Bingen am Rhein

Bingen am Rhein
Coat of arms
Bingen am Rhein
Location of Bingen am Rhein within Mainz-Bingen district
Coordinates: 49°58′N 7°54′E / 49.967°N 7.900°E / 49.967; 7.900Coordinates: 49°58′N 7°54′E / 49.967°N 7.900°E / 49.967; 7.900
Country	Germany
State	Rhineland-Palatinate
District	Mainz-Bingen
Government
• Mayor	Thomas Feser (CDU)
Area
• Total	37.74 km2 (14.57 sq mi)
Population (2015-12-31)
• Total	24,987
• Density	660/km2 (1,700/sq mi)
Time zone	CET/CEST (UTC+1/+2)
Postal codes	55411
Dialling codes	06721-06725
Vehicle registration	MZ, BIN
Website	www.bingen.de

Bingen am Rhein is a town in the Mainz-Bingen district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany.

The settlement's original name was Bingium, a Celtic word that may have meant "hole in the rock", a description of the shoal behind the Mäuseturm, known as the Binger Loch. Bingen was the starting point for the Via Ausonia, a Roman military road that linked the town with Trier. Bingen is well known for, among other things, the story about the Mouse Tower, in which allegedly the Bishop of Mainz Hatto was eaten by mice. It was also the birthplace of Saint Hildegard von Bingen, an important polymath, abbess, mystic and musician, one of the most influential medieval composers and one of the earliest Western composers whose music is widely preserved and performed. Bingen am Rhein was also the birthplace of the celebrated poet Stefan George, along with many other influential figures.

Bingen is situated just southeast of the Rhine knee by the Bingen Forest (Binger Wald – actually a low mountain range), which rises west of the town. Rising to the north on the other side of the Rhine is the Rheingau range, the Taunus's southwesternmost outcrop. In Bingen the river Nahe empties into the Rhine Gorge. Bingen forms the southern limit of the UNESCO Rhine Gorge World Heritage Site. The Rochusberg (mountain) is nearly completely surrounded by the town site.