Koblenz

Koblenz

Koblenz (kōˈblĕnts), Eng. Coblenz, city (1994 pop. 109,810), Rhineland-Palatinate, W Germany, at the confluence of the Rhine and the Moselle (Ger. Mosel ) rivers. Its manufactures include furniture, pianos, clothing, and chemicals, and the city serves as an important trade center for Rhine and Moselle wines. The merging rivers at Koblenz also make it a center for river traffic; the outlying countryside, with its abundance of forests and lakes, attracts many tourists. The city was founded (9 B.C.) as Castrum ad Confluentes by Drusus. It was prominent in Carolingian times as a residence of the Frankish kings and as a meeting place for churchmen. Koblenz was held by the archbishops of Trier from 1018 to the late 18th cent. In 1794 it was occupied by French troops and in 1798 was annexed by France and made the capital of the Rhine and Moselle department. The city passed to Prussia in 1815. After World War I it was occupied by Allied troops from 1919 to 1929. Noteworthy buildings in Koblenz include the Church of St. Castor (founded 836; rebuilt c.1200), the fortress of Ehrenbreitstein, and an 18th-century castle. A famous statue of Kaiser Wilhelm I was destroyed in World War II and reproduced in 1993. Part of the state archives of the former West Germany are located in the city.

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The following article is from The Great Soviet Encyclopedia (1979). It might be outdated or ideologically biased.

Koblenz

 

(Coblenz), a city in the Federal Republic of Germany, in the Land of Rhineland-Palatinate; located on the left bank of the Rhine River, where the Mosel flows into it. Population, 106,200 (1970). Koblenz is a transportation junction and a river port; it has an airport. The city’s industries include machine building (including an aircraft factory), metalworking (including the productiion of rolled aluminum), electrical engineering, Pharmaceuticals, and wine-making. Koblenz has a teacher-training college and an administration academy.

Under the Romans, Koblenz was a fortified camp, set up in A. D. 9. The city was established in the Middle Ages. In 1018, Koblenz became part of the archbishopric of Trier. It came under French rule in 1797 and under Prussian authority in 1815. It was the chief city of the Rhine Province and was a fortress until 1890. During World War II the city was heavily damaged. From 1945 to 1949, Koblenz was in the French occupation zone.

Among the buildings that have been preserved are the Church of St. Castor, in Romanesque-Gothic style (836; rebuilt around 1200), the Church of St. Florin (12th century), the Church of Our Lady (Liebfrauenkirche, 12th-13th centuries), the electors’ castle (1280), the Kaufhaus (begun in 1419), the Schöifenhaus (a courthouse; 1530), the Jesuit Church (1617), the town hall (16th-17th centuries), the bishop’s palace (1777–86, architect M. d’lxnard), and the theater (1787).

REFERENCE

Bellinghausen, H. 2000 Jahre Koblenz. [No place, 1971.]

The Great Soviet Encyclopedia, 3rd Edition (1970-1979). © 2010 The Gale Group, Inc. All rights reserved.

Koblenz

, Coblenz

a city in W central Germany, in the Rhineland-Palatinate at the confluence of the Rivers Moselle and Rhine: ruled by the archbishop-electors of Trier from 1018 until occupied by the French in 1794; passed to Prussia in 1815, becoming capital of the Rhine Province (1824--1945) and of the Rhineland-Palatinate (1946--50); wine trade centre. Pop.: 107 608 (2003 est.)

Collins Discovery Encyclopedia, 1st edition © HarperCollins Publishers 2005