The Historiensäule or "History Column" was presented to Koblenz from the state of…read moreRhineland-Palatinate in 1992 to commemorate its 2000th anniversary. Installation was delayed until 2000 due to sculptor Jürgen Weber's illness. The column tells the 2000-year history of Koblenz in ten scenes, from Roman times to the present day. What hits hard is that 4 of the 10 scenes are destructive: i.e., crusades/ slave trade, Thirty Years War/ witch hunts of the Counter Reformation, French Revolution, and WWII. https://www.visit-koblenz.de/en/sights/history-column

This is a very interesting and beautiful fountain in old town Koblenz. It is surrounded right now…read moreby a Christmas market and is kinda difficult to see when it is crowded. We were in town and were able to get back on a Monday morning before the markets opened for the day.

Koblenz is named for the Roman word for "confluence" for the confluence of the Rhine and Moselle…read moreRivers. Specifically, the rivers meet at Deustches Eck. The equestrian statue of Kaiser Wilheilm I was erected in gratitude for the unification of the German Empire in 1897. After WWII, the monument was declared a symbol of German unity, which is bold given that Germany was divided between East and West at the time.

The Deutsches Eck or German Corner, is where the Rhein and Mösel rivers converge in Koblenz…read more The corner has several memorials to German history, including pieces of the Berlin Wall and renaming a street after Chancellor Konrad Adenauer. But the corner is dominated by a huge bronze statue of German Emperor and the King of Prussia, Wilhelm I the Kaiser's father. It was rebuilt in 1993. One of the more emotional and sad histories shown in laminate placards (photos) here, is the the erection of the Berlin Wall by the communists and the solders who shot at anyone who trying to crossover to the west. It was clearly a painful time for the Germans themselves and the west, which felt helpless to stop these atrocities. The German Corner became a symbol for German Re-Unification both by Adenauer and President Theodor Heuss for the German people Today, the flags of the sixteen German Länder States fly here, in remembrance of German unity. Btw, the Basilica of St. Castor, the oldest church in Koblenz is very close and worth seeing.

We went to the medieval dinner at the castle. It is held on some Saturday nights beginning at 6…read morepm. It is delivered in German. My wife and I went and used our Google Translate to follow most of the tour and the dinner and it worked fairly well. we enjoyed the tour, the dinner was very good and the event was fun and enjoyable. Sam was the head of the house and the host of the dinner. He is first rate and is an extraordinary talent.

Stunning. Nearly unbelievable that it's real!…read more Beautiful medieval castle overlooking Cochem and the Moselle River. The scenery is extraordinary. The castle tour is well worth it as is the drive to it. There is a small cafe/restaurant there. We had some excellent soups and some nice beers. Prices were reasonable considering the incredible view and historic setting. Pro Tip on Parking: Just keep driving up. The parking is all the way up by the castle and there are several areas. Many people park down the road and walk up. Don't do this... unless you want the cardio. Pro Tip on Photos: There are several excellent photo stops while on the drive down into Cochem before driving up to the castle as in my photos. Pro Tip on Cochem: Very cool town. Tourist restaurants are on the castle side of the river but there are a couple great places on the other side of the river that offer higher quality fare and a great view of the castle.

THE TREK (WALKABILITY) The castle is located DOWN a very…read moresteep hill from the parking lot, so be ready for a very long walk down and BACK up, unless you want to pay 2 euros (cash only, no cards) to take the shuttle, which comes and goes every 7-10 mins. Once you get down to the castle, getting into the castle is a bit tricky, as the steps are very worn out stone. Going up isn't as bad as going down when you leave the castle. THE CASTLE The Burge Eltz Castle is beautiful, from a far and up close, in person. You definitely get the vibe of fairytale castle from Burg Eltz! THE TOUR Upon entry, you get a 'gold coin' that bears the crest of the family on one side and a depiction of the castle on the other. The tour itself was well explained and well paced. Our guide did need to be told to slow down his speech rate, as he was speaking particularly fast in English, but it was otherwise fine. We were not allowed to take photos of the interior of the castle during the Castle, which was fine. I appreciated that they informed our group of this at the very beginning. MISC The only restroom is located just outside of the Castle, so you do need to completely exit the castle to access it. There is no ATM on site, and the gift shop cannot provide euros to tourists via credit cards. If you would like to use the shuttle to get back UP to the parking lot, go to the cafe and order a coffee or beer, they put a 5 euro hold on the cups. When the cups are returned, they will give patrons 5 euros in cash, in return. I do appreciate that they have a method for guests to obtain euros.

Cool Castle to go see. It's a nice little hike to get to it but well worth it. It's nice that you…read morecan go inside and see some of the old stuff that used to be in it.