Your City Experience in Traben-Trarbach!

Art Nouveau was an art movement that emerged around 1900 and was actually only fashionable for a short time. It encompassed all areas of applied and fine arts, architecture and interior design, as well as fashion and dance. The idea was for life and art to permeate each other to create a cohesive whole. It was Berlin architect Bruno Möhring who introduced Art Nouveau to Traben-Trarbach around 1900, having been commissioned to build a new bridge over the Mosel River. You can still see the bridge’s gateway today. The actual bridge structure was sadly destroyed.

The following beautiful Art Nouveau buildings shape the townscape today: The Romantik Jugendstilhotel Bellevue, the Villa Nollen (formally Breuker), the former winery Kellerei Julius Kayser, which is prominently situated on the banks of the Mosel, and the Art Nouveau winery Weingut Villa Huesgen.

How to experience Art Nouveau on your visit:

The Romantik Jugendstilhotel Bellevue is a 4-star hotel with an excellent restaurant. This is the place to be if you want to experience a fusion of Bruno Möhring’s art in its different forms.

The former winery Kellerei Julius Kayser now houses the Buddha-Museum and is therefore open for you to take a look around.

A wine tasting at Weingut Villa Huesgen is a really special experience. It can, however, only be booked for groups of six or more persons. Adolph Huesgen, who now runs the family business that was established back in 1735, focuses on fine modern Riesling wines. Numerous awards, such as current ratings by the Robert Parker Wine Advocate, confirm their exceptional quality. Tip: In the new VILLA HUESGEN pavilion - wine garden on the banks of the Mosel, you can enjoy their own wines and small dishes from Thursday to Sunday from May to September.

A town like Traben-Trarbach naturally has plenty of excellent wineries and it won’t be difficult for you to come across them. So, we have decided to home in on two organic wineries for our tips. One is in Traben-Trarbach, the other in Reil. The wine village of Reil can be reached by car in approx. 10 minutes. If you don’t want to worry about your blood alcohol level, there’s also the option of taking the small regional train that leaves from the station in Traben.

Weingut Steffens-Keß in Reil has concentrated on organic viticulture since 1982, and with great success. Its wines have received a number of awards, which include accolades from Eichelmann, "Der Feinschmecker" and Vinum. In addition to their excellent wines, Harald Steffens and Marita Keß also sell marc brandy as a digestif, Riesling balsamic vinegar matured in wooden barrels of oak and mulberry wood, and Riesling grape concentrate for sweetening and flavouring.

The organic winery Louis Klein is located on the banks of the Mosel in Trarbach. The striking Neo-Renaissance style, three-storey main building, with its single-storey slate winery wing, will immediately attract your attention. Ulrike and Markus Boor cultivate their vineyards in line with Ecovin guidelines. You can taste their wines in the winery’s stylish modern vinothek.

When it comes to good food, Traben-Trarbach has several excellent venues to choose from. We want to recommend two restaurants to you in particular:

The Restaurant Belle Epoque at the Romantik Jugendstilhotel Bellevue is, of course, a must for all Art Nouveau enthusiasts. But the cuisine on offer is just as recommendable as the restaurant’s ambience. Chef Matthias Meurer is one of the best chefs along the Mosel and has already worked in various top restaurants, including under Helmut Thieltges at the Waldhotel Sonnora and Harald Wohlfahrt in the renowned Schwarzwaldstube in Baiersbronn. His cuisine combines classic-modern and French influences.

The menu at Bauer‘s Restaurant at Hotel Moseltor is inspired by fresh regional ingredients and their seasonal availability. So, it’s a great venue to indulge in some typical regional cuisine!

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, the Prussian King Friedrich-Wilhelm IV and the French poet Apollinaire have all stayed here. The grand patrician house was built around 1750 by the wealthy merchant and state treasurer Johann Adolf Böcking and still depicts how a wealthy patrician family lived in the 18th and 19th centuries. The music room is particularly impressive with its exquisite hand-painted wallpaper and unusual fortepiano. This was made by the piano maker, musician and composer Nannette Streicher (*1769, †1833). As the sixth child of the Augsburg organ and piano maker Johann Andreas Stein, she took over the business after his death, moved it to Vienna and became one of the most important instrument makers of her time. She ran a piano salon, built up a network of exclusive representatives, was a close confidant of Beethoven and counted members of the high nobility and important musical personalities among her customers.

Nicolas Villeroy, one of the two founders of the long-established company Villeroy & Boch, completed his commercial apprenticeship at the Böcking company. He fell in love with the daughter of the house and married her in 1786. The fortune she brought into the marriage played an important role in establishing the globally successful ceramics company!

If you are interested in learning about Goethe’s visit to Villa Böcking, we recommend reading the article by museum director Dr. Christoph Krieger, which we have posted here: Story "The Baroque Villa Böcking".

Your hike starts at the bridge gate and then follows the historic Brandweg trail through the vineyards to the war memorial. From there, the “untere Franzosentreppe” (lower French staircase), with its 100 steps leads steeply up to Grevenburg Castle, where you can then catch your breath. You then continue up the 50 steps of a steel spiral staircase, until you reach the "Himmelspforte" viewing point. Amazing sweeping views of the Grevenburg castle ruins, the town Traben-Trarbach and the Mosel Loop await!

A lot of visitors to the Mosel region take a day trip to the city of Trier, which not only captivates with its picturesque old town, but also features impressive UNESCO World Heritage Sites. You can find out more about Trier in our Trier-Tips.

It takes about an hour to reach Trier by car from Traben-Trarbach. Trains also run regularly between Traben-Trarbach via Bullay to Trier.

The Ayurveda Parkschlösschen in the Traben-Trarbach district of Bad Wildstein is popular with the wealthy, stylish crowd, who like to enjoy Panchakarma treatments of the finest calibre. Its founder, Wolfgang Preuß, is also behind the town’s Buddha Museum.

Admittedly, the expensive treatment with 5-star accommodation is only affordable for those with ample funds, but there are also alternatives available:

The Romantik Jugendstilhotel Bellevue is naturally the perfect choice if you’re visiting Traben-Trarbach to explore its Art Nouveau heritage. Several famous personalities such as Baron von Richthofen, Count von Anhalt, Baron von Thyssen and Heinz Rühmann have stayed there in the past. To this day, the 4-star superior hotel offers you all the comfort you could wish for. If you want to revel in nostalgia, we recommend booking a room in the main building with original furnishings, such as the Richthofen Suite with beds from the Wilhelmine era around 1880 and an original bathtub with classic swan emblems. Modern suites and apartments are available in the eight annexes, which are characterised by their distinctive and original designs.

The adults-only Moselschlösschen Spa & Resort, which is located near the Art Nouveau hotel, is another excellent option, especially if you want to take advantage of its exclusive wellness facilities. The historic property directly on the waterfront combines half-timbered charm with modern design. Further features include an extensive garden with restaurant pavilion and orangery, and the natural quarry stone terrace in the hotel’s charming inner courtyard. Sitting here, you can enjoy beautiful views of the Mosel, the surrounding vineyards and the Grevenburg castle ruins. The Moselschlösschen is also a top culinary venue and even has its own modern cooking school.

There are a number of other lovely places to stay in Traben-Trarbach...