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Rhenish Hesse or Rhine HesseDickinson, Robert E (1964). ''Germany: A regional and economic geography'' (2nd ed.). London: Methuen, p. 542. . (german: Rheinhessen) is a region and a former government district () in the German state of Rhineland-Palatinate. It is made up of territories west of the Upper Rhine river that were part of the
Grand Duchy of Hesse The Grand Duchy of Hesse and by Rhine (german: link=no, Großherzogtum Hessen und bei Rhein) was a grand duchy in western Germany that existed from 1806 to 1918. The Grand Duchy originally formed from the Landgraviate of Hesse-Darmstadt in 1806 ...
and its successor in the Weimar Republic, the People's State of Hesse from 1816 to 1945. The hilly countryside is largely devoted to vineyards, comprising the Rheinhessen wine region.


Geography

Rhine Hesse stretches from the Upper Rhine Plain on the west bank of the Rhine up to the Nahe and
Alsenz Alsenz () is a municipality in the Donnersbergkreis district, in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. Alsenz has an area of 12.88 km2 and a population of 1,647 (as of December 31, 2020). Culture and sights In the centre of the village is the Re ...
rivers in the west and down to the mouth of the
Isenach The Isenach is a left tributary of the Rhine in the northeastern Palatine region of Rhineland-Palatinate. It is nearly long. Course The Isenach rises in the northern Palatinate Forest, southwest of Carlsberg Hertlingshausen. Its source in ...
in the south. The region borders on the Rhineland in the northwest, on the Palatinate in the southwest, and on South Hesse beyond the Rhine. The Rhenish-Hessian Hills along the Selz river, also called the "land of the thousand hills", reach up to at the summit of the Kappelberg and about in Rhenish-Hessian Switzerland. The
Mainz Basin The Mainz Basin (german: Mainzer Becken) or Rhine-Main BasinElkins, T H (1972). ''Germany'' (3rd ed.). London: Chatto & Windus, 1972, p. 218. . is the name given to a Cenozoic marine basin that covered the area of the present-day region of Rhenish ...
, a
Cenozoic The Cenozoic ( ; ) is Earth's current geological era, representing the last 66million years of Earth's history. It is characterised by the dominance of mammals, birds and flowering plants, a cooling and drying climate, and the current configura ...
marine basin Marine is an adjective meaning of or pertaining to the sea or ocean. Marine or marines may refer to: Ocean * Maritime (disambiguation) * Marine art * Marine biology * Marine debris * Marine habitats * Marine life * Marine pollution Military * ...
, covered the area about 38 to 12 million years ago. The landscape is characterised by large
Loess Loess (, ; from german: Löss ) is a clastic, predominantly silt-sized sediment that is formed by the accumulation of wind-blown dust. Ten percent of Earth's land area is covered by loess or similar deposits. Loess is a periglacial or aeolian ...
and
Marl Marl is an earthy material rich in carbonate minerals, clays, and silt. When hardened into rock, this becomes marlstone. It is formed in marine or freshwater environments, often through the activities of algae. Marl makes up the lower part o ...
deposits. Due to the favourable climatic conditions of Rhenish Hesse, agriculture covers most of the region. As 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 ...
and Taunus ranges protect it from cold winds, wine and fruit production is practised on a large scale. The region comprises the cities of Mainz – the Rhineland-Palatinate capital – and Worms, surrounded by the administrative districts of Mainz-Bingen and Alzey-Worms. Other towns include Bingen,
Alzey Alzey () is a ''Verband''-free town – one belonging to no ''Verbandsgemeinde'' – in the Alzey-Worms district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is the fifth-largest town in Rhenish Hesse, after Mainz, Worms, Germany, Worms, Ingelheim am Rhein ...
, Nieder-Olm, Ingelheim, Nierstein, Oppenheim, and Osthofen. Many inhabitants commute to work in Mainz or Wiesbaden and Frankfurt in the neighbouring state of Hesse.


History

The importance of the Rhine Hessian lands increased when they were allotted to King Louis the German by the 843 Treaty of Verdun. The region was part of the core territory of Rhenish Franconia. It comprised the Imperial Cathedrals of Worms and Mainz which were erected in the High Middle Ages. The
Worms Synagogue The Worms Synagogue, also known as Rashi Shul, is an 11th-century synagogue located in Worms, Germany. Situated in the northern part of the city center, the synagogue is one of the oldest in Germany. Because of its historical importance and its te ...
and the
Jewish Cemetery A Jewish cemetery ( he, בית עלמין ''beit almin'' or ''beit kvarot'') is a cemetery where Jews are buried in keeping with Jewish tradition. Cemeteries are referred to in several different ways in Hebrew, including ''beit kevarot'' ...
count among the oldest in Europe. Devastated by the Thirty Years' War, the area became a patchwork of possessions of the Catholic Electorate of Mainz and the Prince-Bishopric of Worms as well as of the Protestant Electoral Palatinate. Rhine Hesse was occupied by the
First French Republic In the history of France, the First Republic (french: Première République), sometimes referred to in historiography as Revolutionary France, and officially the French Republic (french: République française), was founded on 21 September 1792 ...
in 1792, during the War of the First Coalition. At the Congress of Vienna in 1814–15, Grand Duke
Louis I of Hesse Louis I of Hesse (german: Ludwig) (6 February 1402 - 17 January 1458), called "the Peaceful", was Landgrave of Lower Hesse (Hesse) from 1413 to 1458. He was born at Spangenberg, the son of Hermann II, Landgrave of Hesse and Margaret, the daug ...
was obliged to give up his Westphalian territories. In compensation, he received the district on the left bank of the Rhine. Because of this addition, he amended his title to ''Grand Duke of Hesse and by Rhine'' and the name of the region was created. In Allied-occupied Germany, the Rhine Hessian lands were incorporated as a district into the newly established state of Rhineland-Palatinate in 1946.


Cuisine

Each region has developed its own
cuisine A cuisine is a style of cooking characterized by distinctive ingredients, techniques and dishes, and usually associated with a specific culture or geographic region. Regional food preparation techniques, customs, and ingredients combine to ...
dependent on geography, climate, soils, seasons and wealth. These vary from plain home cooking with simple dishes to culinary specialities for festive occasions. Rhine Hesse also has a large number of specialities, with Weck, Worscht un Woi, not least through the
Mainz carnival The Mainz Carnival (''Mainzer Fastnacht'', ''"Määnzer Fassenacht" or "Meenzer Fassenacht"'') is a months-long citywide carnival celebration in Mainz, Germany that traditionally begins on 11 November but culminates in the days before Ash Wednesda ...
, has achieved supra-regional fame. * ''Backesbroode'' – a roast filled with potatoes and bacon * '' Backesgrumbeere'' – spiced potato casserole with bacon, wine and sour cream * '' Bremser'' or Bitzler – ''
Federweißer ''Federweisser'' (also ''Federweißer'' , from German ''Feder'', " feather", and ''weiß'', "white"; from the appearance of the suspended yeast, also known as ''Sturm'', from German ''Sturm'', ''storm'' in Austria), is an alcoholic beverage, typ ...
'' * '' Dibbehas'' – hare stew (''Dibbe''), with
hare Hares and jackrabbits are mammals belonging to the genus ''Lepus''. They are herbivores, and live solitarily or in pairs. They nest in slight depressions called forms, and their young are able to fend for themselves shortly after birth. The ge ...
(wild hare, rabbit), spices and optionally with wine * Asparagus (''Gemüsespargel'') * ''Hackesweck'' – bread roll with highly spiced '' Mett'' (minced pork) and onions * '' Handkäs'' with music – marinaded cheese, a ''Mainzer Roller'' marinaded in vinegar, oil and onions (''music'' because of the subsequent
flatulence Flatulence, in humans, is the expulsion of gas from the intestines via the anus, commonly referred to as farting. "Flatus" is the medical word for gas generated in the stomach or bowels. A proportion of intestinal gas may be swallowed environm ...
) * '' Kräppel'', fried dough for
Carnival Carnival is a Catholic Christian festive season that occurs before the liturgical season of Lent. The main events typically occur during February or early March, during the period historically known as Shrovetide (or Pre-Lent). Carnival typi ...
* '' Schales'' * '' Spundekäs'' – consists of fresh cheese, paprika, onions and other spices * '' Weck, Worscht un Woi'', well known Rhine Hessian snack * '' Weingelee'' (wine jelly) * ''Weinsuppe'' (wine soup) * '' Wingertsimbs'' – typical vineyard snack * '' Wingertsknorze'' – rye bread roll with bacon and onions * ''Woihinkelsche'', originally from the Alsace ( coq au vin à l’alsacienne), but must include chicken and white wine; not to be confused with the ''
Weinhähnchen ''Oecanthus pellucens'', common name Italian tree cricket, is a species of tree crickets belonging to the family Gryllidae, subfamily Oecanthinae. Subspecies Subspecies include: * ''Oecanthus pellucens calinensis'' Jannone, 1936 * ''Oecant ...
'', an insect * ''Zwiwwelkuche'' –
Zwiebelkuchen Zwiebelkuchen (German for "onion cake") is a savory German onion cake made of steamed onions, diced bacon, cream, and caraway seeds on either a yeast or leavened dough. See also * Flammkuchen Similar Alsatian and South-Western German dish * List ...


Wine growing

Rhine Hesse is the largest of 13 regions producing German wine. Outside Germany, it is best known as the home of Liebfraumilch. Most is made from white varieties such as Riesling, Silvaner,
Müller-Thurgau Müller-Thurgau is a white grape variety (sp. ''Vitis vinifera'') which was created by Hermann Müller from the Swiss Canton of Thurgau in 1882 at the Geisenheim Grape Breeding Institute in Germany. It is a crossing of Riesling with Madeleine R ...
, Kerner, and Scheurebe. The best-known white wine area is the Rhine Terrace near Oppenheim and Nierstein. Some red varieties are grown, particularly around Ingelheim and Gundersheim, including
Pinot noir Pinot Noir () is a red-wine grape variety of the species ''Vitis vinifera''. The name may also refer to wines created predominantly from pinot noir grapes. The name is derived from the French language, French words for ''pine'' and ''black.' ...
,
Blauer Portugieser Blauer Portugieser is a red Austrian, Slovenian wine, Croatian wine and German wine grapeJ. Robinson (ed) ''"The Oxford Companion to Wine"'' Third Edition pg 542 Oxford University Press 2006 found primarily in the Rheinhessen, Pfalz and wine re ...
, Dornfelder, and the recently established Regent.


References


External links


Official website of Rhine Hesse, with information about wine, tourism, and culture
(in German)

(in German) {{Authority control Former states and territories of Rhineland-Palatinate Former states and territories of Hesse Grand Duchy of Hesse Former government regions of Germany