Rudesheim (Rüdesheim in German), at the southern end of the Rhine Gorge

Rudesheim's main street

Drosselgasse shopping
and restaurant street in Rudesheim

Cable car from Rudesheim up to the Niederwald monument

The statue of Germania commemorates the German Empire creation in 1871.

Looking south, back over Rudesheim and the Rhine

Vineyards on the hills at Rudesheim, started in the 6th century

Cruising on the Rhine, through this UNESCO World Heritage zone.

Typical small village along the Rhine, with typically steep terraced vineyards

The Rhine remains a busy commercial waterway.

Ruine Ehrenfels, above the vineyards, the Rhine, and modern commerce

The Ehrenfels ruins, near Rudesheim, date from 1210.

Burg Rheinstein, near Trechtingshausen, 13th century

Burg Sooneck, near Niederheimbach, 1000 AD

Pfalzgrafenstein (the Pfalz), a mid-river toll castle near Kaub, erected in 1328

The Lorelei Rock was said by careless sailors to be home of a deadly maiden.

St. Goar, on the west bank of the Rhine, between Rudesheim and Kobblenz

Burg Rheinfels, above St. Goar, was built in 1245.

The French Revolutionary Army destroyed Burg Rheinfels in 1797.

A Burg Rheinfels tour guide relates the castle's history

Burg Rheinfels ruins

Burg Rheinfels, overlooking the Rhine

Burg Katz, opposite St. Goar at St. Goarshausen, dates from 1360.

The Marksburg, at Braubach, has survived for over 700 years.

Off on a tour inside the Marksburg

Reading and work areas at windows to take advantage of sunlight

A Marksburg guide explains the design of armour from various periods.

The German Corner in Koblenz, where the Moselle (upper) joins the Rhine

Fortress Ehrenbreitstein, on the opposite side of the Rhine from Koblenz

Cologne (Köln in German), first named by the Romans in 50 AD

Cologne Cathedral's corner stone was laid on August 15, 1248.

Flying buttresses supporting the towering Cologne Cathedral

Burg Eltz, a medieval castle nestled in the hills above a tributary to the Moselle

Burg Eltz was first documented in 1157, over 850 years ago.

Burg Eltz is still owned by the same family that lived there in the 12th century.

The interior of the castle was segmented to accommodate three branches of the family.

Cochem, on the Moselle, dominated by the hilltop Cochem Castle

Porta Nigra, a Roman city gate in Trier, founded in 16 BC

The Electoral Palace in Trier, excellent Rococo, dates from the 15th century.

The baroque gardens of the Trier Palace, inspired by 16th century Italian designs

Heidelberg, on the Neckar, a Rhine tributary, settled by Celts about 800 BC

The Old Stone Bridge across the Neckar was built between 1786 and 1788.

The southern end of the Old Bridge was linked to the city wall and a defensive gate.

Heidelberg Castle, 260 feet up the hill, dates from the 15th century.

A series of wars brought repeated destructions of Heidelberger Schloss.

The first destruction was in 1622 during the war between Protestants and Catholics.

The French destroyed Heidelberg Castle twice, in 1689 and again in 1693.

Eberbach, on the Castle Road from Heidelberg to Rothenburg

En route along the Castle Road to Rothenburg

Rothenburg ob der Tauber is an amazingly well-preserved medieval town.

The ancient fortification wall encircling Rothenburg is in tact and can be walked.

A busy street in Rothenburg, with a fortification gate at the end of the street

Cars must stay outside the original Rothenburg, but horse carriages are allowed.

Rothenberg's town square, with its Town Hall dating from 1250

St. Jakob's Lutheran Church in Rothenburg was built between 1311 and 1471.

En route from Rothenburg on the Romantic Road to Wurzburg (Würzburg)

The Wurzburg Residence, built by two Prince-Bishops between 1720 and 1744

During the 1700s other Prince Bishops embellished the Residenz and Gardens.

The Court Gardens are a mixture of Baroque and English garden styles.

Frankfurt am Main (on the Main River), tour origination and termination point.