Rhine River Castles - Day 10

After leaving Cologne we cruised all night.  Sometime during the night we passed Remagen where I had wanted to see the remnants of the famous World War II "Bridge at Remagen".  But I was not willing to get up in the middle of the night to see it and so missed it.

As you can see, the Rhine is a substantial river and therefore a natural defensive barrier for the Germans.  They blew all the bridges across the Rhine.  But at Remagan, although the explosives were set off at the approach of the Americans, the bridge remained standing.

On 7 March 1945, the troops of the 1st U.S. Army approached Remagen and were surprised to find that the bridge was still standing.  Its capture, two weeks before Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery's meticulously planned Operation Plunder, enabled the U.S. Army to establish a bridgehead on the eastern side of the Rhine. After the U.S. forces captured the bridge, German forces tried to destroy it multiple times.

It finally collapsed on 17 March 1945, ten days after it was captured.  While it stood, the bridge and newly established pontoon bridges enabled the U.S. Army to establish a bridgehead of six divisions, about 25,000 troops, with accompanying tanks, artillery pieces, and trucks, across the Rhine. Capturing the bridge shortened the war, and V-E Day came on May 8. After the war, the bridge was not rebuilt; the towers on the west bank were converted into a museum and the towers on the east bank are a performing arts space.

We also missed our passing the German city of Koblenz on the west bank of the Rhine and where the Moselle River branches off to the west.

After breakfast, the boat entered the most scenic portion of the Rhine River cruise -- the romantic Rhine.

Burghotel Auf Schönburg Oberwesel  on the left on the hill.  Liebfrauenkirche --Catholic Church -- on the right at rivers edge.

Gutenfels

A good look at the Pfalz Castle and the town of Kaub.  Pfalz was built in the river in the 1300s to tax medieval river traffic.  From Rick Steves:  The town of Kaub grew rich as Pfalz raised its chains when boats came, and lowered them only when the merchants had paid their duty.  Those whodidn't pay spent time touring its prison, on a raft at the bottom of its well.  Notice the overhanging outhouse.

Pfalzgrafenstein Castle

Reichenstein Castle which is also a hotel, restaurant and museum.  Notice the trailer park in front of the Castle on the river.