Widdig: Discover Rhine Views and Local History

Widdig combines views of the Rhine with a rich local history. From the Rhine terraces, the view stretches south across the Rhine to Herseler Werth Island, Bonn, and the Siebengebirge hills. At St. George’s Parish Church, architectural history and art come together, while the St. George’s procession continues a long-standing tradition. Together, these themes offer a distinctive way to discover the town—from its landscape to the stories remembered in Widdig.

Rhine Views and the Bornheim Riverside Landscape

The view from the Rhine terraces takes in several prominent landmarks at once: the river, Herseler Werth, Bonn, and the Siebengebirge hills. Herseler Werth is a Rhine island of about 15 hectares and a nature reserve. Since 1993, the island has been off-limits to visitors, so it is part of the view rather than a place to explore on foot.

Across the wider Bornheim destination, the riverside stretches for 4.5 kilometers. The towpath is used by walkers, joggers, skaters, and cyclists. This gives your stay a broader landscape setting, while the view from Widdig’s Rhine terraces offers a specific local landmark. The area around the Aluta stud farm in Widdig is also used by walkers, cyclists, and sports enthusiasts.

St. George’s: Church Architecture and Art

St. George’s Parish Church at Römerstraße 63 was built between 1927 and 1929 as a hall church. Architects Renard and van Geisten designed it to replace an older chapel. The complex also includes a rectory dating from the second half of the 19th century. The organ reveals another facet of the church: built by the Bonn organ-building workshop Johannes Klais, this model organ is considered significant because small organs from this period have become rare.

The windows also give the church a distinctive artistic character. The Oidtmann workshop made mouth-blown glass windows between 1986 and 1988. The Schiffer windows were designed by stained-glass artist Herb Schiffer and installed during the renovation and refurnishing between 1986 and 1989. For visitors interested in architecture and sacred art, St. George’s offers several different points of interest—from the building itself to the details of its furnishings.

The Chapel, Local History, and the St. George’s Procession

The history of today’s church is closely connected with the Rhine and its landscape. An earlier chapel stood closer to the river. It was swept away in the 1784 flood after the undercut steep bank collapsed. Widdig is mentioned around the year 898 in a donation by Count Alfwin to St. Cassius.

The St. George’s procession is a living tradition: it has been held in the parish for more than 350 years and passes through all of Widdig each year for the patronal feast, from late April to early May. If you would like to plan your stay around this custom, check the exact dates for the year in question. Here, history can be discovered both in a single building and through a recurring community event.

Trails and Places of Remembrance

In Widdig, the long-distance cycling route Duisburg–Cologne–Bonn–Mainz forms part of the Left Bank of the Rhine Way of St. James. There is also the Nature and Culture Trail, with three individual routes in Hersel, Uedorf, and Widdig. These routes offer different ways to explore the area: the Way of St. James connects Widdig with a long-distance pilgrimage route, while the Nature and Culture Trail takes in several villages in Bornheim.

The remembrance of the Rolef family is also part of the town’s history. Stolpersteine laid at Germanenstraße 26 in 2010 commemorate Berta Rolef, née Kahn, and Abraham Rolef. Four more Stolpersteine at the same address commemorate Sally Salomon Rolef, Else Rolef, Hans Rolef, and Ruth Rolef; they were laid in 2021. Together with the church and the procession, these places of remembrance give a trip a historical dimension that goes beyond the landscape.

Widdig and the Wider Bornheim Destination

If you would like to cycle beyond Widdig, you can explore Bornheim as a wider destination. The Bornheim side route of the Rhineland Apple Route is a roughly 40-kilometer cycling loop connecting all 14 districts between the Rhine and the Vorgebirge foothills. This offers a different focus from Widdig’s local history and church art: here, the emphasis is on exploring the Bornheim area by bike.

You can choose where to stay based on the experiences you have planned, without conflating the distinct local and regional themes.

Discover more destinations: Hersel.

View the wider travel guide: Bornheim.