Koblenz Old Town

Most visitors stand at the Deutsches Eck, look out over the Rhine and Moselle and then ride the cable car up to the fortress. Yet the real Koblenz is just a few steps inland: the Old Town is the city's original core, with three Romanesque churches, Baroque squares, winding lanes and a fountain that squirts passers-by. Since 2002 it has been part of the Upper Middle Rhine Valley UNESCO World Heritage Site.

History: 2,000 years in a small space

The Old Town covers the area settled from the Roman foundation in 9 BC until 1890, when the walls came down. Koblenz was long a residence of the Electors of Trier and, after the Congress of Vienna, capital of the Prussian Rhine Province. Heavily damaged in the Second World War, the Old Town was rebuilt afterwards.

What to see

• Liebfrauenkirche: On the highest point of the Old Town, with origins in the 5th century and twin onion-domed towers. Every evening at 22:00 the "Lumpenglocke" still rings, once the signal for closing the town gates.
• Am Plan: A former market and tournament square, named because it was the first in town to be paved flat ("plan").
• Jesuitenplatz: The palatial Jesuit college of 1694–1701 has housed the town hall since 1895.
• Schängel Fountain: In the town hall courtyard the bronze figure of the Schängel, Koblenz's cheeky street urchin, spits a jet of water several metres about every three minutes.
• Vier Türme: Four corner houses, each with an ornate oriel.
• Florinsmarkt: The Romanesque St Florin's church and historic buildings, including the Old Merchants' Hall with the "Augenroller", a head that rolls its eyes and sticks out its tongue in memory of a robber knight executed in 1536.
• Münzplatz and Historiensäule: The birthplace of Chancellor Metternich, and a 10.59-metre column telling 2,000 years of city history in ten scenes.

Christmas market

In Advent the Koblenz Christmas market spreads across seven squares, including Jesuitenplatz, Am Plan, Münzplatz, Görresplatz and the town hall courtyard. On Jesuitenplatz the 24 dormer windows of the Baroque town hall become the city's largest Advent calendar.

Tours (as of October 2026)

The tourist office runs a public two-hour Old Town tour in German and English for €11 (children under 12 €5.50), from St Castor's via the Liebfrauenkirche and Deutsches Eck to the Schängel Fountain.

Getting there

About 15 to 20 minutes on foot from the main station; Koblenz Stadtmitte station is closer. The Deutsches Eck is a few minutes away.

Tripto tip

Allow two to three hours. Start at the Deutsches Eck, walk via St Castor's and Florinsmarkt to the Liebfrauenkirche and the squares, and finish at the Schängel Fountain, without standing too close to the basin.