Sights in Koblenz
Introduction:
Koblenz is a beautiful city with many sights and old houses, streets and places. It´s one of the oldest cities in Germany: It is about 2000 years old. In Koblenz, Rhine and Moselle coalesce and that is the reason why it was called Confluentes in the past, which is Latin for ‘confluence’. Later it became Koblenz. Today, Koblenz has got about 110 000 inhabitants and attracts many tourists because of its famous and old sights. Here are some sights you have to visit!
The German corner:
Here you can see the confluence between Rhine and Moselle. The place was named „the German corner” in 1216. There is the famous monument „Emperor Wilhelm I. “. As a reminder of his good deeds, someone had the idea to build a monument for him. His grandchild, Emperor Wilhelm II., chose the place for it at the German corner in 1891, but the German corner wasn´t as big as big as it is today, so they had to expand it. The shape formed is the one we can see today.
Fort Ehrenbreitstein:
It´s 118 metres above the river Rhine and it has been a historical place for endless generations. It was settled 500 years ago by Romans, Germanic peoples and Celts. Later it had been a base for bishops and the clergy for 300 years. During this whole time, there were many battles. After the wars, it was constructed and renovated and often expanded. Today there is a museum with different exhibitions and there are many festivals and musicals.
Our wells of history:
In Koblenz, there are two fountains which show you small pieces of the story of the city. The first one called „ Schängelchen “. It´s a well with a figure of a child who spits water. The meaning of the name developed in the past. In Koblenz, there were many French people and mostly they were called Jean, but the German couldn´t pronounce „Jean “and so they said „Schang“. They used „Schängelchen“ for children. The figure spits water because the artists wanted to show the funny nature of children. It will baptise a person so that he becomes a real „Koblenzer“.
The other well is on the Görresplatz. The well was given to the city as a present for the 2000th birthday 20 years ago. It is ten metres high and has got ten „structural levels“. These ten structural levels tell you the whole story of Koblenz from the Romans to 2000 in ten pictures.
Churches:
In Koblenz, there are two special churches. If you stand in a high spot near Koblenz, you can see both towers of the churches. One of these is the Florinschurch with the white and gold towers. It´s an evangelical church that was built in 1100. It was supposed to be rebuild in the French Revolution to become a slaughterhouse with markets, but Emperor Wilhelm I. fought for the church and won. Later it became the first evangelical church in Koblenz. The other church with beautiful onion domes is a catholic church which is called Liebfrauenchurch. It was built about 800 years ago. The Liebfrauenchurch was the only church you could visit in the Late Middle Ages to the French Revolution. Both churches were destroyed in the wars and were renovated after.
Electoral palace:
It was built at the end of the 18th century by Clemens Wenzeslaus of Sachsen. The French occupied it in the French Revolution on the 7th of October in 1794. Later, the Prussians captured and occupied it from 1823 to 1842. There it was the residence of Emperor Wilhelm I. Today it is in possessions of the federal authority. In 2011, there was the famous BuGa which attracted many tourists and you could see what it looks like in the yard and in some rooms inside.
Palace Stolzenfels:
It is called Stolzenfels because the region is called Stolzenfels. At first, it was built as a castle in the 13th century, but in a long war, it was destroyed. Later, King Wilhelm IV built a parish church. For a fairly long time, he used the castle ruin to recruit it. It became a palace. From the palace, you have got a beautiful and amazing view of the landscape.
Ludwig museum:
It´s an art museum and was opened in 1992 with the exhibition „Atelier de France“. They have got a floweryard for three-dimensional and foreign exhibitions. They are some celebrated artworks like „Le Pouce“, what means the thumb. It is a big bronze thumb outside in front of the museum. Inside the museum, there are many French artworks because the museum was built especially for them.
Alice Fedulov (7b)