Schiffsmühle Ginsheim

About the museum

For several centuries, floating grain mills moored in the Rhine off Ginsheim; up to 21 lay at anchor at the same time. At the end of the 19th century there were still 17, and in some years the millers processed over 200,000 Zentner of grain, including from the whole Ried region. The last Ginsheim ship mill ceased operation in 1928; in 1930 the State of Hesse bought it, placed it under heritage protection and towed it to the Mainz Winter Harbor.

An association set itself the goal of bringing a ship mill back onto the Rhine. As no construction plans for the interior could be found, the machinery and installation plan was reconstructed with the help of the Swiss manufacturer that had supplied the interior of the last mill in 1895. Total costs were around €500,000. After the keel was laid in April 2011 and the topping-out ceremony was held in August, the ship arrived in Ginsheim from Speyer on September 29, 2011; the completion was celebrated in 2015.

Today the mill lies at the former "Nato-Rampe" (NATO ramp) at river kilometer 492.9 and shows in guided tours how the current of the river drove the grinding mechanism and under which conditions the ship millers worked. It is looked after by volunteer mill guides of the Verein Schiffsmühle Ginsheim am Rhein e. V.

Highlights

• Reconstruction of the last productive Rhine ship mill
• Guided tours of the milling technology and grinding mechanism
• Mooring directly on the Rhine with bike path and parking
• Civil weddings possible in a special setting

Permanent exhibition

• Rekonstruierte Rheinschiffsmühle – The reconstructed ship mill with grinding mechanism and interior, modeled on the 1895 interior of the last Ginsheim mill, can only be visited on a guided tour.

Operated by

Schiffsmühle Ginsheim am Rhein e.V.

Admission & discounts

Dogs are not allowed in the ship mill.

Accessibility

• Partially wheelchair accessible
• Elevator: no information
• Accessible restroom: no information
• Accessible parking: no information
• Service dogs welcome: no information
• Tactile models & exhibits: no information
• Sign language tours: no information
• Easy-to-read materials: no information
• Audio description: no information

The entrance area is accessible without barriers, but not the entire mill. Dogs are not permitted.

Kids & families

School classes are recommended from the 4th grade on (tour up to 1.5 hours, €25 per class); the visit should be prepared in class. Children can have breakfast in the mill.

Getting there & parking

By car via the A60, exit Ginsheim-Gustavsburg, toward Ginsheim; at the first traffic light after the town sign, turn right onto Bouguenais-Allee to the riverbank. The bank lies on the Hessian R6 long-distance cycle route, which runs together with the Rhine cycle path here.

Amenities & dining

The mill sells ice cream and cold drinks. From Easter to October a toilet cabin stands next to the entrance (without handwashing facilities). Restaurants, cafés and ice cream parlors are 0.9 to 2 km away.

Events & venue rental

• Spaces for rent
• Private parties
• Weddings / ceremonies

Up to 40 guests.

Rental outside opening hours for events: base fee for four hours €80 for members or €100 for non-members, each additional hour €20. The mill is neither heated nor air-conditioned; smoking and open flames are not allowed. Weddings are arranged through the registry office of the town of Ginsheim-Gustavsburg.

Plan your visit