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ItalianoI'm putting together information about castles along the Rhine river, with a few notable churches and monasteries mixed in, from Frankfurt am Main airport (actually from Mainz/Wiesbaden) to Köln (Cologne). This is intended for visiting relatives but may be of use to other travellers as well. The order is by Rhine Kilometer streamup.
Most of the castles are either ruins or partially (and not necessarily historically correctly) reconstruction, only very few escaped destcruction. These survivors are:
Reasons for a castle to become a ruin are mainly:
- Loss of military function in modern age, often a palace is built instead,
- Extinction of the noble family, and the heir is not interested in the castle,
- the French, more precisely king Louis XIV. during the Nine Years' War and Napoleon Bonaparte.
| Rhine kilometer | Side | Town | Name | Description | Sightseeing |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ~500 | West | Mainz | Mainz Cathedral (Hoher Dom St. Martin zu Mainz / Mainzer Dom) | Erected in its main parts in romanesque style between 1009 (after a fire) and 1037, and again after another fire 1081-1106 (death of emperor Heinrich IV.), it is the oldest of the three Salian (or Rhenian) Imperial Cathedrals (Salische Kaiserdome) and seat of the Archdiocese of Mainz. See also on Wikipedia. | Free entry, Diocesian museum nearby |
| ~500 | West | Mainz | Electoral Palace Mainz (Kurfürstliches Schloss Mainz) | Erected (likely never completed per original plan by Matthias von Saarbur) between 1627 and 1687, it is the youngest surviving building in the German Renaissance style. See also on Wikipedia. | Used as event and congress location. |
| ~500 | West | Mainz | Mainz Citadel (Zitadelle Mainz)] | Erected around 1660, it is among the few still existing modern-age citadels in Germany. See also on Wikipedia. | Guided tours in German, English, French, Spanish, Italian, Russion (website in German only). |
| 501 | East | Wiesbaden | Sonnenberg Castle (Burg Sonnenberg) | Erected around 1200, the castle was the most important fortification of the counts/princes/dukes of Nassau. Nowadays an impressive ruin, the tower was preserved and houses a small museum. There is also Gollner's Restaurant. See also on Wikipedia (German only). | unknown |
| 502.5 | East | Wiesbaden | Solms Palace (Solmsschlösschen) | A neo-gothic half-timber (Fachwerk) construction designed by Ferdinand Schorbach from Hanover and erected 1890-1892 by prince Albrecht zu Solms-Braunfels. See also on Wikipedia (German only). | unknown |
| 502.8 | East | Wiesbaden | Palace for the Heir of the Duchy (Erbprinzenpalais) | The neoclassical bulding designed by Christian Zais was completed in 1820, though prince Wilhelm of Nassau-Weilburg (the later Duke Wilhelm I of Nassau) never lived there. Nowadays the seat of the chamber of commerce (Handelskanner). See also on Wikipedia (German only). | unknown |
| 502.9 | East | Wiesbaden | City Palace Wiesbaden (Stadtschloss Wiesbaden) | Erected 1835-1840 on design of Geoorg Moller for Wilhelm I Duke of Nassau, who died 1839, its only permanent resident was Adolf Duke of Nassau, the later Grand Duke of Luxemburg. When Nassau was annexed by Prussia 1866, it became one of the summer residences of the Prussian royal/imperial family. After the end of monarchy it was used as headquarters of the British Rhine Army and as a museum. After serious damage in World War II and reconstruction it is now the seat of the Hesse state parliament Hessischer Landtag. See also on Wikipedia. | closed for renovation since October 2017. |
| 503.0 | East | Wiesbaden | Biebrich Palace (Schloss Biebrich) | The baroque three-wing palace, erected 1700-1750, was the residence of the prince/duke of Nassau from 1744-1866. After Nassau was annexed by Prussia, this palace stayed in the possession of the former duke and, after them inheriting the throne of Luxemburg, the grand-duke of Luxemburg. Later it was handed over to the City of Wiesbaden and is now used by various city and state agencies as well as representation for the Hessian Ministerpresident and for private events. The large park is open to the public, at it's end away from the Rhine is the train station Wiesbaden-Biebrich, and in the middle, erected on historic ruins, is the romanticistic fake castle ruin Mosburg, erected 1805-1806 by Carl Florian Goetz. See also on Wikipedia | unknown |
| 504 | East | Wiesbaden | Hunting Palace Platte (Jagdschloss Platte) | Erected 1823-1826 as autium residence and hunting location of the dukes of Nassau in classicistic style. | Used as event location. |
| Example | West | Budenheim | Waldthausen Palace (Schloss Waldthausen) | Erected 1908-1910 by Martin Wilhelm von Waldthausen based on the Residence Castle Posen. See also on Wikipedia (German only). | Park open to the public, building used by Sparkassen- und Giroverband Rheinland-Pfalz (a group of banks). |
| Example | East | Eltville | Crass Castle (Burg Crass / Schloss Rheinstein) | Erected in the 1100s, it is the oldest building in Eltville. | Hotel, restaurant and event location. |
| Example | East | Eltville | Electoral Castle Eltville (Kurfürstliche Burg Entville) | The castle of the prince-electors and archbishops of Mainz was erected from 1330 to 1345, is situated directly at the Rhine and is considered the landmark of Eltville. The former residence tower now houses the Tourist Information with souvenir shop, a wedding chapel, a Gutenberg memorial and changing exhibitions. | open daily, outdoor areas free, tower 3.50 € (2.50 € reduced). |
| Example | East | Heidesheim am Rhein | (Burg Windeck) | Example | Example |
| Example | East | Eltville | (Schlosshotel Reinhartshausen) | Example | Example |
| Example | East | Kiedrich | (Burg Scharfenstein) | Example | Example |
| Example | Example | Eltville | Eberbach Monastery (Kloster Eberbach) | Example | Example |
| Example | Example | Eltville | (Burg Hattenheim) | Example | Example |
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