After the Vormärz period, more and more people in imperial Germany came together aiming to change the existing political conditions towards a democratic society.

In Hallgarten in the Rheingau, one man was particularly dedicated to this cause: the former court councilor and winery owner Johann Adam von Itzstein founded the Hallgarten Circle here. In doing so, he created on his winery the place and opportunity for secret and even illegal meetings, as often more than 20 people were present. Numerous members of the Hallgarten Circle were later active at the National Assembly in the Frankfurt Paulskirche.