We’d been talking for just about two years about moving out of the city and out to somewhere more country. We finally did it this winter.
We’re not exactly isolated, living off the land, miles between neighbors. However, this is definitely the smallest community I’ve ever lived in.
Bierstadt is a Stadtteil of Wiesbaden, similar to a suburban, but still a semi-standalone, autonomous district.
Stats
- Founded: 927 (first settlements date back to the Stone Age)
- Became part of Wiesbaden in 1928
- Approx. 12,300 residents
- Houses the oldest church in Wiesbaden
- Claim to fame: largest suburb east of Wiesbaden
Impressions
I fully expected Beer Town to be full of breweries. It’s not and in fact there’s only one apfelwein keller. Bierstadt was funded by Irish monks and is actually named for Saint Brigid of Ireland, who was either a goddess or Christianized goddess, depending on which biography you read. Either way she’s one of the three patron saints of Ireland.
That being said, there isn’t any trace of Irishness in the town today. It’s full of lots of half-timber and the deep red fancy brickwork found in other parts of Wiesbaden.
One can complete a circuit of the old town / main streets in about 25-30 minutes. There are several neighborhoods you can continue down if you want to see the fields.
The fields are my favorite part. I recently learned there are only 4 independent farmers / families left in Bierstadt, they own all the land surrounding the town. There are plenty of paths through them for running, walking, dog walking and some can be driven on. I’m excited to walk through them in the spring pre-rapeseed and post-frost seasons.
Restauraunts
I haven’t eaten at all of them yet, but so far I rank them like this:
- Sensei Sushi (unbelievably good, takeout or delivery only)
- Indian Palace
- Pizzeria Gran Salerno
- Asian Wok
- Thai Jiit
And that’s it for now as we don’t eat out that often.
Grocery
There’s a grocery store called Naukof in the center which is great for staples. Fresh things and variety not so much, but might depend on the day you go. On the northeast side of town is a larger shopping area with a DM, Lidl, Aldi, Rewe and Rewe Getänktmart.
Transportation
Bus 37 takes you to the train station via Mainzerstr. There’s also an “E” or express version of this bus during rush hours. It takes roughly 11 minutes to get to the station from the direct center of old town Bierstadt, without traffic.
Buses 17,23 & 24 take you more towards Stadtmitte, including the Dernesches Gelände (Marketplace) stop.
The roads are narrow and many are one way. The only time I see traffic jams are on trash days and when tractors drive through.
The House
Our house is lovely. It’s set back from the street with a courtyard in between which means Z now has his beloved parking spot. We’re just a short walk away from the fields and from most restaurants and bars in town. A 10 minute drive puts us in the middle of Wiesbaden.
The house is from the early to mid 1800’s and is a dreamy example of half timber and brick.
These shots don’t do it justice, I’ll have to do a little shoot when it’s sunny out one weekend.
We also have a few new family members.
Other thoughts
It’s very quiet here; sometimes almost too quiet for me BUT I still get to listen to church bells from two different churches here, and when the weather and timing is right the cathedral and Ringkirche can still be clearly heard.
When the weather is nicer we will explore a bit more. There’s a few sports clubs we both want to try out and there are some more restaurants and bars to visit as well.
Is Bierstadt a true village? Probably not anymore, but as we have bars called Dorfschänke and Bürgerschänke, I’m sticking to calling it a village and not a suburb. It feels more separate from Wiesbaden to be a suburb anyhow.
Scenes
Here are a few snaps of some Dorflife scenes.
