10.07.2023 Flussgenuss

KD Ticket Office in Oberwesel given a new lease of life

With their tapas and wine bar “Väterchen Rhein”, the Eidens-Holl family offers culinary delights in a relaxing atmosphere directly at the KD jetty. They also sell KD tickets.

In the heart of the UNESCO World Heritage Site Upper Middle Rhine Valley lies Oberwesel. The town at the foot of Schönburg Castle is one of the large wine-growing communities on the Middle Rhine and is known for its accessible town wall, defence towers, churches and museums. Guests can reach Oberwesel by Köln-Düsseldorfer boats as part of the Lorelei Tour, the Castle Cruise or the particularly charming Nostalgia Route on board the paddle steamer GOETHE. A stop in Oberwesel is now even more worthwhile. The KD Ticket Office on the banks of the Rhine, which had been abandoned for a few years, is open again. It has been refurbished and is now a harmonious part of the new tapas and wine bar “Väterchen Rhein”.

Old KD kiosk renovated

This is all thanks to the dedication of Stefanie and Dieter Eidens-Holl. Together with their son Dario, they are known on the Middle Rhine as the “photographer family”. The professional photographers and operators of an advertising agency work and live in various places on the Middle Rhine, in the Black Forest, in Vienna and near Barcelona. “When we got the chance to renovate the old KD kiosk, we immediately knew how we could make the Rhine area in Oberwesel more attractive again,” Dieter Eidens-Holl explains. They succeeded, in impressive fashion. The tapas bar “Väterchen Rhein” offers down-to-earth regional and international tapas as well as home-baked cakes. Guests can choose between Middle Rhine tapas and Black Forest tapas. The extensive drinks menu offers non-alcoholic cold and hot drinks, cocktails and wines from the region.

Stefanie Eidens-Holl

“We want to provide local winegrowers with a small shop window”

With enthusiasm and energy

According to Dieter Eidens-Holl, the family has worked in tourism, the hotel and restaurant business and attractive living space design for a good three decades. This experience, coupled with a great deal of enthusiasm, idealism and energy, shines through in the “Väterchen Rhein” project. The family spruced up the rather rundown KD kiosk and the adjoining terrace in just under a year. “We wanted to focus on refurbishing, repairing and restoring as much as possible, rather than just throwing things away.” They invested several hundred hours of work. As well as their own efforts, Köln-Düsseldorfer staff also helped out with the renovation work.

Inviting place for KD guests

“We are delighted to work in partnership with a company steeped in tradition like Köln-Düsseldorfer. And we are thrilled that together we have managed to preserve the old KD kiosk, as it was on the verge of being torn down,” says Dieter Eidens-Holl. It is not only the tenants who are happy, but also KD as the owner of the agency. “Our boats have not stopped docking at the Oberwesel jetty in recent years, even though the agency was unfortunately not staffed. We are pleased that not only our guests, but no doubt many walkers will once again have an appealing and inviting place to take the load off and indulge in culinary treats,” emphasises Nicole Becker, Marketing Director and press spokesperson for Köln-Düsseldorfer.

Food truck as the centrepiece

There are just under 50 seats directly on the Rhine with an incredible view of the vineyards and the old trees on the Rhine, or of Schönburg Castle and the Liebfrauenkirche, or “Church of Our Lady”. The centrepiece of the restaurant is a food truck, where food and drinks are ordered and prepared and then collected by the guests themselves. Visitors wanting to explore the historic old town, the Oelsbergsteig trail or the works of art in and around Oberwesel can also stock up on provisions for the road, which come in handy gym bags with a strap.