1
00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:07,720
Castles along the Rhine, the upper middle Rhine valley.

2
00:00:07,720 --> 00:00:11,760
The Rhine flows south to north through the middle of Germany.

3
00:00:11,760 --> 00:00:18,020
It's over 1300 kilometers long, 65 kilometers of the upper middle portion is inscribed on

4
00:00:18,020 --> 00:00:21,720
the World Heritage List.

5
00:00:21,720 --> 00:00:29,160
The town of Rüdesheim is the starting point for downstream cruises.

6
00:00:29,160 --> 00:00:33,960
Just a single bridge connects both banks of the river along the World Heritage-designated

7
00:00:33,960 --> 00:00:38,560
part of the river.

8
00:00:38,560 --> 00:00:43,560
The Rhine has served as a major transportation route for ferrying people, culture and goods

9
00:00:43,560 --> 00:00:48,760
for centuries.

10
00:00:48,760 --> 00:00:54,080
This is the so-called Maus Tower, built in the 13th century for collecting taxis from

11
00:00:54,080 --> 00:01:00,400
passing ships.

12
00:01:00,400 --> 00:01:04,880
The advantage of being able to levy tolls and regulate the river traffic led feudal

13
00:01:04,880 --> 00:01:10,080
overlords to fight between themselves for influence in the region.

14
00:01:10,080 --> 00:01:15,360
By the 14th century, the number of toll gates in the area had reached 60.

15
00:01:15,360 --> 00:01:18,320
Falzgrafenstein Castle is built on a sandbar.

16
00:01:18,320 --> 00:01:25,800
Twenty customs officers once lived within its walls.

17
00:01:25,800 --> 00:01:30,840
The medieval castles conjure romantic notions but were in fact built with practical purposes

18
00:01:30,840 --> 00:01:37,240
in mind, one of which was to levy taxes.

19
00:01:37,240 --> 00:01:42,960
Marksburg Castle was built in the 13th century and retains much of its medieval character.

20
00:01:42,960 --> 00:01:45,240
It has never been destroyed.

21
00:01:45,240 --> 00:01:51,560
The castle's cannons fired on vessels that did not have permission to go by.

22
00:01:51,560 --> 00:01:55,840
Knights who pledged their services to the master of the castle made it their home.

23
00:01:55,840 --> 00:02:00,440
The dining room windows were small and the thick walls broadened out into the room in

24
00:02:00,440 --> 00:02:07,480
a triangular shape to ensure maximum protection.

25
00:02:07,480 --> 00:02:11,920
This is Reichenstein Castle, once the den for a band of knight thieves who preyed on

26
00:02:11,920 --> 00:02:15,240
passing ships.

27
00:02:15,240 --> 00:02:22,320
Not all knights were chivalrous and some took advantage of their position.

28
00:02:22,320 --> 00:02:30,280
The castle was attacked in the 13th century to expel corrupt knights.

29
00:02:30,280 --> 00:02:37,640
World Heritage status has ushered in a new phase for the upper middle Rhine.

30
00:02:37,640 --> 00:02:40,680
This landscape today fuels the imagination.

31
00:02:40,680 --> 00:02:43,520
It is a source of historical fascination.