Where is the Princess?

Stolzenfels Castle

Middle Rhine

On my last post, I left off with our traveling south from Koblenz...appropriately named Going South. Clever, huh?

We continued our journey south to see some of the 40 castles and fortresses that still exists along the Middle Rhine.  The Middle Rhine is one of four sections of the river. Actually there are more than 40 castles and fortresses in this section according to some sources....those say correct number is 48. ("po-tate-o... po-tah-to",... it's still a lot of castles and fortresses) The Middle Rhine runs the length  of the river between Bonn, Germany and Bingen, Germany.  One of the most expedient ways to see a lot of these, would be to take one of the Rhine cruises. However, if you are there in December, you have to check to see what cruises are available. Many of the tourist cruises end on October 31st.  We chose to drive the distance so we had the luxury of stopping where and when we wanted.  Today, I am going to talk about just two stops.  I fear that I am already past the point of boring you with our itinerary.

Thought Number One: Stolzenfels Castle

No sooner had we left the city of Koblenz heading south...thinking our next stop would be in Boppert when we saw the prettiest castle sitting up on the bluff...which of course meant we needed to scope it out.

According to Europedia, the Stolzenfels Castle is open to the public everyday of the year for tours.  What I quickly determined is that Europedia is as accurate at Wikipedia...which means that I wasn't horribly shocked to see:

We, however, weren't deterred from walking around.  While my photography skills don't do justice to how pretty the setting actually is...it truly is  no less than spectacular. (My husband's camera does a bit better job capturing the richness of the colors but neither can capture the true beauty of the place.) There is a winding trail that goes up to the castle past a chapel and a gate house.  

A little background about the castle:

• The castle was built in 1259 as a toll station on the Rhine until 1412.
• It was occupied by several countries including Sweden in 1632 and France in 1634 and 1646.
• The French destroyed much of it in 1689 during the Palatinate Succession War.
• After the defeat of Napoleon, the town of Koblenz demanded ownership and gave the ruins to the Prussian Prince Royal, Friedrich Wilhelm.
• In 1836 the castle was restored to it's original glory.

 Thought Number Two:  Bacharach, Germany

After making stops in several towns along the way, each being more charming than the last, we pulled into Bacharach and parked next to one of the old fortress towers. 

My husband had been to Bacharach a couple of other times prior to my arrival, so you will notice some differences in the pictures. The day, I arrived,  the town had Christmas markets in the streets.

Bacharach has two very prominent tourist draws. One of them being the ruins of an ancient chapel. The Werner Chapel, unfortunately,  has a tragic story attached to it.  The chapel was first built in 1289 to honor a 16 year old named Werner of  Oberwesel who was murdered. The murder was blamed on the Jewish community and the accusations brought with it a number of crimes against the Jewish population.

The chapel remained uncompleted and was further damaged by the French when they destroyed Stahleck Castle that was located just up the hill.

What remains of Werner Chapel, however, is the architectural skeleton of what is some of the most enduring examples of Gothic art used in design of buildings.

The real attraction to the area is the Stahleck Castle that sits further up onto the hillside.

Background of the castle:

• There is no clear evidence when the castle was built but it is believed to be around 1135 AD.  
• The castle was sacked 8 times over the course of its history leaving it in various states of ruin.
• It was finally beyond repair when the French destroyed it in 1689. The French not only decisively destroyed the castle but also, destroyed Werner Chapel as well.
• In 1909, the castle footings and remaining walls were stabilized so work could begin to rebuild it.
• By 1925 it was rebuilt  incorporating the remains of the original structure, with the help of Erst Stahl.  His intent was to  rebuild it in it's original "spirit".  The newly rebuilt castle was intended to be a hostel. 
• During the First and Second World Wars, the buildings were taken over and used by the Third Reich for various reasons including an indoctrination camp for the young men of Germany.
• It returned to a youth hostel in 1947.
• Today it houses over 42,000 overnight stays a year. The 168 beds are nearly always reserved.

So...that is where, I will leave off for today.

Next week, I will show you Amsterdam.



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