Cochem (formerly also Kochem) is the district town and the largest town in the Rhineland-Palatinate district of Cochem-Zell. With just over 5000 inhabitants, Cochem is the smallest district town in Germany before Kusel. Since June 7th, 2009 she has been a member of the Cochem community. According to state planning, Cochem is designated as a medium-sized center.
By plane
From the airport Frankfurt-Hahn internet (IATA: HHN)
there is a shuttle bus to Cochem.
Other international airports
are Cologne-Bonn Airport (IATA: CGN) - 110 km, Luxembourg Airport (IATA:
LUX) - 130 km, Frankfurt Airport (IATA: FRA) - 14 km and Düsseldorf
Airport (IATA: DUS) - 159 km.
By train
Train station Moselle
route Trier - Treis-Karden - Koblenz with 7 train stations in the
holiday region of Cochem / Treis-Karden / Cochem and Treis-Karden
(Regional-Express and regional train), Ediger-Eller, Klotten, Pommern,
Müden and Moselkern (all regional trains).
RE 1 Koblenz −
Treis-Karden − Cochem − Bullay − Trier − Saarbrücken − Kaiserslautern −
Ludwigshafen − Mannheim
RE 11 Koblenz − Treis-Karden − Cochem −
Bullay − Trier − Wasserbillig − Luxembourg City
RB 81 Koblenz -
Treis-Karden - Cochem - Ediger-Eller - Bullay - Trier
By car
The fastest way to reach Cochem is via the A48 Koblenz-Trier. From the
east, take the Kaisersesch exit (No. 4), from here it is 12km to Cochem.
Just follow the signs. From the west, leave the A48 at the Ulmen exit
(No. 2), from here the route to Cochem (23 km) is also well signposted.
Via the A61 Ludwigshafen − Koblenz, symbol: AS Boppard in the
direction of Brodenbach or Alken → Treis-Karden − Cochem
Via the B49
Koblenz - Treis-Karden - Cochem - Trier
Via the B416 Koblenz −
Treis-Karden → Cochem
By bus
500 Regio line (RegioRadler
Vulkaneifel): Gerolstein - Daun - Ulmen - Cochem
711 Bullay - Alf -
Bremm - Ediger-Eller - Ellenz-Poltersdorf - Cochem (Calmont Express)
By boat
Excursion boats (Rhine-Moselle river cruises)
Passenger shipping Gebr. Kolb, shipping lines Treis - Cochem - Beilstein
- Zell, Cochem - Traben-Trabach and Cochem - Treis - Koblenz
Cologne-Düsseldorfer, shipping line Koblenz - Alken - Treis - Cochem
pleasure boats
By bicycle
Moselle cycle path
Bundesbank bunker Cochem, Am Wald 35, Cochem (in the district of
Cond). Phone: +49(0)2671 9153540, email: info@bundesbank-bunker.de . One
of the best kept secrets of the old Federal Republic! Well hidden in a
building camouflaged as a conference center, over 15 billion marks of an
emergency currency were stored in this atomic bomb-proof bunker during
the Cold War. A tour shows the building and conveys the story behind the
object. No parking at the bunker. Shuttle bus 10:40 am, 12:40 pm and
2:40 pm from Endertplatz (Tourist Info) Open: guided tours Apr - Oct
daily 11 am - 12 pm - 1 pm - 2 pm - 3 pm, Nov - Mar 11 am - 1 pm - 3 pm,
see website. Price: Admission adults €10.
Historic mustard mill,
Endertstr. 18, 56812 Cochem. Tel.: +49 (0)2671 607 665. Open: Mon-Sun 10
a.m.-6 p.m., including public holidays, Christmas. and New Year closed
Price: free mustard tasting, half-hour guided tour to order. Hours:
adults €2.50.
Gem Museum & Gem Grinding Shop, Unterbachstraße 5.
Tel.: +49 (0)2671 4267. Open: Apr - Oct Mon-Sat 10 a.m. - 6 p.m., Sun 11
a.m. - 5 p.m. Jan, Feb closed. Guided tours at 11 a.m., 2 p.m. and 4
p.m. Price: Adults €5 incl. guided tour.
St. Martin (Catholic parish church in the city center),
Moselpromenade 8, 56812 Cochem.
St Remaclus (Catholic Church),
Valwiger Str. 3, 56812 Cochem-Cond. St. Remaclus in the Cond district
occupies a special position among the new church buildings of the
post-war period. With its massive but at the same time simple and clear
shape, built from local quarry stone, it should be perceived according
to the concept of the church architect Emil Steffann (1899-1968) as a
bridgehead and counterpoint to the castle on the opposite bank.
The simple and high-quality design continues inside. St. Remaclus stands
for a concept that is exemplary in modern church building. Above all, it
embodies openness: for the liturgical performances according to the
Second Vatican Council, for the gathering of the congregation around the
altar. The cross-shaped room is surrounded by whitewashed brickwork,
punctuated by large round windows. Mighty round arches open the three
arms of the cross with the rows of pews to the central room with the
altar island in front of the deep apse. A large chandelier surrounds the
congregation and the altar with its light. The furnishings are reduced
to a few, very valuable, restored altarpieces and figures (18th and 19th
centuries) from the demolished old parish church and to modestly
designed modern works of art by contemporary artists:
Jochem Pechau:
Foundation stone in the church interior and keystones in the cross vault
of the crypt
Klaus Balke: Tabernacle in the crypt
Paul Nagel:
Forged trellis around the tabernacle
Jakob Schwarzkopf: Lead glass
window in the apse
Christoph Anders: Ambo, eternal light and altar
candlesticks.
The crypt is reached via a stair tower and serves
the community as a baptistery and weekday church. It also houses the
tabernacle. The church is open during worship times.
Schedule:
1950: The old nave in Zehnthausstraße from 1701 is dilapidated and has
become too small for the growing congregation.
1955: Auxiliary Bishop
Bernhard Stein entrusts Pastor Adalbert Heil with the search for a new
location for the church. This in turn commissioned the master church
builder Emil Steffann from Bonn-Mehlem with a first draft.
1964:
Acquisition of the building site and start of construction planning by
architect Heinz Bienefeld. Start of construction under architect Carl
Müller from Offenbach on November 17th.
1968: The church was
consecrated by Bishop Bernhard Stein on May 12, the anniversary of Jakob
Anton Ziegler's death. In the same year the construction of the new
parsonage begins.
2001: Under Pastor Werner Müller, a comprehensive
interior renovation is carried out, the reopening took place on June
2nd.
St. Antonius, Ellerer Str. 44, 56812 Cochem-Sehl.
St. Klaus von
Flüe (Catholic Church), An der Hauptwache 10, 56812 Cochem-Brauheck.
Ebernach Monastery (Franciscan Brothers of the Holy Cross),
Bruder-Maximilian-Strasse 1, 56812 Cochem. Phone: +49 (0)2671 6008100.
Pestkapelle St. Rochus, called Peterskapelle. In 1422 Archbishop Otto v.
Ziegenhain Cochem on the occasion of the plague for ten years from
property taxes and appraisals. The first building, which is indicated as
S. Pettersberg on the engraving by Braun and Hogenberg, seems to date
from this period. Next to a small rectangular chapel stood an inn. The
keystone above the west portal, made of red sandstone, probably dates
from this period. Despite the severe weathering, a high relief of a
Mother of God seated on clouds with the child, framed by a double pass,
can be seen. In 1666 the plague returned to Cochem once more. This was
probably the reason for Philipp Emmerich von Winneburg and Dietrich
Adolf von Metternich to donate a new building to the parish in Beilstein
and Winneburg in 1680. With this new building, the plague saint St.
Rochus also came to the fore as the namesake. The wooden altar from 1682
shows the client's coat of arms. A note on the back names Michael Luter
for a revision in 1820. The central altarpiece is a glorification of
Mary hovering over the representatives of the spiritual (pope, abbots,
religious, priests) and secular (emperors, kings, bishops) estates.
Above her is the Holy Trinity with Father, Son and Holy Spirit, next to
her is Death with the hourglass and angels holding banners of praise and
quotations from Psalms. A cartouche above the central altar shows Saint
Anthony with the child. At the top of the altar stands Saint Peter with
the key and book in the open gable. Originally, the chapel was decorated
with images of St. Mary Magdalene, St. Roch, St. Sebastian, Bishop St.
Nicholas and another statue of St. Peter. The dog of St. Roch was also
found in a half-relief in the center of the ceiling with a loaf of bread
in its mouth. The chapel's furnishings also included a wooden candelabra
that has since been stolen, i. H. a sconce in the form of an arm covered
with a short sleeve.
Town Hall on the old market square and Martinsbrunnen. The town hall
is a former electoral office building that was destroyed by fire at the
end of the 17th century and rebuilt and expanded at the beginning of the
18th century. In 1739 it received the portal and probably also the
mansard roof. It is a plastered two-storey quarry stone building in the
Baroque style with a rectangular floor plan, measured from the outside
17.50 meters wide and 12.40 meters deep. The walls are 0.90 meters to
1.30 meters thick. The portal, which is 2 meters wide in the light, is
hewn from basalt. The skylight in the round arch above the door contains
a colored wrought iron work. In the tympanum above, to the left and
right of a scrollwork cartouche, is the year. The coat of arms of the
city painted on tin is placed in the originally empty coat of arms oval.
A stone balcony rests on five consoles above the portal. In front of the
town hall on the market square is the market fountain, first mentioned
in 1459, which probably bore a statue of Saint Martin even then. All
parts of today's Martinsbrunnen were built after 1900. The figure of the
saint instead of the original stone sculpture is made of bronze, created
in 1935 by the Trier sculptor Anton Nagel.
Market square with
Martin's fountain
Chapel of the Three Crosses. Located on a rocky
site in an exposed spot between Cochem and Sehl in the Im Haag area, the
chapel to the three crosses offers an impressive view of the Moselle
valley. Like the crucifixion group in front of it today, the
construction of the first chapel at this point was probably based on a
foundation from 1652 at the time of the Elector of Trier, Karl Casper
von der Leyen. This is indicated by the year on the middle basalt cross
with a figure of Christ made of soft sandstone. Two St. Anthony's
crosses, today without the formerly associated portraits of the thieves,
flank the central cross. On the left one finds the master letters P.A.
In the middle of the 19th century, the first chapel had become so
dilapidated that the master builder at the time, Joseph Dalmar sen.
consulted. However, the condition did not allow for a renovation. Dalmar
therefore provided a plan and cost estimate for a new building. It was
financed by donations from the people of Cochem. In addition to many
small ones, there was also a large donation of ten thalers. A raffle was
held to raise additional funds to finance the new building. A pair of
slippers was offered as a prize, which the collector, Captain Sabel,
won. This raffle yielded another ten thalers and so the new building
could be completed in 1850. Dalmar planned this three meters further
back into the slope. The Bauer family donated the necessary premises.
There were also other donations in kind, e.g. B. of roof boards and
Leyen (slates). The mercy seat from the 16th century that was originally
erected here is now in the old choir in St. Martin.
Chairlift with
Pinnerkreuz
City gates: Enderttor wikipedia, Balduinstor, Martinstor,
Fuchsloch
Reichsburg Cochem, Schloßstr. 36. Tel.: +49 (0)2671 255. No parking
at the castle. Shuttle bus transfer (€3.50). Price: Admission adults €7.
The Reichsburg Cochem was first mentioned in a document in 1130. In 1151
it was conquered by King Konrad III. occupied and declared a Reichsburg.
In 1688, troops of the French King Louis XIV occupied the castle in the
course of the Palatinate War of Succession and destroyed it in 1689. The
castle complex remained in ruins for a long time before it was bought in
1868 by the Berlin merchant Louis Fréderic Jacques Ravené for 300
thalers and restored in the neo-Gothic style was built. It has been
owned by the city of Cochem since 1978 and is now managed by Reichsburg
GmbH.
Winneburg. The Winneburg was built in the second half of the
13th century. It was first mentioned in a document in 1304 as the
property of Wirich von Wunnenberg. In the centuries that followed, the
castle complex was constantly expanded, but remained in the possession
of the Lords of Wunnenberg (later Winneburg). After this family had died
out in 1637, the castle came into the possession of the von Metternich
family in the mid-17th century. In 1689, during the Palatinate War of
Succession, the castle was besieged, taken and blown up by French
troops. From then on, the Winneburg was not rebuilt and remained a ruin.
In 1832 Prince von Metternich bought the castle ruins. However, there
was no reconstruction. It has belonged to the city of Cochem since 1932.
The Cochemer Krampen ends in Cochem, a winding section of the Moselle
that begins about 24 kilometers upstream in Bremm and resembles a
Krampen (a bracket) on the map.
Above the Reichsburg stands the
Lescherlinde, which has the status of a natural monument due to its age
of more than 550 years and its distinctive character - it can still be
clearly seen on the mountain from the Cochem train station.
Above
the district of Cond is the Brauselay nature reserve with Mediterranean
vegetation. Not far from Cochem, down the Moselle near the village of
Klotten, is the Dortebachtal nature reserve, which is also particularly
worth seeing for hikers.
Moselle Wine Express (small train)
Evening boat trip on the
Moselle
Nordic walking course with 16 routes
City tours
Registration via Tourist Information, price €4, duration 1 hour.
Moselle adventure pool leisure center, Moritzburger Str. 1, 56812
Cochem. Phone: +49 (0)2671 97990.
Wildlife and Leisure Park Klotten /
Cochem, Wildparkstraße 1, 56818 Cochem. Phone: +49 (0)2671 605440.
To go biking
Moselle cycle path
Easter market (2 weekends before Easter)
Blossom festival of the
red Moselle vineyard peach (2nd Sunday in April)
Arts and Crafts
Market (first weekend of May)
Moselle Wine Week over Corpus Christi
Cochem Wine Festival (last weekend in June)
Castle festival on the
1st weekend of August
Homeland and wine festival on the last weekend
in August
Day of the Red Moselle Vineyard Peach (2nd weekend in
September)
Federweißenfest on the first and second weekend in
November
Advent magic & Christmas market
The city center and the Sehl district upstream are on the left bank
of the Moselle, and the Cond district on the right bank of the Moselle.
The district of Brauheck with the commercial area, the barracks of the
Büchel air base and a new development area is located on the Eifelhöhe
on the federal highway 259, about six kilometers from the city center.
Cochem also includes the residential areas Forsterhof, Ströherhof,
Kremerhof, Lescherhof, Schafstallerhof, Scharburgerhof and
Schuwerackerhof.
Neighboring communities
Neighboring are
(clockwise, starting in the north): Greimersburg, Klotten, Valwig,
Ernst, Ellenz-Poltersdorf, Ediger-Eller, Dohr, Faid and Büchel.
Bodies of water
In Cochem the Kraklebach, the Ebernacher Bach, the
Sehlerbach, the Falzbach, the Märtscheltbach and the Endertbach flow
into the Moselle.
Flood
In winter and spring, the Moselle is
flooded on some days. In the past, the promenade and the streets behind
it with their ground-level shops and restaurants were flooded regularly,
sometimes several times during the winter months. The last major floods
occurred in December 1993, January 1995 and January 2003.
The
majority of those affected try to prepare for these events and to limit
the damage by choosing appropriate materials for interior fittings (e.g.
water-resistant wall and floor coverings, appropriate doors). In some
cases, shelves, kitchen equipment or other parts of the inventory are
designed in such a way that they can be moved to higher floors as easily
as possible. The aim is to return to normal business life as quickly as
possible after the flooding has subsided.
If necessary,
footbridges made of prefabricated parts are erected for pedestrian
traffic in the town and to ensure the accessibility of the houses
enclosed by the water.
Cochem was already inhabited in Celtic and Roman times. It was first
mentioned in a document as Cuchuma or villa Cuchuma in 866. Other names:
Cuhckeme, Chuckeme 893, Cochemo 1051, Chuchumo 1056, Kuchema 1130,
Cuchemo 1136, Cocheme 1144, then Cuchme, until the 18th century Cochheim
/ Cocheim. Cochem was an imperial estate, was pledged to the Archdiocese
of Trier under King Adolf von Nassau in 1294 and remained electoral
Trier territory until the French occupation in 1794. Cochem received
city rights in 1332, and soon afterwards the city fortifications that
still exist today were built. Between 1423 and 1425 a plague epidemic
ravaged the city. In 1623 Elector Lothar von Metternich initiated the
founding of a Capuchin convent and the building of a monastery. During
the Thirty Years' War the city was besieged but not conquered. In 1689,
troops of Louis XIV first burned down Winneburg and then conquered the
town and castle of Cochem. Reconstruction was slow. In 1794 French
revolutionary troops occupied Cochem, in 1815 the city was assigned to
the Kingdom of Prussia at the Congress of Vienna and came with the
region to the Prussian Rhine Province. Jacob Frederic Louis Ravené
bought the ruins of the former imperial castle in 1866 and began
rebuilding it. Only after the construction of the Moselle bridge in
Cochem in 1927 were the two fishing villages of Cond and Sehl
incorporated as part of an administrative reform in 1932. On January 23,
1927, the first Moselle bridge, the Skagerrak Bridge, was inaugurated.
During the Second World War, bombs destroyed large parts of Cochem's old
town and the Moselle Bridge. After the war, the bridge was rebuilt and
inaugurated on September 29, 1949. Since 1946, the city has been part of
the then newly founded state of Rhineland-Palatinate.
The second
Moselle Bridge in Cochem (also known as the North Bridge) was built
between 1990 and 1993 and inaugurated on September 3, 1993.
In
2011, a 500 kg aircraft bomb from the Second World War was found and
defused during renovations by Deutsche Bahn. Another, smaller bomb
nearby had been discovered years ago, but was concreted in at the time
and remains in place because it is considered harmless and the cost of a
possible salvage would be high.