Tag d. off. Denkmals Kräuterführung

Open Monument Day
Of Mint, Mallow, and Power – Practical Herbal Knowledge from the Time of Charlemagne
Herbal Tour and Workshop

This special herbal tour on Open Monument Day demonstrates just how closely history, medicine, and gardening have been intertwined since the Middle Ages. The starting point is the famous “Capitulare de villis,” a decree on estates from the time of Charlemagne that specified which plants were to be cultivated on royal estates. This text is one of the most important sources for understanding medieval agricultural and medicinal plant cultivation and demonstrates how systematically knowledge about nutrition, care, and medicine was documented 1,200 years ago.
Christiane Burkart, a certified herbalist and aspiring medicinal plant educator, will first guide participants through the Ingelheim Herb Garden on the edge of the Kaiserpfalz archaeological heritage site. In the vicinity of the “Heidesheimer Tor,” visitors can discover firsthand which plants were already valued during the Carolingian period. Many of the herbs cultivated there served not only as seasonings or culinary plants but were also an integral part of household and monastic medicine.

In the workshop that follows, held in the museum’s educational workshops, participants will put selected applications to the test. Together, they will create a cough syrup, a tincture, and a tea blend for cold season. In this way, the event combines historical knowledge with hands-on experience and offers a lively introduction to the plant world of the Middle Ages.

The museum is open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Open Monument Day, with free admission.

Guided Tour & Workshop: Christiane Burkart, Gau-Algesheim (www.wildes-kräuter-herz.de)
Duration: 2.5 hours
Meeting point: Museum near the Imperial Palace
Register by phone with the museum by September 11, 2026 / limited capacity
Cost: €15.00 (includes brochure and herbal blends made during the workshop)
Image: © Photo: Christine Burkart