Drachenburg, the Dragon Castle

Sometimes the best places to visit in a country aren’t the most popular. Drachenfels (dragon cliff) and Drachenburg (dragon castle) are definitely not the iconic destinations in Germany. However, they are some of the most scenic!

Drachenfels is located at the top of a volcano – sort of. It was built on a hill formed by magma that cooled before it could reach the surface. This is what made the landform into a hill. The entire region of mountains is called the Siebengebirge, or the seven mountains. In reality, there are over 40 hills that belong to this range.

In 1138, one of the archbishops from Köln (Cologne) began building a tower atop the hill Drachenfels as a way to secure the presence of Köln in the region. He had written a document for the transfer of the property to another individual, naming it “Drachenberg” himself. From then on, the new inhabitant hung red flags with silver dragons from the castle. 

The origin of the name is thought to be mythical, where Siegfried, the hero of the Nibelung Saga, killed the dragon named Fafnir, who lived on the cliff. Siegfried then became invulnerable when he took a bath in the dragon’s blood. 

It was then brought to ruins in 1634 in the 30 years’ war, leaving it in the condition it is today. That being said, thankfully whoever was going to live there doesn’t, because to visit him today, it would be a very steep hike! It took us about 12 minutes to hike under half a mile to the top. It was very steep to climb, and the next day my legs cramped up. Be sure to be prepared for the hike if you choose to walk, otherwise, there is a trolley, which conveniently takes you from a stop at the parking lot, to Drachenburg, and then continues on to Drachenfels. 

Drachenfels has a tourist shop for souvenirs and also a restaurant that serves the typical brats, french fries, and soda. Brats were decently priced at 3.70 Euros (~ 4 USD) for a brat, and the tourist shop was a little more expensive, with a t-shirt costing 15 Euros (~17 USD). 

I really liked the view from both look-out platforms. One is located at the base of the climb to Drachenfels. I recommend ordering lunch and then sitting to look out over the Rhein river valley to the south and towns below. The other look-out platform is located at the top of Drachenfels. Here, you get an even better view of the Rhein river valley, with views north to the town of Bonn and south. Both platforms are worth the hike. 

Below Drachenfels is another sight, the completely in-tact Drachenburg castle. Castle Drachenburg was built from 1882-1884 as a private villa for Stephan von Sarter, a French man of finance. He never lived in the castle, though. 

It was handed down in the family and sold to others until eventually turned into a catholic school in 1931. In 1940, it operated as a school for National Socialism (NS) school for the military (Interesting, right?). The American military bombed it, and used it for command. They also allowed refugees to live there. 

Following the war, the Deutsche Bahn or German train company, operated the castle as a train school. The director even lived there! This didn’t last long, because it was planned to be torn down and replaced with office buildings, but was preserved by the community. 

Paul Spinat (how cool is that? His last name is spinach!) was the one that came in and saved the day in 1971. He bought the castle and restored it, making it open to the public. This is why we get to visit the beautiful castle today!

From Drachenburg, you also have views of the Rhein river valley to the north and south, all the way to Bonn. It was a little rainy, so be prepared with an umbrella if you visit in the rainy season. The views are gorgeous, the interior is just as beautiful as the exterior, and they even have some of the rooms set up as though people live there. I almost like the restored castles more than the unrestored ones, because they look so much more beautiful, like interactive museums. The older, unrestored castles are beautiful, too, but more in a historic and ancient kind of way. 

Be sure to visit Drachenfels and Drachenburg for beautiful outlooks over the town of Königswinter and the Rhein river. So beautiful! 

“I HAVEN’T BEEN EVERYWHERE, BUT IT’S ON MY LIST.”- SUSAN SONTAG

I am REALLY excited for these new videos that Lucas and I have worked hard to put together. I find that by being at a location and recording makes a lot better of a video than sitting at home and talking about teh same time. We have added new music, different edits, and here are the results! Be sure to check each video out, and tell me how you feel about it!

Here is a video we made on our trip to Drachenburg (the castle), and below is a video for Drachenfels (the ruins).

Below is a video of our trip to Drachenfels.