PADDLE STEAMER GOETHE
The ‘Goethe’ was built in 1913 at the Gebrüder Sachsenberg shipyard in Cologne-Deutz, making it a true Rhinelander.
Probably the best-known ship on the Rhine is the paddle steamer Goethe. It is the only paddle steamer still in operation on the Rhine. The ‘Goethe’ was built in 1913 at the Gebrüder Sachsenberg shipyard in Cologne-Deutz, making it a true Rhinelander.
At that time, it served as a so-called half-saloon cargo ship. Guests sat at the back and goods were transported at the front.
But as early as 1925, she was converted into a pure passenger ship. She survived the First World War unscathed. In the Second World War, she was hit by a bomb and sank in the Rhine near Oberwinter. She was raised in 1949 and put back into service in 1853. Every year, the ‘Goethe’ goes on a nostalgia tour between Koblenz and Rüdesheim.
Such a tour, which is offered between April and October by the Köln-Düsseldorfer Schiffahrtsgesellschaft (proper name, therefore still classic with 2 f), is an unforgettable experience - and is 20% cheaper with a Rheintaler.