Discover weekly markets in Rheinhessen

Shopping at the weekly market is much more than just shopping for fresh vegetables...

Shopping habits have undergone a huge change in recent decades. From the small "corner store" to today's "full-service grocer". A few years ago, people shopped at the butcher's, baker's, stationery store, fruit farm and bicycle store, but today they can find gift articles, coffee, bicycle inner tubes, milk and schnitzel at the full-range supplier - all under one roof. Practical, isn't it? But this also means that we lose a great deal of individuality.

Vegetables and fruit used to be either grown in one's own garden or bought from the traveling merchant on the street corner on Thursday mornings. In larger communities, there was often a weekly market that covered most of the weekly shopping.

Ready-made products gradually developed in our hectic times - to save time. The more modern and larger supermarkets become, the more intense the desire for a classic small weekly market seems to awaken in us something sensual and close to home. The view of a colorful selection of fresh fruit and vegetables, a colorful bouquet of flowers or delicious cheese cut directly from the loaf, delicatessen from a large wooden trough or the olive oil from the metal canister awaken the desire to cook for ourselves and not to reach for ready-made products. In addition, significantly less plastic waste is put into circulation and transport distances are kept low by regional suppliers. Chatting with the retailer about the origin of his products and a good preparation tip are worth their weight in gold and contribute to customer loyalty. I would like to explore all of this for you in Rheinhessen.

So follow me to some weekly markets in the already autumnal Rheinhessen...

Meeting place and shopping experience with live music

My first visit takes me to the small village Eimsheim, which is one of the mountain communities of the Rhine-Selz association municipality. In the shadow of the Protestant church on the grounds of the village hall everything is prepared.

"Small but nice" is the motto here. Half a dozen suppliers are ready to provide the Eimsheim people with their fresh goods. Fresh vegetables, eggs, a wide selection of delicatessen, schnapps, liqueurs, honey, jams, chutneys, juices, balsams, fresh bread and rolls. It really makes you feel like filling your shopping basket.

I was particularly surprised by the offer of meadow hay and straw bales - you probably don't find that at every weekly market. People know each other in the "Örtche" and for a long time the weekly market, which has existed since 2021, has not "only" been there for shopping. A musician provides entertainment and the Eimsheim winegrowers take care of the physical well-being and a delicious Rheinhessen wine; just now there is also Federweißer on tap. The center of the village is a meeting place for young and old and the socializing follows the shopping experience. Highly recommended! A colorful salad mix, delicious carrots and radishes; to digest a hay schnapps - that enriched my dinner today. At the breakfast table, the "bright nectarine" jam is waiting for me.

The Eimsheim weekly market takes place at two-week intervals on Thursdays from 3 - 7 p.m. throughout the year.

First the shopping, then the after-work shove

It's Friday afternoon and on we go to Nierstein to the Fronhof to the also still quite young weekly market. Here, too, the convivial get-together in the historic town center on the Fronhof, directly at the evangelical St. Martin's Church and the old smithy, is written "big". Around the wine stand, which is operated alternately by the Nierstein vintners, the visitors cavort and toast together to the start of the weekend.

A very well-stocked fruit and vegetable vendor has been there since the beginning and is present every week. Fresh bread from the wood-fired oven, olive oil and honey, Mediterranean delicatessen, muesli bars, a traditional herb bitter and the fair-trade products of the world store invite to weekend shopping for all senses.

The offer is rounded off by freshly bound bouquets, autumnal decorations and beautiful unique jewelry. Of course, the musical accompaniment may not be missing here.

The Nierstein weekly market takes place weekly on Fridays from 2 - 7 p.m. throughout the year.

In the orchard of Rheinhessen buy to your heart's content directly from the producer

My next visit to the weekly market will take me to the town in the north of Rheinhessen, Germany. Ingelheim. The firmly established Weekly market in the red wine city takes place embedded in the shopping experience of the "Neue Mitte" of Ingelheim. The well-structured parking situation here allows short distances to retail stores and the market stalls in close proximity to each other.

A rich assortment of cheese, honey, delicatessen, sausages and meat products, bread and bakery products, as well as flowers and decorations may not be missing here. The appealing offer of various pasta, egg liqueur and the fresh eggs complete the shopping experience in the small town. The hustle and bustle and the fresh products make you want to fill your shopping basket directly from the producer. Also the versatile fruit and juice offer "Bag in Box" (3/5/10 liters) of an Ingelheim direct marketer is overwhelming and very tasty.

The high-quality assortment of fresh mushrooms that the grower cultivates in his own vaulted cellar is certainly not to be found at every weekly market. Enthusiastic about his fresh product, he is happy to advise his customers and a preparation tip comes free of charge.

Throughout the year, the weekly market is held on Sebastian-Münster Platz in Ingelheim on Wednesdays from 10 a.m. - 3 p.m. and Saturdays from 7 a.m. - 1 p.m.

The highlight in Rheinhessen - the Mainz weekly market around the cathedral

As a visitor to Rheinhessen, it is simply obligatory to visit the traditional Mainz weekly market to experience. Tuesdays, Fridays and Saturdays around the cathedral is a bustling market on the squares from the old town to the fish gate. From the classic fruit and vegetable stand to eggs, pasta, honey, exotic fruits, spices, juices, wine, potted plants and fresh bouquets, - simply everything - here no wishes remain unfulfilled. At Liebfrauenplatz there are coffee specialties, fresh fish, poultry, sausage and cheese.

The traditional Mettbrötchen and the "Schnibbel Fleischworscht mit Brötche und dem Schobbe" (meat sausage with a roll and a wine spritzer) are considered staples of Rheinhessen.

During the summer months, the traditional Saturday morning Market breakfast takes place. At "Weck, Worscht und Woi" not only Mainzers meet, but also many tourists and visitors from (Rhine)Hesse. The Mainz winegrowers spoil the visitors with the best drops. The traditional start of a home game of the 05er begins here, which can be easily recognized by the fan clothing of the visitors. You simply can't miss it.

Weekly market around the cathedral: Tuesday, Friday and Saturday 7 a.m. - 1 p.m.

Market breakfast at Liebfrauenplatz: Saturday 9 a.m. - 3 p.m. (March to November)