In June 2022, I was at Berlin again, for five weeks. Berlin is my mother town. I explored some corners off the beaten tracks. One of them is the Rüdesheimer Platz at Steglitz.

 

Under ground start: The metro station “Rüdesheimerplatz” (Rüdesheim square)

Let us start under ground, at the metro station U3, Rüdesheimer Platz. The decoration alludes to wine growing, as Rüdesheim is a wine village on the river Rhine, north of Frankfurt.

So far, I had always been under the ground here, using the metro. Now I was curious, what Rüdesheimer Platz looks like above the ground. On a sunny and warm evening, I walk along Rüdesheimer Strasse. Some murmuring is getting louder and louder, as I am approaching the Rüdesheimer Platz.

 

The Weinbrunnen (wine fountain) at the Rüdesheimer Platz

I arrive at the Rüdesheimer Platz. The murmuring is loud now. In the shade of the trees, many people have congregated chatting, with glasses of wine in their hands. Some stand in line at the stand called ”Weinbrunnen” (wine fountain) which sells wine from the Rheingau. Rüdesheim belongs to the Rheingau (Hessen).

The site of the Bezirksamt Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf tells me: The “Weinbrunnen” has been a tradition for more than 50 years. Various wine growers from the Rheingau sell their wine by the glass and by the bottle. People bring their own food. I observe one  lady selling home-made onion pie. Consuming wine from the “Weinbrunnen” is restricted to the platform above the Siegried fountain.

Above the wall, the crowds are drinking wine. In the fountain, people are cooling off.

Emil junior Cauer had created this fountain in 1911: Siegfried tames his horse Grane, flanked by lady Nahe (or Mosel, unclear which) and Old Father Rhine. 

 

In 2016, I was at Rüdesheim and also visited the two ladies Nahe and Mosel

In 2016, we crossed Old Father Rhine to get to Rüdesheim – the vineyards are above the village. 

Also the rivers Nahe and Mosel  are renowned wine areas.

Lady Nahe impressed me with the spectacular Rotenfels (202m high) and the vineyard Bastei, where the grapes ripe marvellously just below the rocks and above the water. 

Also of lady Mosel, I keep great memories from 2016. Here we walked above Piesport looking back at the vineyard Goldtröpfchen. 

Now, six years later, I think of Old Father Rhine and the ladies Nahe and Mosel at the Rüdesheimer Platz.

 

The playground and garden behind the Siegfried fountain

On the playgrounds and meadows behind the fountain of Siegrid, people relax and enjoy the early summer evening. This is the view from the fountain to the east and towards Landauerstrasse. 

Now I am looking back to the Siegfried fountain. The gardens are well maintained. 

 

Around the Rüdesheimer Platz

At Rüdesheimer Platz, Hertz runs a wine shop that promises a great drinking experience – perhaps his wine will give you wings to fly to the clouds.

This little and beautifully crafted house may be needed after so many drinks. It is nick named “Café Achteck” (Achteck = Octagon).

In the beginning of the 20th century, the architects carefully designed the houses around Rüdesheimer Platz and along Landauerstrasse; the  half-timbered façades should resemble English cottages.

The houses have front gardens here.

The ambiance reminds me of the villages in the Rheingau. This is the famous (and touristy) Drosselgasse at Rüdesheim, where I was in 2016.

 

Joining the Weinbrunnen party with a glass of wine

I return to the Rüdesheimer Platz later to have a glass of dry Riesling. Currently Abel, a winegrower from Oestrich, sells his wines. My Riesling is from “Oestricher Lenchen”. I pay and look for a seat.

All seats are taken. Above the Siegried fountain, I  find a place to stand. I put my glass on to the wall. A couple joins me with a pizza from the pizzeria nearby, where I had noticed a long waiting line. A slim athletic looking man in his sixties joins us. I learn that he is from Frankfurt, that he has worked at Berlin, that he sails on the lakes around Berlin and also navigates his motor boat through the channels of the German channels and rivers.

I feel like being in a mediterranean country. But no, I am at Berlin, in Northern Germany, and people enjoy their lives here, too. I really start to feel at home at Berlin, my mother town.

 

Sources:

• Home page of the Bezirksamt Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf https://www.berlin.de/ba-charlottenburg-wilmersdorf/ueber-den-bezirk/freiflaechen/plaetze/artikel.157063.php
• Wiki entry for Rüdesheimer Platz: https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/R%C3%BCdesheimer_Platz 
• Bildhauerei in Berlin https://bildhauerei-in-berlin.de/bildwerk/siegfriedbrunnen-4692/
• Homepage of Abel: https://www.weingut-abel.de/