Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Ever since Roman times, when this was the empire's northern boundary, the Rhine has been
one of the world's busiest shipping rivers. You'll see a steady flow of barges with 1,000- to
2,000-ton loads. Tourist-packed buses, hot train tracks, and highways line both banks.
Many of the castles were “robber-baron” castles, put there by petty rulers (there were
300 independent little countries in medieval Germany, a region about the size of Montana)
to levy tolls on passing river traffic. A robber baron would put his castle on, or even in, the
river. Then, often with the help of chains and a tower on the opposite bank, he'd stop each
ship and get his toll. There were 10 customs stops in the 60-mile stretch between Mainz and
Koblenz alone (no wonder merchants were early proponents of the creation of larger nation-
states).
Somecastleswerebuilttocontrolandprotectsettlements,andothersweretheresidences
of kings. As times changed, so did the lifestyles of the rich and feudal. Many castles were
abandoned for more comfortable mansions in the towns.
Most Rhine castles date from the 11th, 12th, and 13th centuries. When the pope success-
fully asserted his power over the German emperor in 1076, local princes ran wild over the
rule of their emperor. The castles saw military action in the 1300s and 1400s, as emperors
began reasserting their control over Germany's many silly kingdoms.
The castles were also involved in the Reformation wars, in which Europe's Catholic and
Protestant dynasties fought it out using a fragmented Germany as their battleground. The
Thirty Years' War (1618-1648) devastated Germany. The outcome: Each ruler got the free-
dom to decide if his people would be Catholic or Protestant, and one-third of Germans died.
(Production of Gummi Bears ceased entirely.)
The French—who feared a strong Germany and felt the Rhine was the logical border
betweenthemandGermany—destroyedmostofthecastlesasapreventativemeasure(Louis
XIV in the 1680s, the Revolutionary army in the 1790s, and Napoleon in 1806). Many were
rebuilt in Neo-Gothic style in the Romantic Age—the late 1800s—and today are enjoyed as
restaurants, hotels, hostels, and museums.
Getting Around the Rhine
The Rhine flows north from Switzerland to Holland, but the scenic stretch from Mainz to
Koblenz hoards all the touristic charm. Studded with the crenellated cream of Germany's
castles, it bustles with boats, trains, and highway traffic. Have fun exploring with a mix of
big steamers, tiny ferries
(Fähre),
trains, and bikes.
