• Choose a category
• All
• Classic-Fiction

At the point of confluence of the Moselle and the Rhine is the Deutsches Eck (literally, ‘German corner’), dominated by a statue of Kaiser Wilhelm I on horseback, in the bombastic style of the late 19th century. After the original was destroyed in WWII, the stone pedestal remained empty – as a testament to lost German unity – until, postreunification, it was re-erected in 1993.

Further south, just in from the riverfront promenade, is the Deutschherrenhaus, once the property of the Deutscher Ritterorden (Order of the Teutonic Knights). Today it’s home to the Ludwig Museum ( 304 416; www.ludwigmuseum.org; Danziger Freiheit 1; adult/student & senior €2.50/1.50; 10.30am-5pm Tue-Sat, 11am-6pm Sun & holidays), which showcases post-1945 and contemporary art from France and Germany. Just beyond are the slender towers of 12th-century Basilika St Kastor ( 9am-6pm).

FESTUNG EHRENBREITSTEIN

On the right bank of the Rhine, looming 118m above the Deutsches Eck, the mighty Festung Ehrenbreitstein (Ehrenbreitstein Fortress; 6675 4000; www.festungehrenbreitstein.de) proved indestructible to all but Napoleonic troops, who levelled it in 1801. A few years later the Prussians, to prove a point, rebuilt it as one of Europe’s mightiest fortifications. At the time of research, the complex was being renovated and some sections were closed, in part to prepare for the 2011 National Garden Show.

Behind the stone bulwarks, you’ll find a DJH hostel (closed until 2010), two restaurants and the Landesmuseum ( 667 50; www.landesmuseumkoblenz.de, in German; adult/student & senior €4/3; 9.30am-5pm late Mar-Oct), with exhibits on the region’s economic history, photography and August Horch, founder of the Audi automotive company. At the time of research, only the archaeology section was open.

Festung Ehrenbreitstein is accessible by car. You can also take bus 9 or 10 to the Obertal bus stop, where you can walk for 20 minutes or hop on the Sesselbahn (chairlift; adult/4-14yr & hostel guest one-way €5.30/3, return €7/4; 10am-5.50pm Jun-Sep, to 4.50pm Mar-May & Oct, closed Nov-Feb). A Personenfähre (passenger ferry; adult/child €1.30/0.65; to 7pm May-Oct, to 6pm Apr, to 5pm Nov) links the right-bank Ehrenbreitstein quarter, below the fortress, with the left-bank’s Rheinpromenade.

There are plans to build a Seilbahn (aerial cable car) from near the Deutsches Eck up to the Ehrenbreitstein plateau. Set to begin operation in 2011, the conveyance is supposed to be dismantled in 2014 to avoid running afoul of Unesco’s World Heritage designation of this stretch of the Rhine.

SCHLOSS STOLZENFELS

With its crenellated towers, ornate gables and medieval-style fortifications, Schloss Stolzenfels ( 516 56; www.burgen-rlp.de; interior closed until Apr 2011), 5km south of the town centre above the Rhine’s left bank, exudes the timeless, sentimental beauty for which the Romantic Rhine is famed. In 1823, the future Prussian king Friedrich Wilhelm IV fell under its spell and had the castle – ruined by the French – rebuilt as his summer residence; during the Victorian era, guests included Queen Victoria. Today, the rooms remain largely as the king left them, with paintings, weapons, armour and furnishings from the mid-19th century.

To get there, take bus 650 from the Hauptbahnhof to the castle car park, from where it’s a 15-minute walk.

Return to beginning of chapter

Sleeping

Campingplatz Rhein-Mosel ( 827 19; www.camping-rhein-mosel.de; Schartwiesenweg 6; per adult/tent/car €4.50/2.50/3; Apr–mid-Oct) On the north bank of the Moselle, facing the Deutsches Eck. Linked to the city centre by a passenger ferry.

DJH hostel ( 972 870; www.jugendherberge.de; ) Situated inside historic Ehrenbreitstein Fortress, this place is set to reopen in 2010 after renovations. For transport details, see Festung Ehrenbreitstein (opposite).

Hotel Jan van Werth ( 365 00; www.hoteljanvanwerth.de, in German; Von-Werth-Strasse 9; s/d €43/64, without bathroom €24/50; ) This long-time