April 2, 2018 ~ Koblenz and Castles on the Rhine

April 2, 2018 ~ Koblenz and Castles on the Rhine

I woke this morning and peeked out our cabin window to see a bronze statue of a man on a horse.

This statue of the first German emperor, Wilhelm I, stands in a park at Deutches Eck, the headlands where the Mosel and Rhine Rivers merge.  What made me smile even more was the fact that it was just on the other side of the park (the Mosel side) that our first river boat cruise ship was docked forty some years ago!  What fun it was to realize that we had slept just across the way from that first boat's location.

Jeff's photo of the exact spot where we boarded our long ago "Moselfahrt"

We were not long in Koblenz.  In fact we boarded our tour bus bright and early to go to our shore excursion for the day, Marksburg Castle.  It was a strenuous adventure, but well worth the effort.  We were divided into four groups (we were in Group A) and boarded our respective buses.  These Viking owned coaches were like everything Viking - elegant and brand new Mercedes buses.  Our driver wowed us with his driving ability as he wound his way up the road (two-way, but you wouldn't know it) to the castle.  From there we had a steep walk of about half a mile to the outside of the castle.  There, our guide, Erin, opened the castle gates to let us into the courtyard.

My photo of Marksburg Castle taken from the walkway up from the parking lot

Our guide, Erin, with the key to the castle in her left hand

The castle keep under blue skies

Marksburg castle rises above the town of Braubach on a hill overlooking the Dachsenhauser and Rhine Valleys.  It is an an unusual castle in that it has never fallen into ruins, and it looks today much as it did in medieval times.  Gerhard von Eppstein, a vassal of Count Palatine, who called himself "Gerhard von Braubach" built a stone "keep" on the hillside in 1100.  This was expanded to a castle in about 1117 to protect the town of Braubach.  The daughter of Gerhad von Eppstein married Count Eberhard I von Katzenelnbogen and the castle eventually passed into the Katzenelnbogen family, who were constantly building and rebuilding the castle throughout the 14th and 15th centuries.  In 1429 the male Katzenelnbogen line became extinct and the castle passed into the hands of the Count of Hesse, who expanded the castle, adding the round towers of the outer curtain wall as well as accommodations for artillery.  The castle also served as a prison in the 18th and 19th centuries, and then passed into the hands of Nassau-Usingen in 1815 and then in 1866 to Prussia before being purchased in 1900 by the Association for the Preservation of German Castles, who continue to restore and run the castle so that visitors like ourselves could catch a glimpse of castle life.  Erin told us that at one time there were as many as 5,500 castles in Germany.  Today only 500 survive - some are in ruins; some are run as restaurants; and some, like Marksburg, are open to the public as living museums.

The name "Marksburg" came into use around 1574 and originated from the St. Mark Altar located in the castle chapel.

             

 

The chapel was a large, beautiful room in the heart of the castle.  But I am getting a bit ahead of myself....

Erin took us up "steps" -- which were somewhat awkwardly fashioned by the soldiers who were garrisoned in the castle -- and inside the castle to the kitchen area where we first experienced what castle life must have been like.  The thick walls - 2 to 3.5 meters thick - made the interior rather dark.  There were alcoves set into the walls with windows to let in the light.  

This wine press was not used in the castle, but was donated to the society and having no other place to put it, they have it in the kitchen area of the castle.

I was fascinated by the collection of glassware in the kitchen, and by the wine cellar, which stored the wine for the castle - a valuable commodity since wine was what the people of medieval times would drink instead of water, which was not potable and was a carrier of disease.

 Also in the kitchen area was the open fire place where meals were cooked and where, during the winter, many members of the family would sleep in order to keep warm.

                     

The beds were surrounded by heavy draperies in order to keep out the cold during the night.  Far too often I tend to romanticize the medieval times and can only imagine the cold, the smoke always in the air from the fire, and the hardships faced by the ordinary folks.

Sometimes I think it must have been like this little flower clinging to life in the one warm, sunny place it could find.

One of those alcoves I mentioned - a "music nook"

A very important alcove -- the "privy"

This is the door to a medieval closet -- the closet is set into the wall of the castle

A view of the castle keep from below

The thatching in what was the stables

 Since we were in group A, we had time to spend in the gift shop which was overwhelmingly crowded, but did enjoy sitting outside and waiting for the bus to return.  Flowers are everywhere in window boxes, and barrels.  Just fun to see them too.

                  

 

And .... as we left Marksburg Castle, we saw our ship coming downstream to meet us before we headed further downstream to pass through the UNESCO World Heritage Area - Castles of the Rhine.

So many castles to see, yet very difficult to capture on camera due to the fact that we were sailing in the afternoon, it is early in the season, and so many of the castles are brown on a brown hillside not yet budding with the green of spring and summer.  

Along the way, we passed ....

Ehrenbreitstein Fortress, sitting on a rock spur 118 meters above the Rhine.  It was first mentioned in 1129 and was developed over five stages continuing into the 18th century.  Sometime after 1150 a pentagonal keep was built along with new residential buildings and a moat on the northern side.  Next, sometime after 1500, an extended moat with a high wall and semi-circular bastions.  Third, sometime around 1600, additional bastions and two ramparts to protect the bastions.  

Stolzenfels Castle, located on the western bank of the Rhine opposite the estuary of the Lahn River.  Constructed sometime in the mid 1200s by the Archbishop of Trier, Arnold von Isenburg.

Liebenstein Castle built in the late 13th century by Philipp von Bolanden's son in law, Albrecht von Lewenstein.  Today there is a hotel, rooms for rent, and a restaurant in this castle.

Not my photo - credit Spottinghistory.com

Maus Castle was constructed between 1353 and 1357 by Archbishop Boemund II and was completed by Kuno II von Falkenstein around 1388.  The castle was never destroyed and was sold in 1806.  It was renovated between 1900 and 1906 and today serves as a reserve for eagles and falcons.

               

Two views of Maus Castle - Jeff's on the left, and mine on the right.

Rheinfels Castle and Fortress is a castle ruin on the left bank of the Rhine above the town of St. Goar.  It was erected by the Counts of Katzenelnbogen beginning in 1245 as a means of collecting tolls.  It has had a storied history and can be visited today as it houses a hotel, a castle inn, a restaurant, and a castle museum.

Rheinfels Castle and Fortress as seen from the sun deck on the Viking Vili

Katz Castle sits halfway up the hillside above the city of St. Goarshausen.  It was built by Count Wilhelm II around 1371.

Katz Castle

Katz Castle with the city of St. Goarshausen at the base of the hill

Schonburg Castle's origins are unknown, but there is speculation that it may have been constructed as early as 966 or as late as 1141.  Roman bricks were found in the oldest part of the castle leading to an assumption that an earlier Roman building was on the site and remnants were used in the building of the current castle.

Schonburg Castle rising above the town of Oberwesel

Schonburg Castle

Gutenfels Castle was built by the Imperial Ministers of Falkenstein beginning after 1200.  It is located on a rock spur above the small town of Kaub.

Gutenfels Castle

Gutenfels Castle with town of Kalb at the foot of the hill

Pfalzgrafenstein Castle is located near Kaub on a rock cliff in the middle of the river.  It looks like a ship made of stone, and was originally a toll castle.

Pfalzgrafenstein Castle with Gutenfels in the background

Reichenstein Castle dates from the early 11th century and sits on a rocky hill above the edge of the town of Trechtingshausen.  Parts of the castle have been restored and it is used as a hotel and restaurant.

Reichenstein Castle

Reichenstein Castle

Reinstein Castle dates from 1323 and sits on a steep rocky outcrop above the Rhine between Bingen and Trechtingshausen.

Rheinstein Castle

Klopp Castle's history can be traced back to about 11 BC when a Roman watch tower sat on the castle hill for the town of Bingium.  It was extended to a castle at about 370 and destroyed by the "Barbarian Invasions."  Restored by Otto II in the 10th century, and first documented in 1105, it was called "Clopp" Castle in 1282.

Klopp Castle

Enjoying the view of the castles on our veranda!

It was a pleasant ride through "castle country" - sunshine and high clouds all afternoon!  What a wonderful way to see the countryside.  It is starting to "green up" a bit.  I remember the vineyards along the Moselle from thirty years ago, and I would love to return to the Rhine and see the vineyards we passed today as they approach harvest.