A meeting point with flair and charm
The charming wine town Traben-Trarbach consists of two parts – one on each side of the Moselle River – and is embedded in the heavenly landscape of vineyards and the river. With plenty of fascinating landscapes, unmistakable riverside esplanades and an extensive selection of hosts this town is full of atmosphere and charm.
The woods and vineyards snuggle up to the double city on the left and right banks of the Mosel as if they were a mighty amphitheater bordered by grape vines. An abundance of buildings with architectural treasures of the Jugendstil and “Belle Epoque” styles will make your vacation in Traben-Trarbach a very romantic experience.
Discover Art and Culture
Around the year 1900, open-minded wine traders had built a great variety of art nouveau buildings in fascinating perfection. Thus historical buildings from the Art Nouveau and Baroque period alternate with classical and typical Moselle style architecture. But Traben- Trarbach doesn't just offer fascinating Jugendstil buildings and structures.
The townscape is completed by historical monuments such as the bridge gate and the ruins of the castle Grevenburg as well as the former mighty fortress of Mont Royal. Those who want to experience still more history and culture should visit the Museum Row in the district of Trarbach consisting of the Museum of the Middle Moselle, the House of Icons, the Bicycle Museum, the Buddha Museum and the City Tower with its carillon.
Just take a walk through our city with its many cozy alleyways, and you will encounter vestiges of history on each corner and will be able to learn many interesting facts about the history and past, as well as about the cultural and municipal present day attractions of Traben-Trarbach.
Trarbach’s Museum Row
Traben-Trarbach is widely recognized as a remarkable cultural jewel on the Mosel. The Museum Row in Trarbach has contributed significantly to this reputation. The Middle Mosel Museum, the House of Icons and the renovated City Tower with its carillon form a compact cultural-historical center on the historical square next to the City Tower – an ideal place to visit for all guests interested in local history and culture on the Mosel.
Belle Epoque on the Mosel 
At the turn of the century, Traben-Trarbach was the second largest wine trading city in Europe after Bordeaux. Thanks to its close ties to Prussia and its status as a Protestant enclave on the otherwise Catholic Mosel River, the City was ideally positioned to conduct profitable wine trading business. Initially, wines were exported to neighboring European countries and overseas. The enormous prosperity and wealth generated by wine trading formed the basis for widespread new building construction in the patrician style.
The communities of Traben and Trarbach, which remained independent until 1904, were then consolidated into a single administrative unit by official decree, which meant that a bridge had to be built to unite the two cities. No less than the Berlin star architect Prof. Bruno Möhring won the national architectural competition, which was held for the design of the new bridge. Up to that time, he had been working as an independent architect in the Gutehoffnungshütte steelworks in Oberhausen.
In Traben-Trarbach Bruno Möhring learned to love the Mosel landscape and became acquainted with the leading Mosel wine dealers. New orders soon followed and many unique buildings were designed by him which are still in excellent condition today. These include the:
Mont Royal Fortress Ruins
Starting in 1687, the French “Sun King” Louis XIV engaged his brilliant architect and master builder Vauban to build a huge fortress on the peninsular mountain high above Traben. The fortress provided space for 12,000 soldiers and 3,000 horses. However, only eleven years later, the French destroyed the fortress themselves in 1698 after the Peace of Rijswijck. Only during the last century were archaeological excavations conducted on Mont Royal under the direction of the homeland artist, Dr. Ernst Willen Spies, using original drawings from Parisian archives. Today, only a few remnants of the once mighty walls, casemates and cellar vaults are still preserved. The plans of the fortress and archeological findings it from are on display in the Middle Mosel Museum.
During the season, guided tours through the fortress ruins are routinely conducted. Special, individual tours are available for groups.
Grevenburg Castle Ruins
The Grevenburg Castle was built around 1350 by Count Johann III, a son of the legendary Countess Loretta, and was the ancestral seat of the counts of Sponheim until 1437. During the turmoil of the wars in the 17th and 18th centuries, the castle changed hands 13 times. In 1734, it was taken and destroyed by the French. You will find a cozy castle tavern and castle garden in the ruins, which provide an excellent view of the Mosel River.
All About Mosel Wine
Don’t miss the world famous Moselle wine on your visit! Our world-famous Mosel wines seem to be ideally suited to make each vacation day something special and make it easy for you to become enthusiastic about this tangy juice of the vineyards. The unforgettable Mosel vineyard landscape, which appears to be a mighty amphitheater, is unique, and the breathtaking, steep slate vineyards boost the pulse rate of every wine connoisseur. If you would like to learn more or even everything about the typical Mosel wines, then we recommend that you take a trip along the “Traben-Trarbach Riesling Route.”
Wine tastings and guided tours through the vineyards and cellars are always available.
Discover the exciting history of winegrowing and cellar technology of former times on a guided underground style tour through the mystic twilight of the Traben-Trarbach underworld. The wine which was made here is considered to be the world’s finest wine: the Riesling. This is how convening in Traben-Trarbach becomes an unforgettable and romantic experience full of personal adventures.
Active & Athletic
But Traben-Trarbach can also be discovered in an active and sporty way: on hiking and biking trails, on the water and from the air -all your wishes will be fulfilled on the Mosel. You might even discover completely new, previously unknown possibilities for an active, athletic vacation on the Mosel.
Experience your personal adventure in the Mosel Adventure Forest on Mont Royal or just relax during a visit of the spa district of Bad Wildstein. The thermal baths “Moseltherme” offer a world of water and steam of more than 2000 m² with its warm thermal water deep down from the slate soil.
Further information: http://www.traben-trarbach.de/nextshopcms/show.asp?lang=en&e1=-1
Photos: © Tourist-Information Traben-Trarbach, © P. Friesenhahn (in text)
