<\/figure>\n\n\n\nThe figures were created by the sculptor Fritz Berlin (1924-1997). Between the figures you can read on a plate the saying: “Die Maatfrau s\u00e4t zom Schutzmann, dat es mir jetzt zo bont. Do hat gepinkelt an mein Mann (= wicker basket with vegetables), d\u00e4 Nobersch ihre Hond.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Old castle<\/h2>\n\n\n\n On the banks of the Moselle stands the Old Castle, a former electoral castle complex from the 13th century. For me, one of the little-noticed sights in Koblenz, but one that should not be overlooked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Originally, there was a residential building there. With the extension of the Koblenz city wall around 1250, the archbishop had it rebuilt into a kind of Zwingerburg, which was completed in 1307. Directly next to the castle, the Balduin Bridge was built from 1342 as a connection to the other side of the Moselle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Over the years and with many alterations, the building was used by electors, a tinware factory, the city savings bank, the city welfare office, Debeka and the Hitler Youth. After a complete renovation after the Second World War, the municipal library (until 2013) and the municipal archive moved into the Old Castle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/figure>\n\n\n\nI am impressed by the mighty walls of the Old Castle. If you stand on the banks of the Moselle, you can see two small towers and the hipped roof very well. From the city side, I also like the building quite well. Here, however, it has lost for me the “heaviness and mightiness” and seems almost like a fairly normal building and not like a castle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The protected cultural monument belongs to the UNESCO World Heritage Upper Middle Rhine Valley.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Water level house with water level gauge<\/h2>\n\n\n\n On the bank of the Rhine stands the gauge house with the gauge clock. Today there is a restaurant in the gauge house. Originally, the building was erected in the 17th century as a Rhine crane. It was used as such until 1839, and then only as a gauge house.<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/figure>\n\n\n\nTo determine the level of the Rhine, you needed the blue water level clock, which is located directly on the building. Admittedly, we initially stood a bit perplexed in front of the hands and were not really able to read the level of the Rhine. It was only after we had checked the current level online that the figures became clear to us. It is actually relatively simple: the large pointer shows the meter level and the small pointer shows the centimeter level.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Liebfrauenkirche (Church of Our Lady)<\/h2>\n\n\n\n In the center of the old town, to be more precise on the highest point of the old town, stands the Catholic Church of Our Lady. Its high towers dominate the cityscape and the church is one of the sights in Koblenz that should not be missed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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The beginnings of the church date back to the 5th century and the church was the main parish church of the town for many centuries. Over time, the church building has been expanded and rebuilt several times.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
During the French period in Koblenz, the church deteriorated visibly and could only be saved from demolition by a new roof (1808). This, however, changed the outer appearance a lot.<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/figure>\n\n\n\nDuring the air raids on Koblenz, the church roof and the spires burned down. The walls and vaults remained intact, however, and so reconstruction could begin quite quickly. In the meantime, the exterior of the choir and the nave have been restored to the color scheme they had in the Middle Ages. The beautiful choir windows were installed in 1992.<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/figure>\n\n\n\nI also find the late Gothic star-ribbed vault in the nave of the church beautiful. I have seen the unusual color design in very few churches so far. The altar of St. Nicholas in the southern aisle is the only old preserved altar in the church. Other furnishings, such as the tombs, date from the 15th-18th centuries. It is worthwhile to go on a little journey of discovery through the nave!<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n <\/figure>\n\n\n\n <\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\nI find very exciting that for many years two tower guards were on duty in one of the church towers. In addition, there were 4 other night watchmen around the Liebfrauenkirche. They took turns reporting to the tower watchman every 15 minutes by pulling the tower bell. He then addressed them through the call pipe on the tower. The tower watchmen were on duty from 10 p.m. to 3\/4\/5 p.m. (depending on the season). If they saw a fire or if a night watchman reported a fire, they had to give alarm with the fire bell and the horn. If a fire broke out during the day, the sexton had to take over this task.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Jesuitenplatz (Jesuit Square)<\/h2>\n\n\n\n For me, Jesuitenplatz is one of the most beautiful squares in Koblenz. The square got its name from the Jesuit order. They were resident there from 1580 – 1773 and had the Jesuitengymnasium built. This building, which looks almost like a castle, is today the town hall of the city. The former Jesuit church is now the City Church.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n <\/figure>\n\n\n\n <\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\nBasilica of St. Kastor<\/h2>\n\n\n\n The Basilica of St. Kastor in the old town of Koblenz is the oldest preserved church building in the city. The church stands behind the German Corner on the headland where the Rhine and Moselle rivers meet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Already in the times of Emperor Augustus (27 B.C. – 14 A.D.) there must have been a Roman fort on the site of today’s church. This can be proven by finds, which were discovered during construction work in 2008.<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/figure>\n\n\n\nA church then existed from about the first half of the 9th century. There are records in which the monastery St.Kastor is mentioned as a meeting place of emperors and kings, where they negotiated disputes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The reconstruction of the church to its present shape and size began around 1160. Numerous battles around Koblenz repeatedly caused destruction to the church. With the construction of the city wall, it was then protected from attacks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/figure>\n\n\n\nIn 1216, the archbishop of the time brought the knights of the Teutonic Order to Koblenz. He gave them part of the church grounds with the hospital there. He wanted to use their knowledge in nursing for the city. The administration of the Order’s province was established at the corner where the Moselle and Rhine rivers flowed together, and it was called Deutscher Ordt and later Deutsches Eck.<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/figure>\n\n\n\nOver the years, some structural changes were made, always in line with the current trend of the time, such as the removal of the Baroque furnishings. Also the damages after the Second World War were removed and the church was rebuilt in accordance with the preservation order. Since 1991, the Chestor Church has been a Basilica minor elevated by the Pope.<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/figure>\n\n\n\nIf you approach the basilica from the city side, you will cross a large square. There stands the Kastorbrunnen since 1812. I really like the view of the two high 44 meter pilastered towers. If you come from the water side, you walk through a garden with beautiful flowers. A dreamlike place of peace where you can forget the time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n <\/figure>\n\n\n\n <\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\nI felt something similar when I entered the nave. What a beautiful and wonderfully quiet space. Even though the interior looks somewhat disparate in parts due to the different construction phases, I really like it. Especially the star-ribbed vault of the rather wide nave impress me. In the apse I discover a fresco of the Holy Trinity in the dome (1849) and on one outer wall the image of grace from the 15th century. Walking through the basilica, I have the feeling to discover something from almost every century.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Florinsmarkt<\/h2>\n\n\n\n Once upon a time\u2026 you could say that at Florinsmarkt, because this was once the political and economic center of Koblenz.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And today\u2026? Today, the Florinskirche stands here, an ensemble of historic buildings and here is the “Augenroller”.<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/figure>\n\n\n\nThe Florin Church once belonged to the canonical monastery of St. Florin. In 1803 the church was secularized. In the following years, the building was used as a magazine and municipal slaughterhouse with stalls. After the Prussians took over the city, King Frederick William III gave the building to the Protestant military and civil parish. The former Catholic church was consecrated Protestant in 1820. It was the first Protestant church building in Koblenz.<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/figure>\n\n\n\nThe historical buildings are the old “Kauf- und Danzhaus”, the Gothic “Sch\u00f6ffenhaus” and the “B\u00fcrresheimer Hof”. The old “Kauf- und Danzhaus” was built in 1419 in Gothic style and rebuilt in the 17th\/18th century in Baroque style. Until 2012, the Mittelrhein Museum was located there. In the Gothic Sch\u00f6ffenhaus, the aldermen of the city court once met and the B\u00fcrresheimer Hof was a residential building.<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/figure>\n\n\n\nMy personal highlight at the Florinsmarkt, however, is the Augenroller, one of the more inconspicuous sights in Koblenz. A head can be seen under a tower clock. The eyes wobble from right to left every second, much like the pendulum of a clock. In addition, the figure sticks out its tongue every half and full hour. The eye roller is supposed to remind of the robber baron Johann Lutter von Kobern. He was executed on the square in 1536. According to legend, the severed head twisted his eyes and stuck out his tongue in front of the gawking crowd.<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/figure>\n\n\n\nBalduin Bridge<\/h2>\n\n\n\n Large, stable and powerful, the stone arch bridge looks to me. The oldest preserved bridge in Koblenz dates back to the 14th century. It is the last bridge to cross the Moselle before it flows into the Rhine and today connects the old town with the L\u00fctzel district.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The construction of the bridge was initiated by Elector Balduin of Luxembourg in 1342\/43, who also gave the bridge its name. It took about 85 years to complete the Balduin Bridge with its fourteen arches with thirteen piers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/figure>\n\n\n\nThe bridge suffered varying degrees of damage over the years due to flooding and ice, but remained standing until the end of the Second World War. In 1945, the Wehrmacht blew up all of Koblenz’s bridges. 3 arches of the Balduin Bridge collapsed. As quickly as it was possible, they rebuilt the connection across the river.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Then, in the 1960s, part of the bridge had to make way for a modern prestressed concrete bridge. The Moselle was canalized to accommodate modern shipping traffic. The remaining arches were widened, creating a bridge almost twice as wide as the original in the Middle Ages. Today, a stone statue commemorates the eponymous elector.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Explore sights in Koblenz: the Middle Rhine Museum<\/h2>\n\n\n\n Since 2013, the Middle Rhine Museum has been located in the Forum Confluentes, a modern and architecturally very interesting building.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n <\/figure>\n\n\n\n <\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\nAn art-loving priest had collected a good 200 paintings during his lifetime. In 1834, shortly before his death, he bequeathed these to the city of Koblenz, which found a suitable exhibition space. The holdings grew through the merging of collections and further donations, and over time more and more space was needed, so that the collection moved several times.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n <\/figure>\n\n\n\n <\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\nDuring the Second World War, attempts were made to protect the plants as best they could. Nevertheless, some were destroyed, lost or became “loot” of the Allies. The remaining holdings were made accessible again from 1949 to 1965 under the new name Mittelrheinisches Museum, initially in Ehrenbreitstein Fortress. In 1965, the museum moved to the buildings on Florinsmarkt, which had been rebuilt and converted for museum purposes. Since 2013, the exhibition can now be viewed in the Forum Confluentes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n <\/figure>\n\n\n\n <\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\nWe looked around a bit in the museum. I particularly liked the paintings that have a regional connection and depict the Rhine, the Moselle and Koblenz. Here you can discover wonderful impressions of historic Koblenz, which the artists have skillfully captured. Not to be missed is the large city model that illustrates the structure of Koblenz very well.<\/p>\n\n\n
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We discovered the sights in Koblenz in cooperation withKoblenz-Touristik GmbH\u00a0<\/a> .<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Koblenz, the city where the Rhine and Moselle meet, is the oldest city in Germany. Here in the southwest of Germany, the city with Ehrenbreitstein Fortress forms the gateway to the Upper Middle Rhine Valley.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":24575,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[388],"tags":[85],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n
Sights in Koblenz: 19 places to see<\/title>\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n\t \n\t \n\t \n \n \n \n \n \n\t \n\t \n\t \n