Tucked away in the Missouri River valley, Hermann is a picture book village where clock towers and church steeples rise above sturdy red-brick buildings from the last century.

Hermann was founded in 1836 by German immigrants who dreamed of building a New World utopia that would be “German in every particular.” Their scouts selected a site on the Missouri River that reminded them of their beloved Rhine Valley.

Finding the steep terrain unsuitable for farming, the Germans covered the hillsides with vineyards and began making wine. They were wildly successful. In its glory days, Hermann boasted the second largest winery in the country and produced more than one million gallons of wine a year.

Prohibition, coupled with wartime anti-German sentiment, dealt the town an economic blow from which it never fully recovered. The only saving grace was that the town's 19th-century buildings remained untouched by post-war modernization.

Today, visitors enjoy sampling award-winning wines at seven area wineries, strolling the historic district, browsing quaint shops and galleries and just relaxing as they watch the Missouri River roll by . . . or could that really be the Rhine?

The Rhineland Wurstjaeger Dancers perform at many Hermann festivals.

Special Events

  • Chocolate Extravaganza—February weekends
  • Wurstfest—Third weekend of March
  • Spring Antique Show—Fourth weekend of April
  • Maifest—Third weekend of May
  • Cajun Concert—Second weekend of July
  • Grape Stomp—Second Saturday of August
  • Fall Antique Show—Fourth Saturday of September
  • Octoberfest—First four weekends of October
  • Kriskindl Markt—First two weekends of December

A Great Location

Built in 1897 by August Begemann, the Heritage Lodging building is in the heart of the historic district, just a block from the river. Attractions within easy walking distance include a winery, numerous shops, galleries and restaurants, Deutschheim State Historic Site, and the German School Museum. The Amtrak station is a block away, and the Katy Trail is just across the river.