On 7 March 1945, soldiers of the US 9th Armored Division reached Remagen and found the Ludendorff railway bridge across the Rhine still standing, despite German attempts to blow it. They rushed across, and for the first time the Allies had a foothold on the far bank of the great river. Ten days later the damaged bridge collapsed, but by then pontoons had been built and the war in the west had entered its last chapter. What remains today are the black stone towers on both banks, and those on the Remagen side house a small peace museum telling the story with honesty and without glorification.
Remagen had a long past before that. The Romans built a fort called Rigomagus here, and it is part of the Lower German Limes UNESCO site; traces turn up under the town centre, and a Roman museum shows what was found. On the hill above the town stands the neo-Gothic Apollinaris church, with its spires visible from far up and down the river, and the Arp Museum at the old Rolandseck railway station combines the art of Hans Arp with a striking modern building by Richard Meier.
For riders, Remagen is a crossroads. The B9 along the left bank of the Rhine and the B42 on the right bank are scenic but often busy, especially with trucks and weekend traffic, and the Rhine valley has a long running debate about motorcycle noise; behave, keep the revs reasonable through villages, and you will be welcome. The real pleasure lies a few kilometres away: the Ahr valley with its vineyards and tight bends, the volcanic Eifel to the west and the Westerwald heights across the river. A small ferry runs from Remagen across to Linz am Rhein and Erpel, a pleasant way to cross with a view.
Remagen has around sixteen thousand people, fuel, cafés and an ice cream shop on the riverside promenade, where you can sit and watch the barges and passenger boats glide past the bridge towers. Erpel, directly opposite, sits under the Erpeler Ley, a basalt cliff you can climb for a fine view of the river and the bridge site. Spring and autumn are especially good, with the light softer and the valley less crowded.