The Festung Ehrenbreitstein was built in 1832 after Napoleon's troops burnt the previous fort to the ground; military fortresses have been on the site dating back to 1000BC. It's the 2nd largest fortress in Europe and could be defended by 1,500 soldiers, although it was never attacked before it was decommissioned in 1890. During World War II it was used to store archives and cultural objects; now it has 2 museums, a restaurant and the youth hostel. We enjoyed the tour that the hash organized, but had more fun on our own search of the grounds. As usual, we came home with shards of pottery to add to our collection.
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