After a nice slow start to the day, we docked at Koblenz, which is a town located at the so called German Corner where the Moselle River joins the Rhine. The very point of the German corner is marked by a truly massive statue of the first emperor of the United Germany, Kaiser Wilhelm. You can get an idea of its size from the guy sitting halfway up it. This version is a replica. The original of this statue was destroyed by American troops who shelled it till it collapsed.
On the other side of the Rhine is a massive fortress which was built in the 19th Century. This current fortress replaced the earlier one which was destroyed by Napoleon.
Koblenz tends to be a bit short on historical buildings, the town having been comprehensively destroyed by Louis XIV, Napoleon and the Allies. Our guide here was a delightful American lady who on her first visit to Europe sat next to a local winemaker on a flight, wound up marrying him and has lived here for the last 35 years. She had a real passion for the town and delighted showing us its special places.
They have a local hero here called the Robbing Knight. Back in the 15th Century he would prowl the local countryside stealing from the rich and giving to the poor. Sounds familiar but this story has a different ending. He was finally caught and tried in Koblenz and sentenced to death. As he was about to be executed in the town square, he addressed the citizens and told them if they erected a monument to him, the town would have good luck. The towns folk all laughed at this suggestion and the knight reportedly rolled his eyes and poked his tongue out as they chopped off his head.
I don’t know what it is about German folk tales. To me they never seem to have a satisfactory conclusion. Anyhow the Robbing Knight is remembered around the town on a number buildings, including this clock, where he rolls his eyes and pokes his tongue out every 15 minutes.
They have a great cable car here and we took it across the river and looked at the views over the valley and the town. You can see the German corner in this one.
Hardys’ Travels 