Rhineland-Palatinate
Art, History & Archaeology Sites & Museums

From 1939 to 1945 some 13,600 political prisoners of all ages were imprisoned here. Although most were in transit to larger concentration camps, many were executed at Hinzert. In 1946 the bodies of just over 200 inmates were buried on the site of the concentration camps, people who could not be repatriated to their home countries. This was the start of the memorial site. In 2005 the memorial and documentation centre opened, a modern steel structure that houses a permanent exhibition including artefacts and photographs.

Originally called Peterseck Castle and completed in 1388, the fortified residence was built by Electors of Trier to enforce their toll rights on the Rhine River. But also to protect their territory against the Counts of Katzenelnbogen on the opposite side of the Rhine. As a response, they built Neu-Katzenelnbogen Castle (Burg Katz), which led the people to call the castles “Katz und Maus”. The castle was never destroyed in the region’s conflicts, but it fell into disrepair during the 18th century. In 1898 it was bought by a Cologne architect and restored as a residence while preserving its medieval style.

The hilltop Hardenburg Castle was built around 1210 by the counts of the Leiningen House, and is thought to be one of the most powerful castles in the Palatinate region. In the 16th century it was further fortified and expanded as a Renaissance residence for the family. After surviving the Thirty Years War as well as the attacks of Ludwig XIV, it was set alight by the French revolutionary forces in 1796. Although its interior was completely destroyed, the ruin is well preserved and now hosts a fully accessible visitor centre as well as a number of annual events.

Reichenberg Castle, within the UNESCO listed Upper Middle Rhine Valley, was built in 1319 by Graf von Katzenelnbogen. By the time of his death in 1331 the unfinished castle was divided between the brothers Willhelm II and Erbhard V. Willhelm II did not finish construction and the castle was abandoned for the following 700 years. In 2010, the ruin was bought by a businessman who is collaborating with the Cultural Heritage Preservation to save what is left of the castle. Since the ruin is very instable it can only be viewed from the outside.

The UNESCO world heritage site Burg Neukatzenelnbogen (more simply Burg Katz) was built in 1393 by Graf Johann III von Neukatzenelnbogen. Throughout the years, it was at the center of various infighting between the two family lines of Hessen-Kasseln and Hessen-Darmstadt. After its destruction in 1806 by Napoleon, the district administrator of the region in 1896 bought the ruin and rebuilt it without care for its original medieval form. Finally, in 1989 it was purchased by a Japanese hotel manager. To this day, the castle is private property and cannot be visited.

Pyrmont Castle, first mentioned in 1225, is thought to have been built by Kuno von Schönberg on top of a waterfall. After it had served as a defensive structure, it was left to decay. Following French occupation in 1810 the ruin was put up for auction. In 1912, it was bought by Captain Scharmberg who proceeded to live in the castles cellar as a hermit. In 1963 it was reconstructed by Hentrich and Petschnigg, who merged the medieval and baroque features with modern architectural elements. Today the castle is mostly used as a venue for special events, but it is possible to take guided tours.

The UNESCO world heritage site Rheinfels Castle was built in 1245 by Graf Diether V. von Neukatzenelnbogen and was used to clear customs. After a year-long, failed occupation, the fortress gained a reputation for being impregnable. In 1570 it was turned into a complex Renaissance palace by Landgrave Philipp I. von Hessen, who managed to hold out against the attacks of Louis XIV. However, around 1796 it was blown up by the French revolutionary army. The ruins are the property of the city St. Goar since 1925 and were partially turned into a 4-star hotel.

The centre of present-day Boppard on the Rhine River is built on the remains of a mid 4th century AD Roman fort, named Bodobrica. This was one of the most important military camps on the Middle Rhine. The settlement was founded by the Celts, named Baudobriga. The size attests to the fort’s importance, at 308 × 154 m covering an area of 4,7 ha. The walls were 3 metres thick facing land sides,  and 2,5 metres thick facing the Rhine side, reaching to a height 9 m with 20 towers – this was a formidable fort and is today one of the best preserved Roman forts in Germany.

Near the small town of Ahrweiler, the Cold War bunker served as a secure location for the German government to operate from in the event of a nuclear attack. Built underground between 1960 and 1972, it is an extraordinary feat of engineering as the bunker was designed to withstand a direct hit from a nuclear strike. It could accommodate up to 4,000 people for several weeks. Today visitors can take guided tours of the facility and see the living quarters, communication centres, and medical facility.

Vulkanpark is a rural geo-attraction focussed on a volcanic region in the eastern Vulkan Eifel area of Germany. A series of self-guided routes enable visitors to explore volcanology, archaeology and industrial history – and understand how the exploitation of volcanic rock has shaped the landscape since Roman times. Besides the Roman mine, the routes also take in a section of Roman walls near the town of Mayen and two Roman mound graves just outside the towns of Nickenich and Ochtendung.