#i generally think the Rhineland is quite chill in most regards. and rather pretty.

[langernameohnebedeutung]

My family came to Australia from the Rheinland centuries ago. I've never been there, what's it like?

Oh, wow...it's not easy, breaking down an entire region authentically. There are a lot of internal divides and differences between different sub-regions and the north vs the south and rural areas vs urban ones as well as the industries that shaped different areas - especially very agricultural areas vs regions shaped by mining.

It's also shaped by being near several national borders, with the south-west like the Saarland being very much shaped by its proximity to France and e.g. north-western regions being shaped by their proximity to the Benelux countries.

Carl Zuckmeyer once coined the expression of the Rhineland as the "Völkermühle" (people-mill, kind of like a melting pot)(as opposed to being defined by a certain ethnic group or a more strictly defined culture) because so many different people settled and passed through here throughout the centuries, all bringing together a lot of different influences and cultures, so it's very hard to say what's "typically Rhinish". Which is obviously true for a lot of places in Germany, but the Rhine amplifies the effect in a way.

Stereotypically, Rhinelanders have a bit of a reputation for being more extroverted and approachable than people from other German regions, though I think that's very much a point of view thing.

We have a lot of sub-regions with their own little cultures, some being VERY regional. Like, we have a bunch of stereotypes here e.g. about Eifelaner, Sauerländer, and so forth.

It's a great place if you like wine, castles and Karneval for sure.