Coblenz

or Koblenz, a city of Prussia. It is situated on a point of land formed by the junction of the Moselle and the Rhine. Coblenz is still a walled city. It is fortified by outposts. Ehrenbreitstein on the east bank of the Rhine is the most strongly fortified place in Germany. The city is well supplied with bridges. A stone bridge of fourteen arches erected in 1344 crosses the Moselle. There are three bridges across the Rhine; the Rhenish bridge, an iron structure of three arches; a railway bridge, a brick structure, also of three arches; and the famous Bridge of Boats, the latter being a level bridge of pontoon construction.

The situation of Coblenz is picturesque beyond description, but the town itself is prosy enough. If we except the church St. Castor consecrated in 1208, a Romanesque basilica with four towers, there are no buildings of national reputation. There are many points of minor interest, however. The writing table of Frederick the Great, and many articles formerly belonging to the electors of Treves, the royal family of Baden, are shown in the Electoral Hall. A fountain erected by a French prefect bears the inscription, in French, of course, "The year 1812, memorable for the campaign against the Russians." The Russian general, St. Priest, added the ironical words, "Seen and approved by us. The Russian governor of the village of Coblenz, January 1, 1814."

Coblenz is headquarters for the wines of the Moselle and the Rhine. A magnificent park and a boulevard extend along the Rhine above the city. The old palace of the elector of Treves, is now a summer residence of the emperor and his family. The population for 1905 was 53,897. See Ehrenbreitstein