"KOBLENZ,

also Coblenz, city, W central Germany, in Rhineland-Palatinate at the junction of the Mosel and Rhine rivers. Koblenz is an important center of tourism and trade, particularly the wine trade. Manufactures include machinery, pianos, paper, textiles, and chemicals. Among the principal buildings are the Church of Saint Castor (completed 1208); the house where the Austrian statesman Prince Klemens von Metternich was born in 1773; a palace (completed 1786); and Ehrenbreitstein fortress (original citadel built 10th cent., destroyed 1799; present structure built 1816-32).

Originally a Roman military outpost constructed about 9 bc , the town that subsequently developed on the site was a residence of Carolingian kings. In the 13th century the city was a prosperous member of the league formed by the Rhenish cities to promote their common commercial and political interests. After the French Revolution, Koblenz became a French possession and was later made the chief town of the department of Rhine and Moselle. In 1815 the city passed to Prussia, and in 1822 it was made the capital of the Rhine Province of Prussia. After World War I Koblenz was the headquarters of the Allied Rhineland High Commission and was occupied for a time by American and French troops. Because of its importance as a rail and manufacturing center, the city was heavily damaged during World War II. Pop. (1987 est.) 110,300. "

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