City: "The beauty of the city, the hospitality of
the people and the wholesome associations all attribute to
the good feelings of being in Cochem. Added to this are the
many attractive facilities for both foreign guests and the
indigenous people. "- with these words the mayor of Cochem
welcomes all in the city brochure.
The ancient and romantic town of Cochem is situated in
the most beautiful part of the Moselle Valley, a pleasant
stroll between the walking paradises of Eifel and Hunsrück.
This city is best known as a popular tourist destination.
One attraction is the castle or 'Reichsburg ', situated on
a dominant position 100 meters above the city on a rock plateau.
In addition to tourism Cochem is also a major wine producer
and are justifiably very proud of their Riesling wines.
The history of this town goes back a long way. By the
time of the Celts and the Romans people were already living
here. The first mention of the town was in a charter of December
20, 866. The 'Noble matron’ Hieldilda donated to the
monastery of Prüm a range of goods including a mansion
"in villa cuchema". The founder of the castle was
Ehrenfried, a brother-in-law of Emperor Otto. Elector Palatine
graves, the Ezzonids, lived in the Castle until the year 1151.
Building: St. Martinskirche (St. Martin church)
This church is one of the three Roman Catholic churches
built inside the city. The church is situated by the market.
The church has a turbulent history. The current old choir
stand was first mentioned in 1593. Between 1932-1933 a new
nave was built, but it was destroyed by bombing in 1945. In
1950/1951 the nave was rebuilt again.
The name of God: The current
church dates back to 1950. In the church are stained-glass
windows. On one of the windows Moses at the burning bush is
shown. This is a reference to Exodus chapter three. Beside
the window is written JHWH, Gods name in Hebrew.
