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GERMANY | The Loreley Valley, Germany Travel Guide
Saturday, May 11, 2024
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St Goar and Burg Rheinfels
Burg Rheinfels, St Goar, Germany (cc)
Photo: Tk
St Goar and Burg Rheinfels
St Goar is a small town on the Rhine, on the left bank of the river, overrun by mass tourism. There is a proliferation of overpriced restaurants and souvenir shops of every stripe here, to the point that the town has become a good place to gauge tourist preferences: Americans, we are told, generally opt for beer mugs and cuckoo clocks, even though the latter come from the Black Forest region; the French and Italians prefer wine glasses for the most part; while the British, being British, are partial to tea towels that are actually produced in Britain!
Still, St Goar does have more authentic attractions. On the approach to town, for instance, on a sharp bend peppered with souvenir stalls, is a viewpoint that offers superb views of the Loreley Rock. And in town itself, overhanging the main street of St Goar, is the world's largest cuckoo clock, more than 3 meters (10 feet) high and 2 meters (6 feet) wide. The clock dates from 1973 and has two faces with cuckoos popping out on both sides every 30 minutes.
Burg Rheinfels
The castle ruins of Burg Rheinfels loom large at St Goar, and are easily its principal draw. Located on Schlossberg Straße, high above the town, Burg Rheinfels was the mightiest fortress ever constructed on the banks of the Rhine. It was originally built in 1245 by Graf Dieter V von Katzenelnbogen, and upon its completion Katzenelnbogen did what anyone else would have done: he increased the toll charges on the river. In response, 26 Rhine towns raised an army of 8,000 men and 1,000 knights, encircled the fortress for a year and 14 weeks, eventually retreating in defeat. When the Katzenelnbogen family died out in 1479, the castle passed into the ownership of the Hessen family, who not only continued adding to it, but constructed mine tunnels that enabled them to surprise the enemy from below ground. The tunnels can still be visited, but require a flashlight. Later on, in 1692, the French failed to conquer the castle, even with a superior force of 18,000 and 10,000 backups who faced a garrison of 3,000. Despite 10 days of artillery bombardments, the French had to retreat, with 4,000 dead and 6,500 wounded – eight times more than the Germans. A century later, in 1794, the coward commander fled before the advancing French army and the castle fell without a shot being fired. It was systematically blown up in following years, but reconstruction commenced in 1818.
Today the castle is still mostly in ruins, but well worth a visit. It houses an interesting museum with a large scale model of the original castle. Maps for self-guided tours are available at the entrance. The view from the castle over the Rhine Valley is absolutely stunning. The small restaurant at the castle serves excellent food, but for eating with a view, try the upmarket restaurant in the adjacent castle hotel.
The parking lot at the castle is small and the hill very steep, making the motorized train, Burg-Express, that travels up the hill about four times per hour, well worth the expense. While waiting for the train in St Goar, check out the houses that mark the high-water levels of various Rhine floods.
Last updated June 16, 2011
Posted in Germany | The Loreley Valley
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