CASTLE OF STOLZENFELS
(Germany - Koblentz)
Built by Archbishop Arnold Von Isenburg (1242 – 1259) of Trier as a fortress to protect the border, it was used at some stage as a toll place. The military history of this castle ended when it was destroyed in 1689, during the war of succession by the Pfalz. In 1823 the city of Koblentz gave its ruins to the future king of Prussia, Friedrich Wilhelm IV. That marked the beginning of a new life for Stolzenfels.
The actual monument dates from that period. Following designs made by the architects Schinkel and Stüler, a Summer residence was built in between 1836 and 1842, and it is one of the most significant witnesses of the German Romanticism.
Still today Stolzenfels fascinates visitors from all over the World. From its magnificent terrace, one can contemplate an unforgettable view on the Rhine Valley that delighted the European Noble Court of past centuries. Since the Hollenzollern period, furniture and decorations in its marvellous rooms have changed little and so can be admired.
The legend
Not far away in the narrow Rhine Valley, upstream, stands the famous Loreley Cliff celebrated with a song by the German poet Heine : it tells the story of a malefic undine whose songs and dances were disturbing boatmen passing near, making them sink !
