Koblenz: Spitting Statues and a 6-Foot Thumb

The Deutsches Eck in Koblenz

Jim and I are on a "study tour" trip with his students. We started the 5-day adventure in Koblenz, Germany, a city situated at the confluence of the Rhine and Mosel Rivers (the French spell it Moselle). The narrow point of land in Koblenz that divides the rivers is called the Deutsches Eck (German Corner). A massive statue of Emperor Wilhelm I on horseback lords it over the Eck. On the day we visited, Wilhelm was being serenaded by an accordionist down near water level who was playing french cabaret tunes. Sweet.

Behind Wilhelm's statue there's a small park with beautiful gardens and large plane trees (like our sycamores). Some trees were decorated with colorful splotches of color! Nearby is a contemporary art museum- the Ludwig Museum. I wondered if the Museum had anything to do with the whimsical tree painting. There wasn't time to tour the inside of the museum, but we wandered around in its courtyard and came upon a 6-foot tall bronze sculpture of a thumb! The detail on this giant thumb was impressive, right down to its unique fingerprint. 

A huge fortress dominates the clifftop opposite the Deutsches Eck. This is Ehrenbreitstein, built by the Prussians between 1817 and 1828 to protect the middle Rhine area from French invaders. We rode a cable car that crossed high above the river to get to the fort. The views from our cable car were spectacular! That ride was one of the highlights of our short stay in Koblenz. Jim wasn't interested in walking about in the fortress, so I explored it myself. I forgot to get the fortress map from Jim, so I became lost in the huge walled in space and its confusing interior corridors. Eventually I found my way out and we rode the cable car back to the Deutsches Eck park where we lunched at a pleasant outdoor cafe near the Ludwig Museum. 





Wandering about in Koblenz' altstadt (old town), I found some unusual statues. The funniest is the Schangelbrunnen, a statue of a "spitting boy." At regular intervals a stream of water spurts from the little guy's mouth, pouring onto unsuspecting tourists. Created in 1940, this statue is a tribute to the mischievous youth of Koblenz. In another of the city's squares- Gorresplatz- a towering "history column" tells the story of this Rhineland town. At the bottom of the column is a boat filled with wine barrels, representing the success of Koblenz' wine trade. A huge head projects from the bow of the boat. Like the Schangelbrunnen, this fellow is also spitting water.

 Later in the day we joined the students for a wine tasting at the Hans Mader winery on the banks of the Mosel. It was a beautiful drive along the river to reach the winery. We marveled at the steep banks planted with grapevines. How did they tend the vines and harvest the grapes on those inclines? It was all explained to us by Hans' son, the 3rd generation winemaker in the family. The steep slopes make it impossible to use machinery for the process, so all of the work is done by hand. We tasted a number of wines, both red and white. Our hosts also served us a delicious Winzerplatte while we were tasting: cheese, ham, homemade sausage, and slices of brown Oberlander bread. A great way to end our afternoon in the Mosel valley!