Rhine River Castles

The Rhine River from Bacharach to Koblenz is dotted with dozens of castles. Some refer to these castles as "robber barons" while some refer to them as "independent city states". Regardless, they were small kingdoms that basically existed for the purpose of taxing all the trade as it came down the river.

Some of the castles are still in fairly good shape, and have since been turned into hotels or restaurants. Some are nothing more than a few ruins.

It's really amazing how many there are, though. As you cruise up the Rhine River seeing castle after castle after castle, it almost becomes a little "ho-hum". Which is amazing, because each of these castles is a tourist attraction in and of itself.