My weekly ramble no. 31
On the last day of our 3-week Christmas visit at home, I finally got to take a short walk through my hometown, Monheim am Rhein. It was one of the few times, when it was still bright and did not rain. I walked about 2 miles in total and took some nice photographs of the town’s sights.
Monheim has more than 850 years of recorded history. It’s called city of Monheim am Rhein and the “Gänseliesel” is its mascot. The symbol of the Gänseliesel was born in the late 1700’s. A bailiff added a wrench with a goose to his seal. The index finger on her lips clarifies the Latin seal incription „Nocet esse locutum“ (chatter harms/secrecy should prevail in official affairs).
Monheim am Rhein is about 23 km² big and has a bit more than 40,000 residents. I grew up in the southern area of the town, but two years ago my parents decided to downsize and now they live in “downtown” Monheim. It was a very smart move, because they’re able to walk to all the stores, cafés and to the old town.
My favorite bookstore
I made the first stop at my favorite bookstore “Bücherstube Rossbach”, the city hall (Rathaus) and the “Doll Eck”. At this intersection the 5th season of Karneval is being commenced every year since 1973. I don’t know if it was just a thing for the holiday season, but many stores had a lit up “Gänseliesel” in their windows.
From there you can already see the renowned landmark of Monheim am Rhein:
Der Schelmenturm
This tower was built around 1400. It serves as a venue for various events and you also can get married there.
Next, I proceeded down Krummstraße, past my preschool and found the first geese tracks on the sidewalk.
Mon Chronik
In 2015 the city installed the Mon Chronik. It’s a guided walk past all the historical sites of Monheim am Rhein. The geese tracks lead the way and Liesel is waiting for you. A sign tells you how to get in the building and what you have to know about it.
Marienburg
My next stop was the picturesque park that houses the Marienburg Monheim. This castle was built in 1879/80 by Cologne architect, August Carl Lange. “Up until 1982 the Manor was still owned by the family. (…) Monheim Council purchased the surrounding parkland (…) restored it and opened it to the public.” Today the castle hosts a seminar and conference center, as well as a guest house, the “Bar-b-que Academy” and a Wine & Whiskey lounge. The castle has a quite juicy history, you can read more about it here. I love the park and the gorgeous views of the castle.
Rhein – the river Rhine
From the Marienburg, I walked down towards the Rhein. While I was walking through my home town, I sent a message to an Instagram friend who had lived in Michigan for some years and just had repatriated to Monheim. The fact that we “met” on IG was a funny coincidence in the first place. Paula messaged me back and told me that she’s walking along the Rhine and I decided to meet her. I was rewarded with spectacular evening views of the “Rheinbogen”. And I actually did meet Paula, so much fun!
Old Town – Altstadt
I made my way back to my parents apartment through the old town of Monheim am Rhein. It is the center of the city’s night life.
At age 16, I had some of my first official beers at the bar “Spielmann”. There are a about a dozen more restaurants and bars and one of my new favorite places in town is the creative café “Mit Liebe”. It is a lovely place to meet old friends or have “Kaffee & Kuchen” with my mom. I can’t wait to visit again in the summer.
This walk through Monheim on my last day in Germany brought back so many memories and made me very happy. I hope you enjoyed it, too. Check out my other weekly rambles and visit Jo’s Monday walks. She strolled through Hetton Lyons Country Park and shares (as always) some incredible pictures.
