Along the Rhine

On my way back from Cologne to Freiburg, I had all my time. Going south, I decided to take the train running along the meandering Rhine River. In Coblenz, I even mounted the local train to Frankfort, which stops at Assmannshausen, a village on the riverside with special memories.

Looking out the window, I internalized Ernst Moritz Arndt‘s slogan, “Der Rhein, Teutschlands Strom, aber nicht Teutschlands Grenze.” Arndt wrote, “The Rhine, Germany’s river, but not Germany’s border,” in 1813 when Napoleonic France occupied all territories on the left bank of the Rhine, including today’s Belgium and the Netherlands. Here are some photos of Vater Rhein (Father Rhine):

Double railway tracks and roads force their way through the narrow Rhine valley on both sides of the river.

Initially, it was a miserable toll station on an island in the river, but Pfalzgrafenstein Castle became a national shrine.

Wilhelm Camphausen 1859: Blücher and the First Army of Silesia crossing the Rhine
 near to Kaub on January 1st, 1814 (©HOWI/Wikipedia)

Here is the reason. The painting shows Prussian Field Marshall Gebhard Leberecht von Blücher and his troops crossing the Rhine on New Year’s Day 1814, tracking down Napoleon on the then-French territory on the left bank. The Pfalzgrafenstein island was a welcome anchoring point for a floating bridge that allied Russian pioneers had crafted with 70 pontoons made from canvas and tar.

Adolph Menzel 1857:
Wellington und Blücher nach der Schlacht bei Belle-Alliance

This time, Blücher was diligent. Not so at Waterloo on Sunday, June 18th, 1815, when he was late. On the evening of that very day, Napoleon had thrown his last reserves into the battle, creating difficulties for Wellington’s troops. The Duke moaned, “Would to God that night, or Bluecher were come.” These words are known in German as, ”Ich wollte, es würde Nacht oder die Preußen kämen.”


Next stop Assmannshausen. Wikipedia tells us that “the village has a lithium spring, spa, and a Kurhaus, and is famed for its red wine (Assmannshäuser) made from Pinot noir (German: Spätburgunder), which resembles red Burgundy wine.”

Die Krone in Assmanshausen

After I stepped off the train at the deserted station, my steps led me to a restaurant on the river banks named Die Krone.

Edition Krone Assmannshausen, Roter Schäumender Trocken
(Red Sparkling Dry)

The Crown is known for its sparkling red wine ...

In the black-and-white photo, my mother sits on the right,
and my father talks to two of his employees in the middle.
A bottle and five glasses are on the table, so I must have taken the photo.

...that my parents already enjoyed in 1955.

Therefore, it became a tradition for my family and me to stop over at Die Krone when driving along the Rhine to my parents-in-law in Cologne.

In 1987, my family was sitting on the terrace without glasses.

My family was inside in 1989, and the glasses were filled.

Me alone at the terrasse on July 21st, 2019.

Red Baron tasted this year’s first chanterelles served with Serviettenknödel (serviette, napkin, roasted, or Austrian bread dumplings, you translate it).

The inside of the hotel/restaurant is nicely decorated like this festive table. Even the carpet shows the Crown.

Inside the roof ridge, a half relief commemorates Ferdinand Freiligrath, a somewhat forgotten poet, friend, translator of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, and preacher of freedom. In 1844, he became a liberal agitator and finished his political Glaubensbekenntnis (Confession of Faith) at Die Krone. His efforts culminated in the Revolution of 1848.

In the entrance hall, you find a copy of a democratic Germania, her shackles broken. The original painting is at Frankfurt’s Paulskirche (St. Paul’s Church), the meeting place of Germany’s National Assembly in 1848. In her left hand, Germania bears the banner black-red-gold; her right hand holds the sword of defense entwined with an olive branch.

Confer to the seal of the American president, which shows the eagle holding thirteen arrows in his sinister talon, symbolizing the defensive strength of the founder states, and an olive branch in his dexter talon.

Ups, sorry, this is the fake one.

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