The Deutschherrenhaus or Deutschordenshaus in Koblenz was the first settlement of the Teutonic Order Knights in Rhineland. The divine order of knights played a substantial role in the East German colonisation. Since 1929 it has been a clerical order and is, after the Maltese Order and the templars, the third largest order of knights which was formed at the time of the crusades. The chosen motto of the order is “help, defend and heal“.
The Archbishop Theoderich von Wied summoned the Knights of the Teutonic Order to Koblenz in 1216 and presented them from the St. Castor’s Foundation a piece of land together with the St. Nikolaus hospital that was located directly at the point where the Moselle flows into the Rhine.
Due to the destruction in 1944, Deutschherrenhaus, the former administrative building of the Teutonic Order is the only building among the many that has remained till nowadays. Since 1992 it has been the house for the Ludwig Museum, devoted primarily to the French art.
References:Vufflens castle was built in 1425 on the site of a previous medieval castle by Henri de Colombier. It is the most significant example of a small group of fortified Romandy castles from the middle ages, characterised above all by its brick construction. In 1530, it was set on fire by Bernese troops. In 1641 it was acquired by the de Senarclens family. The castle is currently privately owned and cannot be visited.
A pleasant 30 minute-walk through the vineyards between Vufflens-le-Château and Denens, offers a stunning view of this magnificent castle, the lake and the Mont-Blanc.