Some look proud with their keep, their guard towers and their curtain walls topped with machicolations. The others are nothing more than ruins which barely reveal the outline of a moat or the foundations of a rampart. Culminating for some at more than 200 meters above sea level, around twenty castles dominate the course of the Moselle between Trier and Koblenz, and an escape to one of them is essential if you want to embrace in all its majesty this valley above all famous for its wines, and in particular for its Rieslings considered to be the most prestigious in Germany.
There is no shortage of options for this. 80 kilometers from Trier, the imperial castle of Cochem is undoubtedly the most spectacular with its neo-Gothic architecture worthy of a swashbuckling film set. Further south, the medieval fortress of Landshut has a more austere appearance. Never rebuilt since the fire which ravaged it at the end of the 17th centurye century, it owes its notoriety above all to its exceptional location. Perched on a rocky spur that can be reached in a half-hour walk from Bernkastel-Kues, it offers a breathtaking view of one of the countless meanders in which the German part of the Moselle winds, before throw into the Rhine near Koblenz.
About Koblenz, a question arises: although the Moselle ends its course there, is it a good idea to end its journey there? It is not certain. Not that this university town of 115,000 inhabitants lacks attractions. With its colorful houses and small cobbled squares, its old center is charming. As for the Deutsches Eck (“German corner”), a promontory which marks the confluence of the Moselle and the Rhine, it constitutes a very pleasant place for walks as well as a high place of memory dedicated to the unity of the country, as evidenced by the monumental equestrian statue of William Ierfounder of the German Empire in 1871, behind which three pieces of the Berlin Wall were installed.
130 kilometers further south, near the borders of Luxembourg and France, Trier has approximately the same number of inhabitants. But you only need to walk a few streets to understand that this city is not in the same category as Koblenz. Considered the oldest city in Germany, which it does not fail to make a marketing argument, this Roman colony founded in 16 BC reached its peak three centuries later, going so far as to acquire for a time the status of imperial capital.
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