Mayen-Koblenz is a district (''Kreis'') in the north of

Rhineland-Palatinate Rhineland-Palatinate ( , ; german: link=no, Rheinland-Pfalz ; lb, Rheinland-Pfalz ; pfl, Rhoilond-Palz) is a western state of Germany. It covers and has about 4.05 million residents. It is the ninth largest and sixth most populous of the ...

, Germany. Neighboring districts are (from north clockwise)

Ahrweiler Bad Neuenahr-Ahrweiler () is a spa town in the German Bundesland of Rhineland-Palatinate that serves as the capital of the Ahrweiler district. The A61 motorway connects the town with cities like Cologne and Mainz. Formed by the merging of the ...

Neuwied Neuwied () is a town in the north of the German state of Rhineland-Palatinate, capital of the District of Neuwied. Neuwied lies on the east bank of the Rhine, 12 km northwest of Koblenz, on the railway from Frankfurt am Main to Cologne. Th ...

, Westerwaldkreis, district-free

Koblenz Koblenz (; Moselle Franconian: ''Kowelenz''), spelled Coblenz before 1926, is a German city on the banks of the Rhine and the Moselle, a multi-nation tributary. Koblenz was established as a Roman military post by Drusus around 8 B.C. Its nam ...

, Rhein-Lahn, Rhein-Hunsrück, Cochem-Zell, and Vulkaneifel.

History

The district was created in 1973 when the two districts, Mayen and Koblenz, were merged. The district has been 'twinned' with the Borough of Waverley in

Surrey Surrey () is a ceremonial county, ceremonial and non-metropolitan county, non-metropolitan counties of England, county in South East England, bordering Greater London to the south west. Surrey has a large rural area, and several significant ur ...

in southern England since 1982.

Geography

The two main rivers of the district are the

Rhine ), Surselva, Graubünden, Switzerland , source1_coordinates= , source1_elevation = , source2 = Rein Posteriur/Hinterrhein , source2_location = Paradies Glacier, Graubünden, Switzerland , source2_coordinates= , source ...

and the

Moselle The Moselle ( , ; german: Mosel ; lb, Musel ) is a river that rises in the Vosges mountains and flows through north-eastern France and Luxembourg to western Germany. It is a left bank tributary of the Rhine, which it joins at Koblenz. A ...

, which join at the ''Deutsches Eck'' in

. In the west of the district are the

Eifel The Eifel (; lb, Äifel, ) is a low mountain range in western Germany and eastern Belgium. It occupies parts of southwestern North Rhine-Westphalia, northwestern Rhineland-Palatinate and the southern area of the German-speaking Community of ...

mountains. These also include the large lake, the ''

Laacher See Laacher See (), also known as Lake Laach or Laach Lake, is a volcanic caldera lake with a diameter of in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany, about northwest of Koblenz, south of Bonn, and west of Andernach. It is in the Eifel mountain range, and ...

'', a volcanic

caldera A caldera ( ) is a large cauldron-like hollow that forms shortly after the emptying of a magma chamber in a volcano eruption. When large volumes of magma are erupted over a short time, structural support for the rock above the magma chamber is ...

formed 12000 years ago.

Coat of arms

The coat of arms combine the elements of the two precursor districts. The tree, a ''Maie'', is taken from the Mayen district. The wavy line represents the two rivers Rhine and Moselle. The crown is a reference to the fact that in Rhens the Councils of Electors took place to choose the

emperor An emperor (from la, imperator, via fro, empereor) is a monarch, and usually the sovereign ruler of an empire or another type of imperial realm. Empress, the female equivalent, may indicate an emperor's wife ( empress consort), mother ( ...

s and kings of the

Holy Roman Empire The Holy Roman Empire was a political entity in Western, Central, and Southern Europe that developed during the Early Middle Ages and continued until its dissolution in 1806 during the Napoleonic Wars. From the accession of Otto I in 962 unt ...

Towns and municipalities

Castles and palaces

The county has many castles and palaces: * Eltz Castle, probably the best known German castle * Trutzeltz Castle near Eltz Castle * Schloss Bürresheim *

Genovevaburg Genovevaburg is a castle standing on the southwestern side of Mayen in the German state of Rhineland-Palatinate. The castle is the symbol of Mayen and has been rebuilt several times since first being destroyed in 1689. Its name comes from a legen ...

in Mayen *

Oberburg, Kobern The Oberburg at Kobern, also called the ''Oberburg'' or ''Altenburg'', is a hill castle above the municipality of Kobern-Gondorf in the county of Mayen-Koblenz in the German state of Rhineland-Palatinate. Location The ruins of the Oberburg (" ...

in Kobern with the Romanesque St. Matthew's Chapel *

Niederburg, Kobern The Niederburg ("Lower Castle") at Kobern, also called the ''Niedernburg'', ''Unterburg'' or ''Neue Burg'', is a hill castle above the municipality of Kobern-Gondorf in the county of Mayen-Koblenz in the German state of Rhineland-Palatinate. Lo ...

in Kobern * Schloss Liebieg in Gondorf * Oberburg in Gondorf, family seat of the von der Leyen family *

Thurant Castle The ruins of the Thurant Castle (german: Burg Thurant, also ''Thurandt'' or ''Thurand'') stand on a wide slate hill spur above the villages of Alken on the Moselle in Germany. The castle is in the district of Mayen-Koblenz in Rhineland-Palati ...

above Alken (Mosel) * Ehrenburg near

Brodenbach Brodenbach is a municipality in the district of Mayen-Koblenz in Rhineland-Palatinate Rhineland-Palatinate ( , ; german: link=no, Rheinland-Pfalz ; lb, Rheinland-Pfalz ; pfl, Rhoilond-Palz) is a western state of Germany. It covers and ...

* Sayn Castle and

Schloss Sayn ''Schloss'' (; pl. ''Schlösser''), formerly written ''Schloß'', is the German term for a building similar to a château, palace, or manor house. Related terms appear in several Germanic languages. In the Scandinavian languages, the cogn ...

in Bendorf-Sayn * Bischofstein Castle on the Moselle near Burgen *

Wernerseck Castle Wernerseck Castle (german: Burg Wernerseck), also called the ''Kelterhausburg'', is a late medieval hill castle in the municipality of Ochtendung in the county of Mayen-Koblenz in the German state of Rhineland-Palatinate. It owes its name to its f ...

near

Ochtendung Ochtendung is a municipality in the district of Mayen-Koblenz in Rhineland-Palatinate, western Germany. Geography Ochtendung lies between the A 48 and A 61 motorways and has designated junctions from both. The village lies on the Nette an ...

* Löwenburg and Philippsburg near Monreal *

Virneburg Castle Virneburg Castle (german: Burgruine Virneburg) is a ruined hill castle on a slate hill, , around which the Nitzbach stream flows. It stands above the village of Virneburg in the county of Mayen-Koblenz in the German state of Rhineland-Palatinate ...

* Schloss Bassenheim in

Bassenheim Bassenheim is a municipality in the district Mayen-Koblenz, in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is part of the Verbandsgemeinde ("collective municipality") Weißenthurm. It is situated away from Koblenz. The municipal council consists of 20 peo ...

Namedy Castle Namedy Castle (or Burg Namedy) is located in the Rhine valley, close to the village of Namedy in Andernach, Germany. Late gothic, moated castle (middle of the 14th century) originally belonging to the Husmann Knights of Andernach. Since 1909 i ...

Andernach Andernach () is a town in the district of Mayen-Koblenz, in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany, of about 30,000 inhabitants. It is situated towards the end of the '' Neuwied basin'' on the left bank of the Rhine between the former tiny fishing villa ...

* Andernach Castle in

References

External links

* (German) {{Authority control Districts of Rhineland-Palatinate