The mountain Drachenfels at the right side of the Rhine River maybe 50 km south of Cologne became a very popular tourist site in the times of the Rhine Romantic in the 19’th century. With all its legends and beautiful landscape it draw the attention of poets and musicians. Here are just some names: earlier Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, Friedrich Schlegel, Victor Hugo, Robert Schumann, William Turner…. Lord Byron provided one nice poem dedicated to his loved friend (and half sister, its okay as long as it stays in the family), „The Castled Crag of Drachenfels„.
Heinrich Heinrich wrote „Die Nacht auf dem Drachenfels“ and also the famous poem about the Loreley.
I could not find a song with the words of this poem but another romantic song about the Drachenfels.
The Drachenfels is a popular destination for school excursion.
Germanies oldest cog wheel train runs up on the Drachenfels and of course we had to use it to get up on the mountain.
1958 it was here, that a bad accident happened which causes 17 casualties and turned it to the biggest disaster of that kind in Germany in the pre WWII time at that time. The accident is commemorated with a memorial at the lower terminus of the train. The memorial was dedicated 2018.
Another way to get up on the mountain was to ride on horses and donkeys which is still possible but not in big numbers as it used to be at the beginning and not for the whole stage as parts a closed now because live is dangerous. The flock did not like the sign saying do not feed the animals.
And if you want to buy the “Drachenfels”, here is an option for you: the ship “KD Drachefels” baptized 1985 is on sale after it was put off duty 2014. It was too high for some of its tours on the Mosel river and the ship “Loreley” took over the service.
Famous people visited the Drachenfels 1896 like:
King Oskar II. of Sweden of the dynasty Bernadotte, which is stemming from Wittelbacher Josefine von Leuchtenberg visited the Drachenfels 1896
and so did the powerful, clever Chinese Vice King Li-Hung-Tschang,commemorated in China with a memorial of sculptor Otto Lang from Oberammergau,
who also met powerful politician Otto von Bismarck (first “Reichskanzler” of the German empire since 1890) the same year 1896 (respection each other) but he did not meet emperor Wilhelm II. who did not really like Chinese people. There is a Memorial of Bismarck in front of the „Deutsches Museum“ in Munich.
The Name “Drachenfels” might stem of the rock type “Trachyt” of which the mountain is made of and which was used to build the Cologne Cathedral and which gives the wine planted at its side the mineral taste.
At the summit we went into the new summit restaurant and tried to get a Blackforest cake but it was not available so we selected waffles with cherries which were a good compensation and wine from the area but not from the Drachenfels itself.
At the summit we went into the new summit restaurant and tried to get a Blackforest cake but it was not available so we selected waffles with cherries which were a good compensation and wine from the area but not from the Drachenfels itself.
We found this peculiar sign telling that this way is closed because live is dangerous.
Update:08.12.2019 The Esels-path is open again after expensive repairs.
Visible from the moutain platform ist the „Radom“ Wachtberg in the low mountain range area Eifel, a Radar Station, which looks like the Erdfunkstelle Raisting, also with a building called Radom.
At the middle station you will find the peculiar new castle Drachenburg, which was built by industrial “Stephan von Sarter” in neo gothic and other historic styles and which together with ist other attraction, the „Nibelungenhalle“ and the Dragon Cave is Kind of like a Nibelungenland, predecessor of Disney Land but a must see for history lovers. With its nice park it is a popular site for weddings and wedding photography, in fact we saw one couple in the garden.
Famous German emperors are commemorated with paintings in the staircase of the Castle like Barbarossa (Staufer) , Rudolph I. Habsburger and Ludwig der Bayer (Wittelsbacher).
This Picture in the Castle shows how jealous Kriemhild shows despised Brünhild the smoking gun, the belt which her husband, hero Siegfried stole during her wedding night with king Gunther while helping Gunther to rape Brünhild with Gunthers agreement to get rid of her super powers. Here it is the belt he shows, he also stole her magic ring.
Both castles are visible from the Petersberg were I and Sheila have been before and of course the „Petersberg“ is visible from here vice versa.
This Special sign at the summit platform helps the blind to find their way.
Back down in Königswinter, the starting Point of the Train, we again had to cross the busy train route along the Rhine before we enjoyed the sunset at the Rhine Promenade with many Hotels like the Loreley and ice cream parlors.
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