Eibinger Monastery Trail

As you stroll around the rose-covered church forecourt with its graceful bronze statue of St. Hildegard, you quickly leave the stress of everyday life behind and enter the tranquillity of the abbey church. It is decorated with colorful murals and has a meditative aura.

The nuns of Eibingen live according to the rules of St. Benedict and in the tradition of St. Hildegard. Their lives are characterized by prayer and work. In the monastery store you can get a small impression of what is done here. Wine, spelt, honey, tea blends, spices and medicinal herbs based on Hildegard's knowledge are mostly produced here. The store stylishly combines art and religion. The wine shop with the monastery's own wines is also worth a visit.

For the people of Eibingen, “their” Hildegard has always been “holy”, even though she was only officially canonized in 2012. She is omnipresent: in the monastery on the mountain, the pilgrimage church with the shrine of the relics in Eibingen, at many wayside crosses in the vineyards - and at church celebrations, in particular the Hildegard Festival on the anniversary of her death on September 17.

Wer vom Klostercafé entlang der Mauer in Richtung Niederwald  schlendert, dem öffnet sich am Ende der Mauer abrupt ein beeindruckender Panoramablick über den mittleren und oberen Rheingau hinweg bis ins Rhein-Main-Gebiet und zum Odenwald. Jenseits des Rheines ragt die Rochuskapelle aus dem Wald des Rochusberges, dahinter breitet sich das rheinhessische Hügelland aus. Bei gutem Wetter ist am Horizont ein Tafelberg erkennbar – der Donnersberg in der Pfalz. Bänke laden zum Verweilen ein. Der Blick fällt auf die Skulpturenwiese mit sechs Säulen zu Visionen der heiligen Hildegard. Es sind Kunstwerke von Sr. Christophora, der Keramikerin des Klosters.

If you stroll from the monastery café along the wall towards Niederwald, an impressive panoramic view of the middle and upper Rheingau as far as the Rhine-Main region and the Odenwald opens up abruptly at the end of the wall. On the other side of the Rhine, the Rochus Chapel rises out of the forest of the Rochusberg, with the Rhine-Hessian hills stretching out behind it. In good weather, a table mountain can be seen on the horizon - the Donnersberg in the Palatinate. Benches invite you to linger. The view falls on the sculpture meadow with six pillars depicting visions of St. Hildegard. They are works of art by Sr. Christophora, the monastery's ceramicist.

After you have recharged your batteries for the short hike, the trail initially climbs slightly in the vineyard to the junction of the Klostersteig in the direction of Ebenthal. We continue straight ahead here on the vineyard path (running parallel to the Rheinsteig) and walk past “Hildegards-Ruh”. Shortly afterwards, the route turns right and takes us to the road that leads from Rüdesheim to the Niederwalddenkmal.

Our route branches off to the right here and climbs briefly through a small wooded area up to the Ebental plateau. Here you suddenly feel transported to another region. There is nothing left to see of the Rhine and wine, instead, quiet country awaits us; open, free, lonely.

At the next fork in the path, turn left until you reach a small nature reserve. There we turn right (heading north) and walk slightly uphill along the meadows and fields to the next junction. To the left of here is a 70,000 square meter corn maze, which is well worth a visit in the summer months.

Our path now leads to the right past the nature reserve with a small, reed-framed pond and back across open fields and meadows near the Petershof, the largest pig farm in the Rheingau-Taunus district. There we turn right onto the Klostersteig. At the resting place under the oak tree, you can once again enjoy the view from the Ebental valley into the Rhine valley and across the Rhine to Rhineland-Palatinate.

Let's take in the tranquillity and untouched nature for a while before we have the breathtaking view of Rüdesheim, Eibingen, the vineyards and the Rhine again further down. The towers of St. Hildegard's Abbey, which suddenly come into view on the left, herald the end of the circular tour. Now you can look forward to a slice of homemade cake with delicious spelt coffee or hearty regional snacks and a non-alcoholic spelt beer or the abbey's own wine. People with disabilities and learning difficulties work in the integrative café with great passion and dedication for the well-being of the guests. The "Welcome" comes from the heart and is followed by a sincere "Goodbye".