Koblenz

Koblenz is one of the oldest cities in Germany and offers visitors a rich panel of cultural monuments and historic buildings. Start your walking tour at the confluence where Father Rhine and Mother Moselle meet, a long slip of land projecting into the waters like the bow of a ship. The establishment of the Knights of the Teutonic Order in the 13th century at the merging of the rivers gave this historic site its name: Deutsches Eck (German corner). You will be impressed by the giant equestrian statue of German Emperor Wilhelm I. towering the German corner and get a magnificent view of 19th century Fortress Ehrenbreitstein perched 118 metres above the Rhine on the right embankment. Close by you will visit the Basilica of St. Castor, founded in 836 AD and designated a UNESCO World heritage site. Next we will arrive at Görresplatz, once the epicenter of the roman settlement and property of the St. Castor Monastery during the Middle Ages. Later, it became owned by the Jesuit order. This brings us to the next square, the Jesuitenplatz or Jesuit Square. This religious order existed here from the 16th until the 18th century, taking over from an order of Cistercian nuns founded in the 13th century and used it as a convent school. Marvel the palace-like Jesuit school, see its towers and magnificent porches. This square houses the city hall since 1895 (Rathausgebäude I). Continue to the heart of Koblenz, the old town center lovingly restored after WWII. There we will also see the Church of Our Dear Lady, or Liebfrauenkirche, built on the highest part of the city. From the late Middle Ages until the secularization that ensued after the French Revolution and Napoleonic War, it was the main parish church in Koblenz. It was also destroyed during World War II and reconstructed in 1955. It’s onion domes symbolize the old town of Koblenz. On St. Florin’s Market, once the city’s political and commercial centre, owes its name to St. Florin’s church (Florinskirche). This church, the “Kauf und Danzhaus” of the 15th century, Schöffenhaus and Bürresheimer Hof are the most beautiful buildings in the city. Next stop is the Münzplatz, which name is reminiscent of the former electoral coin, or “Münze” in German. Starting with the 11th century, coins of the Electorate of Trier were minted in Koblenz. The mint was originally made up of several buildings, but these were demolished in the 19th century to open space for today’s square. Of these only the Münzmeisterhaus remains, a baroque building with a simple plaster facade. Now he heads to the memorial site of the Four Towers, four historical buildings built in 1608 and fully rebuilt twice, once in the 17th century and after the Second World War. The four buildings have the same facade, hence the name. In the corner of the house “Zum grünen Baum” (The Green Tree) a new passage was built in the 50’s to enable access from the pedestrian area. The house “”Zum heiligen Petrus” (Holy Peter’s) belonged to a farmacy from 1730 until the mid 2000’s. The house with the plants is the only one to have survived the bombardments of Koblenz almost unscaved. The fourth building, called “Hauptwache”, is a reminder of soldiers who took over the police duties in this building until 1848. From here we will return to the city center, next to the Church of our Lady, to finish the tour in an appropriate central place and your better orientation.