Old Castle Koblenz

Around 1185, the von der Arken family erected a Romanesque residential building on the site of a Roman round tower. From 1277, Archbishop Heinrich II von Finstingen had this building expanded into a coercive castle against the aspirations for independence of Koblenz citizens. The castle was partially built on late Roman city wall remains. The citizens resisted further construction, but after fierce battles, Archbishop Diether von Nassau finally subdued the city in 1304. The Alte Burg, originally surrounded by a wide moat and a curtain wall, was completed in 1307. From 1779, gradual dismantling began, and under French rule, it became state property.