Bernkastel-Kues

Two towns face each other across the Moselle. On the Bernkastel side, the market square is ringed by timber-framed houses including the Spitzhäuschen of 1416, a narrow building with a wide upper storey overhanging a much smaller base, leaning visibly. On the Kues side, Nikolaus von Kues, the theologian and mathematician, founded the St Nikolaus-Hospital in 1458 for thirty-three poor men, one for each year of Christ's life; it still operates as a home, and its library holds his manuscripts. The Bernkasteler Doctor vineyard on the slope above is among the most expensive wine land in Germany.

History

On 29 May 1291 King Rudolph I granted Bernkastel town rights, reaffirmed in 1332 by Emperor Louis the Bavarian. In 1401 Nikolaus von Kues, the philosopher and churchman known as Cusanus, was born in the house of the Moselle shipowner Henne Cryfftz in Kues, which is well preserved and can be visited, and in 1505 the name Landshut for the archbishop's castle above the town appears for the first time (Wikipedia, Bernkastel-Kues).

Highlights

• The Spitzhäuschen - a leaning timber house of 1416 with an overhanging top.
• The St Nikolaus-Hospital - a 1458 foundation still housing residents.
• The Cusanus library - the founder's manuscripts kept in the hospital.
• The Doctor vineyard - a famously expensive slope above the town.

When to go

May to October; wine festivals run in September. The town is very busy with cruise passengers and coach groups through the middle of the day in summer.

Practical notes

The market square is crowded and commercial in season. Library access is limited and guided. Parking is difficult on both banks.

Nearby

Traben-Trarbach lies downriver; Trier is southwest.

Key facts