Where the Rhine and Moselle meet — the German Corner under Fortress Ehrenbreitstein
Koblenz stands at the Deutsches Eck (German Corner) where the Rhine and Moselle rivers merge — a confluence the Romans recognized as strategically irreplaceable. Across the Rhine, Fortress Ehrenbreitstein towers 118 metres above the water, one of the largest preserved fortresses in Europe. The Middle Rhine Gorge running north from Koblenz is UNESCO-listed, lined with vineyards, castle ruins, and the Lorelei rock. The old town was heavily bombed in 1944 and carefully rebuilt.
Confluentes — the Roman name for Koblenz (literally 'the confluence') — was established as a military camp around 9 BCE. The city's strategic importance never diminished: the Franks, the Archbishops of Trier, the Habsburgs, and Napoleon all held it in turn. Ehrenbreitstein Fortress was the strongest in the Holy Roman Empire; Napoleon demolished it but the Prussians rebuilt it 1817–1828. Koblenz was the provisional capital of the French Zone of Occupation from 1945–1950 — the last official German capital before Bonn was designated.