Google Maps: The German Corner (Deutsches Eck)
The history of the Deutsches Eck (German Corner) dates back to the early 13th century. Archbishop Theoderich of Wied summoned the knights of the Teutonic Order to Koblenz in 1216 and granted them part of the land of the Castor Church along with the attached St. Nicholas Hospital. His motivation for the gift was likely to ensure local healthcare. Shortly after, the order built the Teutonic Order Commandery of Koblenz at the confluence of the Moselle and Rhine rivers, which became the seat of the administration (Ballei) of the Teutonic Order province of Koblenz, directly subordinate to the Grand Master. After the construction of the manor house, the area at the mouth of the Moselle was initially referred to as Deutscher Ordt, later becoming known as Deutsches Eck.
In the 19th century, the area was connected by a mole with a sandbank in front of it to create an emergency harbor at the mouth of the Moselle. The mole and sandbank were called Honsschwanz (or Dock Tail) in the local Koblenz dialect, as they geographically marked the last extension of the HunsrĂĽck. After the construction of the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial, the name gradually shifted in common language usage to refer to the artificially created peninsula. At the left bank of the Rhine, the Rhine Promenade (Konrad-Adenauer-Ufer) begins, and at the right bank of the Moselle, the Peter-Altmeier-Ufer starts.
A few weeks after the death of Emperor Wilhelm I in 1888, the idea arose in both state and private circles to erect a monument in honor of the late monarch, as a thank you for his role in the unification of Germany through three wars (1864, 1866, 1871). Among the many applicants for the location (see Königswinter), Koblenz was also considered. The decision regarding the location was left to the young Emperor Wilhelm II, who, in 1891, chose Koblenz and the site at the confluence of the Moselle and Rhine. The reasons for Wilhelm II’s decision to place the monument at Deutsches Eck were partly due to the personal connection of Emperor Wilhelm I to the city of Koblenz, where he had lived and worked as a military governor of the Rhineland from 1849 to 1857 before his coronation as King of Prussia. Additionally, Wilhelm II considered the city’s connection to the House of Hohenzollern to be crucial, as one of the Grand Masters of the Teutonic Order, based at Deutsches Eck, had become the first Hohenzollern Duke of Prussia. Another important factor was the significance of the Castor Church, where the Treaty of Verdun was said to have been prepared around the year 842.
