Marksburg Castle On Rhine River

Contents.History Middle Ages A stone was built on the spot in 1100 by the Eppstein family and expanded into a castle around 1117 to protect the town of Braubach and to reinforce the customs facilities. It was first mentioned in documents in 1231. The Eppsteins were a powerful family in the region, with several members becoming archbishops in. In 1283, Count Eberhard of bought it and throughout the 14th and 15th century the high noble counts rebuilt the castle constantly.In 1429 the male line of the Counts of Katzenelnbogen became extinct, and the territories went to the Count of, who expanded the castle to accommodate artillery and added the round towers of the outer curtain wall.

The German Castle Association, located in the Marksburg in Braubach on Rhine, is responsible for the preservation of these monuments. For the following. The most outstanding castles are the Marksburg, the only undamaged hilltop castle in the Middle Rhine Valley, the Burg Pfalzgrafenstein, on a rocky island in the middle of the Rhine, and Rheinfels Castle, which was developed into a fortress over time. Stolzenfels Castle is a synonym for Rhine romanticism like no other.

19th century The French emperor seized then abolished the in 1806. He gave the Marksburg to his ally the for his service. He used the castle as a prison and as a home for disabled soldiers. After the of 1866 the Duchy of Nassau became a territory of, which took ownership of the Marksburg. Modern era Finally, it was sold in 1900 for a symbolic price of 1,000 Goldmarks to the ( Deutschen Burgenvereinigung), which had been founded a year earlier as a private initiative to preserve castles in Germany. The Marksburg has been the head office of this organisation since 1931.In March 1945, the castle was badly damaged by American artillery fired from across the Rhine.In the 1990s, a copy of the Marksburg was created for the in Japan, after the owner of the castle denied to demolish the original and rebuild it in Japan.Notes.

View from theBetween and, the river flows as the Middle Rhine (: Mittelrhein) through the, a formation created by erosion, which happened at about the same rate as an in the region, leaving the river at about its original level, and the surrounding lands raised. This gorge is quite deep, about 130 metres (430 ft) from the top of the rocks down to the average water-line.The 'Middle Rhine' is one of four sections (, Middle Rhine, ) of the river between Lake Constance and the North Sea. The upper half of the Middle Rhine (Rhine Gorge) from Bingen (Rhine-kilometer 526) to (Rhine-kilometer 593) is a with more than 40 castles and fortresses from the and many wine-villages.

The lower half from Koblenz (Rhine-kilometer 593) to Bonn (Rhine-kilometer 655) is famous for the formerly volcanic with the volcano. Both parts together are known as 'the romantic Rhine'.The Middle Rhine Valley has been a major tourist attraction since the 19th century. It is also home to some 450,000 people. The valley owes its special appearance to both its natural shape and human alterations. For two millennia, it has been one of the most important routes for cultural exchange between the and northern.

Gex enter the gecko rom. Situated in the heart of Europe, it was sometimes a border and sometimes a bridge between different cultures. The history of the valley reflects the history of Western Europe. With its many outstanding, its hills full of, its settlements crowded on the narrow river banks, and the rows of lined up on the hill tops, it is considered the epitome of the.

It inspired to write his famous poem ' and to write his opera.The vineyards along the Middle Rhine form the wine-growing region of the same name, see. Burg and Schloss SaynThe most outstanding castles are the, the only undamaged hilltop castle in the Middle Rhine Valley, the, on a rocky island in the middle of the Rhine, and, which was developed into a fortress over time.

Is a synonym for like no other. It did not just encourage the acceptance of the existing castles, it also encouraged their restoration and the building of even more castles. The in Koblenz was the last residence of the Electors of Trier. It was demolished by the French revolutionary army. The most powerful fortress in Rhineland-Palatinate, was built in the 19th century by the Prussians., once part of the fortification system, dominates the Rhine Valley to this day.The following castles are found along the Middle Rhine, in downstream order:Left bankRight bank.History Prehistory The terraces of the Middle Rhine Valley have been inhabited since the early. Evidence of this are the around the city forest of Boppard and in the forest of and the ring walls on the in Koblenz and on the giant hill at St. On the western border of the Middle Rhine region, there are also traces of a settlement, with the grave pillars of and the.

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In the 4th century BCE, the area had come under the influence of Mediterranean civilizations. The north-south link between mouth of the Nahe and the Moselle estuary rich already in use in pre-Roman times. The Roman development of the route overlaps in large sections with the route of the modernRoman period The settled in the area of the Middle Rhine from the mid-1st century BC to about 400 AD. An important factor was the construction of the between the provincial capitals and along the left bank of the Rhine, both on the plateau (northbound from ) as on the left bank in the Valley (the route of the modern highway ). The Rhine was the border of the Roman Empire, which is why the road had to be constructed on the left bank, just inside the Empire.Traces of significant road construction have been identified near at Bacharach.

The cities of Bingen ( Bingium) and Koblenz ( Confluentes) are the sites of early Roman, and Oberwesel ( Vosolvia) housed a Roman. The fortresses protected agriculture and natural resources against the tribes of the,. The agricultural settlements in the hinterland provided for the people in the cities and military camps.The Romans used the Rhine for shipping. In the 1st century CE, bridges were constructed at Koblenz across the Rhine and the Moselle.

In 83—85 a was constructed between the Rhine and the, to protect a weak section of the border. In the 2nd century, the Romans ventured onto the right bank of the Rhine and constructed a fortress at. Emperors and safeguarded the frontier by constructing fortresses in Koblenz are ( Confluentes) and Boppard ( Bodobrica) with strong walls and round towers, of which remnants remain.In the 5th century, the and forced the Romans to withdraw from the area. They took over the Roman cities and the Franconians began founding new cities of their own.

Unlike the old Roman cities, the new Franconian cities were independent of the old Roman farmsteads; agriculture and livestock farming took place inside the city. These cities can be recognized by their names ending in -heim.At the end of the 5th century, the king founded the. Although the Roman population of the area declined steadily, the people spoke a Franco-Roman dialect and the language of administration was. Grave inscriptions from the 4th to the 8th century in Boppard, in the and the prove the survival of a small Roman population in addition to the Frankish immigrants.Middle Ages The Roman settlements, especially the fortified cities in the Middle Rhine Valley, were taken by the Franconian Kings as Crown possessions. Almost all of the territory between Bingen and Remagen, including the cities of Bacharach, Oberwesel, St.

Goar, Boppard, Koblenz and Sinzig, were in royal ownership. The of individual parts of the empire began in the 8th century and continued until the early 14th century. Beneficiaries of the gifts were, among others, the abbots of and and of the and the Archbishops of Cologne, Trier, Mainz. The Counts of are also of the and this allow them to establish their own territory around their seat Burg Rheinfels Castle in St.

When the male line of the Counts dies out in 1479, this territory is inherited by the Landgraves of.The grandsons of split his Empire in the of 843, which they prepared in the in Koblenz in 842. The left bank of the Rhine between Bacharach and Koblenz falls to. In 925, Middle Francia is finally becomes the Duchy of within, the German Empire. The Rhine remains the heartland of the royal power, or Vis maxima regni as called it, until in 1138 is elected King of Germany in Koblenz, the first King of the.Late Middle Ages. InThe French included the Middle Rhine area in the department of, with its seat in Koblenz.

The new government replaced the German princes with French secular rulers, abolished the feudal system, seized land from the church and nobility in order to resell it and introduced French-style legislation.On New Year's Day 1814, an army under general crossed the Rhine at. This marked the end of the French rule, the final defeat of Napoleon and the beginning of over the Middle Rhine. On the in 1815 Prussia received its ' on the left bank. The right bank was held by.Prussia secured its supremacy by the construction of the great from 1817 onwards. After 1830, most of the changes introduced by French rulers were abolished in the and the old corporate state (nobility, cities, farmers) was rebuilt. The nobles resumed the political power; the educated middle class had almost no political influence outside of towns.

After the of 1866, Prussia annexed the Nassau areas on right bank.Steamships were introduced on the Rhine from about 1830. Railway lines were constructed from 1857. Neither innovation led to industrialization in the narrow Rhine valley.

As late as 1900, viticulture dominated the economic structure of the Middle Rhine, with its small cities and agriculture.20th century After the end of the in November 1918, the left bank of the Rhine and 50 km wide strip on the right bank were declared a 'demilitarized zone'. At first the Americans administered this territory, after 1923 the French. In the Rhineland, the change from a monarchy to a republic went almost unnoticed.

The plan, in 1923, to build a ' failed. The French withdrew their troops again in 1929. Ludendorff Bridge at Remagen, showing damage before its collapse. (March 1945)After the appointment of as Chancellor on January 30, 1933 the enthusiasm on the Middle Rhine was great. In many places, Hitler was named an honorary citizen. Jewish and other non-Christian officials were replaced by party functionaries. The, who had played a significant role in small town business were robbed and driven out, some of them murdered.The during the invasion of Germany resulted in the capture of the over the Rhine and shortened in Europe.

Damage during the battle caused the bridge's collapse on March 17, 1945, but only after the Allies had gained a foothold on the eastern side of the bridge. By March 21, Allied forces had ended the war's hostilities on the Middle Rhine.

Because of the battle's outcome, Hitler ordered a that sentenced to death five officers that had been involved in defending the bridge.The French again took up the administration of the territory in its occupation zone. At end of 1946, the Americans created the State in their occupation zone; six months later the French founded of the State of.

Although some areas were combined in the new states that historically do not belong together, a sense of togetherness quickly appeared. The desire for state boundaries more in line with historical territorial boundaries, however, never ceased entirely.UNESCO World Heritage Site 'Upper Middle Rhine Valley'. Vineyards and Middle Rhine, view from Rheinbrohler LeyThe Middle Rhine geographical region is largely identical to the geographical region to the Middle Rhine wine region, as defined by the German as a.The Romans introduced viticulture into the Region. That is, they introduced it into the valley; it spread into the Middle Rhine Valley during the Middle Ages. This development took place in four phases from the 11th to the end of the 14th century. An essential element of this development was the new technique of terrace viticulture. Vines are grown on terraces sloping from 25° to 30° and more.The climate favored wine Production.

The Rhine and the and weathered soils function as a heat storage to prevent large temperature fluctuations. Additionally, the steep slopes function to drain cold air from the valley. This is particularly beneficial for the late-ripening Riesling, which is grown on about 68% (stand 2013) of the total area under viticulture.

The used to be much smaller. The current situation has emerged only after a land consolidation in the 1960s. Unfortunately, with the disappearance of the old stone walls, a valuable habitat for microorganisms was lost. Some old style terraces are still in use in the Middle Rhine Valley. They continue to use the old technique of binding each vine to a separate pole. Vineyards near with the ruins of Hammerstein castleIn the Middle Ages, wine was the only non-germinated storable drink for the common people, as beer was often expensive and of poor quality, water in urban areas was usually polluted and coffee and tea were still unknown.

A regional speciality of the four valleys around Bacharach is Feuerwein, a specially treated wine that was traded far to the North. It now again being manufactured at Posthof in Bacharach. It was one of the dominant items of trade in the Middle Ages, fostered by the Rhine as the most important waterway, and existing Roman roads. It was valued by landlords, as growing wine appreciated the value of their land. The legal, social and economic situation of the workers improved as more and more workers with critical skills were needed.

In the late Middle Ages, the economy flourished and the majority of the population was dependent on wine growing. After the dissolution of many Lordships, land ownership fragmented and the land was divided into many small parcels.By the end of the 16th century this industry was booming. The then caused and decline. Prices of beer, tea and coffee dropped, causing profit margins on wine to shrink. After 1815, the left bank was Prussian and the economic situation improved. The 1839 led to strong competition.

Many farmers found themselves a day job, and grew wine as a secondary occupation. New sources of income were the sparkling wine industry and wine bars serving tourists attracted by the. After 1870 the railways brought new problems: cheaper and better foreign competition and the advent of vine insects of America and France (, downy mildew and ).

The deeper cause of the decline were the changed socio-economic conditions. Until the 19th century, there were few other opportunities for paid employment in the Rhine Valley, so many workers migrated to areas where the emerging manufacturing industries were creating new employment opportunities. The economic situation on the left bank improved after the. Until then, the only industries on the left bank were viticulture and tourism. In the 1960s, 92% of the slopes was consolidated into larger vineyards.

Nevertheless, the wine industry declined further, due to lack of profits. In 1950 the Mittelrhein region boasted 1,448 hectares (3,580 acres) of vines under cultivation int. Document of the winegrower's association Middle Rhine. In 1989 it still had 681 hectares (1,680 acres) (−53%). From 1989 to 2009 the total area of viticulture in the Middle Rhine region shrunk by another spiraling −19% to 438 hectares (1,080 acres). On the inYoung British aristocrats on their Grand Tour to Italy discovered the Middle Rhine in the 18th century.

With the German romance of the Middle Rhine in Germany was also a dream destination. Tourism, which had been induced by the, in turn promoted, which was provided by the company, which was founded in 1827, and the construction of the between the 1840s and 1870s. This brought a new economic boom to the Middle Rhine area, which continued well into the 20th century. The only paddle steamer still remaining on the Rhine is the, running between Koblenz and Rudesheim.German and the foreign tourists never quite lost interest in the Middle Rhine. Interest, however, decreased noticeably since the 1980s. In an attempt to make the Middle Rhine more attractive in the 21st century, two new long-distance trails, the on the right side of the Rhine and the on both sides of the Rhine, were opened which allow a particularly intense experience of the cultural landscape. Cyclists can ride the entire Middle Rhine Valley between Bingen and Bonn on the.

On the left bank, this provides a continuous bike path along the river, separate from any roads accessible to cars. On the right bank, there are still some small gaps where cyclists have to use regular streets.Navigation The Rhine is one of the busiest in the world.

The Middle Rhine Valley is the gap in the and forms a bottleneck due to its tight curves and shallows.