Rüdesheim am Rhein cable car to Germania memorial, sept. 12. 2023.
The 38-meter-high Niederwald monument with Germania was built to commemorate the Franco-Prussian War of 1870/71 and the re-establishment of the German Empire in the years 1877 – 1883.
To accommodate the numerous people wanting to visit the monument, a rack-and-pinion railway was built in 1884, the forerunner of today’s cable car, which transported visitors through the vineyards to the monument.
In 1954, the cable car replaced the rack-and-pinion railway and became an equally popular means of transport – and a landmark of the town. In its anniversary year in 2004, it welcomed its 30 millionth passenger. Since 2005, visitors have been riding up to the Niederwald monument in bigger and more comfortable cabins.

The Niederwald monument was completed in 1883. Above the monument is a symbol of the local goddess Germania, holding a sword in the left hand, holding the imperial crown in the right hand, wearing an oak leaf wreath symbolizing victory and glory. In the right corner of the pedestal stands the God of Peace, holding a horn of abundance and an olive branch symbolizing abundance and peace. Standing in the left corner is the God of War. He is holding a sharp sword in his right hand, and the horn of the march has been blown in his mouth. The theme of the entire monument is war and peace.