One of the most most largest German Castle was Rheinfels. Although much of it is in ruins you can sense and visualize the grandness it once held while walking thru it. It is the largest ruined castle on the Rhine river.It was built by Count Dieter V of Katzenelnbogen in 1245 to protect the St Goar tax collectors. Ten years later it successfully withstood the attack when 27 towns calling themselves the League of Rhenish Cities formed a strong army to attack the castle, and survived a following siege for more than a year. During the foolowing centuries, the original castle was turned into an administration centre of the counts von Katzenelnbogen.
In 1479, when the lineage of the counts of Katzenelnbogen died out at the height of their territorial power, the ownership of the castle was passed to the House of Hesse. Hesse turned the “Rheinfels” into a splendid renaissance castle and with its surrounding fortifications it became one of the strongest fortresses in Germany.
In 1692 “Rheinfels” Castle was the only fortress on the left bank of the Rhine that was able to defend itself against the attacks of Louis XIV French troops. The glorious history of the castle ended in 1794 when it was peacfuly handed over to Napoleon and the French revolutionary army. Two years later the exterior walls and the castle were blown up.
You will still be amazed at the size of the ruins and can still visit labyrinth of trenches and tunnels. There is also an impressive musuem you can visit.
Should you decide to visit here is some information for you regarding it and the surrounding area.
Rheinfels Castle
Schlossberg D-56329 St. Goar (Rhineland-Palatinate)
Tel.: +49 (0) 6741/ 77 53
Fax: +49 (0) 6741/ 77 53
e-mail: burg-rheinfels@st-goar.de
Visiting times:
March - September daily from 9am to 6pm
October daily from 9am to 5pm
November-March: on weekends without snow or ice
Sat/Sun from 11am to 5pm
You may want to consider staying at The Hotel Rheinfels. It is located in the heart of the historic town of Saint Goar, directly on the Rhine River. The famous Cologne-Düsseldorf passenger cruising lines ship landing is straight across from the hotel. The train station is close enough to walk to and you can get a connection to all of Europe including the Airport at Frankfurt which is about an hour away. The best part is they have a restaurant and most speak English. Also, make sure you try and get a river view room, you won’t be disappointed.
