Hi Hive friends!
I haven't been around for a while because I've been a bit busy with my studies, but now I'm even more excited to get new travel insights and to write with you. Today I want to tell you about my visit to the Reichsburg Koblenz and the ferry on the Rhine. I went to the castle with two friends, we wanted to visit it and it is not too far from our home. The Reichsburg is in the town of Cochem, right on the Mosel. The Mosel is a tributary of the Rhine, so to speak. Because of its location right next to the Mosel, you have a super nice view from the castle. The castle is somewhat elevated on a mountain and from it you can look out over the town.
In the past, the castle fulfilled the function of a customs castle, but today it is much visited by tourists. It was destroyed in the 17th century and rebuilt around 1870. It is a listed building in Rheinland-Pfalz and a protected cultural asset under the Hague Convention; it is marked with blue and white protective signs.
The castle is, so to speak, the landmark of Cochem, it is considered an ancient symbol of power and prestige. It is the largest hilltop castle on the Mosel. There is even a special guided tour for children at the castle! Our eyes were immediately drawn to the octagonal tower: it is located on the north side and shows a mosaic depiction of St. Christopher. Today, it is the oldest part of the castle, which is divided into three sections according to age. The lower part was built first, the upper part was added later.
I found the red roses with which the castle was continually decorated particularly beautiful. There was love for detail here. The somewhat longer "walk" was long forgotten!:)
Here you can see the tower with the slate roof again. Because the castle was situated so high (approx. 100 m in height), it was probably also supposed to be used for defence purposes, we were told. We were also told a legend about the castle, which I found very exciting: One day after Easter, a castle servant discovered a foreign people further away, who were armed and probably had plans to attack the castle. The castle servant rode back to the castle on his horse as fast as he could and sounded the alarm so that the men in the castle could prepare to defend themselves. This enabled them to repel the intruders. The lord of the castle was very grateful to his men and from then on the Monday after Easter was a holiday. Since then, on this day, the citizens of Cochem parade with baskets full of food and wine to the castle on the meadow where the attack began. The meadow is called "Knipp"- and they then celebrate "Knipp" Monday.
What do you think of this legend? I never know whether to believe it, but the idea alone feels nice.
After visiting the castle, we were a bit knackered from the long walk and we decided to take another Mosel cruise- just sitting in the boat relaxing, letting the sun shine on our fur and getting a different view from the water. The ferry departs every half hour, starting at 10am, so there's no need to stress about missing it.
In the process, we got to know yet another castle: Pfalzgrafenstein Castle. It is located on a rocky island and was also once a customs castle. It was intended to monitor the revenues of the ship customs and was therefore not used for living. Pfalzgrafenstein is one of the masterpieces between the Rhine and Mosel and is owned by the state of Rheinland-Pfalz. We started from Kaub and had a beautiful view of it from the ferry! Today, events are even still held here.
The castle also has nicknames like "The Stone Ship" or "Pfalzgrafenwerth" and the island is called Falkenaue. A castle with such a location is of course always something special.
The entrance fee to the castle was included in the ferry fare and was about 7 euros. We also got a flyer with the most important information about the castle in German and English. As you can see,the castle is kept in a very bright white and it has been well restored. Because of its location, it was never conquered by enemies and is therefore completely preserved except for the restoration. Since 2002, the castle has been part of the Upper Middle Rhine Valley UNESCO World Heritage Site and, like the Reichsburg, is a protected cultural asset under the Hague Convention.
However, visitors can of course only visit the island from the ship.
After the boat tour, we strolled along the Mosel promenade for a while - with a view of the Reichsburg. Here are numerous street cafés and restaurants that invite you to linger and enjoy.
Then we walked from the promenade in Cond over the Skagerag Bridge into the Cond district of Cochem; which would also be a tip for you if you ever want to make a trip here: there are far fewer tourists and visitors opposite and yet the view is very beautiful.
When it started to get dark, we decided to drive back, we were a bit exhausted from the day but grateful for the many impressions. From Koblenz it is a perfect day or weekend trip! For hikers, it is also worth checking out Cochem: there are several hiking trails around the small town and the Moselsteig trail also runs through Cochem. Cochem is even the smallest district town in Germany with its 5000 inhabitants- perfect for a few quieter days to relax. This will definitely not be my last trip to the Mosel area, I'm excited to see what the future will bring.
I hope you enjoyed this little excursion along the Mosel and would be very happy to receive suggestions and comments. I wish you all a good start to the week!
