Germany Trip Report, Days 6, 7: Mid Rhine Valley

Middle Rhine:

The Rhine Valley or Middle Rhine (German: Mittelrhein) is the most famous section of the Rhine, running between cities Bonn and Bingen near Mainz in Germany and spanning the states  of North Rhine-Westphalia, Rhineland-Palatinate and Hesse. 

Koblenz to Bingen and Rüdesheim, known as the Rhine Gorge, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and the entire valley is often called "The Romantic Rhine" 

Commuting options: Car/Trains/Boat

It's a good plan to hire a car and explore this area and do the hikes in these scenic villages for a week. The Mosel valley nearby also deserves similar time.

For those short on time there are frequent trains and boats to enjoy the area.

There are two train lines running along this section of the Rhine.

The scenic Linke Rheinstrecke ("Left Rhine Line") runs along the left (west) bank of the river from Cologne to Mainz.

The Rechte Rheinstrecke ("Right Rhine Line") runs along the right (east) bank of the river from Cologne to Wiesbaden.

The Linke side, generally considered the more scenic of the two, is more heavily trafficked and has InterCity services, while the Rechte side is mostly dedicated to cargo and is limited to regional passenger trains running less than once per hour. Interchanging between the two is possible at Koblenz

KD Cruises:

The Köln-Düsseldorfer Rheinschiffahrt , better known as KD, runs cruises and scheduled services up and down the river between Cologne and Mainz. The summer season (May-Sept) sees up to 8 services daily on the busiest parts of the river, but services are cut considerably in the shoulder seasons of April and October and slow down to a trickle in the winter. Traveling end to end takes over 11 hours (€49 one way), so most travelers opt for much smaller segments: St. Goar to Bingen, for example, passes by the famous rock of Loreley, takes about 90 minutes and costs €15.30. 

We decided to do the scenic part of Bingen-St Goar as cruise, The blue arrows show what we covered ...

Oct 3, 2015, Saturday:

Frankfurt-Bingen: 

We caught the hotel airport shuttle at 6.30 am and reached the Frankfurt airport train station.

At Frankfurt airport regional train station, we tried to buy the Rhineland Platz ticket from the machine, so that we need to buy tickets only from Flughafen to Mainz. When we were not getting the option, a guy in a suit who had overheard us stopped and told us “This is Hesse, you can’t buy Rhineland Platz here”

So we bought the RMV tickets Frankfurt flughafen (7.16am) to Bingen (8.05am) € 8.10 each. Later bought a mini group ticket or "mini-gruppenkarte" (a day pass really) at St Goar for VRM, the tariff association for the Koblenz area… €21.80 and our problem was addressed. 

We boarded our train at 7.16. We reached Bingen bahnhof by 8 am as scheduled....

The Rhine Valley is famous for wine, and this section of the Rhine along with its tributaries the Mosel and Nahe cover 5 of Germany's 13 officially recognized wine regions.

Bingen:

We got off at the Bingen bahnhof... 

We took a ramp and then climbed some steps to get out of the train station. We had to be on the west side. Thankfully a morning walker gave directions...We had to reach the KD pier for our cruise.

Ehrenfels Castle above the Rhine gorge in the background. 

Mouse Tower (Mäuseturm) is in the left corner, Ehrenfels Castle above the Rhine gorge...

Ehrenfels Castle:

Ehrenfels Castle (German: Burg Ehrenfels) is this ruined castle. It is located on the steep eastern bank of the river amid extended vineyards. The grape variety Ehrenfelser is named after the castle.

Ehrenfels CastleIt was (re-)built about 1212 as a defensive work against constant attacks.

Mainz staffed the castle with Burgmannen and erected a customs post controlling the shipping on the Rhine, supplemented by the Mouse Tower below at the river. Heavily damaged in the course of the Thirty Years' War, the castle was finally devastated by French troops in 1689.

 During the age of Romanticism in the 19th century, many ruins were then rebuilt and remodelled, e.g. Rheinstein, Reichenstein, Stahleck, Sooneck, Katz and Maus, and Lahneck. Stolzenfels Castle, which can be seen just across the river from Marksburg Castle, too, is a significant Romantic creation - but at the same time, it is not a proper castle anymore.

Mouse Tower (Mäuseturm): 

The Mouse Tower (Mäuseturm) is the stone tower on a small island in the Rhine, outside Bingen am Rhein. There is a folk tale on how it came to be called the "Mouse Tower" .

Hatto II was a cruel ruler who exploited the peasants in his domain. He used the tower as a platform for archers and crossbowmen and demanded tribute from passing ships, firing on their crews if they did not comply. During a famine in 974 the poor had run out of food, but Hatto, having grain stored up in his barns, used his monopoly to sell it at high prices. The peasants were planning to rebel, so Hatto devised a trick. He told them to go to an empty barn and wait for him.  When he arrived he set the barn on fire and burned the peasants to death, derisively commenting on their death cries with the words "Hear the mice squeak!" When Hatto returned to his castle, he was besieged by an army of mice. He took a boat across the river to his tower, hoping that the mice could not swim. The mice followed, found Hatto and ate him alive.

We don’t know how much is fabrication in such stories but it’s a fact that these towers and castles were built for defense and for collecting toll from passers by.

We walked through plantations in Bingen enjoying the sight of Grapes ripe for picking on the vines...Plantations zigzagging on the hills. It was biting cold.

We reached the sign pointing to stadtzentrum... town center

Cruise, Bingen-St Goar:

We were at the KD pier and bought tickets with 20% discount showing our train tickets

On the cruise boat....

In the UNESCO World Heritage Site of the Upper Middle Rhine Valley there is a castle to be found every 2.5 kilometers on average, with over 40 of them still more or less intact. Many can be seen along the riverbanks and hilltops, and a lot of them are open to visitors. The vast majority of these castles are relatively recent constructions of the 19th and 20th century. Most medieval castles had become ruins due to destruction and abandonment, and had fallen into disrepair.

There are very few exceptions such as Pfalzgrafenstein and of course Marksburg Castle that have survived the centuries without destruction and which today provide us with a glance back into previous centuries.

The sight of Rhine and plantations on the other bank along with the castles is very enjoyable...

Assmannshausen, one of the stops in the cruise

Rheinstein Castle

Our boat had been crowded to begin with when we boarded in Bingen; people had seated themselves in prime spots on the deck probably from the first port of the cruise.

We didn't mind standing and moving around to enjoy the sights on both banks.

Bacharach

Now midway through the cruise here, you can see another huge crowd boarding... we were so surprised because this was the last day of full schedule of cruises for the season and we had assumed the crowd would be sparse!

Pfalzgrafenstein Castle (German: Burg Pfalzgrafenstein) shaped like a stone ship in the island....Gutenfels Castle (German: Burg Gutenfels), also known as Caub Castle, is the castle 110m above the town of Kaub.

This is Kaub, with the castles of Pfalzgrafenstein (Burg Pfalzgrafenstein) and Gutenfels built in 1220

Pfalzgrafenstein Castle is a toll castle on the Falkenau island (Pfalz Island) in the Rhine river. The keep of this island castle, a pentagonal tower was erected 1326 by King Ludwig the Bavarian. Around the tower, a defensive hexagonal wall was built in 1340. The castle functioned as a toll-collecting station in concert with Gutenfels Castle and the fortified town of Kaub on the right side of the river. Due to a dangerous cataract on the river's left, about a kilometer upstream, every vessel would have to use the fairway nearer to the right bank, thus floating downstream between the mighty fortress on the vessel's left and the town and castle on its right. A chain across the river drawn between those to fortifications forced ships to submit, and uncooperative traders could be kept in the dungeon until a ransom was delivered. The dungeon was a wooden float in the well

Gutenfels Castle in Kaub...

Landed at 11am in St Goar... This is Hotel am Markt where we stayed in the background. It is right at the pier

St Goar church is by the side of our hotel... Hotel sign seen to the right. We kept our bags, bought our mini group ticket or "mini-gruppenkarte" (a day pass really) for VRM, the tariff association for the Koblenz area at St Goar train station right behind our hotel. … €21.80 

We walked to the  St Goar pier to catch the ferry to St Goarshausen... Burg Katz is in the background in the picture.

When we were waiting to board the Loreley ferry from St Goar to St Goarshausen, we saw a long line of cars for the ferry. We asked a lady in a car if this was the ferry we can take as pedestrians. She said this pier was only for cars. We walked further looking for our pier… we found that lady running toward us and she said, “I think you can also take the same ferry”. The ferry was approaching, so we all ran back, she got into her car and yes, we could get on to the same ferry. It was very nice of her to get out of her car and run behind us to give us the correct info.

There were many other nice instances of great interaction with local people and it made our trip so pleasant!

Here we are on the ferry to Gaurhausen.

Loreley:

The famous Loreley ( Lorelei ) is a 433 feet high slate cliff in the Middle Rhine Valley near the town of St. Goarshausen.

The Rhine, at the Loreley ( Lorelei ), is up to 82 feet deep and only 371 feet wide. Because this area is so deep and narrow, it is one of the most dangerous places and many ship wrecks have taken place.

Apart from the facts, there is a legend about a beautiful girl luring sailors to their death with her song and dance from the cliff. 

The name Loreley ( Lorelei ) appears in a romantic ballad written by the poet Clemens Brentano in 1801. In this ballad, Loreley ( Lorelei ) is a beauty from Bacharach who wants to take her own life because her true love is unfaithful. The bishop, fascinated by her loveliness and humility, takes her to a convent. En route to the convent, she stops at the cliff to look back on the palace of her truelove. When she sees him riding away, she throws herself in despair into the turbulent waters below.

In the Rhine fairytale of 1810, Brentano varied the theme so that Loreley ( Lorelei ) appears as the distraught woman, sitting on a rock combing her long golden hair and luring the bargees into their destruction.

There is a statue of the love-lorn maiden and the hike up leads to beautiful views of the surrounding area.

Lorelei song translates as follows:

I know not if there is a reason

Why I am so sad at heart.

A legend of bygone ages

Haunts me and will not depart.

The air is cool under nightfall.

The calm Rhine courses its way.

The peak of the mountain is sparkling

With evening's final ray.

The fairest of maidens is sitting

So marvelous up there,

Her golden jewels are shining,

She's combing her golden hair.

She combs with a comb also golden,

And sings a song as well

Whose melody binds a wondrous

And overpowering spell.

In his little boat, the boatman

Is seized with a savage woe,

He'd rather look up at the mountain

Than down at the rocks below.

I think that the waves will devour

The boatman and boat as one;

And this by her song's sheer power

Fair Lorelei has done.

Street art in St Goarshausen...

Took the train to Braubach and started to walk up to Marksburg castle seen at the top of the hill here...

Marksburg express... it takes people from the town center to the castle... it usually is synchronized with the cruise arrival

Marksburg Castle is the only hilltop castle along the Rhine which has never been destroyed. It was the house of nobles at least from 1231, exchanging hands. When German empire broke up in 1803, became a home for invalids and state prison; in 1866 after the Austro-Prussian war became Prussian property and used as living quarters for soldiers

The castle only can be visited in the course of a guided tour taking about 50 minutes.
 Regular guided tours in English for individual visitors start every day at 1 and 4 o’clock.

We did not want to wait for the English tour, so joined the German tour

Drawbridge Gate

Entering the Marksburg, four gates have to be passed. The first one is a large drawbridge gate followed by a vaulted tunnel with an antique bookshop on the right, 500 years ago the room of the castle's gate keeper

Fox Gate

The guided tour of the castle starts at the Fuchstor (Fox Gate) which is the second medieval gateway. (Remember to buy your ticket at the ticket desk in the gift shop!)

Keep

In the middle of the courtyard we are greeted by the narrow keep - not so much a residential tower but mainly used as a watchtower and a status symbol. The lower part was built in 1239, the top part was added in 1468.

Arrow Slit Gate

Above the doorway of the third gate, the "Schartentor" (Arrow Slit Gate), there is a machicolation, a little oriel from which the defenders would throw stones onto attacking enemies' heads if they had advanced this far. The gateway in the "Vogtsturm" (Steward's Tower) was reduced in size towards the end of the 17th century.

Riders' Stairway

We have reached a wall display showing the succession of the various owners of Marksburg Castle and their coats of arms, starting with the Counts of Eppstein and ending with the Deutsche Burgenvereinigung (German Castles Association).

After climbing the "Riders Stairway", carved out of the bedrock centuries ago, we begin our walk through the castle

Great Battery

The large cannons in this "Great Battery" are aimed at the Rhine river. According to weight we differentiate between front-loading 6-pounder and 12-pounder cannons. With a reach of approx. 1000 meters, the soldiers were able to secure the Rhine valley in its whole width. The older part of this military construction was erected in 1589, the latter half in 1711.

Small Battery

The artillery battery in front of the Palas was added in 1711, today it includes the copy of one of the oldest firearms of that type in Germany, a cannon from 1450.

Garden:

We continued into the Upper Bailey that boasts a unique medieval herb garden consisting of two patches of about 150 plants known in Europe in the Middle Ages. Most of them are important medical plants and spices, but some like the mandrake or the Devil's snare were said to be used by witches, while others like the deadly nightshade and the hemlock are very poisonous

Bed Chamber:

The first room on the next floor is the noble family's bedchamber, furnished with wood panelling, a canopied four poster bed, a cradle and a seating and reading area in the window niche. It was one of the few rooms in the castle to be heated by a stove.

Great Hall:

The adjoining room is the impressive Great Hall, the very heart of courtly life. As a combined living and dining room, leisure time was spent playing chess or making music while rare entertainment as provided by travelling singers who would also spread news and gossip. A small passage through the outer wall leads up to the medieval toilet, a privy.

14th century chapel, part of the chapel tower, with its beautifully painted walls and ceilings. Small at first glance, we have to bear in mind that the chapel would only have been used by the noble family for daily prayers and services. In on of the niches, we can see a statue which is a copy of a 15th century Rhenish Virgin Mary

A narrow staircase built into the wall passing the castle chaplain's study

next floor and into the most modern building, the Rhine Wing, erected in 1706. It houses a display of tools for flax and linen, as well as household items from pre-industrial times.

tour's highlights: the "Gimbel Collection", a display of twelve life-sized figurines from 1880 which demonstrates the changes made to armour and weaponry from ancient to early modern times. The armour on display consists of extremely detailed replicas as well as original pieces. Artefacts from excavation work carried out in and around the castle grounds - coins, glass, arrow heads, dice - are on display in a glass cabinet.

complete preservation as a medieval fortress. The impressive stronghold with most buildings dating back to the 13th to 15th century consists of wall rings containing keep, residential buildings, baileys and bastions all on top of a hill above the small romantic town of Braubach, and with its interesting, typical interior rooms such as castle kitchen, great hall, bedchamber, chapel, armoury, wine cellar and battlements it allows us to travel back into the Middle Ages.

We walked back through the medieval town of Braubach, enjoying the sights.

Medieval fountain here.

Glimpse of the Marksburg castle here.

We took the train to Koblenz and transferred south to Boppard. Even from the train station, the castle is visible on the skyline.

We walked up to the Boppard Sesselbahn and wanted to go up in the cable car for the views from the top. but the guy said they'll only drop us up and we have to come down on our own. It was getting dark and so we gave it a miss.

We took a walk through the pretty town.

There were live bands and a festive atmosphere in the town center of Boppard. The winefest was winding down.
 

The lovely day culminated in spectacular fireworks for 15 minutes over the Rhine.

We took the train from Boppard at 21.17, headed to Frankfurt.... but it did not stop at St Goar. We got down at the next station Oberweisel, crossed over to the other side and waited for a regional train going north...

Back at our Hotel am Markt, St Goar. It's an old house, a bit stark but served our purpose

Oct 3, 2015, Sunday

St Goar:

We were out by 6.30 am in the morning. It had rained the previous night after the fireworks and the town glistened fresh and pretty.

We wanted to start on our Rheinfels castle hike but our hotel breakfast (inclusive in the rent) started only at 7 am. We walked down the main drag looking at the shop windows.

Cuckoo clocks are so ubiquitous here.

Sparkasse (savings bank)... ṡ  is the symbol denoting bank and ATM here.

This being wine region, the theme is repeated everywhere. Here flowers are in a wine barrel shaped container.

Nice cars...

We returned to our hotel at 7 for the breakfast.

Usual spread but really good, fresh stuff.

The hot chocolate was great.

The view was good too.

We started on our hike to Rheinfels castle... through the town first...

Beerstein on the shop facade here.

Nice architecture

Signboards showing the way...

Again a wine barrel rim as sign board.

We went over some rail tracks to catch up on the hike path... the gate closes when the trains come by.

Up the steps now...

Great views as we climb up.

We can see the train tracks here as they wind their way parallel to the road..

Map and some history here.

Heritage hotel in sight.

Here's Saint Goar after whom the town is named.

Rheinfels castle

We reached the entrance of Rheinfels castle. It is the largest and most imposing castle in the Rhine valley dating back to 1245. 

Over the moat.

Museum

The castle museum is located in the former castle chapel which is the only finished room of the original castle. It is accessed through an internal gate and up the path. The museum contains a model reconstruction of the castle before its destruction giving one a sense of how big the castle used to be. 

The medieval castle courtyard is found beyond the castle museum building (slightly uphill). This was the centre of the medieval castle which contained a bakery, pharmacy, garden, brewery, well, and livestock — which would have allowed it to withstand an extended siege. During peacetime, 300-600 people lived in the castle complex. During a siege, that number could swell to 4,500

We regretfully cut short our exploration of the castle and retraced our way back...

This is a puppet and dolls museum well worth a visit. We had no time to spare as we had to catch our train.

Graffiti in art form.

We reached St Goar station.

We took the train to Koblenz. Quite scenic journey.

At Koblenz we should have taken the train to Cologne. By mistake we took the train with Bonn written on it thinking we can connect. For Connection we had to take a bus and go to another station. Lost time and wasted effort. reached Cologne around 4 pm. Checked in at our hotel and ran to the cathedral. Surprisingly they were closed for mass and were opening only at 5. Son had to catch his train to Hengelo, Netherlands at 5.17pm. So he left with a small bag, took 2 trains to reach Hengelo,Netherlands while I stayed put in Cologne.

We could have gladly spent a week in the mid Rhine and Mosel river valley but were happy with what we had managed to see in the short time we had at our disposal.

The next post covers Cologne:

http://adventuretrav.blogspot.com/2016/10/germany-trip-report-days-8-9-cologne.html