Ehrenbreitstein Fortress

Standing 118 meters above the Rhine, Ehrenbreitstein Fortress probably offers the most fantastic view of Koblenz and the confluence of the Rhine and Moselle rivers. Ehrenbreitstein, the second largest preserved fortress in Europe, was built in its current form between 1817 and 1828, However, its origins date back to the year 1000. Today, Ehrenbreitstein is the only surviving Prussian fortress from the 19th century, the largest historical fortress in Europe after Gibraltar and part of the UNESCO World Heritage Upper Middle Rhine Valley. Its location and facilities, easy accessibility via cable car, and the spectacular view, which can be enjoyed from the wooden viewing platform Rhine-Moselle View, for example, make Ehrenbreitstein Fortress one of the most popular excursion destinations in Rhineland-Palatinate.

During the Thirty Years' War, the castle experienced a lively change of ownership. in 1797, French troops laid siege to the fortress, but were only able to force a surrender by starvation in 1799. in 1801 they had the fortress blown up. In 1815, after the Congress of Vienna transferred the Rhenish territories of Kurtrier to the Kingdom of Prussia, King Frederick William III ordered the expansion of Koblenz into a fortified city. One of the largest fortifications in Europe was built.