Touring Castles of the Rhine

Any drive along the Rhine river basin would be both interesting and memorable. Along this historic river one can see examples of both modern day and ancient Germany. The river is filled with industrial barges busily hauling supplies and product to and from the many German industrial sites located in the major cities along the river. These industrial carriers are closely followed in numbers by tour boats carrying thousands of foreign tourists through the scenic valley.

The most scenic and historic portion of the Rhine river valley lies between Frankfurt and Cologne. Many beautiful and historic cities are located between these two cities including: Weisbaden, Rudesheim, Koblenz, and Koln.

This portion of the Rhine also is home to some some 30 castles dating from the middle ages. All are open to the public for a small fee and provide a living history lesson to those who take the time to visit and explore them.

Most tourists are not willing to take the time to visit the individual castles and roam from room to room and walk the stone floors once occupied by Germans intent on defending their territory from hostile invaders. These tourist are content to sail past the castles on a slow moving tour boat from which they can take photos and marvel at the beauty of the castles from afar.

Most tourists fail to realize that by spending just one added day to their tour of this portion of the Rhine they can expand their enjoyment and understanding of the history of this area ten fold. This is accomplished by renting a car and driving along any portion of he river's scenic roadway between Frankfurt and Cologne for one day. By devoting one day to castle touring one can select from 15 castles on either side of the river. Driving the eastern side of the river from Koblenz one can chose from any number of beautiful castles beginning with Fortress Ehrenbreitstein in Koblenz. This a grand scale fortress which like Gibralter was never captured

To the south in Lahnstein one finds castle Lahneck

As a note of history these ancient castles were constructed along the Rhine as defensive fortresses protecting against armies invading Germany through the Rhine valley. The forts (castles) were built on the highest point of land available for defensive purposes, and were located at the most distant point, but still within sight of the next castle downstream. In this way the castle defenders could stay in visual contact with the castle downstream and be constantly aware of its' status.

To the south of castle Lahneck in Kamp-Bomhofen are two guardian castles. These are castle Sternenberg and castle Liebenstein.

To the south is castle Maus in Wellmich.

In St. Goarshausen is Katz castle and in Kaub is castle Gutenfels. Katz castle built 1371 sits on a high bluff and offers one of the most impressive views of the Rhine of all the castles. I

Most of these castles are in some state of disrepair, but considering they were built during the middle ages and with middle age engineering they are, today remarkable to still be standing.

It is interesting while walking through these old castles to get a sense of indicators of the people who occupied them. For example, in one castle stone and mortar crypts can be seen. These were anywhere from five to five and a half feet in length. Several people in our tour inquired how a body could be placed in such a small area. Some concluded that these must be for children. Our tour guide informed us that no, these were for full grown adults, but that we needed to understand that full grown adults of the middle ages were quite small compared with humans of today.

South of St, Goardhausen is Lorch where the ruins of castle Ehrenfels can be found. Even here the location and size of the castle tell a story.

In Rudesheim one finds castle Bromserburg. In ancient days Bromserburg served as a Customs authority collecting fees along the Rhine. Today a portion of the castle serves as an interesting wine museum.

If one is truly interested in understanding Germany and its' history a tour of the Rhine river castle country is a must.