Steve Mueller's Digital Scrapbook

Europe 2002

Thursday May 23
Rhine Valley, Germany

Castles of the Rhine On this day, our plan was to drive to Boppard along one bank of the Rhine, cross the river and drive back on the opposite bank. This was foiled by a road closure caused by a small landslide just past St Goarshausen, which forced us onto the western bank well before reaching Boppard. Prior to catching the ferry, we made a short detour to the top of the Loreley rock. We wanted to see what all the fuss was about. After visiting the top of the Loreley, we are still wondering what all the fuss is about. After crossing the river, we drove to Boppard, got some ice cream and refrigerator magnets, and counted castles on our way back to Rüdesheim. After returning to our hotel, we walked to a McDonalds that was about 30 minutes away. In order of increasing interest, the highlights of this day were the Loreley rock, refrigerator magnets, McDonalds, and the castles. Actually, the castles were in a class of their own. The Rhine Valley means different things to different people. To many Germans, it symbolizes folklore and legends like the Loreley or fairy tales from the Brothers Grimm. To others, the Rhine Valley evokes memories of fine wine and picturesque hillside vineyards. To still others, it is merely an industrialized transport corridor full of ugly commercial barges. To us, the Rhine Valley is the realm of castles. If you're into castles, this is the place. Most of these castles are genuine, and many date from the 12^th century. There are about 30 significant medieval structures along this middle stretch of the Rhine. The powerful families that owned these castles maintained their wealth primarily by extorting tolls from river traffic. Louis XIV, apparently one of the earliest proponents of globalization, destroyed the more strategically located castles in an attempt to reduce barriers to trade. Today, Rhine Valley castles exist in a variety of states and are used for a variety of purposes. Some are in ruins, whereas others were never significantly damaged. Among the relatively intact castles, some are museums, private residences, or hotels. One is a nursing home for German veterans. The castles are distributed more or less evenly along both banks of the river. For this reason, an effective use of time requires that castle watchers use the system of auto ferries that operates along this stretch of the river. These are not scenic cruises. By the time you pay the fee and unfasten your safety belt, you are being waved off the boat. Each ferry continuously shuttles back and forth between the same two towns. The trip is short, so the wait is never extensive. The fee typically ranges between 3-4 Euros, and the ferry operators are used to dealing with non-German speaking tourists. As far as moving the car is concerned, the rules are very simple - Don't try to drive on or off the boat before it is docked at the ramp. Other than that, it's pretty straightforward. You may not park exactly the way they want, but you're never going to see them again, so why worry about it. When paying, the toll collector shows the price on a small hand-held device with a digital display. Burg Gutenfels and the Pfalzgrafenstein We fell in love with the castles of the Rhineland on our previous trip to Germany. On that visit, we splurged and stayed at Burg Gutenfels, an authentic medieval castle overlooking the historic town of Kaub. The castle grounds consist of a mixture of crumbling ruins, early 19^th century renovations, and original structures that have been stabilized. The central core of the castle, the keep, was first occupied in the 12^th century, and remains relatively intact. In fact, this is the portion of the castle that includes the hotel. Around 11 pm on our first night at the castle, I went walking by moonlight through a light rain. In one area of the castle grounds, I had the distinct feeling that I was in a cemetery, despite the fact that there were no clearly marked graves. The next morning, the castle proprietor told me that I had stumbled upon the "Spanish Cemetery," where Spanish mercenaries that died during a siege of the castle were buried several centuries ago. Burg Gutenfels is located directly above what is probably the most photographed Rhine castle, the minature island fortress of Pfalzgrafenstein. Based on the number of guidebooks that have an image of the Pfalzgrafenstein on the cover, it would seem that this small castle is the unofficial symbol of the Rhine Valley. This structure, which was used to levy tolls on passing ships, is about two centuries younger than Burg Gutenfels. Although it is possible to tour the island castle, we did not visit the Pfalzgrafenstein on either this trip or our previous trip. The next time we visit this area, a tour of the tiny castle will be a priority. The German Rhineland has witnessed some of the most profoundly disruptive events in European history. This area was conquered by the Roman legions of Julius Caesar and, seventeen centuries later, by Napoleon's Grand Armee. The end of the Second World War and the destruction of the Third Reich was heralded by the crossing of the Rhine by Allied troops. The Rhineland wine industry was impacted by all of these events, but particularly the first. During the 1^st century AD, the Romans introduced the art of wine growing to the Rhine Valley and this part of Germany has never been the same. The Roman presence along this legendary river is culturally manifest in place names, agricultural practices, and sociopolitical structures, such as concepts of nobility and republican forms of government. This presence is physically manifest in scattered crumbling fortifications, isolated monuments, and some elements of architectural style. Many of the Rhineland towns, such as Cologne, Koblenz and Boppard, originated as permanent Roman encampments or provincial towns. The most visibly enduring impact of the Roman conquest, however, are the ubiquitous vineyards of the Rhine Valley. Tomorrow, we will visit another region in which the Romans introduced a still-thriving wine industry- the Mosel Valley.
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