In 1823, the ruined Vautsberg Castle and its rock were acquired by Friedrich Ludwig Prince of Prussia, who erected Burg Rheinstein as the first new castle of the Rhine Romanticism.

Visit Castles Surrounded by Myth and Legend

The Romantic Rhine boasts more than 40 castles and fortifications, not including its patrician dwellings and manor houses. A real Eldorado if you are a fan of the Middle Ages and would love to slip into the role of a knight, princess, or lord just for the day.

The Marksburg Castle, Braubach, is the only hilltop castle on the Middle Rhine that has never been destroyed. It is also the headquarters of the German Castle Association and contains the largest library dedicated to castles in Europe. – © Ruth Vogel / Rhein-Touristik Tal der Loreley

Katz Castle, above St. Goarshausen, was built in 1371 by the powerful Counts of Katzenelnbogen. – © Dominik Ketz / Rheinland-Pfalz Tourismus GmbH

Stolzenfels Castle, Koblenz-Stolzenfels, was rebuilt between 1836 and 1842 as a summer residence for Friedrich Wilhelm IV of Prussia. – © Ulrich Peuffer / Generaldirektion Kulturelles Erbe Rheinland-Pfalz

Pfalzgrafenstein Castle in Kaub is a former toll castle built in the 14th century on a rocky island in the Rhine. A passenger ferry takes visitors to the castle. – © Werner Schwarz / Rhein-Touristik Tal der Loreley

The Marksburg Castle, Braubach, is the only hilltop castle on the Middle Rhine that has never been destroyed. It is also the headquarters of the German Castle Association and contains the largest library dedicated to castles in Europe. – © Ruth Vogel / Rhein-Touristik Tal der Loreley

The solid fortifications attest to a very violent past. Today, romanticism is the sense most closely associated with the ancient walls and ruins of the region's castles, and many have been given a new lease on life as hotels or youth hostels.

There is hardly a hill without a castle on the top of it. There are almost 40 between the Mäuseturm (Mouse Tower), near Bingen, and Koblenz. The Marksburg castle, towering over Braubach, has never been destroyed. It is now the headquarters of the German Castle Association, and provides a good example of medieval life in a castle.

The ruins of the medieval Rheinfels Castle, built in 1245, and the underground passageways of the fortress are very impressive. – Photograf by Friedrich Gier, Romantischer Rhein Tourismus GmbH

Most of the castles are open to the public and invite you to learn more about life inside their thick walls. They are also the perfect embodiment of Rhine Romanticism—whether it be the soft, melancholic atmosphere of an ancient ruin, or the lavish furnishings and valuable works of art in a freshly refurbished landmark. Man has erected buildings here for well over a thousand years and they are like mirrors, reflecting the different ages here on the Rhine and taking visitors from the tops of towers on the highest peaks right down to the dank dungeons of robber barons.

Spots of interest include: the Fortress Ehrenbreitstein and cable car, Koblenz; Stolzenfels Palace, Koblenz-Stolzenfels; Marksburg Castle, Braubach; and Pfalzgrafenstein Castle, Kaub.

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Castles and Palaces on the Romantic Rhine