Philipp Weitzel is the new ‘Father Rhine’

It was a thrilling duel between Philipp (Pippo) Weitzel and Tristan Heddersheimer alias ‘Bäumchen’. On and in front of the main stage at the Ingelheim harbour festival, the two candidates competed for the title of ‘Father Rhine’ in a thrilling contest. Frenetically cheered on by their fan clubs from the respective vintages, the candidates gave it their all - whether it was uncorking eleven bottles of red wine that were ready and waiting, competing in a cheerful sliding glass race or listing terms relating to the harbour festival. Andreas Bockius (reigning ‘Father Rhine’) and Ann-Kathrin Harth (former red wine queen) acted as game masters for the challenge - actively supported by the Heidesheim harvest queen Kim and the Ingelheim red wine queen Lina. There was a neck-and-neck race in the final poetry recital, in which the audience acted as the jury by applauding. Both ‘Pippo’ and ‘Bäumchen’ impressed with their lyrical qualities, so that in the end the points were shared. In the overall ranking, however, Philipp Weitzel was able to secure the title of ‘Father Rhine’ to the applause of an enthusiastic audience. The 29-year-old from Ober-Ingelheim (brother of the reigning red wine queen) snatched the crown from under the nose of his eleven-year-younger competitor from Frei-Weinheim.

Matthias Becker, Managing Director of Ingelheimer Kultur und Marketing GmbH (IkUM), gave the starting signal for the competition in the early evening. ‘We launched this competition to ensure that the figure of ‘Father Rhine’ is carried into the future,’ explained Becker on the opening day of the harbour festival. ‘Father Rhine’ was already on board in 1954 at the premiere of the folk festival in Frei-Weinheim. He played a key role at the harbour festival until 1962, after which he was decommissioned. During the Corona period, however, the idea was born to revive the figure. Andreas Bockius, known as the eloquent stadium announcer for Mainz 05, played the role for three years. Now he has passed on the baton. ‘I'm not the youngest anymore,’ he explained to the audience, explaining why a new “Father Rhine” should follow in his footsteps. Before the start of the competition, Bockius took a look back: ‘As Father Rhine, you see a lot of dirt and grime in the water,’ reported the outgoing incumbent. ‘The figure also has the task of representing a certain sustainability.’ The job of the future ‘Father Rhine’ will be to act as a representative for the town of Ingelheim for a year and to embody the connection between the harbour festival and the Rhine. As a counterpart to the Ingelheim Red Wine Queen and the Heidesheim Harvest Queen, he will also attend representative events and symbolise sustainability, nature and the importance of the precious resource ‘water’.

Philipp Weitzel will now take over this important function and is looking forward to his new role. He was visibly proud to receive the insignia from Andreas Bockius: the golden fishing rod and the Father Rhine crown. The newly crowned ‘Father Rhine’ then moved on to the ‘supreme discipline’, the traditional Schoppepetze. In one go, ‘Pippo’ emptied the Schobbe glass and then dedicated himself to his first official act: together with Mayor Eveline Breyer, he opened the Ingelheim anniversary harbour festival.

Incidentally, the new ‘Father Rhine’ will be travelling to his official appointments on a stylish e-bike provided by IkUM with the support of Fahrrad-Rosskopp. A customised means of transport for Philipp Weitzel, who works in the field of renewable energies. Not only the winner and the audience enjoyed the challenge, but also the runner-up, who received a consolation prize for his performance. Local hero Tristan Heddersheimer from Frei-Weinheim was delighted to receive two tickets for a concert by the ‘Söhne Mannheims’ at kING.