The Middle Rhine Valley reflects the history of Europe. With cultural monuments and cultivated countryside, crowded settlements along narrow banks and various noble castles situated on rocky ledges, it is a reflection of the romantic history of times gone by.
The journey begins in Koblenz, where, in around 1000 A.D. a castle was built on a knoll on the east bank of the Rhine and Castle Ehrenbreitstein gradually developed. Europe’s second largest fortress was given its appearance as we see it today, between 1817 and 1828.
- Boppard has town houses, stately homes and churches that form the romantic old town. After the invasion of the Alemanni, a city wall was built in order to protect what was a toll castle and today the town has developed into an attractive tourist destination surrounded by woods and vineyards.
- Bacharach nestles in the confluence of the Steeger Valley, into the extensive Rhine Valley, protected by a sturdy wall. Above the town is the Stahleck Fortress that was first recorded in 1095 and became the residence of the Count Of Palatine On The Rhine, in 1142.
- Rüdesheim is a picturesque town that boasts more visitors than residents, its sunny location making it ideal for viticulture. A mediaeval church, wooden buildings and stately homes, and the famous Drosselgasse, characterise the city.