Europe: Castles along the Rhine

Artists, musicians, writers, and poets from all over Europe have immortalized the Rhine’s unadulterated natural beauty in their songs, art, stories, and poetry. Byron, Dumas, Hugo, and Heine celebrated it in their writing. Beethoven, Schumann, Brahms, Schubert, and Wagner idolized it in their music, and Turner captured it in his paintings. And even today, the Rhine continues to inspire those who visit—especially Germany’s Upper Middle Rhine Valley, spanning approximately 40 miles between Rüdesheim and Koblenz. More than 40 castles grace its shores, along with vineyard-terraced landscapes and breathtaking countryside, and as such, this area has been designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site.