Bingen

Discover Bingen

Bingen am Rhein (pop 26,000 in 2020) is a town in the Rhineland-Palatinate region of Germany at the junction of the Rhine and the Nahe, across the river from Rüdesheim. It came into being as a strategically important location for the Romans. Bingen was the home of one of the most incredible women in history, Hildegard von Bingen. It was here on the northern banks of the Nahe, that the Benedictine Hildegard von Bingen (1098-1179) founded her cloister upon the grave of the holy Rupertus. It is remarkable to note that in her "Physica", Hildegard von Bingen includes more than 250 plants and many folk remedies and "natural" medicinal methods of treatment. A scholar, artist, poet, preacher and composer (you can get CDs of her music at most major music stores), she was one of the most dominant and influential women of the Middle Ages (if she had been a man, she would have rivaled the Pope in influence). The Historisches Museum am Strom has an impressive display on her or you can also visit the Hildegard Forum, which has additional displays on Hildegard, including a restaurant that serves foods reflecting her nutritional teachings.