Here it is, a beautiful Palm Sunday here in the town of Bergrheinfeld; the sun’s shining brightly on this fine springtime day.
What makes today so special is the Bergrheinfeld Palm Sunday procession, just one of many cultural and holiday events throughout the year in this Lower Franconian town.
Located on the Main River, Bergrheinfeld sits within the Fränkisches Weinland (Franconian Wine Country) in the northwest corner of Bavaria. Its geographical location is but one facet to what makes it a grand place to be — but I started off with one of its events, so I’ll just tell you about the Wine Festival at the end of July.
One of Bergrheinfeld’s other popular events is its Kulturwoche (Culture Week), with events for both children and adults that are all about music and art and literature, even theater. This coincides with the Brunnenfest (Fountain Festival), so it’s a double-whammy of a party, wouldn’t you say?
Not the party animal type? That’s all right, I’ll suggest you take a leisurely stroll along the Hauptstraße, at #38 you’ll find Bergrheinfeld’s Rathaus (Town Hall) — a half-timbered building from the 1660s, which is also the town’s landmark. At Hauptstraße 36, there’s an 18th century statue of Mary and the Zehnthaus. As pretty as it is in the daytime, it seems to be just as lovely in the evening, too.
I’ll also tell you to visit the town’s churches while you’re here. The Church of St. Michael (located at Kirchsteig 6) was built in 1691, making it over 300 years old. And the Maria Schmerz Kirche is lovingly decorated down to the finest detail — even the ceiling. If there’s enough time, be sure to see the former rectory (located at Hirtengasse 6), another old building from the 1600s.
As if this all isn’t enough, Berghreinfeld lies along a couple of scenic routes. The Fränkische Marienweg comes right through, as does the Main-Werra Cycle Route, and the Jakobusweg (Way of St. James in English). Not too bad for a town that isn’t even twenty square kilometers, is it?
Well, if you’ll excuse me — that Palm Sunday procession is about to start. Maybe I’ll come back for the annual Advent Market, in November, perhaps you should, too.
