Wernerkapelle — Attraction in Rhein-Nahe

Came here today on a hot August Thursday afternoon with my three kids ages 6, 4, and 2. We parked at the Pakplatz Rheinuter Bacharach (paid though low cost parking with many spots) right near the Marktstrasse / Markturm entrance into the downtown area. We used Google maps to get to the chapel, though once we got to the St Peter Kirch there were signs pointing down the correct path and up the stairs to the chapel, after which point you couldn't miss it. I think it took us less than 10 minutes walking at my 4yo's slow pace to get from the lot to the chapel. Once there, we were able to walk around the front exterior of the chapel, but were not able to get inside, though it was easy to see through the fence/gate. The views from the terrace in front of the chapel area amazing. I toyed with the idea of going on up to the castle / youth hostel 5 minutes further up the path but it was too hot and late in the day for my young kids. We ended up going down the stairs and getting ice cream at Eiscafe, then going to the Spielplatz am Rhein near the parking lot (a playground with a great view!).

The chapel itself is absolutely stunning. It seemed set up for a concert, which I imagine would be amazing to see, especially at sunset or during the night hours. I absolutely recommend seeing this if you're in the area. I'd love if we had been allowed to walk through the interior, but the exterior itself was enough to make the 1hr long drive worth it for me. There were very few people there during the 15 minutes we were there. The path was largely shaded once we left the parking lot, at least in the late afternoon. We passed toilet facilites on the way from the parking lot to the Marktum; they were below ground via stairs. Edited a few weeks later to add photos from a second visit during evening hours! (Gate was still open even though Google Maps said...

Werner chapel was erected after the murder of a 16-year-old boy called Werner, who was buried there. The Jewish community in Oberwesel were blamed for his death - an accusation which was completely unfounded. During the ensuing riots, 40 people were killed. The Jews were eventually exonerated by King Rudolf I who was convinced the accusations were groundless.

In 1689, the French blew up the nearby Stahleck Castle during the Nine Years' War, sending falling rocks down upon the chapel, collapsing its roof. The ruined chapel was later renovated into a skeleton monument, complete with a plaque from Pope John XXII, recognizing the wrongful accusation of the Jewish community. *Information from the Internet

Easy climb from old town to ruined...

What's not to like about it? Cool ruins of a church that still seems to be in pretty good shape. Definitely wish that I could have gone more into the structure, but I enjoyed seeing the architecture of the windows and walls.

You can access it a variety of ways, but we found a set of stairs next to the current church that led up to it (and you can keep following the path higher...