Festung Ehrenbreitstein

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Festung Ehrenbreitstein is a fortress on the same-named mountain on the right side of the Rhine opposite to the town of Koblenz in the bundesland of Rhineland-Palatinate in Germany.

It was built as the backbone of the regional fortification system, Festung Koblenz, by Prussia between 1817 and 1832 and guarded the middle Rhine region, an area that had been invaded by French troops repeatedly before. The fortress was never attacked.

Early fortifications at the site can be dated back to about 1000 BC. At about 1000 AD Ehrenbert erected a castle. Its initial name "Burg Ehrenbertstein" became:Burg Ehrenbreitstein. The Archbishops of Trier expanded it with a supporting castle Burg Helferstein and guarded the Holy Tunic in it from 1657 to 1794. French revolutionary troops conquered Koblenz in 1794. After a one-year siege, starvation forced the defenders of Ehrenbreitstein to hand over the fortress to French troops in 1799. When the French departed in 1801, the castle was destroyed.

After the defeat of Napoleon and the Congress of Vienna in 1815, the Rhineland became a Prussian province, and the fortification of the Koblenz area a military priority. Festung Ehrenbreitstein represented the largest military fortress in Europe save for Gibraltar and was able to be defended by 1500 soldiers. Unchallenged, it remained in service until 1890.

In 1897, a Monument to Emperor Wilhelm I was erected right below the Festung, but on the west side of the Rhine, known as the Deutsches Eck (German Corner). Both fortress and monument were considered as symbols for the "Guard at the Rhine", as in the song Die Wacht am Rhein.

During WW I the fortress was used as military headquarters. After WWI the American General T. Allan, convinced of its historical value as a premier 19th century fortress, prevented its intended destruction. During WW II it served as a place of safekeeping for archives and cultural objects but also harbored three flak guns.

After WW II it was used first by the French Army before it was handed over to the State of Rheinland-Pfalz. It now has multiple uses including a youth hostel, restaurant, museum and archive.