Sunday, October 07, 2007

KOBLENZ AM RHEIN

GERMANY'S MOST BEAUTIFUL "CORNER" - DECEMBER 2005

The 2000-year-old town of Koblenz is situated at the junction of the rivers Rhine and Mosel and is surrounded by four low mountain ranges. Koblenz owes its name to the Romans who named "castellum apud confluentes" (castle at the confluence of the rivers) the castle they constructed here around 9 B.C. Koblenz, the former residence of the Electors of Trier, was conquered by foreign armies and has received princes, kings, emperors and presidents within its walls. It is a truly European place!


"TOO LATE – At 2:00 P.M. we tried to have lunch at the Winninger Weinstuben. It seems to be a nice restaurant, facing the Rhine and located in a historic building. No chance: the kitchen was already closed!"


"ST. CASTOR is the oldest church of Koblenz dating back to the year 836; its present form dates from the 12th century. From outside you recognize the Romanesque architecture; the interior has gothic vaults and baroque paintings and sculptures. The treaty of Verdun, by which the three surviving sons of Louis the Pious, Charlemagne's grandsons, divided the Carolingian empire, was signed here in 843"


"DEUTSCHES ECK, beyond St. Castor Church, is the place where the river Mosel flows into the river Rhine. In 1897, a monument to Kaiser William I, mounted on a 14 meter high horse, was inaugurated there. The monument stood there till WW II, when the statue was destroyed by US artillery. In 1953, the monument was re-dedicated to German unity. The place is a must, when you are in Koblenz!"


"MOSELLE RIVER – Here ends the 545 km travel of the Mosel River from its source on the Ballon d'Alsace in the Vosges Mountains, France, through the Lorraine region, west of the Vosges, further downstream, in Germany, between the Eifel and Hunsrück mountain regions, until the German Corner in Koblenz"


"OLD TOWN – On the banks of the Mosel, the old town (1276) was home to the castle of the Electors of Trier"


"BURGSTRASSE - Zum Hubertus Weinhaus is one of the few old buildings in Koblenz that survived the fires at the end of the Second World War. It hosts currently a quite nice restaurant"


"LIEBFRAUENKIRCHE - The Church of Our Lady is probably the most beautiful church of Koblenz and it was built in the very centre of town and at its highest point, to be safe from the floods of the rivers Rhine and Mosel. Liebfrauenkirche dates back to the 12th century. From the outside you may see the great onion-towers that were added in baroque times"



"FLORINSKIRCHE, currently an Evangelist church in the city centre, is a triple-nave Romanesque basilica from the 12th century, with a Gothic chancel (1350). The original flat timber ceiling was renewed in 1708, and the squat towers were replaced in 1900 by pointed ones"



"STREET SCULPTURES – Koblenz has a lot of them and some quite funny"


"MUNZPLATZ, where some remains from a Roman castle were found, got its name from an early Mint. In number 8 we find the Metternich House, built in 1674, and where the Prince Klemens Wenzel von Metternich was born. Metternich earned the admiration of succeeding generations for his brilliant management of foreign policy"


"FOUR TOWERS – Pedestrian zone"


"SACRED HEART CHURCH, built when Koblenz was starting its development towards south in 1900-1903, is a Catholic church. It belongs to the group of the most significant neo-Romanesque churches in Germany"




"CHRISTMAS MARKETS are famous everywhere in Germany. The Koblenz Christmas Market is one of the largest in Rhineland, with more than one hundred wooden stands. There you may taste Glühwein (a spicy mulled wine), usually prepared from cheap red wine, heated and spiced with cinnamon sticks, cloves and sugar, and sometimes with almonds and raisins. Another possibility is to enjoy the Christmas Market ice skating rink"

33 comments:

JaamZIN said...

these churches are really wonderful! thank you for visiting my site:)

Miss Kim said...

HUmmm... I've never been to Koblenz but it looks like someplace I would really like to visit!
Now you must look at my latest posting about Macedonia-- I think you've never been there!

isa said...

We visited Koblenz years ago (during our honeymoon Romantic Road tour in Europe), but I see not much has changed! I also have a photo with the same street sculptures as you ;-)
But it is a lovely town, with good food and some nice walkable areas around the riverfront...
(PS Your charming daughter Di looks very much like your wife!)

Chica, Cienna, and Cali said...

Beautiful!!!! we get to see the daughter too here and get an early taste of Christmas too:)

freefalling said...

It's hard to imagine a 2000 year old town when the oldest of ours are only 200 years old.
Of course, we have remnants all over the country of the Koori people's lives which span back 10's of 1000's of years.
But as far as 2000 year old towns, I get excited when I see a 150 year old building!
Did you visit Ingolstadt when you were in Germany? My best friend from my school days lives there now and I've never seen it.
Yes, your daughter looks like your wife and they are both so teeny tiny.
Thank you for being a gentleman on my latest post - that Isabella, she's no gentleman!!

Lynette said...

What a great series of photos. It certainly is a beautiful city; the churches alone would be worth the visit.

Thanks for visiting Portland (OR) Daily Photo.

Shionge said...

What a nice charming place to visit and the church, is it still a place of worship?

Through you I get to travel more, thank you :D

Aditi said...

ooh the location of the town sounds wonderful.. the descriptions and pictures were great as always
=)

Pijush said...

Waoww... Nice pics and narration. Though it was not a sunny day, you managed to capture the beauty of the place nicely.

indicaspecies said...

Gil,

A lovely post on Koblenz with good narration and you have included details of history and architecture of the place as well. And beautiful shots to go with it all.

Dropping by your interesting blog gives a feeling of a visit to the place you describe. Thank you for sharing. :)

Cergie said...

Bonjour GMG

Je suis allée moi aussi à Coblence lorsque ma fille et son compagnon habitaient à DÜsseldorf. Nous avions fait avec eux la vallée du Rhin. J'aime beaucoup cet endroit où la Moselle rejoint le Rhin. Il faut te dire que ma maison de famille est à Epinal, dans les Vosges, sur la Moselle. Et le caillou de Moselle, je l'aime. Et à Düsseldorf il est devenu le galet usé du Rhin. J'ai des photos en macro des cailloux de Moselle sur mon blog. Et aussi une photo des galets du Rhin avec l'eau du Rhin...

Voilà, tu m'as dit sur mon blog que cela aurait été intéressant de voir l'Arc de Triomphe vu par mes yeux. Tu as raison, il faudra que je le fasse. Mais ce jour là, nouis n'avions pas le temps. Il faudrait que je le prenne ce temps que j'ai consacré ce jour là au musée des Arts Premiers du Quai Branly. C'était le post précédent sur mon blog...

C'est cela qui est intéressant, ce que chacun retient des même choses ou endroits.

Vois tu, pour moi, la rivière Moselle et le fleuve Rhin, c'étaient ces fois là les cailloux qu'ils roulent....
Des caillous qui s'usent et qui parviennent depuis les montagnes jusqu'à la mer...

Lakshmi said...

This is simply amazing ...I just saw koblenz from the cruise :( awesome post ..and thanks for your comments on salzburg and munich posts..ive just finished venice and I feel so nostalgic ...

photolicious said...

Bonjour GMG,

Vous etes vraiment un voyageur du monde! Je vous remercie pour les photos ici parce que je peux voir le monde sans sortir chez moi! Tres bien!

You are truly a world traveller! Thanks for the photos here because I can see the world without leaving my house! Very good effort!

You are always invited to:
Vous etes toujours invite a:
www.veryclicky.blogspot.com

Neva said...

What beautiful pictures. You take some lovely pictures of some lovely places.

lv2scpbk said...

St. Castor church looks wonderful. And, you and your wife always look so happy visiting all these places, it must be wonderful.

Anonymous said...

You are so lucky to be able to visit all these wonderful places! I think Koblenz is the twin city of Norwich. Your photos are so beautiful.

Thanks for visiting Norwich Daily Photo.

joy
Your Love Coach

Dina said...

OH i love christmas markets in germany , i have been to three last year, one in Rhineland , trier, one in Frankfurt (very big) and one in Luxembourg. I must admit i loved it and the smells of food is really christmasy. I'm hoping to go there again this year ;)

Anonymous said...

WoW...some wonderfully captured shots & just loved reading your descriptions...Very nice!

Steve Buser said...

Amazing old architecture and you have done well in the varied light conditions to capture the warmth of Koblenz.

I guess I am taking a page out of your book. Couldn't find a way to fit all the pix I have accumulated and continue to accumulate from other place in the New Orleans Daily Photo blog. Some I am doing another blog, Pixel Eyed - stop by.

Jo's-D-Eyes said...

HI gmg,
Don't you ever feel sorry for not being around much, I will be away also many times ( for travelling) So I like to see where you go, therefore you have to travel right!??!:)

Thank you for your SWEET holiday wishes !!!:) I'll be back around oktober 19TH ,with a brown skin, a bigger smile than ever (I have a smile anyway)and lots of photo's... I'll be missing you, BYE:)My photo is now on the new last "leaving day" post.....:)

A Hugh and kisses from JoAnn

Sigma said...

Wonderful pictures. They capture the beauty of the place so nicely. The place is amazing, both in natural, and man-made beauty. And for all its 2000 years, it boasts of a proportional amount of history. :-)

Lori said...

What a charming place! I especially liked seeing the churches, and thanks for the link to the christmas market. We've tried to copy the christmas markets here, but the ones in Germany look much nicer. You've had so many wonderful trips! I was in Germany many years ago and I'd love to go back some time.

lyliane six said...

Sans lire les commentaires, je reconnais bien l'Allemagne! Merci pour les précisions sur le coq portugais, je comprends mieux l'histoire, car sur la carte postale le récit ressemblait au reniement de saint Pierre, le soir de la passion.La santé va mieux, mais le moral n'est pas au beau fixe, la perte d'un ami est très dure.

Kunterbunt said...

Wow, you go everywhere in the world and take beautiful pictures. A real globetrotter *eumh* I mean 'blogtrotter'. Koblenz is nice, yes, but the little wine villages along the Mosel are gorgeous.

Nikon said...

Amazing series as usual! I love the old town & the churches.
The shot of the skating rink - with the modern office buildings in the background - just don't fit in with the charming old architecture.
Thanks for your visit - I hope to dredge up something soon :)

Ash said...

As always, wonderful images and descriptions.

Beefybob7 said...

Hi Gil,

Am scrolling down your wonderful german scenes using my speech recognition. Lovely presentation.

Thanks,
Bob

Dalicia said...

thank you for introducing to this corner of of germany :)

Felicia said...

Thanks for your visits to San Diego Daily Photo. Your travels and photos are impressive! I haven't been to many of the places that you've gone, but thanks to your wonderful photos I can at least get a glimpse.

Catherine said...

That is a very OLD town, and very beautiful, Your photo's are incredible! Thanks for introducing me to such a beautiful place through your eyes!
Cat

Anonymous said...

Hi everybody, sorry for not replying on the spot, but I’ve to manage to find some free time to do it!

Zsolt,
Thanks for your visit. Budapest is a beautiful city that I love most, and your blog shows why!

Kim,
True, I’ve never been to Macedonia, and I’ll be checking your posts on it asap.
Koblenz is a nice small town, and a great basis for cruises on the Rhine and Mosel Rivers.

Isabella,
Honeymoon in Rhineland (and extended to Romantic Europe), that must have been a great treat... Indulging in luxury! Koblenz is quite the same, but still a charming town.
Guida and Di thank for the compliment: Dad is always out... :(

Moi,
The daughter used to travel a lot with us when she was younger; actually the first time she took a plane was for a R-T-W trip in 1992. Blogtrotter Revival 90s (http://www.blogtrotta90s.blogspot.com/, as well as the earlier posts on this Blogtrotter) has some pictures with her. And Christmas is almost around the corner again; getting older...

Freefalling,
That’s a difference between the old and the new continents! But, though young, you have many beautiful things to see in Australia. I love it..., and after reading Bruce Chatwin’s "The Songlines", I think I understand it better!
I’ve never been to Ingolstadt, but will visit it one day; at least to see if the monster as created by the scientist Victor Frankenstein is still on his birth place... ;))
Thanks for the compliments, this time including me; you’re a Lady!

Lynette,
Thanks.

Shionge,
Thanks for dropping by; always love to read you around. These churches are not redundant; still used for public worship!

Aditi,
Thanks. Being at the confluence of the Rhine and the Mosel, at one of the most beautiful sections of the Romantic Road, is a great introduction card!

Pijush,
Thanks; it’s true it was a bit misty, as it frequently happens in Northern European countries.

Celine,
Thanks. I can’t forget the pictures of your last trip to the Himalayas...

Cergie,
Merci. J’ai beaucoup aimé ton commentaire.
Et j’aime bien savoir que Coblence et la Moselle t’apportent des beaux souvenirs. Je ne me rappelle pas d’avoir visité Epinal, mais j’ai dû avoir y être passé.
L’idée des cailloux qui roulent (voyagent) de la montagne à la mer m’est très agréable. Voyager est d’une certaine façon, accomplir cette tâche du nomadisme naturelle de la condition humaine et de la Nature...
Changeons le ton: les cailloux de la Moselle sont jolies sur ton blog et je ne doute pas de la beauté des galets du Rhin, mais vraiment, pour moi, ce sont les Cailloux de Moselle ou des Vosges a pâte d’amande qui semblent les plus sympa... ;))
Ah, et le baba au rhum, la tarte aux myrtilles, la quiche au lard, les truffes de Meuse, le Munster, Le Saulnois… C’est l’heure du déjeuner. À bientôt!
Alors, d’accord: l’ intéressant est ce que chacun retient des même choses ou endroits; même si quelquefois ça arrive à être un petit peu trivial... ;))

Backpakker,
Thanks. It’s amazing, but the first time I visited Koblenz (1976), I departed a River Rhine cruise from its quay! Venice, I can understand your nostalgia...

Photolicious,
C’est délicieux d’avoir une lectrice de mon blog venant de Singapour et commentant en français... Merci. En plus, les nouvelles de Sillypore sont magnifiques!

Neva,
Thanks.

Lv2,
You’re right: it has been quite wonderful for these last 37 years... ;)

Joy,
True: Koblenz is a twin city to Norwich. It seem that the twinning led to a great number of exchange students being swapped.

Dina,
Glad that you enjoyed. Hope you have a great time going back to Germany this year.

Kalyan,
Thanks.

Steve,
Thanks for the comment. I’ll drop by Pixel Eyed asap. I also had to split my pictures; that’s why I have the Blogtrotter 70s & 80s and the Blogtrotter Revival 90s, though not so frequently updated... :(

JoAnn,
Thanks, that’s a very sweet way of putting it... ;)
Look forward to seeing you back here, tanned and smilling!
H & K!

Sigma,
Thanks. 2000 years are actually a great amount of time; but you’re also used to quite old spots in your country...

Lori,
German Christmas markets are actually a season highlight. I’ve also some nice ones in other places, for instance Strasburg, France and Bath, UK, but the Germans usually top them! If you fly to Germany, why not JFK-Lisbon-Munich or Frankfurt? ;)

Lyliane,
Je t’en prie. Bien que la santé va mieux; le moral reviendra, j’en suis sûr!

April,
OK, I know I’m quite close to your domains, so keep watching; there will be some more from your neighbourhood in the next posts!

Nikon,
Thanks. The skating ring is a highlight of the market, but looks a bit anomalous in the middle of the offices and the Glühwein...

Ash,
Thanks!

Bob,
Thanks. Great to see you in Mykonos!

Dalicia,
Felicia,
Catherine,
Thanks for your visits. It’s my pleasure to drive you around!

Ming the Merciless said...

The buildings/architecture in Koblenz are beautiful. The tall churches remind me of Paris and the town buildings remind me of Zurich.

Anonymous said...

Ming,
It's true that you can find similarities between those buildings in Koblenz and some in Zurich, and between Gothic churches almost everywhere, but still Koblenz has some degree of uniqueness...