Although we had a busy day in Koln, we were treated to a guest performance that night. The Kolner Shanty Choir came aboard at 9:00 PM, before our ship sailed for Koblenz. The Choir is a jolly group of men in seafaring garb whose mission is to support the restoration of a German sailing vessel, the Gorch Foch 1 and having a good time. The 3 masted barkentine was built in 1933 and named after Johann Kinau, a German who wrote about seafaring life between the wars and was lost at sea during the Battle of Jutland. Gorch Foch was his pseudonym.
The magnificent sailing ship was taken by the Russians as part of war reparations at the end of WWII. After the fall of the Soviet Union, it fell to the Ukraine which couldn’t afford to repair it. Finally in 2003, the ship was purchased by the Tall Ship Friends and returned to Germany in very bad condition. The Tall Ship Friends has since worked to restore the Gorch Foch 1 as a sailing school ship for young people interested in a maritime career. The Kolner Shanty Choir performs to raise money for this cause, and because of a common interest in seafaring.
The Kolner Shanty Choir obviously enjoyed singing their songs of the sea and we enjoyed their performance. Here are a few choruses of Anchors Aweigh sung by the choir on the bank of the Rhine last summer. The Rambler loved hearing the USN standard sung with a German accent. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s28zhevk4bE
Immediately afterwards, the River Queen prepared to sail to Koblenz where we were scheduled to arrive at 8 AM. On time as usual, the River Queen docked on the Moselle, or Mosel, not the Rhine. Koblenz is situated at the point where the Moselle and the Rhine meet, called the corner of Germany or Deutsches Eck. A statue of Kaiser Wilhelm still stands at this point since it was erected in 1897.
For this part of the cruise the River Queen would leave the Rhine and sail along the Moselle until we reached Strasbourg. Then we would turn around and return to the Rhine for the final leg of our cruise.
Our excursion this morning was a walking tour of Koblenz. It is a great town for walking, with largely level terrain, and the gentle walkers loved it. With our English-Speaking German guide, we headed towards the Deutsches Eck and its imposing statue. From there we walked along the Rhine towards the Ludwig Museum and finally St. Castor’s Basilica.
The Ludwig Museum of Koblenz is one of five museums in Germany, founded by Peter and Irene Ludwig. The Ludwig’s amassed a large collection of contemporary art which they believed should be shared with the public to further an appreciation of modern art. Peter Ludwig and his wife Irene, used his fortune as the CEO of Ludwig Chocolates to preserve and promote contemporary art, particularly works by French and German artists along with establishing five museums to display them.
Today the Ludwig Museum in Koblenz is supported by generous donations, permanent loans and project funds. Since its opening in December 1992, the museum has defined itself through an active dialogue in modern art mainly with its neighbor, France. In addition, the museum has organized a number of international exhibition projects in Koblenz. Although its art is contemporary, the museum is housed in the 15th century Deutsches Herrenhaus, built as a bailiwick and hospital of the Teutonic Knights.
It is an attractive building, nicely restored, not far from St. Castor’s Basilica. In between the buildings is a series of patios with benches and a lovely and extensive garden complete with fountain and benches which leads to the Church. It was a pleasure to walk through and a pleasant place to sit if you weren’t interested in church history. Yet St. Castor’s has had a particularly long and interesting history and the core of the building is much older than it looks from outside.
Although much has been added and changed on its exterior, the church was actually built between 817 and 836 AD by the archbishop of Trier. At that time, it was situated just outside of the city of Confluentes (Koblenz) which had been founded by the Romans centuries ago. The Romans were long gone now the Carolingian Franks, under Charlemagne controlled the area and most of its inhabitants were Christians.
Over time, the church was engulfed by the town of Koblenz and later became part of the monastery of St. Castor. Negotiations to divide the Frankish kingdom of Charlemagne were held in the church after his death in 842. Following this tradition, it became the preferred meeting place for emperors and kings for several centuries. Many disputes were settled there that caused the boundaries of Europe to shift and eventually evolve into the Holy Roman Empire and later Germany and France. In the 12th century, the church was enlarged, and two towers were built higher. Further changes were made after a battle in 1199damaged the building.
St. Castor’s took on its present form when a beautiful vaulted Gothic roof and ceiling was added at the end of the 15th century to replace its original flat Romanesque roof.
By the 19th century, St. Castor’s had fallen into disrepair, and just as in Koln, the Prussian government began a restoration of the church. Unfortunately the church was damaged by British bombs and artillery fire in 1944 as Hitler’s forces retreated. Fortunately, the stone building remained largely intact at the war’s end and the slow process of restoration was began in 1948 and completed in 1990. The church we visited last summer still had traces of its earliest years and much remained from the middle ages. Of all the churches we have visited in Europe, St. Castor’s was one of the most peaceful and encouraged contemplation. I’m sure the medieval monks of St. Castor’s would have been pleased. Our tour ended at the church and we were on our own to wander along the Rhine and perhaps take a ride on the Seilbahn across the Rhine to look at the Ehrenbreistein Fortress which loomed over the hill on the other side of the Rhine. Before she left us, our guide informed us that our President Troomp’s family came from this part of Germany, not sure how she felt about this.
The Ramblers decided they would walk back along the river bank to the ship and have lunch, afterwards the Seilbahn beckoned and we also wanted to find the hotel we had stayed at twenty years ago, if we could. We had come to Alsace Lorraine in 1998, when the Rambler was still teaching history at Kennesaw State University,for a Study Abroad program. The senior Rambler came along and it turned out, was a big help keeping track of my students on our field trips. The week-ends were our own and on one we took a day trip on the Rhine, staying overnight in Koblenz. It would be fun to see if the place was still there.