Bacharach: Germany’s most beautiful towns: Rhineland palatinate

Bacharach: Germany’s most beautiful towns: Rhineland palatinate

This is Bakarak. At least I think that’s how it’s pronounced. From here, it looks a lot like Cohen. But like I mentioned in my previous videos, many of the towns in Rinland Palatini state in Germany, they do share similar charm. A castle on the hill, a church in the center, half-timbered houses, cobblestone streets, and a river flowing alongside it. And the river in Bakarak is the Ryan River. If you’re new here, welcome. I’m on a tour through Germany, mainly in the Rland Palatinati region. I’m exploring beautiful towns like this one. Now, out of the other small Rhineland towns I visited, this one seemed to be the most popular online when I was doing research and I was expecting it to be packed with tourists, but it was actually the most quiet out of all of them. So, this is out of Ben Castel Cruz, Bellstein, and Coim. I don’t know why that is, though. Another thing I’ve noticed is how unavoidable the churches are. No matter where you are in the town, you can usually spot the church. It’s often thanks to its toire. And that’s not even a coincidence because historically it was either law or tradition in many towns that no building could be taller than the church except for the castle. Basically, castles were built high up on a hill for defense purposes because it’s harder to attack uphill for enemies. So even though the castle overlooks the town, it’s often the church that dominates the skyline from within. The towns might have had several churches, but the one that usually dominated the skyline was the parish church. In bigger cities, you’d typically see a cathedral instead. So like the Colon Cathedral. At the end of the day, they’re all churches, but the difference is that a cathedral is led by a bishop while a parish is led by a parish priest. And yes, most of these dominant churches in Rland Palatin, if not all of them, were originally Catholic. Here I was walking up to the Venera Chapel. It’s a short climb from St. Peter’s Church which is the main church that dominates Bakarak. The Vena Chapel has stood in ruin since 17th century. It was dedicated to St. Vana of Oba Vessel, a local boy whose death in 1287 was falsely blamed on the Jewish community. The first accusations sparked some anti-Jewish violence along the Rine. The chapel itself was heavily damaged during the 30 years war. This is 1618 to 1648 and during other later conflicts. Also, the chapel was never fully completed. Its construction stopped in the 14th century, possibly due to funding issues or shifting priorities. As I was walking through the streets, I also came across St. Joseph’s Church. It kind of blends in from the outside compared to St. Peter’s Church, but it’s not that far from St. Peter’s Church. Basically, St. Peter was originally Catholic, then it turned to Protestant and St. Joseph’s Church was built to serve the Catholic community. The church here is the St. Peter’s Church. I couldn’t record inside it because there was a caution sign on the door. I wasn’t sure what it meant since it was in German, so I decided not to record inside it. Now, about how the town looks overall, I get it. It might look like I’m just visiting the same town over and over again because they all look alike. They do have a similar layout, but trust me, each town has its own character and unique history. This one, as I said, is very quiet, but I think this town is the most easily accessible compared to the others I went to because you can actually get direct trains to Frankfurt. So, it’s very doable as a day trip from Frankfurt, whereas the other towns are quite remote, especially Bencastto cuz it doesn’t even have a train station. So if you plan on like let’s say going around this region by train, it’s very hard to get to towns like Ben Castru. Whereas like this one, it’s just a direct train and that’s it. I mean, they’re all quite easy to reach if you’re traveling by river cruises or fairies since they’re all located along the major rivers like the Rine and the Mosel. But when it comes to trend connections, Bakarak definitely has the best access. If you’re interested in learning about the unique history of each town, I honestly think they’re all worth a visit. But if you just want to experience what it’s like to walk through a town that looks like a story book and without the crowds, then I think this one is perfect. On the other hand, if you enjoy a livelier atmosphere with more activities, I think Co and Bellstein are great. And if you’re after that classic fairy tale vibe, I think Ben Castle will be the best option for you. There are a few activities you can do in this town, but before jumping into a checklist of things to see, I really recommend just walking around and fully exploring it. You just never know what you might discover. Some things I might have missed, you might notice. Every visitor sees the town like, you know, a little differently. So, it’s best just to fully explore it on your own as well instead of just like ticking off things on the checklist. Another thing you can do here is visit the castle up on the hill. It’s called B Star Dalek. I do apologize if I’m butchering the pronunciation. You can hike up there from the town center. It takes about 10 to 15 minutes. Honestly, I didn’t have the energy to do it myself this time, but if you have a car with you, you can always drive up. Just keep in mind that the parking is quite limited. So, once you hike up there, you can find the castle courtyard, a cafe or restaurant. You also get to see a panoramic view of the town. I enjoyed panoramic views from the Vena Chapel and even from down in the town. I do wish there was a cable car up to the castle though. That would have made things so much easier since I’m not much of a hiker. Another thing you could do in this town is wine tasting. This region Rinland Palatinate is known for its wine and um the most famous wine is grazling. When you walk around the town, you will see a lot of grape vines on a lot of the buildings and also actual vineyards. So, if you love wine, you will have a great time here. They do also have seasonal events like the wine festivals. So, if you want to see one of these events, you could always plan your trip around it. With the wine festivals, you will have more access to try out different types of wines in this region. I’ve been to one of these wine festivals before in Luxembourg. I highly recommend it. Even if you don’t care about wine, trust me, it’s worth it. One thing that stood out to me in this town is the Gate Tower. I have no clue on how to pronounce it, so I’ll leave the name in the subtitles. It was originally built as part of Bakarak’s medieval city wall. And um it served as a defensive watchtower and gateway controlling access to the town from the Ryan River. It played an important role in protecting trade, collecting customs, and monitoring river traffic. I’m not exactly sure, but I think this holo street is part of the medieval war. If anybody has more information on this, please let me know in the comments down below. When it comes to the actual gate, it’s now used as a hotel and restaurant. And of course, on this street, you can also find restaurants and shops. Most places in the whole town appear to be closed, though. I went on a Saturday, but it felt more like a Sunday. Another thing I found really interesting is that the train tracks run directly alongside the street. It’s such a unique site in such a small town like this. When I was on my way to Bakarak on the train, I saw this other castle. I didn’t even know anything about it. And I’m sorry again, I won’t even attempt to pronounce it. I will leave the name in the subtitles though. To get to the castle from Bakarak, it’s a bus away. It’s just one stop and it was about €250 for a single journey. The bus would drop you off near where you can get the ferry. Basically, the castle is in the middle of the river. So, you need to get a ferry to cross over to the opposite side. The boat rides to the castle are from the opposite side. So, the ferry will take you to the side where you can get the boat to the castle. So, yeah, I got the ferry. You can also use the ferry to transfer your car. You can also park near the bus stop. They have some parking spaces there. I just walked up to the ferry, so you don’t need to book in advance. You pay according to what you have with you. It was just me, so I paid like €5 something for a return ticket. Then I got on the boat to the castle. It’s €7 for return. And this also includes the entrance fee to the castle. It was such a pleasant surprise to find a little beach trying to the castle. I don’t think he actually gets any more authority than this. And uh as grim as this looks, the castle’s history is actually quite serious. This was actually a claw fortress. Its main purpose was not defense against invading armies or to house royalty. It was designed to collect claws from passing ships. It worked in conjunction with the Gutenfells Castle. It was the castle on the hillside and um this is in the town of is it Calb or Cobb? I’m not sure how you pronounce it. So the ships that didn’t pay, they were stopped by chain and stretched across the river and the crew could be jailed inside the castle until they paid. So yeah, essentially it was a medieval revenue enforcement station, not a romantic retreat. Basically there were no princesses or princes or any kind of royalty in here. It was just some guards, prisoners, and some to collectors. After the castle, I went back to Bakarak and I got on the train. And I have to say, Germans are so entertaining, especially on the long distance trains. There’s always something happening and it’s usually so entertaining. [Music] Yeah.

Bacharach a town that looks like a storybook has come to life, walking along the Rhine river and the town