The loveliest castles and palaces on the Rhine

Weathered battlements, old masonry — no castle ruins along the Rhine could be more typical. The castle on a hill above the river was built in the 13th century. Its preservation as a ruin makes it especially appealing. Visitors can end the day with a glass of wine on the castle terrace. On Open Heritage Day guided tours and a regional wine tasting are planned.

In the far south of the Upper Middle Rhine Valley, Bingen's Mouse Tower marks the narrow entrance to the romantic Rhine.This watchtower in the middle of the river, facing Ehrenfels Castle, served as a customs collection tower during the Middle Ages. In the 17th century, Dutch painters discovered the abandoned tower as a subject and turned the Mouse Tower into a symbol of Rhine romanticism.

Prince Friedrich Wilhelm Ludwig of Prussia had this 14th century fortress rebuilt as a knight's castle in the 19th century. The sumptuous stained glass windows, wall paintings and fine historical furniture still bear witness to the pomp and luxury the prince cultivated in his private chivalric idyll. Now Rheinstein Castle is a museum, hotel and gourmet restaurant.

Although partly overgrown with roses like Sleeping Beauty's castle, Sooneck was no fairy-tale palace in the past, but a true knight's fortress. In the 11th century, its overlords celebrated their raids here. They also pocketed the tolls and taxes they collected instead handing them over to the monastery to which the castle belonged at the time. A tip: stop in at the old castle tavern.

Pfalzgrafenstein lies on a rocky reef in the middle of the Rhine. Twenty to 30 men used to serve in this 700-year-old toll station. Pfalzgrafenstein was only one of a total of twelve customs facilities where vessels carrying wine were forced to stop between Mainz and Cologne. Traders even complained to the Pope. Now only the ferries taking tourists to the castle dock here.

Katz Castle (picture), now in private Japanese ownership, is one of the best-known Rhine castles. It has a view of the Lorelei, where legend says a siren lured boatmen to their deaths on the cliffs with her singing. The count of Katzenelnbogen had the fortress built in the 14th century as a counterpart to nearby Peterseck Castle. They became commonly known as cat (Katz) and mouse (Maus) castles.

Just opposite Katz Castle lies Rheinfels Castle, the first castle built by the Count of Katzenelnbogen. Erected in the Middle Ages as the largest fortress on the Rhine, the castle was long cosidered impregnable. Recently, the great nephew of the last German Kaiser unsuccessfully demanded its return from the state of Rhineland-Palatinate. St. Goar's mighty landmark remains open to tourists.

Many castle ruins on the Rhine were rebuilt in historical medieval styles during the 19th century. Marksburg Castle was spared that fate because it was never destroyed. Whether in the women's chambers and chapel, knights' hall and armory, or wine cellar and battlements — in this hilltop castle, time stopped in the 13th century here. Welcome to the Middle Ages!

Behind the thick walls of this old toll castle, the archbishops of Mainz once held sway. The castle garden is open to the public. Some rooms house the town of Lahnstein's carnival museum. If you visit the castle on Open Heritage Day, you can view the Gothic hall, usually not open to the public, on a guided tour.

Graceful, not mighty: Friedrich Wilhelm IV, the romanticist on the Prussian throne, wanted an idealized, elegant castle on the Rhine. He engaged the star architect of his era: in 1823 Karl Friedrich Schinkel began to turn the ruined fortress into a Gothic Revival palace and Prussian summer residence. More than any other Rhine castle, Stolzenfels now symbolizes Rhine romanticism.