In northern Rhineland-Palatinate, close to the border of North Rhine-Westphalia, lies “The Colorful Town On the Rhine.”
Ordinary folks who live here call it, Linz am Rhein.
It doesn’t matter to me what you call it, but I do know it has all sorts of colorful half-timbered houses. Heck, even the Town Hall is a pretty timber framed gem of a building.
What’s even better is Linz, besides also being a collective municipality with six other villages, has a couple of castles. Burg Linz is found right in town, a medieval castle that doesn’t seem too scary these days. A few centuries ago you would be quaking in your boots at the thought of its torture chamber — but today you can just see & enjoy it for its historical value.
The other castle to see is Ockenfels Castle, a truly medieval castle that didn’t even survive the 1400s. Ruin, or not, Ockenfels is along the Rheinsteig, so it makes for a pretty backdrop while you’re hiking.
And the Rheinsteig isn’t the only scenic route. Nope, you’ll run right into a small section of the Rheinischer Sagenweg. The Linzer Strünzer is found at the Castle Square, a plaque that’s about the story of how the town was safe from a Swedish siege.
Hmm, you’d think the Rheintor (once part of the city gate) would’ve kept them somewhat safe. What do I know? ;-)
Oh yeah, I do know that the Rheintor was built around 1329, and that its funny “markings” were created by flood water.
C’mon, there’s no time to think about that kind of stuff — there’s celebrations to be had. Linz am Rhein is a wonderful place to party, as the town offers events like the Rhine in Flames (first Saturday in May), a Wine Festival (the second weekend in September), and the Christmas Markets throughout the Advent season.
This is in addition to the Altstadtfest (Old Town Festival) in March, the Kirmes in August, and the Kunsthandwerkermarkt (Art & Handicraft Market) in October. And if you want to do that too, you can — as there’s the Dance into May celebration.
Colorful doesn’t even begin to cover what you’ll find in Linz am Rhein, but whatever it is, you’ll be glad you came.
