KOBLENZ, GERMANY

                                                    A Charming City

      Koblenz is one of the most beautiful and oldest towns in Germany with over 2000 years of history. Surrounded by four low mountain ranges, the picturesque old city has an abundance of cultural monuments and historic buildings, as well as many cosy lanes and narrow alleyways. Cobbled river promenades and lovely squares are a real treat. In the historic center narrow lanes and sidewalk cafes are abundant. (English spelling replaces the K with a C.)

     Originally the city was in the shape of a triangle as it is at the confluence of the Rhine and Mosel Rivers, while the third side provided fortification for the medieval city. The Mosel is spanned by a 1344 Gothic freestone bridge with 14 arches, and two modern road bridges as well as two railway bridges. The arched bridge is built over Roman supports. It was damaged during WW II but repaired and rebuilt. We were docked within sight of this bridge and walked down to check it out.

    Our walking guide told us, “Koblenz was one of the military posts established by Drusus about 8 BC; the city celebrated its 2000th anniversary in 1992. This Roman town became very important in the 13^th century as an important link for European trade. During WW II the city was heavily bombed and 87% of the city destroyed because munitions were manufactured here in addition to it being an important transportation center. A plaque in the pedestrian walkway says 3772 flights dropped 10,000 tons of bombs in a short time destroying 15,000 of the 25,000 homes. Over 1000 people died and many more were injured. The old city was rebuilt using many of the old facades.”

    Parts of the old city wall, which contained 21 towers, are still visible. As we walked I thought how the colorful and cheerful window flower boxes were reminiscent of Switzerland. Many towers were visible in the skyline, many with onion domes. Except for a wee bit of wood trim, the houses are brick or stucco with slate roofs. Typical in this part of the world, most of the buildings were joined with no right of way between.

Policeman greeting a local vendor

     We detoured into the small area in front of the Mittelrhein Museum, a late Gothic building erected between 1419-1430. Poised above the entry door and below the clock is the augenroller (eye roller). I was intrigued with how his eyes seem to move around as you viewed him from different angles.

    Jesuits arrived in 1580 to ensure the survival of Catholicism. The entrance way and door to the Jesuit college is the only original part of the building.

     Manhole covers are seldom of interest, but leave it to me to find an unusual one The French occupied this area for twenty years. It was home to French refugees during the French revolution. Of course only males were here and eventually some of them married German girls. Their offspring were called schangel. The brass covers in the city depict a mischievous little boy.  Koblenz also has many comical and descriptive statues around town.

    The Church of Our Lady demonstrated three architectural styles. The twin towers were Romanesque, the chapel Gothic and the onion-shaped domes Baroque. The stained glass windows on the side of the church were an unusual scallop shape.

    The Basillica of St. Castor, founded in 836, has four towers. The present Romanesque building was completed in 1208 and the vaulted Gothic roof dates to 1498. The French erected a fountain in 1812 in front of the church including an inscription to commemorate Napoleon’s invasion of Russia.

Koblenz is a charming and interesting city and certainly is worthy of a visit.

SENSE OF DIRECTION--SOMETIMES

                                      A Couple of Examples

               

In Koblenz, Germany we were moored at the confluence of the Mosel and Rhine Rivers.

After lunch I decided to stroll back to the point to better see the Kaiser Wilhelm statue. It only took a few minutes to stroll the cobbled promenade to my destination.

We had unseasonably hot weather on this trip all the time we were in Germany and Austria. The normal temperatures of 72-75 became mid to high 90s with several days over 100. This was a 90s+ day. My travel companion decided it was too warm for her and elected to stay aboard the boat.

             The  bronze  statue  of Wilhelm on his horse is huge. The original statue was destroyed, but replaced in 1990. Many concrete steps lead up to the monument, but I chose not to climb them. I walked all around the statue and then strolled along the Rhine River for a short way.

            It seemed as if I should be able to cut over to the Mosel  River by taking any street as the two rivers form a triangle of land. I walked through a residential area for some time, but the Mosel was elusive. I was just about ready to turn around and retrace my steps when I saw a couple of young men speaking to a girl getting into a car. It sounded like English.

            “Do you fellows speak English?” I asked.

            “Yes.”

            “I’m trying to get to the Mosel. Can’t I cut across here somewhere?”

            They started to give me directions and then said, “We’re headed that way. We’ll show you, if you like.”

            As we walked I learned they were Mormons doing their missionary work in Koblenz. It’s hard to miss them dressed in their black pants and white shirt and tie. They were most pleasant and we had a nice visit while walking. I was  grateful to the kind boys for their help.

When we reached the alley/road, which I would never have given a second glance to, I was glad they had walked along with me. I made a right turn and suddenly I was on the Mosel only a few feet away from the boat.

After a tram ride to Helsinki’s city center we decided to do a bit of site-seeing before returning to our hotel that was a bit out of the city center. Our guide had taken us on a city orientation jaunt. The  tram  stopped right in front of our hotel.

My regular travel companion has a great sense of direction so on the trips we make together I defer to her to get us around. This trip I was with a new travel companion  so I paid close attention to how the tram traveled as we planned to walk back to the hotel. Since this gal knew it all I caved on her insistence that she read the map. We started out okay, but before long nothing looked familiar and I said, “I think we missed a turn. We should have followed the trolley tracks.”

She was sure we were going the right way, so we kept walking. It was a nice walk through a neighborhood, but it still is not smart to wander around in unknown places in a new and strange city. To make a long story short we walked our bloody legs off for three miles. The streets were quiet and of course there was no car, cab or bus any where in sight.

Finally we spotted the hotel and as it turned out we had taken the VERY long way back following the waterfront. After that and a bit of annoyance on my part she spent  the rest of the trip proving to me she could read a map, and we never got lost again! The following day we walked downtown and it took us less than 15 minutes----easy when you go in a straight line!

KOLBENZ,GERMANY

CUTE STATUES

Manhole covers are seldom of interest, but In Koblenz, Germany our guide on a walking tour stopped at one and explained, “The French occupied this area for twenty years and it was home to French refugees during the French revolution. Of course only males were here and eventually some of them married German girls. Their offspring were called schangel. This brass cover depicts a mischievous little boy. All the covers in the city are like this, and later we’ll stop by a statue dedicated to him.”

            When we got to the statue it was a surprise to all of us the first time that little bronze boy spit a mouthful of water onto the plaza. He was pretty cute and got a laugh out of us.

            Many statues are around the city. Some are red sandstone, others bronze. They all depict and commemorate common people who were known in the area. In one plaza is a woman who sold produce every day. On the square is the town character who drank too much and who one night decided to play the drums in the middle of the night waking his neighbors. The statues keep the town’s history alive and are a sweet addition to its character. They are adorable and can’t help but make you smile much of the time.

            We ended the walking tour at the History Column celebrating 2000 years of history. Our guide interpreted the fountain, “Mother Mosel sits in the rear of the boat while Father Rhine sits in the front guiding the oarsmen. The boat is full of wine kegs. The column rising from the center of the boat depicts various periods of time in the city’s history.”

            It is an unusual but meaningful monument.