Experience pure Rhine romance
Follow in the footsteps of poets, painters and composers
Discover your Rhine romance in the UNESCO World Heritage. The Middle Rhine stands for Rhine romanticism, myths & legends. At the beginning of the 19th century, literary figures, musicians and painters discovered the Middle Rhine Valley. The Middle Rhine Valley corresponded perfectly to their idea of an ideal landscape: According to Friedrich Schlegel: "For me, only those regions are beautiful which are usually called rough and wild; for only these are sublime...Nothing, however, is able to embellish and intensify the impression as much as the traces of human boldness on the ruins of nature, bold castles on wild rocks."
Fascination Upper Middle Rhine Valley - Majestic UNESCO World Heritage Site
First significant destination in Germany
The landscape will certainly fascinate you even today, experience the play of colors between the deep gray slate and the fresh green in spring, the flowers and the steep slopes of the Rhine wine. In autumn the variety of colors of the vines and the forest. The light and the weather phenomena: maybe you see a rainbow ending in the Rhine, wasn't the Nibelungen Rhine Gold here? When you come in the fall, the fog moves through the valley and must finally give way to the sun.
And of course the many castles and palaces between Bingen and Koblenz. 40 in number and thus the largest density of castles in the world. In between, pretty medieval towns like Bacharach or Oberwesel.
The poem by Clemens Brentano "Zu Bacharach am Rheine" created the most famous Rhine myth, the story of the beautiful but sad sorceress Lore Ley. Taken up by Heinrich Heine and set to music by Henrich Silz, you will hear the well-known: "I don't know what it should mean" on the excursion boat during your trip past the Loreley rock and will understand why the striking rock has always impressed people and was also feared, here was the most dangerous place on the Rhine.
During a boat trip you will be in the best company of the Rhine travelers. With the beginning of liner steam navigation in 1827, Rhine tourism began on a large scale. Already in the middle of the 19th century, it is said that about 1 million people a year enjoyed the Middle Rhine Valley on board a ship.
Painting - the romantic view
Turner makes the Upper Middle Rhine Valley world famous
The romantic view of the Rhine soon found its way into painting as well. Christian Georg Schütz the Younger and William Turner painted what the public, influenced by the Romantic literati, now wanted to see: rough and wild Rhine landscapes with lonely castle ruins on steep mountains.
Inspired by travel reports, novels and poems, William Turner traveled through the Upper Middle Rhine Valley for the first time in 1817. Between Bingen/Rüdesheim and Koblenz, he painted the landscape that fascinated him on both sides of the Rhine. He travels here mainly on foot, but also uses ferry and ship.
Today you can follow in his footsteps and the footsteps of the Rhine Romanticism with the William Turner Route. You follow in his footsteps on a bronze plate that corresponds exactly to the painting location of his masterpiece. You can call up his work via your smartphone and then learn interesting facts about the works. The locations are marked from Koblenz to Bacharach. The missing locations can all be found on the website.
Embark on a virtual Rhine journey at Romanticum Koblenz
Become a captain or captain
In the Romanticum you steer a virtual ship and experience the Rhine romanticism with all senses. In the Loreley Karaoke Bar you sing the famous song. As captain:in you steer the dangerous place around the Loreley or become part of the ship's parade at Rhine in Flames. In the salon of the ship you will experience the romanticism of the Rhine at first hand. So get on your way: discover the magic of the Rhine romanticism.