Sights in Rhine Valley
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Monastery
If you saw the 1986 film The Name of the Rose, starring Sean Connery, you've already seen parts of this one-time Cistercian monastery, in which many of the interior scenes were shot. Dating from as far back as the 12th century and once home to 150 or more monks and perhaps 400 lay brothers, this graceful complex - in an idyllic little valley - went through periods as a lunatic asylum, jail, sheep pen and accommodation for WWII refugees. Today visitors can explore the 13th- and 14th-century Kreuzgang (cloister), the monks' baroque refectory and their vaulted Gothic Monchdormitorium (dormitory), as well as the austere Romanesque Klosterkirche (basilica).
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Schloss Stolzenfels
With its crenellated towers, ornate gables and medieval-style fortifications, Schloss Stolzenfels, 5km south of the town centre above the Rhine's left bank, exudes the timeless, sentimental beauty for which the Romantic Rhine is famed. In 1823, the future Prussian king Friedrich Wilhelm IV fell under its spell and had the castle - ruined by the French - rebuilt as his summer residence; during the Victorian era, guests included Queen Victoria. Today, the rooms remain largely as the king left them, with paintings, weapons, armour and furnishings from the mid-19th century.
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Burg Rheinfels
The sprawling ruins of Burg Rheinfels was once the mightiest fortress on the Rhine. Built in 1245 by Count Dieter V of Katzenelnbogen as a base for his toll-collecting operations, its size and labyrinthine layout are truly astonishing. Not only kids will love exploring the subterranean tunnels and galleries. To get there, you can walk for 20 minutes up the hill from the youth hostel or drive (parking fee required).
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Ehrenbreitstein
On the right bank, looming above the confluence of the Rhine and Moselle Rivers, this mighty fortress proved indestructible to all but Napoleonic troops in 1801. A few years later, the Prussians took this as a challenge to build one of Europe's strongest fortifications. Behind the mighty bulwarks is a hostel, two restaurants and the Landesmuseum.
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Parish Church
Medieval power woman Hildegard von Bingen's elaborate gold reliquary shrine, containing her heart, hair, tongue and skull, is prominently displayed inside the parish church, attracting pilgrims from around the world, especially on 17 September, the anniversary of her death.
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Burg Rheinstein
The picturesque Burg Rheinstein, in the 1820s became the first Rhine castle to be converted - by Prussian royalty - into a romantic summer residence. The working drawbridge and a portcullis evoke medieval times but the interior is mostly neo-Gothic.
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Burg Reichenstein
Looming above the village of Trechtingshausen, the mighty Burg Reichenstein now harbours a museum with a prized collection of furnishings, armour, hunting trophies and even cast-iron oven slabs. Also has a restaurant and rooms for rent.
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Burg Sooneck
The state-owned Burg Sooneck, an impressive castle, was carefully restored in the 19th century and is filled with neo-Gothic and Biedermeier furniture and paintings.
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Oberes Mittelrheintal
In 2002 Unesco designated these 65km of riverscape, more prosaically known as the Oberes Mittelrheintal, as a World Heritage Site.
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