The Old Town of Koblenz

Our tour through the old town of Koblenz starts at the edge of the old town at the Electoral Palace. Clemens Wenzeslaus of Saxony, the last archbishop, and elector of Trier, had it built at the end of the 18th century. Later, the Prussian Crown Prince and later Emperor Wilhelm I and his wife Augusta lived here.

Today, it serves as the seat of various federal authorities and as a venue for events.

In the park on the Rhine side, there is a monument with Father Rhine and Mother Moselle.

We walk north along the left bank of the Rhine. Somewhat hidden behind trees is the Higher Regional Court of Koblenz.

Shortly after that, the mighty former Prussian government building rises, today the seat of the Federal Office of Bundeswehr Equipment, Information Technology and In-Service Support. In the adjoining building, the Association of Civil Servants of the German Armed Forces has its headquarters.

Directly on the Rhine is the Pegelhaus (water level station) in a former Rhine crane. Today it is the official measuring station for the Rhine level, which is important for Rhine navigation, flood measurements, and possible warnings.

On the occasion of the Federal Garden Show 2011, one added a floor with a glass roof as a panoramic restaurant.

Afterward, we come again to the Deutsches Eck (German Corner), whose name goes back to the Teutonic Order in Koblenz, which had its seat here.

Today the name is associated with the equestrian statue of Kaiser Wilhelm I. The pompous monument appears to us ‘something fallen out of time’. It was only rebuilt in 1993, allegedly because it serves tourism.

We turn towards the city center and arrive at a red house, the Old Merchants’ Guild House, and the former flour scale of the town. The original building, dating from 1582, was destroyed several times and last rebuilt in 1948.

On the other side of the street is the Dreikönigen-Haus (House of the Three Kings), dating back to 1701 and considerably damaged in 1944. After the reconstruction in 1977, it served as the town library. Since 2014, it houses the ISSO, Institute for Social & Sustainable Oikonomics.

Following Kornpfortstraße and Braugasse, we reach the Liebfrauenkirche, the Church of Our Lady. It was probably already the Mother Church of Koblenz around 600 AD.

On the foundations, one constructed a new, late Romanesque building in 1180, and in the 15th century a Gothic extension. In 1693, one added baroque onion domes, badly damaged in 1944 and rebuilt until 1957.

Several times we come across funny wall paintings in the city, such as the one with the pranksters Max and Moritz on the Münzplatz.

In the Münzstraße, we walk through an artistically painted archway.

At the end of the street, we arrive at the Alte Burg, the former electoral moated castle, built between 1277 and 1307 as a fortress against the independence movement of the city.

The city had founded a city council and was striving for more self-administration. Today, it serves as a town archive and can be seen particularly well from the Balduin Bridge.

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We follow the Hohenfelder Straße in the southern direction and turn into the Altengraben, where we reach the monument zone of the Four Towers.

The ensemble of four historic buildings was destroyed in the Palatinate War of Succession and rebuilt between 1689 and 1692. In 1944, the buildings were considerably damaged or destroyed and partly rebuilt afterward in a simplified form. From 1689 until 1848, the building in Marktstraße No 2 (Eierstock Haus) served as the main police station.

The richly decorated bays led to their inclusion in the UNESCO World Heritage Site Upper Middle Rhine Valley, just like the Alte Burg.

It is New Year’s Eve, so we had a table reserved in the Alten Brauhaus (Old Brewery).

Already in 1689, beer was brewed here, in this former town hall Monreal. Later, it became the parent house of the Königsbach brewery, founded in 1885.

The food was excellent and the atmosphere good.

In general, however, eating in Koblenz has one major disadvantage – the portions are far too large so that people could struggle with their weight for days after visiting Koblenz.

Afterward, we arrive at the square Am Plan, where a band already ensures a good atmosphere. But, we decide not to stay too long and walk to the Rhine to see the lights.

Then we head back to the Aparthotel dingdong.

Please read on > Nutria (Coypu) at Rhine and Moselle

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Text, photos and video: Copyright © myVideoMedia

Soundtracks in video:

• Down the Lighted Path by Darkroom (c) copyright 2008
  Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (3.0) license. http://dig.ccmixter.org/files/mactonite/13876 Ft: Klaus_Neumaier
• Golden door by Dagon (c) copyright 2018
  Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (3.0) license. http://dig.ccmixter.org/files/ggmusic/57201

Dieser Beitrag in: Deutsch