Lahnstein - Rhine

The valley of the Rhine seen from the 14th floor of a hotel in Lahnstein. Schloss Stolzenfels (Castle Stolzenfels) is seen in the backdrop. In the 13th century the castle protected a toll station. Destroyed in 1689, during the Nine Years' War, the ruin was used as a quarry during the 18th century. In 1823, the ruin was given as a gift to Frederick William IV of Prussia.

In 1822, the Rhineland had become a province of Prussia. Frederick William, who had traveled along the Rhine, had been fascinated by the beauty and romance of the valley. So Frederick William had the castle rebuilt as a Gothic Revival palace.