![Beilstein at the river Mosel, view from the Castle Metternich [photo: 2009; Berthold Werner / CC BY-SA (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)]](https://www.travel1000places.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/wikimedia-germany-Beilstein-from-atop-ruin_1280px_cc30-1200x640.jpg)
![Beilstein (Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany) – panoramic view on the opposite bank of the river Moselle near Ellenz [photo: © Steffen Schmitz (Carschten) / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 3.0 DE (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)]](https://www.travel1000places.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/wikimedia-germany-Beilstein-from-adjacent-shore__1280-1200x468.jpg)
![Germany, Beilstein at the river Mosel, Marketplace [photo: 2009, Berthold Werner / CC BY-SA (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)]](https://www.travel1000places.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/wikimedia-germany-Beilstein_cc30-1500px-1200x794.jpg)
State of Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany (see map further below)
The small village has one of the best preserved historical appearances on the Moselle and is thus also sometimes known as a miniature Rothenburg ob der Tauber or Dornröschen der Mosel (“Sleeping Beauty of the Moselle”). Towering above the village, which despite its small size is built to look much like a town, are the ruins of Castle Metternich, which once belonged to the like-named noble family.
Seen by many visitors who travel along the Model the small village is seen as the most beautiful and romantic Moselle town, and a tour through the narrow streets and corners of Beilstein quickly makes clear why the place has already served as a film backdrop for numerous feature films.
The old town – formerly surrounded by a city wall built around 1310 – still provides an insight into a medieval city with numerous historical buildings. Worth seeing are the picturesque Marktplatz (market square) of 1322 with the former Zehnthaus, the former parish church of St. Christophorus and the old winery from the 18th century.
Beilstein’s viticulture has a for century long history.
The most important vineyards are the Silberberg and the Schlossberg. Poverty among farmers and winegrowers until far into the 20th century hardly allowed any thoughts and activities of structural changes in the city. Therefore, the medieval cityscape remained almost untouched, which leads to the unmistakable charm of Beilstein.
Today, the small village with its approx. 150 residents lives not only from viticulture, but tourism became a huge factor. In addition to many day guests who spend some time here exploring the town with its cafes, wine bars, restaurants there are also a variety of accommodations available for whose who want to stay overnight.
Beilstein is an Ortsgemeinde (German expression for a municipality belonging to a ‘Verbandsgemeinde’, a kind of collective municipality) in the Cochem-Zell district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It belongs to the Verbandsgemeinde of Cochem, whose seat is in the like-named town.
