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UNESCO World Heritage & Castles

UNESCO World Heritage "Upper Central Rhine Valley", ...

The 65-km long UNESCO World Heritage "Upper Central Rhine Valley" between Bingen and Koblenz is famous for tourism magnets like Rüdesheim or the Loreley Rock, as well as some 30 fortresses and castles - in mathematical terms, roughly one every two kilometres.

For millions of years, the Rhine has carved its valley through the slate hills. It has produced a fascinatingly bizarre, narrow river landscape. Steep slopes covered with vines and bushes, small strips of land along the banks with their towns and villages and numerous castles high above the river.

The Loreley cliff towers above one of the narrowest parts of the Rhine, which has always been regarded as one of the most dangerous parts of the river for boats and their watermen. A wave of Rhine Romanticism was created by well-known poets in the 18th and 19th centuries that inspired generations. It was the time the fairytale of the Loreley was born and made the Middle Rhine Valley famous in the world. Today, the Loreley ballad is known and popular in places as far away as Japan.

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	The Loreley Valley (Tal der Loreley): Information about the Loreley Valley. It is the "Valley of Castles", the "Valley of Wine" and the "Valley of the Rhine". In 2002 the UNESCO declared the cultural landscape in the Upper Middle Rhine as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Click on the link to open the travel guide.

... the UNESCO World Heritage "Upper German-Raetian border wall" ...
Together with a carefully designed road network in the hinterland, the Limes served in protecting the Roman provinces from "Germania libera' or 'Free Germany' from the end of the 1st Century to the middle of the 3rd Century. The "Upper-Germanic Limes" began on the Rhine north of Koblenz near Rheinbrohl and Bad Hönningen, stretching down over the Rhine Heights southwards toward Main, and extending on as the "Raetian Limes" further toward Bavaria.

Its remains can still be seen on the landscape today, and near Rheinbrohl, Oberbieber and Bendorf, three Limes towers have been carefully restored and are open for viewing.

Interested parties can explore the course of the Limes using either the Limes hiking path or the Limes cycling path starting from Rheinbrohl. At the Koblenz State Museum ('Landesmuseum') and in Neuwied's 'Stadtmuseum' or City Museum, impressive finds from the Roman past are on display. Knighting and Roman festivals celebrate life 2,000 years ago in an impressive, true-to-life manner, organized by members of clubs dedicated to the area's Roman history.

... and Castles that Exemplify the History of Western Europe

More than 40 castles and castle ruins tower above the Rhine river between the "Mäuseturm" ("Mouse Tower") near Bingen and the "Rolandsbogen" ("Roland's Curve") in Remagen likewise in between the wooded hills of the "Volcano Park" in the north west of Koblenz. There are not as many castles in an area of that size anywhere else in the world.

Castles still in their original condition (Marksburg - the only hilltop castle never to be destroyed - and Pfalzgrafenstein) stand alongside ruins (such as the vast Rheinfels castle, once the biggest fortress along the Rhine).

Noble palaces like baroque Engers Castle or neo-gothic Sayn Castle alternate with romantic reconstructions of the 19th century instructed by Prussian kings. One perfect example of "Rhine Romanticism" is Stolzenfels Castle near Koblenz, erected by famous Prussian architect Schinkel, further examples Sooneck or Rheinstein Castle.

Today the castles and palaces host hotels, youth hostels, restaurants or museums and are mostly open to the public. They invite you to experience a journey through the rich and outstanding history of the Romantic Rhine: noblemen and robber barons, artisans and merchants and - exciting traditions of historical markets, festival performances and tournaments.

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	Loreley Castle Route (Loreley-Burgenstrasse): The Loreley Castle Route (Loreley-Burgenstrasse) is dotted with picture book castles. This romantic route is a narrow one with seventeen communities linking both the valley itself and the regions above it. Click on the link to open the travel guide.