Ehrenbreitstein Fortress

Ehrenbreitstein Fortress
Festung Ehrenbreitstein
Aerial view
Ehrenbreitstein Fortress Show map of Rhineland-Palatinate Ehrenbreitstein Fortress Show map of Germany
General information
Type	Fortress
Town or city	Koblenz
Country	Germany
Coordinates	50°21′54″N 7°36′54″E / 50.365°N 7.615°E / 50.365; 7.615
UNESCO World Heritage Site
UNESCO World Heritage Site
Part of	Upper Middle Rhine Valley
Criteria	Cultural: (ii)(iv)(v)
Reference	1066
Inscription	2002 (26th Session)

Ehrenbreitstein Fortress (German: Festung Ehrenbreitstein, IPA: [ˌfɛstʊŋ ˈeːʁənbʁaɪtʃtaɪn] ^ⓘ) is a fortress in the German state of Rhineland-Palatinate, on the east bank of the Rhine where it is joined by the Moselle, overlooking the town of Koblenz.

Occupying the position of an earlier fortress destroyed by the French in 1801, it was built as the backbone of the regional fortification system, Festung Koblenz, by Prussia between 1817 and 1828 and guarded the middle Rhine region, an area that had been invaded by French troops repeatedly before. The Prussian fortress was never attacked.

Since 2002, Ehrenbreitstein has been part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site Upper Middle Rhine Valley.