Serving as a gateway to the vineyards and castles of the UNESCO World Herit-age-listed Upper Middle Rhine Valley, Koblenz is a historic city where the Rhine and Moselle Rivers meet. The confluence of these two waterways is marked by the Deutsches Eck (German Corner), with the tip of this park shaped like a ship’s prow and watched over by a monumental equestrian statue of William the Great.
Ride the cable car that connects the center of Koblenz to the hilltop fortress of Ehrenbreitstein, which is one of the largest of its kind in Europe and boasts out-standing views of the city. While the history of the fortress dates back to the year 1000, its current structures were built in the early 19th century and it’s now home to the Landesmuseum Koblenz that explores the culture and history of Rhineland Palatinate.
Just outside the center of Koblenz is the 19th-century Stolzenfels Castle whose neo-Gothic architecture was built on the ruins of a 13th-century fort. It rises high above the banks of the Rhine River and is considered one of the most striking examples of Prussian Rhine Romanticism, with magnificent gardens and period-furnished rooms that are open to the public.
If you’re interested in military technology, don’t miss a visit to the Defense Technical Museum Koblenz, which is situated within the Langemarck Barracks. It boasts an impressive collection of tanks, weapons and mines, as well as dis-plays detailing the development of military armaments, equipment and uniforms in Germany from the early 19th century.