Bacharach am Rhein

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Bacharach 1
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Bacharach am Rhein, in the Mainz-Bingen district of the Rhineland-Palatinate, was originally known by name ‘Baccaracus’. In the seventh century, it was ruled by Kunibert, Archbishop of Cologne. Afterward, it passed to the Counts Palatine, representatives of the Emperor, who weakened archiepiscopal influence. In 1214, the Wittlesbach family established a toll booth. Later, Bacharach became a depot for Rhine shipping. The town was built between 1344, and 1400. In 1545, it became officially Protestant under Friederich II. It was occupied during the Thirty Years’ War, and neighbouring Burg Stahleck, along with four towers in the town walls, was destroyed during the Nine Years’ War which commenced in 1687. In 1794, French Revolutionary armies occupied Bacharach. During the early nineteenth century, the harbour silted, and Bacharach fell into decline until the commencement of the Romantic Period that saw the rise of tourism in the area.

The Wernerkapelle, named after St. Werner, is a prominent landmark near Burg Stahleck. The sixteen-year-old Werner was allegedly murdered by the Jews on Maundy Thursday, 1287, and his blood was used in Passover rituals. The legend evoked a pogrom in which Jews of the Middle Rhine were wiped out. The Cult of Werner was finally stricken from the Bishopric of Trier calendar in 1963.