GLANKAJÜTE

While our lovely Glan has never been much of a shipping river, at 90 km it is the largest body of water in the Palatinate. It courses through Meisenheim, ultimately flowing into the Nahe River below our hillside vineyards on the Disibodenberg. German refers to the important rivers like the Nile, Amazon, Rhine and Mississippi as masculine or 'he,' and the Glan is no exception. The river's name originated from the Celtic language, specifically Glanos, the Celtic god of the water. Glan is also a synonym for gleaming. Gold has been found in its water, and even today lovely agate sparkles in the sun from its bed. The Glan was used intensively by the Romans when they walked this land, starting with mill canals engineered using numerous dams. This little river is also rich in fish. Trout and grayling swim in the fast-flowing areas below the dams, while carp, pike and eels can be found in the slow-moving sections above. Water-loving visitors can explore using canoes or flat-bottom Kahn boats. In the past, Meisenheim locals even employed the Upper Glan for more ambitious water-based fun. South Sea chants and operatic arias once rang out from floating stages, and c. 1900 a real Venetian gondola crossed the lagoons of the Upper Glan.

Today, if you listen, you can hear the song of the Glan itself making its way over the dam and toward the distant Atlantic, an evening lullaby through your open window. Sweet dreams!