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DEUTSCHLAND GERMANY
Bundesland: Rheinland-Pfalz Rhineland-Palatinate
Stadt: Koblenz  

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Koblenz

• alt: Coblenz
• it: Coblenza • fr: Coblence, Coblentz • cs: Koblenc • lv: Koblenca • lt: Koblencas • sq: Koblenci • pl: Koblencja
• el: Κόμπλεντς
• be, bg, mk, ru, sr, uk: Кобленц

1030 Koblenz Koblenz is situated at an elevation of 129 m at the confluence of the rivers Mosel and Rhine.

Archeological finds show that the area was already inhabited during the Late Stone Ages. The Romans founded a castle around 10 BC which later became known as Confluentes. The Romans were driven out of the country by the Franks in the 5th century. In 1018, Emperor Heinrich II donated the town to the Archdiocese of Trier which remained in possession of Koblenz for 776 years. During the Thirty Years' War (1618–1648), French and Swedish troops occupied the city in 1632, which was followed by heavy bombardments of Imperial troops in 1636. French troops besieged the town again in 1688. French revolutionary troops entered Koblenz in 1794. After the Peace of Lunéville, Koblenz became part of France and was the seat of the préfecture of the départment Rhin-et-Moselle. After the Congress of Vienna in 1815, Koblenz became part of Prussia and became the capital of the Prussian Rhine Province. In 1926, the official spelling of the name was changed from Coblenz to Koblenz. Heavily damaged during World war II, Koblenz became the capital of the state of Rheinland-Pfalz (Rhineland-Palatinate) in 1947 and retained this function until 1950 (since then, the capital is Mainz).

Clemens Wenzel Lothar Fürst von METTERNICH (1773–1859), son of a noble Rhenish family, was born in Koblenz. Metternich served as Austrian diplomat and statesmen and received the title Fürst (prince) in 1813. He decisively determined the Congress of Vienna (1814/15), which determined the fate of post-Napoleonic Europe. Until 1848, he was perhaps the best-known leader of conservative politics in Europe. The revolutions of 1848, which were in part directed against his repressive government system, forced him to take refuge in England. He returned to Austria in 1851. 858 Koblenz: Deutsches Eck


The triangular piece of land between the rivers Rhine and Mosel has been called Deutsches Eck (German Corner) for centuries. The name goes back to the knights of the Teutonic Order who had founded a seat of their order near this place in 1216. The monument for Emperor Wilhelm I [right] was created by the sculptor Emil Hundrieser and the architect Bruno Schmitz in 1893–1897. At the end of World War II, the monument was destroyed by artillery fire. The empty base was dedicated as monument for German Unity in 1953, and served this purpose until the re-unification of Germany in 1990. A replica of the equestrian monument of Germany's first Emperor was made possible by a private donation and was unveled in 1993. The total height including the base is 37 m, the copper bronze sculpture (height 14 m) weighs 61.5 tons.

Several glasses of this collection show other monuments for Wilhelm I.
1892 Koblenz: Arenberg

Arenberg

Arenberg was first mentioned as Overanberg in AD 868 when King Ludwig 'the German' donated the domains of Arenberg and Leutesdorf to the convent of canonesses of Herford. This donation was later confirmed Heinrich I (927), Otto II (980) and Heinrich III (1044). In 1226 the Lords of Helfenstein obtained the domain as a fief from the convent of Herford. In 1692 Arenberg was sold to the Electorate of Trier. French troops besieged the fortress of Ehrenbreitstein in 1795 and 1799. After the secularisation of 1802/03, Arenberg at first became part of the Duchy of Nassau. After the Congress of Vienna (1815) Arenberg became part of Prussia. After 1845 Arenberg was propagated as a pilgrimage site by the Reverend Johann Baptist Kraus. The "Holy Places", about 60 chapels, grottos and shrines, were erected between 1845 and 1892. Since 1868/1885 Arenberg is home to the Arenberg Dominican nuns (Sisters of St. Catherine of Siena). Until the 1950's about several thousand pilgrims visited Arenberg each year. Arenberg and Immendorf aligned themselves to a single municipality in 1969. On the 1st of January 1971 Arenberg-Immendorf, Arzheim, Bubenheim, Güls with Bisholder, Lay and Rübenach became part of Koblenz. Arenberg and Immendorf today form one of Koblenz's six city districts.

The parish church Sankt Nikolaus [left] was built in 1860–1862 after plans by Hermann Nebel. The church was altered during a renovation in 1959/60.
897 Koblenz: Schloss Stolzenfels

Stolzenfels

The romantic castle Schloss Stolzenfels [left], situated above the left bank of the river Rhine opposite of the mouth of the river Lahn, was built in the 13th century as a stronghold of the Archbishops of Trier. Enlarged between 1388 and 1418 it later also served as a residence for the archbishops. After occupations by Swedish troops in 1623 and by the French in 1634/36 and 1646/48, French troops destroyed the castle during the Palatinate War of Succession in 1689. In 1815, the city of Koblenz donated the ruins to Crown Prince Friedrich Wilhelm (later King Friedrich Wilhelm IV) of Prussia, who accepted the present in 1823. The architects Karl Friedrich Schinkel and Friedrich August Schüler rebuilt the castle as a royal residence in Gothic Revival style between 1836 and 1842.
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