Castles Along the Rhine

If there were ever a place where I could envision myself a princess, it would have to be the scenic 40-mile stretch of the Upper Middle Rhine Valley that features a stunning, castle-dotted landscape.

Early on the seventh day of our cruise aboard the River Empress, I parked myself in the glass-enclosed Sky Lounge where I could get a birds-eye view of the castles on both sides of the Rhine River. There was a bit of morning fog so we were initially concerned that we wouldn't be able to see anything but the sun quickly kissed the fog good-bye.

As we came upon a castle, our Cruise Director Rik Sprengers told us colorful stories about days gone by. Most of the castles were built during the 10th to 14th centuries from tolls collected by entrepreneurs who set up 15 toll booths along this 40-mile stretch of the Rhine on which we were now cruising without a care in the world. During that time, the river was the only way to traverse this area going north and south so these clever entrepreneurs had a monopoly on the trade route. Judging by the magnificent castles they built from the taxes they collected from the ships that passed through their toll booths, they surely did collect their pound of flesh!

According to legend, two feuding brothers built the Sterrenburg Castle and Liebenstein Castle in Boppard. One of the brothers fell in love with their nanny and married her. While the first brother was away at war, the second brother fell in love with his brother's wife. That's why there are two castles in Boppard with a wall of dispute built between them.

Not far upriver from St. Goarshausen, the fabled Lorelei rock rises 430 feet above the narrowest part of the river, which makes it very difficult to navigate. Rik referred to Lorelei as the Pamela Anderson of the Middle Ages because Lorelei's striking beauty would supposedly distract sailors from their navigation duties and cause them to crash their ships on the rocks at the foot of the cliff.

Rik also told us about the mysterious basket that hung outside Rheinstein Castle. In times of war, the residents of Rheinstein Castle started a fire in the basket to warn castles in the surrounding area of an impending invasion; during peace time, they supposedly put tax evaders in the basket until they starved to death.

And what about the Mäuseturm (Mouse Tower)? Legend has it that the Archbishop of Mainz was eaten alive by mice in this tower as his comeuppance for being a cruel ruler. This paints a really lovely visual, doesn't it?

I don't know how many of Rik's stories were even remotely close to the truth but the fanciful tales surely did complement our sublime surroundings.

Although many of these castles were damaged by either the army of King Louis XIV or Napoleon, several have been rebuilt and are now thriving hotels and museums.

See more pictures of the castles