Rhine Revisited by Gregory E Bandlow

As we drew nearer to the tunnel, it looked right, yet something still looked wrong. From the description I had been given, the crossing was between St. Goarhausen and Oberwesel with the tunnel on his right. Our position in the river now would have had the tunnel on our left and Oberwesel was still directly in front of the tunnel. On the opposite bank stood St. Martin's Church and the Liebfrauen Church. As we rounded the bend in the river. The Oxen tower was on our left and the tunnel going through the cliff was on our right. This is where the outskirts were. Oberwesel's town limits. Once around the bend and just slightly downstream from Oberwesel, it became clear that we had finally found the crossing point of Battery B. Here is where my father crossed.

The next bend in the river is the Loreley. Any mention of the Rhine conjures up a picture of this mighty slate rock between Oberwesel and St. Goarhausen. The Rhine is squeezed into its narrowest and deepest point at this location. Even as late as the 19th century, reefs and rapids made this the most dangerous part of the river for ships and rafts. The captains of ships would sound three bells at this point, as a warning to the crew, to start praying. In the middle ages, the rock was already famous for the echo it produced. Its echo was thought to be ghostly voices. It is no wonder that a multitude of legends were woven around this rock and this spot in the river. The most famous of which is that of the siren called "Loreley". The legend goes that a beautiful maiden would sit high in the rocks, and would sing and bewitch the hearts of sailors with her unearthly enchanting voice. The sailors would look up the rock to catch a sight of the maiden, forgetting just for a moment of the dangerous rapids and reefs. Their boats would then be dashed to pieces on the rocks and they would sink beneath the waves forever. The story goes on to tell of the young Erbgraf von Rheinpfalz, an heir a counts title who was lured to his doom in this way. His father, seeking revenge, orders his soldiers to either catch or kill the witch that lives on the rock. When, soldiers barred the way into her cave, she called on her Father, the Rhine, to help her. Huge foaming waves rose out of the water and carried the maiden away. Since then she has never been seen again. But sometimes, when the moon is shining bright, a mysterious singing can be heard.

The town of Oberwesel is situated on the site of an ancient Celtic settlement, which later became a Roman military service point. In 1237 Schonberg Castle became the property of the Emperor alone, and Oberwesel formerly known as Wesel, was able to pay 300 marks in silver and thus rid itself of the Schonberg rule. It was in this way that Oberwesel became a fee imperial city. In the following years a wall was built around the city. Most medieval cities had walls. With 18 towers, it is the most complete medieval city wall still standing in the whole Middle Rhine area. The walls of the city are massive and the towers besides the Rhine, the Ochsenturm (Oxen Tower) and the Haagstrum are worth seeing.

There is a foot path up to the top of the rock from the car park at the foot of the Loreley, or a road can be taken directly from St. Goarhausen right to the peak. A magnificent and unforgettable view can be had and also there is a well kept outdoor theater that dates back to the Third Reich. So, in actuality Battery B crossed between Oberwesel and the Loreley.

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