Lorch/Lorchhausen

One man’s meat is another man’s poison: Lorch was where the dangerous

rapids of the infamous Binger Loch (the “Bingen Gap”) began. At this point,

navigation was a risky manoeuvre and if you wanted to be on the safe side you

landed at Lorch and loaded your cargo onto smaller vessels or opted for the

overland route to Rüdesheim or Geisenheim. This brought prosperity to the citizens of Lorch and the town acquired romantic half-timbered houses and

splendid aristocratic residences. The town was also blessed with first-rate

vineyards and the gratitude of the local population is reflected in the beautiful

carved wooden altar in St. Martin’s parish church. The late Gothic high altar is one of the largest and finest of its kind in Germany. The Gothic Madonna of the Grapes in the town’s Robert Struppmann Museum is much smaller in comparison, but has its own very special charm.