The cog railway takes you steeply uphill. From the Drachenfels near Königswinter—Germany’s most “climbed” mountain—the view stretches far across the Rhine. Even halfway up, it’s worth stopping at Drachenburg Castle.
Two large golden stags greet visitors on the Venus Terrace before they ascend a grand staircase into the castle. From the terraces, the view sweeps across the densely forested Siebengebirge Nature Park, and even Cologne Cathedral can still be seen in the distance. Poets such as Johann Wolfgang von Goethe and Friedrich Hölderlin once raved about the romance of the Rhine. Yet it was, of all people, a stock speculator who fulfilled an architectural dream by building Drachenburg Castle in the midst of this idyll. In 1882, Baron Stephan von Sarter laid the cornerstone for this stately Wilhelminian-style building.
Tristan and Isolde at the Castle
To this day, no one knows exactly why the son of a Bonn innkeeper had this hybrid of a villa, a fortress, and a castle built. Perhaps a woman was behind it. Maybe the banker, who had come into wealth, simply wanted to emulate the nobility. In any case, he himself never lived in the magnificent rooms and halls of Drachenburg Castle, but instead lived in a rented apartment in Paris until his death in 1902. Just one year later, Sarter’s nephew, Jakob Biesenbach, took over the estate and opened it to the public as a “summer retreat.” The log cabins he built in the park of Drachenburg Castle still bear the names Isolde, Parsifal, Tristan, and Walküre.
The tower room is breathtaking
It is also thanks to Biesenbach that Drachenburg Castle—after facing the threat of decay on several occasions—can once again be visited in its original condition. A series of postcards issued at the time made the reconstruction of the Neo-Gothic art gallery and the private apartments possible. Some of the richly decorated stained-glass windows were also restored, and visitors can admire them during guided tours, regular concerts, and special events.
For example, the “Festival of Fantasy” in August is the perfect opportunity for a stroll through the sprawling park grounds. In the wonderful atmosphere of the castle park, street performers, acrobats, puppeteers, comedians, and musicians transport visitors to fairy-tale worlds.
On both event days and regular opening days, strollers will find plenty of secluded spots for a picnic on the lawns. And for those who love romance, the best option is to book the suite with the tower room and enjoy the breathtaking view of the Rhine Valley from high above.
The view of the river and the Siebengebirge is even better from higher up, at the summit of the Drachenfels, where, incidentally, the ruins of a 12th-century castle can still be found. At a panoramic restaurant on the Drachenfels plateau, visitors can enjoy the sweeping view and refuel for the return trip. But if you don’t feel like making the roughly one-hour hike, you can also take the cogwheel train down into the valley from up here.
