The Fortress City of Koblenz

A city that knows how to defend itself.

The Large Fortress of Koblenz, officially "Fortress Koblenz and Ehrenbreitstein", is a system of Prussian fortifications built between 1815 and 1834 to secure the then strategically important confluence of the Rhine and Moselle rivers.

The Fortress System

The fortification system consists of the city fortifications of Koblenz and Ehrenbreitstein as well as the fortifications in front of them in the form of forts, flèches and redoubts, some of which have been preserved or have almost completely disappeared over the course of time due to erosion and later demolition (e.g. Fort Kaiser Alexander). Lines of sight between the individual buildings, which were located on the ridges and in the lower-lying plains around the city, facilitated mutual protection.

The fortification system is part of the UNESCO World Heritage Upper Middle Rhine Valley and is included in the UNESCO programme of support for World Heritage Sites. It is also on the list of monuments of national importance.

Koblenz

Ehrenbreitstein Fortress Cultural Centre

118 metres above the Rhine, from the fortress you have probably the most fantastic view of Koblenz and the confluence of the Rhine and Moselle. Ehrenbreitstein Fortress, the second largest preserved fortress in Europe, was built in its present form...

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Festung von E-Stein aus gesehen

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Koblenz-Asterstein

Fort Astertstein & Fortress Park

Started in 1817, the complex was largely completed around 1828 and, like the other parts of the fortress, was also used as barracks for the Prussian soldiers.

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Fort Asterstein mit Festung im Hintergrund

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Fort Constantine

The Grand Duke Constantine Fort was built from 1822 to 1827 on the northern steep slope of the Karthäuserberg. The largely preserved fort stands on the site of a medieval monastery. The foundations and crypt are still recognizable. At the foot of the steep slope is the so-called Kehlturm.

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Fort Konstantin under a blue sky © Koblenz-Touristik GmbH

Kaiser Franz Fortress

The Kaiser Franz fortress was completed in 1822 and was used to defend the left bank of the Moselle. Today, the main gate, reduit and parts of the underground corridor system have been preserved. The spacious and newly created fortress park offers an impressive view and can be visited daily.

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Aerial view of the Kaiser Franz fortress with railroad tracks and freight trains in the background © Koblenz-Touristik GmbH, Rainer Arenz

Neuendorfer Flèche

The Neuendorfer Flèche was built between 1820 and 1825 as part of the Kaiser Franz fortification system. Today, the outer trench wall, the underground mine passages leading off it and the "trench cut" reconstructed in 1995 are still preserved.

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Trench with a brick wall with small gaps © Thomas Dillenburg

The Franz, Asterstein and Konstantin fortifications are part of the "National Urban Development Projects 2015" funding measure between 2015 and 2019, which aims to enhance and redevelop historical fragments of the fortress.

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