Koblenz (pop 109,000) was founded by the Romans as a military stronghold due to its strategic situation where the Rhine and the Moselle converge.

Koblenz is the gateway to the Romantic Rhine and is a hugely popular tourist town. Visit the two dramatic castles here, or check your watch by the Eye Roller (Augenroller) below the clock on the façade of the Middle Rhine Museum (Mittelrhein-Museum).

Baedeker started publishing his famous series of guide books in Koblenz in 1823.