RHINE STRONGHOLDS

Hokitika Guardian, 18 November 1918, Page 4

RHINE STRONGHOLDS

CITIES TO BE OCCUPIED.

COLOGNE, COBLENTZ, AND

MAINZ

Cologne, the capital of the government of Cologne, is situated on the west bank of the Rhine, 45 miles in a north-westerly direction liotn Coblentz. It is at the junction of several railways, and is opposite Dent/., to which two bridges extend. Its great cathedral, one of the finest Gothic buildings in the world, is the chief object .of interest. The city is a fortresss of the first class. Cologne carried on a large foreign trade, aiul also a domestic trade by rail and river. Cologne was a town of some importance even before the Roman conquest, and man}' of its buildings are of great historical interest. Its narrow and crooked streets and its quaint and irregular architecture give it more of the mediaeval character than most German cities possess. It is the seat of important literary and educational institutions. Coblentz, the capital of Rhenish Prussia, is on the Rhine at the influx of the Moselle, and is 49 miles S.S.E. of Cologne. It is well built, and is at the junction of several railways. It has a noble palace ol the former Electors of Treves, and has many fine churches and public buildings. The Church of St Castor, situated precisely at the confluence of the rivers, is remarkable for its antiquity, having been founded in the year 536. Here the grandsons of Charlemagne met in 843 to divide his vast empire into Germany, France, and Italy. At Ehrenbreitstein, on the opposite side of the Rhine, there is a strong fortress, containing vast arched cisterns capable of holding three years’ supply of water. It was said a few years ago that the fortifications were capable of accommodating 100,000 men, while the magazines were large enough to contain provisions for 8000 men for 10 yeans. These extensive fortifications rendered Coblentz the strongest place iu the Prussian dominions.

Mainz, or as it is sometimes called, Mentz, and in French Mayence, is the capital of Bheiu Hessen, and is situated on the left bank of the Rhine opposite the mouth of the Main and 20 miles in a southwesterly direction from Frankfort, with which it is connected by rail. The town is a fortress. The city, situated partly on the flat and partly on an acclivity, rises up gradually from the Rhine in the form of an amphitheatre. It is walled, flanked with bastions, and defended besides by a citadel and several forts and outworks. A bridge of boats 1,600 ft long connects it with its suburb of Castel. The houses are generally lofty, and many have a venerable and noble appearance, but as many of the streets are narrow, they exclude both air and light, and give several quarters of the town a dark and confined look. ' The principal edifices are the cathedral, a vast building of red sandstone, finished in the eleventh century, the merchant’s hail?' the old collegiate of St Stephen, the Church of St Peter, the Deutsche Hans (now the governor’s palace), and the Dalbergische Palais, iiow used as courts of justice. One of the objects of interest in the town is the site of the house of Gutenburg. the inventor of movable types. The trade of the city, particularly transit, is extensive being greatly facilitated both

by water communication and railway. Mainz owes its foundation to a Roman camp which was converted into a permanent bulwark and became the most important of a line of forts built along the Rhine. On the decline of the power of Rome it was almost entirely destroyed, but it was afterwards restored and became the first ecclesiastical city of the German Empire.