The monument is located within the Rhine Gorge, a larger UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The monument was constructed to commemorate the founding of the German Empire in 1871 after the end of the Franco-Prussian War.

Beneath Germania is a large relief depicting Kaiser Wilhelm I riding a horse with the nobility, army commanders, and soldiers.

Its southern and western sides, which descend sharply to Rüdesheim am Rhein and Assmannshausen, are covered with vineyards.

[2][3] The Niederwalddenkmal can be reached by gondola lift (formerly a rack railway), from Rüdesheim to Niederwald, by car, by chairlift from Assmannshausen, or by trails on foot.