Castles of the Middle Rhine

The part of the. Rhine River that everyone takes a cruise to see are the castles of the Middle Rhine. It begins in Koblenz and ends in Mainz, a stretch of 60 miles. There are no bridges over the Rhine between these 2 cities.

Ehrenbreitstein Fortress in Koblenz begins the tour. It was built around 1000. The French blew it up in 1801 and under a peace treaty, they paid to rebuild it in 1817-1828. Today, it houses several museums, a youth hostel and restaurants.

Lahneck Castle at Km 586 was originally built in 1244 to defend silver mines in the area.

Stolzenfels Castle, a 13th-century medieval fortress that served as a toll station, was rebuilt by a 19th century Prussian King. It is at Km 585.

Marksburg Castle at Km 580 is the only surviving medieval castle on the Rhine. It is above the town of Braubach.

You'll pass vineyards.

The town of Filsen.

Boppard was once a Roman town.

Kamp-Bornhofen.

Sterrenberg Castle (white tower) sits above the village of Kamp-Bornhofen at Km 566. It shared a defensive wall with Liebenstein Castle (on right).

Liebenstein Castle was built in the 13th century and is the highest castle on the Rhine. It is now a hotel.

Hirzenach

Maus Castle at Km 558 sits above the village of Wellmich.

Rheinfels Castle at Km 556 was a mighty 13th century castle. Today, it is a hotel and museum.

St. Goarshausen with Katz Castle sitting above it.

Katz Castle was built in the 14th century and heavily bombed by Napoleon's forces in 1806. It was rebuilt in the Victorian era.

St. Goar

Lorelei Rock was made famous by the story of a maiden who lept to her death after she was betrayed by her lover. She became a siren and lured sailors to their deaths. The Lorelei is at the narrowest and deepest point on the Rhine.

A statue of the siren with her long hair.

The Lorelei Tunnel.

Navigational aids can be found at troublesome bends. Each triangle is for a different section of the river. If the bottom of the triangle is lit, there are no boats in that section. If the left side of the triangle is lit, there is an oncoming boat in that section.