German history has since the end of WWII been very shy to promote nationalism, but this amazing monument has a profound meaning in the German psyche, as it commemorates the birth of the nation after the 1870-1871 Franco-Prussian war. The Germania allegory representing the new-founded nation is overlooking the Rhine over the wine growing slopes of Rüdesheim. This is as far as I know the only colossal Germania statue in the whole country, and other Germanias are scarce, other than a couple in paintings. Getting there is easy enough, and although everything around was closed due to covid-19 restrictions, there are a couple of shops and a bar surrounding the site. Only complaint, the parking lot is quite small and you'll be charged 4,00€ for your stay (4,00€ daily charge).

I visited the Niederwald Monument as part of a River tour. The monument is perched on top of a large ridge overlooking the river valley. I was struck by both the overall size and detail of the monument. I enjoyed just relaxing in the sun and taking in the scope of the project.

We stopped at the Niederwald Monument after having walked the nearby trails that day. The monument is very well done and I appreciated that all of the signs were in English. I thought the displays did a nice job laying out the history of the monument and its connection to King Wilhelm and the WWII years (Hitler even held a rally here in 1933!). First, make sure you ride the Seilbahn tram up to the monument, as you’ll get great pictures of the monument behind the many vineyards. At the top, you’ll have the chance to see some great trails and see some fantastic views of the Rhine. Finally, there were bathrooms and a small cafe up near the monument as well. Highly recommend you visit Niederwald Monument.