oaks. The common name "oak" also appears in the names of species in related genera, notably ''L ...

but otherwise is a

mixed forest Temperate broadleaf and mixed forest is a temperate climate terrestrial habitat type defined by the World Wide Fund for Nature, with broadleaf tree ecoregions, and with conifer and broadleaf tree mixed coniferous forest ecoregions. These for ...

, covers an area of around 7,000

hectare The hectare (; SI symbol: ha) is a non-SI metric unit of area equal to a square with 100-metre sides (1 hm2), or 10,000 m2, and is primarily used in the measurement of land. There are 100 hectares in one square kilometre. An acre is a ...

s, most of which comprises a contiguous area of woodland.

History

Barrows such as that southeast of

Dichtelbach Dichtelbach is an ''Ortsgemeinde'' – a Municipalities of Germany, municipality belonging to a ''Verbandsgemeinde'', a kind of collective municipality – in the Rhein-Hunsrück-Kreis (Districts of Germany, district) in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germ ...

castle A castle is a type of fortified structure built during the Middle Ages predominantly by the nobility or royalty and by military orders. Scholars debate the scope of the word ''castle'', but usually consider it to be the private fortified r ...

s and the present-day settlements and

village A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town (although the word is often used to describe both hamlets and smaller towns), with a population typically ranging from a few hundred to ...

s are evidence that the Bingen Forest and its surrounding area have been settled for a long time. From Roman times the remains of the Villa Rustica have survived as well as parts of a building near the forestry lodge of Forsthaus Lauschhütte. The

Ausonius Decimius Magnus Ausonius (; – c. 395) was a Roman poet and teacher of rhetoric from Burdigala in Aquitaine, modern Bordeaux, France. For a time he was tutor to the future emperor Gratian, who afterwards bestowed the consulship on him. H ...

Way runs through the Bingen Forest, which was used as a military link between Bingen and

Trier Trier ( , ; lb, Tréier ), formerly known in English as Trèves ( ;) and Triers (see also names in other languages), is a city on the banks of the Moselle in Germany. It lies in a valley between low vine-covered hills of red sandstone in the ...

. During the

Cold War The Cold War is a term commonly used to refer to a period of geopolitical tension between the United States and the Soviet Union and their respective allies, the Western Bloc and the Eastern Bloc. The term '' cold war'' is used because the ...

there was a radar station on the

Kandrich The Kandrich, at , is the highest mountain in the Bingen Forest. It is near Daxweiler in the county of Bad Kreuznach in the German state of Rhineland-Palatinate. Geography The Kandrich lies in the northern tip of the county of Bad Kreuznach a ...

for a Nike Hercules Rocket unit based near Dichtelbach. In 1982 this weapon system was replaced by Patriot air defence rockets, which were then based at the Kandrich in newly built positions. These positions have largely been returned to nature – only earth ramparts are still visible. On the former Patriot rocket station there are now three wind generators. Kandrich3 enercon e-70

Hills and uplands

The highest mountain in the Bingen Forest is the

(638.6 m), and its lowest point lies in the

valley near

Niederheimbach Niederheimbach () is an ''Ortsgemeinde'' – a municipality belonging to a ''Verbandsgemeinde'', a kind of collective municipality – in the Mainz-Bingen district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. The winegrowing centre belongs to the ''Verbands ...

(80 m). Amongst its highest points are the following (with heights in

metre The metre (British spelling) or meter (American spelling; see spelling differences) (from the French unit , from the Greek noun , "measure"), symbol m, is the primary unit of length in the International System of Units (SI), though its pref ...

s (m) above sea level (NN): *

(638.6 m) – with

wind generator A wind turbine is a device that converts the kinetic energy of wind into electrical energy. Hundreds of thousands of large turbines, in installations known as wind farms, now generate over 650 gigawatts of power, with 60 GW added each year. Wi ...

s * Salzkopf (627.6 m) – with the Salzkopf Tower, a 24 metre high

observation tower An observation tower is a structure used to view events from a long distance and to create a full 360 degree range of vision to conduct long distance observations. Observation towers are usually at least tall and are made from stone, iron, an ...

* Franzosenkopf (617.3 m) * Auerhahnkopf (574.1 m) * Druidenberg (384.7 m)

Rivers and streams

The following rivers and streams rise in, or flow through, the Bingen Forest or its perimeter: * Guldenbach – tributary of the Nahe, in the southwest and south *

– river running to the

North Sea The North Sea lies between Great Britain, Norway, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands and Belgium. An epeiric sea on the European continental shelf, it connects to the Atlantic Ocean through the English Channel in the south and the Norwegian S ...

, in the east and northeast * Morgenbach – rises in the eastern Salzkopf area, flows eastwards and empties into the Rhine near Reichenstein Castle

Settlements

The settlements surrounding the Bingen Forest are: *

Bacharach Bacharach (, also known as ''Bacharach am Rhein'') is a town in the Mainz-Bingen district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It belongs to the ''Verbandsgemeinde'' of Rhein-Nahe, whose seat is in Bingen am Rhein, although that town is not withi ...

– in the Rhine valley, some way beyond the northern edge of the forest *

Trechtingshausen Trechtingshausen (formerly also ''Trechtlingshausen'') is an ''Ortsgemeinde'' – a municipality belonging to a ''Verbandsgemeinde'', a kind of collective municipality – in the Mainz-Bingen district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. The winegro ...

– in the Rhine valley, on the northeastern edge * Bingen – on the eastern edge * Weiler – on the south-southeastern edge *

Waldalgesheim Waldalgesheim is an ''Ortsgemeinde'' – a municipality belonging to a ''Verbandsgemeinde'', a kind of collective municipality – in the Mainz-Bingen district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is best known as the site of the Iron Age Waldalg ...

– on the southeastern edge * Stromberg – on the southern edge *

Seibersbach Seibersbach is a municipality in the district of Bad Kreuznach in Rhineland-Palatinate, in western Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country ...

– on the southwestern edge, near the transition to the

Rheinböllen Rheinböllen is a town in the Rhein-Hunsrück-Kreis (district) in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It belongs to the ''Verbandsgemeinde'' Simmern-Rheinböllen, whose seat is in Simmern. It was the seat of the former ''Verbandsgemeinde'' Rheinböl ...

– on the western edge *

Daxweiler Daxweiler is an ''Ortsgemeinde'' – a municipality belonging to a ''Verbandsgemeinde'', a kind of collective municipality – in the Bad Kreuznach district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It belongs to the ''Verbandsgemeinde'' Langenlonsheim-S ...

– on the southwestern edge

Tourism

A section of the

E8 European long distance path The E8 European long distance path or E8 path is one of the European long-distance paths, leading 4,700 km (2,920 miles) across Europe, from Cork in Ireland to Bulgaria. Route After Ireland it crosses the Irish Sea into Wales and then in ...

and the Bingen Forest Nature Trail run through the Bingen Forest, along its main crest. Other sights and geographical destinations are: Germany Bingerwald Blick Salzkopf

* Hohneck Castle – above the Rhine valley * Reichenstein Castle – above the Rhine valley * Rheinstein Castle – above the Rhine valley * Sooneck Castle – above the Rhine valley * Rock formations in the Morgenbach valley and near

Bingerbrück Bingerbrück () is a ''Stadtteil'' of Bingen am Rhein, on the opposite side of the river Nahe from the old town of Bingen. It was self-administering until 1969. Points of interest Binger Mäuseturm "The Mouse Tower of Bingen" - a customs tower ...

incl. a

climbing garden In German, a Klettergarten, literally a "climbing garden", is a climbing centre, i.e. a facility containing a climbing wall A climbing wall is an artificially constructed wall with grips for hands and feet, usually used for indoor climbing, b ...

with protected tours * Hunsrück Wildlife Park – somewhat to the northwest of the Bingen Forest * Salzkopf Tower – a 24 metre high

– on the Salzkopf (628 m) * Former Waldalgesheim show mine – southeast of the Bingen Forest * Siebenburgenblick – observation tower northwest of Sooneck Castle with views over part of the

Middle Rhine Between Bingen and Bonn, Germany, the river Rhine flows as the Middle Rhine (german: Mittelrhein) through the Rhine Gorge, a formation created by erosion, which happened at about the same rate as an uplift in the region, leaving the river at ...

valley and 7 castles * Villa Rustica – a Roman manor house above the Rhine valley * Forest inns (Forsthaus Lauschhütte, Gerhardshof, Schweizerhaus, Jägerhaus, Forsthaus Heiligkreuz, Forsthaus Emmerichshütte) * Lauschhütte Climbing Wood – A high rope garden with ca. 50 climbing elements, which is integrated into the trees. The climbing wood comprises several routes of varying difficulties and heights. * Steckeschläfer Klamm – a gorge near the Jägerhaus with 66 faces cut into the trees

Transport

The Bingen Forest may be reached, for example, by roads branching off from the A 61 motorway (junctions

and

Waldlaubersheim Waldlaubersheim is a municipality in the district of Bad Kreuznach in Rhineland-Palatinate, in western Germany. As of the census of population in 2020 it had a total population of 801. Waldlaubersheim's postal code is 55444. Geography and climat ...

), which lies to the southwest and south, running along the edge of the forest opposite the

. In addition, Bingen Forest may be accessed via the A 9 which runs in a northwest-southeast direction through the

valley from

Koblenz Koblenz (; Moselle Franconian language, Moselle Franconian: ''Kowelenz''), spelled Coblenz before 1926, is a German city on the banks of the Rhine and the Moselle, a multi-nation tributary. Koblenz was established as a Roman Empire, Roman mili ...

to Bingen. Railway lines run on either side - for example, along the B 9 - through the Rhine valley (north) and the valley of the Guldenbach (south). The latter is currently closed; however it is to be re-opened in the near future because of the Frankfurt-Hahn Airport which is located southwest of the Bingen Forest and roughly west of Kirchberg between Hahn and

Lautzenhausen Lautzenhausen is an ''Ortsgemeinde'' – a municipality belonging to a ''Verbandsgemeinde'', a kind of collective municipality – in the Rhein-Hunsrück-Kreis (district) in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It belongs to the ''Verbandsgemeinde'' of ...

Literature

* Uwe Anhäuser: ''The Ausoniusstraße von Bingen über den Hunsrück nach Trier.'' Ein archäologischer Reise- and Wanderführer. Rhein-Mosel-Verlag, Alf/ Mosel 2006,

References

External links

Bingen Forest geo-information portal with interactive map
{{coord missing, Rhineland-Palatinate Central Uplands Mountain ranges of Rhineland-Palatinate Climbing areas Mainz-Bingen Rhein-Hunsrück-Kreis Forests and woodlands of Rhineland-Palatinate Natural regions of the Hunsrück