June 23 Koblenz, Germany

Last updated on September 6th, 2023 at 03:47 pm

Photos from the Middle Rhine and Koblenz
Video Summary of the Day

Today will be a little more relaxed as we will stay on the ship during the morning as we travel through the Middle Rhine area.

The ship left Mainz about 6:30 a.m. and we were in the Middle Rhine by about 9:30 a.m. The weather is cooler and more cloudy. It was pretty windy on the sun deck, but the view was well worth it. Joyce was glad to get the opportunity to wear the sweater and 3/4-sleeve top she’d brought.

The middle Rhine area stretches from the Niederwald Monument (which commemorates the founding of a small German confederation after the Franco-Prussian War-1870-71) in the south at Bingen to the German Corner (the confluence of the Rhine with the Moselle) in Koblentz.

The middle Rhine is filled with steep hillsides covered with vineyards, castles built in the 10th thru 13th centuries and small towns nestled below the castles next to the river. The more than 28 castles were built by medieval nobleman to oversee trade, collect tolls and defend kingdoms. Viking provided a map with twenty castle names and the kilometer markers where they were located. The area is a UNESCO World Heritage site. Many of the castles have been damaged by war and neglect in the intervening years, and have been restored and added on to. A number of them now serve has hotels and restaurants.

Jovan gave us the history of many of the castles over the loud speaker as we sailed past them. It is a beautiful area, well worth seeing for a second time. [This was the day that overlapped with our Grand European Viking tour we made in 2019.] About half way through, we passed through a narrow, windy section of the river known as Lorelei. This rock was made famous in the story of a maiden who – betrayed by her lover – committed suicide by leaping into the Rhine and became a siren, who lured sailors to their deaths.

We spent most of our time on the sun deck, then taking some hot chocolate and cookies back to our stateroom to enjoy on our veranda for the last several miles. We have discovered hot chocolate with a couple squirts of caramel or hazelnut syrup. Yum!

We ate lunch with Matt and Nancy from Maine and their friends from London (we didn’t get their names). Matt and Nancy are a fun couple and we laugh frequently when with them. The sky is clearing with a nice breeze and temperatures in the mid 70’s. A welcome change from the record highs we’ve been experiencing! Before long, we were docked in Koblentz.

In 2019 when we were in Koblentz, we chose to take the cable car to Ehrenbreitstein, the Fortress on the hill overlooking Koblentz from across the river. This time we will take a walking tour of Historic Koblentz.

The ship docked next to the German Corner at the confluence of the Rhine and Moselle rivers. At the point there is a huge statue of Wilhelm I, who united the Germanic fiefdoms, upon his horse, erected in 1897, destroyed in World War II and replaced in 1993.

The name the Romans gave to their camp in 9 BC – Castellum apud Confluentes, meaning the “camp at the confluence” – reflects the town’s strategic importance.

Much of Koblentz was destroyed in World War II, so the old part of the city is a mix of old, rebuilt and modern buildings. We began our walking tour walking along the Rhine, through the Paradise garden with blooming peace lilies toward the Basilika St Kastor, built in 817–36 on the initiative of the Archbishop of Trier, on a site formerly occupied by an early Christian church, and before that, a Roman temple.

The present appearance of the church is the result of extensions from the 11th–13th centuries. This Gothic style church features a Gothic star ceiling.

The highlight was our guide singing for us. She has a beautiful voice that demonstrated the excellent acoustics of the old church very well. In the plaza outside the church is a large fresh water fountain with inscriptions from Napoleon and the Germanic ruler after him, demonstrating their attempts to out do each other.

From Basilika St. Kastor, we walked by a large white building with a tower and red trimmed windows, purchased by a wealthy noblewomen for her artistic husband that houses a museum.

We came to the original German Corner, well back towards town from the current one, along the old city wall. Imbedded in the wall was the Crusaders cross. On the corner were several lines marking flood heights. Our guide told us of a recent flood in 2021 that was the worst, and flooded well beyond the reach of her outstretched paddle.

We walked to the present German Corner to the large equestrian statue of Wilhelm I, then along the Moselle past early hospital buildings made possible by an 18th century woman philanthropist.

We wound our way through the narrow cobblestone streets and alleyways to Augenroller (eye roller). Every half hour the eye-rolling clock face sticks out it’s tongue to mock the good citizens of Koblentz. Close to the Augenroller was the building which housed the original Jewish synagogue. This building and the building next to it were being renovated when renovations had to be stopped because a portion of an old Roman wall was uncovered. By law this partial wall will now need to be featured and left exposed in the renovation.

We traveled through a narrow alleyway to see half-timber construction up close as we made our way to the Romanesque Liebfrauenkirche (church of Our Dear Lady). Its history dates back to early Christian times, but its present form is the result of remodeling work in 1182–1250. A triple-nave basilica with galleries, it has a twin-tower western façade. The beautiful Gothic choir was added in 1404–30.

From there we walked through Jesuit square to Schangelbrunnen fountain. The locally famous fountain features a statue of a rascally boy who intermittently spits water at passersby from his fountain perch. We saw a couple wedding parties celebrating with champagne near the fountain.

We also walked through some narrow alleyways, but in one of them was a display that showed the inner workings of the half-timber construction. It was interesting to see how all that worked, and helped us to understand a little better about how that construction has held up through the centuries.

Our tour ended so we visited the Jesuit church near the fountain. The building looked old but the inside was very modern. We walked back to the church of Our Dear Lady. It is hard to describe each church since in many ways they are very similar, but each having differences. I’ll let the pictures speak for this one.

We stopped along the way for what our guide claimed was the second best gelato in Germany. We can’t vouch for that, but it was a popular place and the gelato very tasty.

After our refreshment break, we went into the Church of our Dear Lady, which is located in the center and highest point of the old town of Koblenz. In the front of the church was a plaque that demonstrated the religious tolerance that is prevalent in Germany today. You can see the symbols of Christianity (cross), Judaism (star of David) and Islam (crescent) that put together depict an angel. Can you see it?

The beginnings of Liebfrauenkirche go back to the 5th century, and was built on the foundations of a Roman building. From the Middle Ages to the French Revolution, it was the main parish church in Koblenz. It had a lot of trauma through the centuries, and was even abandoned by 1803. It was restored starting in 1852 in the Neo-Romanesque style. In November 1944, the church was severely damaged, especially the spire and roof. Over the next few decades, several renovations were made, and efforts were made to bring color schemes within the building back to the 15th century standards. There are a number of notable old pieces remaining in the church; as an example, the painting on the left in the picture above is of St. Nicholas with a view of Koblenz, created by Baumann in 1680.

The church itself was somewhat plain, bathed in tannish colors. The windows were pretty spectacular, with lots of colors and lots of imagery. The ceiling had criss-crossed sets of beams that were highlighted with splashes of color that coordinated well with the windows. The sun beaming through the windows created prisms of color on the checkerboard marble floor.

We made our way back to the ship, window shopping and enjoying even more fountains and lovely flowers along the way.

We had some time to relax before the port talk and dinner. Tonight is German night so all the food will be German dishes, along with German beer and schnapps. We enjoyed the cheese, sausage, a couple of the desserts and tolerated the rest. Truly, German food is not our favorite.

Alan managed to spill his soup and beer while trying to politely pass the cheese that was provided for the pretzels. Our waiter, Ellen, was quick with towels (and another bowl of soup), but it seems that she won’t let Alan forget the incident!

We ate dinner with Dana (short a) and Danielle, who live in the mountains of northwest Georgia, and enjoyed learning some about their life and family.

This morning, sail along the Middle Rhine and enjoy scenic cruising through the Rhine Gorge, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Pass the sleepy town of Sankt Goar, home to Rhinefels Castle, the largest fortress on the Rhine. See Lorelei Rock, named after the fabled figure who once lured sailors to her shores and stop in Koblenz. Stroll around the romantic town, witness where the Rhine and Moselle Rivers meet and explore its historic past.

Historic Koblenz

HIGHLIGHTS OF ROMANTIC GERMAN TOWN

Take a leisurely stroll around Koblenz and explore its historic past. You will meet your guide and begin your tour at Deutsches Eck, the city’s famed German Corner. Jutting into the waters like the prow of a ship where the Rhine and Moselle Rivers meet, this public park is home to a popular equestrian statue of Emperor Wilhelm I. After time to admire the sculpture, continue your walk among the narrow streets. Visit Jesuitsenplatz, or Jesuit Square, in the heart of the Old Town and named after the religious order of the same name. Admire the beautiful old school that sits on the eastern side of the square, and has been used as Koblenz City Hall since 1895. As you explore, your guide will point out influences from ancient Rome, the Middle Ages and the Napoleonic era.