Not only during the Bundesgartenschau (Federal Horticultural Show) 2011 is Koblenz worth a visit.

Already now a lot is done in Koblenz. There are not only the classical guided tours but also adventurous tours at night or scenic tours which revive events and people of the past. Of course guided tours for groups are also offered in English, Italian, Dutch and some other languages. More information:  stadtfuehrungen@koblenz-touristik.de

Koblenz © flickr/onnola

You can also get “City on Foot” tourist informations via Bluetooth on your mobile phone as there are 14 transmitters in the town. All you have to do is register on www.stadtinfokoblenz.de

Koblenz is more than 2000 years old and has a lot to offer.

For almost everybody the “Deutsches Eck” (German Corner) is well known term. When the Order of Teutonic Knights settled here in 1216 the place where the rivers Rhine and Moselle meet got its name.

Even Koblenz got its name from this confluence as in Roman times it was called “Castellum apud Confluentes”.  At the Deutsches Eck there also is a memorial of Emperor Wilhelm I who had led Germany to a reunification after three wars. In 1891, the grandson of the deceased, Wilhelm II thought the place was quite suitable and in 1897 the memorial unveiled in a formal ceremony in the presence of Emperor Wilhelm II. Shortly before the end of WW2 it was destroyed by an American artillery attack. The huge and impressive head of the original statue can now be seen in the Central Rhine Museum in Koblenz.

In 2002 the Upper Midle Rhine Valley became a UNESCO World Culture Heritage Site. The 65 kilometres between Koblenz, Bingen and Rüdesheim epitomise Rhine romanticism. Painters, poets and thinkers got inspired. Many castles can be found there and show the strategic importance of the River Rhine in ancient times.

Deutsches Eck © flickr/rightee

The Ehrenbreitstein fortress is the largest preserved fortress of Europe and was built from 1817 to 1828 and the outside never changed. It rises 118 metres above the River Rhine and from there you have a great view.
The Deutschherrenhaus was the first settlement oft he Order of Teutonic Knights and now is home oft he Ludwig Museum devoted primarily to French art.

A Gothic residential tower called Deutscher Kaiser (German emperor) was built in the 16th century and is one of the few buildings that weren’t destroyed during WW2. The ground floor of the late Gothic vaults now is home to a restaurant.

The Schängelbrunnen (Schängel Fountain) can be found in the court yard of the town hall. It was designed by Carl Burger in 1941 and is dedicated to the local Koblenz poet Josef Cornelius (1849-1943) who wrote the lyrics to the famous Schängel song which is the hymn of Koblenz.  The bronze figure of the fountain spits out water several metres beyond the fountain’s edge at irregular intervals, so take care not to get wet!

St. Castor, Liebfrauenkirche (The Church of Our Beloved Lady) and St. Florian are the three churches of the town that form the skyline of Koblenz. St Castor was made a basilica minor in 1991 by Pope John Paul II.

St. Kastor © flickr/onnola

Those who visit the region of Rhine and Moselle should also try the regional wine. In 1925 the “Weindorf“ (Wine Village) was constructed in Koblenz on the occasion of the noble wine exhibition “German Wine”. In the Wine Village visitors can find timber-framed houses huddled around a square. Of course you do not only get wine but also the typical regional food.

There are also interesting museums in Koblenz such as the Rheinisches Fastnachtsmuseum (Rhineland Carnival Museum), the DB-Museum (Railway Museum), and the Mittelrhein –Museum Koblenz (Central Rhine Museum).

Not only two important rivers flow through Koblenz, it is also surrounded by the 4 low mountain rages Eifel, Hunsrück, Westerwald and Taunus. All 4 of them are great travel destinations for lovers of nature. You can hike and cycle there. And on the rivers you have a choice of different boat tours.

And as Koblenz is located in the centre of Europe it is easy to get there by car, train of plane. None of the surrounding airports is further away than 1 hour.