We left Munich after 5 nights and traveled to Deidesheim and Forst an der Weinstraße. I have long wanted to explore this area to see where my mom’s family lived before coming to the United States. We had just enough time between our nights in Munich and Frankfurt to visit Deidesheim and Forst.

The Wine Route

The German Wine Route (Weinstraße) extends approximately 53 miles along the Palatinate, near the French border. The area is home to a mild and warm climate, allowing for the successful cultivation of several crops, but most famously contributing to the production of wine. The area is well known for producing Riesling, which we happily sampled, even though my friend and I are both more fond of beer.

Deidesheim

Deidesheim is the larger of the two towns that we explored in the area, with approximately 3,700 residents. Deidesheim has been an area for wine-growing for hundreds of years with the current town believed to have been founded in the 13th century. Most of my mother’s ancestors who lived in this area lived in Forst; however, some of the family did live in Deidesheim. I have heard of Deidesheim and Forst since I was young and had always wondered what the area was like. After the immediate issue of trying to find the way to our hotel was resolved, the feelings of awe began to settle in. Seeing buildings, particularly the churches, that had stood for centuries impressed upon me that I was standing where my German ancestors had stood. It’s a beautiful area to explore, made more meaningful with the family connection.

We stayed at the Kaisergarten Hotel in Deidesheim. The hotel, like much of the area, was a bit more fancy than we were prepared for, with luggage full of Chiefs gear. We ate at both RIVA and Sushi B. We felt underdressed and out of place at both, but we enjoyed the food. I chose a wine with Forster in the name as a nod to my family roots. I’m certainly no wine expert, but I thought it was good. The next day we had breakfast at the hotel as well, which was also good, but quite expensive.

Forst an der Weinstraße

Forst is a very small community, with approximately 800 residents. As you may have guessed, Forst is named for the large forested area near Deidesheim. Forst’s economy relies on wine production and tourism. Riesling, an aromatic white wine grape variety, accounts for about 85% of the grapes grown in the area.

We walked along the Weinstraße (Wine Route) to the cemetery. I saw familiar names, but no direct ancestors in either the Forst or Deidesheim cemeteries. The family connections felt stronger when we walked to the church, St. Margareta. St. Margareta was built in the 15th century, while the current hall was built in 1723 and the west tower was completed in 1767.

Adam Rush (Johann Adam Roesch/Rösch) was born in Forst in 1801 and immigrated with his son Heinrich (Henry) to the United States in 1833. Adam would have been in the church in its current form, the knowledge of which left me feeling overwhelmed with emotion.

We didn’t spend much time in Forst, but it left a large impact on me nonetheless. My dad has spent years researching family history and I have also taken an interest in this as well. Learning about your family can be very interesting, even if you aren’t interested in the research portion. Seeing where your family came from takes the experience to another level.

Shortly before my trip to Germany, I found that Adam’s grandfather was from Elzach and married into a family from Forst. My dad has also found other members of the family who are from the Black Forest area of Germany, so this is high on my list of places to go on future trips.

Review

I would highly recommend a trip to explore where your ancestors are from! It was a great experience and I am thankful that my friend was willing to go along for the ride. I will definitely plan other trips to see where my family has lived in the past.

If you are a wine lover, Forst and Deidesheim are great places to visit. We went on November 1, which is not the peak time to go, but we enjoyed ourselves nonetheless. We enjoyed our stay at Kaisergarten Hotel in Deidesheim and I would go back. I booked our rooms through Expedia since I know very little German. If you do plan a trip during peak tourism times, I would highly suggest making reservations to any restaurants you would like to go to before arriving.