World Heritage Sites: The Upper Middle Rhine Valley AND The Sixteen German States

When perusing the World Heritage sites about various historical places in Germany, one stood out to me as both very historical and intriguing at the same time: the upper middle Rhine valley. The Rhine River is to Germany what the Mississippi is the United States. It is a very large river that has been used for centuries for transporting goods, people, culture, and has been the key for a significant amount of trade in the area. Medieval leaders saw the advantages of positioning themselves along the Rhine River, and built castles along the river in order to impose taxes on those who wanted to pass. This led to nearly sixty castles or tollhouses along this section of the river at its height.

One would greatly enjoy taking a boat down the Mississippi or any other great river in the United States, as there is much scenery to enjoy. But this section of the Rhine tops all of them. As you go along the river, you are in a large green valley surrounded by medieval styled towns that bring you back to an age no longer able to be seen almost anywhere else in the world. But as you go around a bend, you might even be lucky enough to spy a medieval castle that might be on a sandbar in the middle of the river, or built into the valley walls. Many of these castles are exquisite examples of medieval castles and many are well maintained, giving you a perfect opportunity to get off your boat and take a look at one of these historical monuments that once housed knights and lords. At least in this section of the World Heritage protected area of the Rhine, there isn’t even any bridges that cross the river, only ferries. This only helps to contribute to the truly historical section of the river.

Here is a section of the upper middle Rhine valley:

One castle along the river, Reichenstein castle, was once a home for a band of knight thieves that would stop ships and boats, only to steal whatever they pleased from them from their position of power. This led to an attack on the castle in the thirteenth century to rid the castle of these corrupts knights.

Here is the Reichenstein castle:

Marksburg castle is another perfect example of a well preserved medieval castle from the thirteenth century. The castle was armed with cannons, like most, were used to prevent ships to pass that did not pay their tolls.

Here is the Marksburg castle:

When I spend fall semester next year abroad (either in England or Germany), I most certainly hope to have the time to see this World Heritage site, as there is nowhere else in the world one could see anything else like this.

The Sixteen German States

Baden-Württemberg: Located in the southwest corner of Germany, this state borders France, Switzerland, and two other German States. This state is famous for it's historical architecture and cities that are wound into the mountains in southern Germany.

Bavaria: Located in the Southeast corner of Germany, this state is the single largest state in Germany and borders Austria, the Czech Republic, and Austria, as well as four other German states. Munich is the largest city in Bavaria and doubl es as it's capitol, and it is also one of the largest train hubs in Europe.

Berlin: A city that is also a state, Berlin is Germany's capitol and is landlocked by the state Brandenburg. Berlin is considered to be the cultural capitol of Germany as well as political, and contains many historic buildings.

Brandenburg: Located in the east central section of Germany, it borders Poland and five other German states. It is by far the newest member of the German states, as it was created in 1990 with the fall of Soviet Russia.

Bremen: By far the smallest German state in terms of size, it is located towards the northwest corner of Germany. Bremen is often referred to as the Free Hanseatic City of Bremen.

Hamburg: Like Berlin and Bremen, it is also a city-state, and is located in north central Germany. It is the eighth largest city in the European Union, and has been a center for maritime trade for centuries.

Hesse (Hessen): Located in the west central part of Germany, it borders six other German states. It houses the city of Frankfurt, which is a very modern city and an economic hub in Germany.

Mecklenburg-Vorpommern: Located in the north

east corner of Germany, this state borders three other states, but most importantly is along the sea. Its location has led it to be one of the cente

rs of maritime trade in Germany.

Lower Saxony (Niedersachsen): Located in the northwest of Germany, this state borders seven other German States and the Netherlands. This state is home to the worlds (currently) third largest automaker, Volkswagen, who also owns Porsche, Audi, Bugatti, Suzuki, Lamborghini, and sever other smaller manufacturers.

North Rhine-Westphalia (Nordhein-Westfalen): Located on the western border of Germany, it borders Belgium, the Netherlands, and three other German states. It is the largest state in Germany in terms of population, and wields the most economic power through Dusseldorf and Cologne.

Rhineland-Palatinate (Rheinland-Pfalz): Located in the southwest of Germany, this state borders France, Luxembourg, Belgium, and four other German states. This state contains many historical regions.

Saarland: Located in the southwest of Germany, this state borders France, Luxembourg, and one other German state. It was the other state to join the Federal Republic of Germany between 1949 and 1990.

Saxony (Sachsen): Located in the southeast of Germany this state borders four other states as well as the Czech Republic and Poland. It has one of the longest histories in Germany, and has gone from a medieval duchy, to a part of the Holy Roman Empires, to a kingdom, to a republic in 1918.

Saxony-Anhalt (Sachsen-Anhalt): Located in central Germany, this state borders four other states. This state contains the best soil in Germany, which has led to significant farming.

Schleswig-Holstein: The farthest north state in Germany, it borders three other states as well as the North Sea and Baltic Sea. Its culture and economy have revolved around its water borders, and it is home to the largest heavy metal rock festival in the world, the Wacken Open Air festival, which sees both European and American bands such as Slayer, Arch Enemy, Ill Nino, Motley Crue, and Iron Maiden. For 2009 all 7

0,000 tickets sold out by December 2008.

Thuringia (Thuringen): Located in central Germany, it borders five other states. It is heavily forested by the Thuringian Forest, and is known as the Green Heart of Germany.

Sources:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/States_of_Germany
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http://www.musikreviews.de/static/images/common/live/2008/february/woa_2007_teil3_1.jpg
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