In April/May 2018, Debra and I cruised the Rhine River for eight days on the Viking Mani. We sailed from Basel, Switzerland to Amsterdam, the Netherlands, with port stops in Germany, France and the Netherlands. Click HERE to read a short introduction about this fantastic cruise.
This story, which is part of a series, is about my walking tour in Koblenz.
This story, which is part of a series, is about my walking tour in Koblenz.
Koblenz, Germany (May 1, 2018) Debra and I had an(other) amazing day – an enchanting cruise-tour of the picturesque Middle Rhine Valley this morning and, after docking in Koblenz, a guided tour of the magnificent Marksburg Castle this afternoon. Click the links to read about our tours.
We had a few hours of free time late afternoon before we set sail for Cologne. While Debra relaxed on board the ship, I went sightseeing in Koblenz (pop. 100,000), which traces its roots to a military post established by the Romans in the 8th century B.C.
We had a few hours of free time late afternoon before we set sail for Cologne. While Debra relaxed on board the ship, I went sightseeing in Koblenz (pop. 100,000), which traces its roots to a military post established by the Romans in the 8th century B.C.
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The city’s name was derived from the Latin castellum apud confluentes (in English, fort at the confluence), as this is where the Moselle River, which originates in the Vosges Mountains of France, flows into the Rhine. Deutsches Eck (German Corner), on the western bank of the Rhine, was the name given to the promontory (the point of land) where the rivers meet. This was where the Mani was docked, and where I started my walking tour.
I had researched sights to see in Koblenz ahead of our cruise, as I knew we would have limited time in port. I mapped a route that included cultural monuments, historic buildings, beautiful gardens, and the scenic riverfront promenade – a “taste of Koblenz,” all within a circuit of two miles. |
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An impressive landmark stands on Deutsches Eck just about the length of a football field from the pier – the Memorial to German Unity. The unification, brought about by Kaiser Wilhelm I, followed the end of the two-year Franco-Prussian War in 1871, in which Germany defeated France. The original memorial, which also honored the Kaiser, was inaugurated in 1897. The site was chosen by the Kaiser’s grandson, Wilhelm II. The memorial was destroyed by artillery shelling near the end of World War Two and reconstructed in 1993. One hundred thirty years after his death, Kaiser Wilhelm I still reigned over the Rhine and Moselle!
The Romans may have been the first to fortify Koblenz, but they weren’t the last. At the turn of the 11th century, Ehrenbert Conradine, a member of a family dynasty of German counts and dukes, built a fortress across the Rhine from Deutsches Eck. Over the next 800 years, the fortress passed from one owner to another, until it was blown up by the retreating French in 1801. Fourteen years later, Prussian King Friedrich Wilhelm III ordered that Koblenz become a fortified city. Ehrenbreistein Fortress, named after Ehrenbert Conradine, was built between 1817 and 1828. It occupies a hill on the bank opposite the Memorial to German Unity, rising almost 400 feet above the Rhine. Had I had the time, I would have taken a cable car over the river for a closer look at the fortress. Perhaps another time.
I walked south on Konrad-Adrenauer-Ufer to the Ludwig Museum, housed in a mansion once owned by the Order of the Teutonic Knights – a Catholic religious order that was founded in 1190 to aid Christians on their pilgrimage to the Holy Land. Opened in 1992, the Ludwig Museum exhibits a mostly private collection of post-1945 French and German art, including works by Pablo Picasso, Cesar Baldaccini, Serge Poliakoff, and Jean Dubuffet – a contemporary collection of art in an historic building. As an aside, the museum was named for its benefactors, Irene and Peter Ludwig, and not the German composer.
Nearby was the Romanesque-style Basilica of St. Castor. The original church was built in the early 9th century, making St. Castor the oldest church in Koblenz. The present shape of the church, which includes twin towers that soar seven stories, resulted from construction projects in the 12th and 19th centuries. St. Castor was given basilica status by Pope John Paul II in 1991. The setting for the church was park-like and peaceful, with lovely green grass and trees and a small garden of colorful flowers – a lovely place to spend a few minutes of introspection!
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I traveled south on Karmeliterstrasse to a small urban park near a government office building, where I found two large sandstone slabs and four rusty steel cages. This was the Memorial to Victims of National Socialism, “against forgetting and for constant vigilance and responsibility for the future.” The memorial was designed by sculptor Jurgen Waxweiler and inaugurated in 2001. These words were engraved on the surface of one stone: Gedenktder der verfolgten, geschundenen, ermordeten 1933 – 1945 (In memory of the persecuted, battered, murdered 1993 – 1945). This was a simple yet powerful memorial and standing in front of it was a moving experience.
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I was fascinated by the architectural design of many of the buildings I passed as I headed to my next stop. Here are two examples – the Higher Regional Court (left-hand photo) and the Federal Office of Equipment, Information Technology and In-Service Support (right-hand photo). The latter, designed in a Rhenish (Rhine) Romanesque style and completed in 1906, was the office of the President of the Prussian District that included Koblenz. The tower at the corner of this building was erected at the location of the first tower of the medieval town wall – a tie that bound the present to the past!
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In 1989, most countries in the world signed the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child – an international agreement that “helped transform children’s lives around the world.” Every year, the city of Koblenz celebrates children’s rights with a series of activities and, in each year starting in 2009, different groups have created “Places of Children’s Rights” – public art installations that celebrate children’s rights – throughout the city. I happened along one of these installations – the eighth – near the Higher Regional Court Building. Promoting Article 12 of the Convention, “Consideration of a Child’s Will,” this 7-foot-tall ball was created by graphic artist Mario Geldner. “Gehört warden” means “to be heard”. Pretty neat, huh?!
Soon I was standing in front of Schloss Koblenz, which was constructed in the late 18th century as a residential palace for Prince Clemens Wenzeslaus of Saxony. The style is French Neoclassicism, “characterized by a grandeur of scale, simplicity of geometric forms, Greek or Roman detail, dramatic use of columns.” I'd say so! Nearly all but the outer walls of the palace were destroyed by Allied bombing in 1944, and the present palace was rebuilt in 1950-51 using the original plans. Today, the palace houses various governmental offices, and the middle section is used for banquets and meetings.
I loved the manicured gardens and trellised walkway and was intrigued by a sandstone sculpture by Johann Hartung (1854) titled Father Rhine and Mother Mosel.
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I followed the scenic promenade north alongside the Rhine as I made my way back to the Mani.
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Over a leisurely dinner in the ship’s dining room, I shared my “Taste of Koblenz” with Debra. (However, I didn’t share the Asbach brandy I purchased yesterday in Rudesheim!) Afterward, as we listened to music in the lounge, we talked about our amazing day of new experiences and the memories that will last us a lifetime. We had (and are having) the time of our lives!
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