German Wine Street closes for hikers, bikers, skaters Sunday

The 31st car-free adventure day will take place 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday along the German Wine Street. From Bockenheim in the north to Schweigen in the south, Germany’s oldest wine tourist route will close to motorized traffic. Bicyclists, skaters and hikers will have the 85-kilometer car-free route to themselves.

This year’s motto is “Heavenly Pfalz.” Parishes and church communities along the route will support the event. According to organizers, the Pfalz is a paradise for wine lovers, since it is not only the biggest growing area of the Riesling grape worldwide and the biggest red wine area of Germany, but with its vine diversity, it also offers something for every taste. The minister president of Rheinland-Pfalz, Malu Dreyer, the Palatinate Wine Queen, Julia Kren, Bishop Dr. Karl-Heinz Wiesemann and Christian Schad, president of the Protestant Church in the Palatinate, will officially open the event at 10 a.m. in Klingenmuenster. The ringing of church bells and hundreds of balloons will accompany the opening.

Church institutions will serve “Heavenly Appetizers” on 12 stations such as cheese sticks with Madonna grapes, pilgrim waffles, heavenly broccoli with goat cheese and beet sauce, heavenly nut mixes and cakes from paradise. For €5 the appetizers will be served with the right drink such as wine, prosecco or coffee. Visitors can ask for stamps and win prizes with two stamps.

About 30 villages and towns along the German Wine Street will take part in the car-free wine street day, offering entertaining programs with many attractions to include music, sports and games.

The Pfalz Sports Associa-tion will sponsor its traditional 10-kilometer run, which will start in two places again. The route in the north will go from Bockenheim to Kirchheim, and the one in the south from Weissenburg to Bad Bergzabern. Starting time will be 10 a.m.

Organizers ask all bicyclists, walkers and skaters for mutual respect. They expect just like in recent years several hundred thousands of visitors and recommend coming to the German Wine Street in public transportation vehicles such as the train or busses.

For details, visit www.erlebnistag-deutsche-weinstrasse.de or www.pfalz.de.