The Phalz & Castle Gutenfels
"A ship of stone, eternally afloat upon the Rhine, and eternally lying at anchor before the town of Pfalzgrafen." That is how Victor Hugo described Burg Pfalzgrafenstein, known as the Pfalz.
Burg Pfalzgrafenstein functioned as a toll-collecting station that was not to be ignored. This former stronghold is famous for its picturesque and unique setting. Its keep, a pentagonal tower with its point upstream, was erected 1327. Additional walls, defensive turrets and a gun bastion pointing upstream were added later. The Pfalz worked in concert with Burg Gutenfels and the fortified town of Kaub on the right side of the river. A chain across the river forced ships to submit, and uncooperative traders could be kept in the dungeon until a ransom was delivered. Unlike the vast majority of Rhine castles, "the Pfalz" was never conquered or destroyed, withstanding not only wars, but also the natural onslaughts of ice and floods by the river.
On the hill beyond the Pfalz are the ruins of once-formidable Castle Gutenfels. The castle, whose name means “solid rock”, was built around 1220 and withstood several sieges in the 16th century. In 1793, however, the castle was handed over to French troops without a fight. In 1806, Napoleon had the castle’s fortifications razed, reportedly because his arrival was not met with the appropriate gun salutes.
The Phalz & Castle Gutenfels
"A ship of stone, eternally afloat upon the Rhine, and eternally lying at anchor before the town of Pfalzgrafen." That is how Victor Hugo described Burg Pfalzgrafenstein, known as the Pfalz.
Burg Pfalzgrafenstein functioned as a toll-collecting station that was not to be ignored. This former stronghold is famous for its picturesque and unique setting. Its keep, a pentagonal tower with its point upstream, was erected 1327. Additional walls, defensive turrets and a gun bastion pointing upstream were added later. The Pfalz worked in concert with Burg Gutenfels and the fortified town of Kaub on the right side of the river. A chain across the river forced ships to submit, and uncooperative traders could be kept in the dungeon until a ransom was delivered. Unlike the vast majority of Rhine castles, "the Pfalz" was never conquered or destroyed, withstanding not only wars, but also the natural onslaughts of ice and floods by the river.
On the hill beyond the Pfalz are the ruins of once-formidable Castle Gutenfels. The castle, whose name means “solid rock”, was built around 1220 and withstood several sieges in the 16th century. In 1793, however, the castle was handed over to French troops without a fight. In 1806, Napoleon had the castle’s fortifications razed, reportedly because his arrival was not met with the appropriate gun salutes.