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More information about the history
Image: “The virgin with the dragon”, illustration for Wolfgang Müller, Das Rheinbuch, 1870
In a landscape rich in rugged crags and dark caves, a legend such as “The dragon on the Drachenfels” is a must. As the story goes, a valiant but god-fearing virgin sent the bloodthirsty dragon to its death with a crucifix.
The legend of the seven giants, who created the Siebengebirge unintentionally after a relief operation, is another example of the region’s diverse legendary world.
Image: Rolandseck, Nonnenwerth and Drachenfels, watercolours and gouache, J. M. W. Turner, 1817, Tate Britain, London
The Drachenfels had great appeal for 19th century artists. Numerous printed pictures were the illustrations for postcards and travel guides. The Siebengebirgsmuseum exhibits a regularly changing selection of paintings from the private “RheinRomantik” collection. J. M. W. Turner, whose views of the Rhine can be seen in the Tate Britain in London, is certainly one of the most well-known artists to paint the Drachenfels.
Image: Rhine landscape with the Siebengebirge, oil on canvas, Barend Cornelis Koekkoek, 1853, B. C. Koekkoek-Haus, Kleve
Image: Rhine landscape with Drachenfels castle, oil on canvas, Fritz Bamberger, 1854, Staatsgalerie Stuttgart
Image: “Draakenfels”, copperplate engraving, H. de Leth, Amsterdam 1767, Siebengebirgsmuseum
Image: Monument design, 1814, from Vagedes, lithograph, Kölnisches Stadtmuseum
The monument at this site is a smaller replica of the first monument, which was commissioned by members of the reserve militia and erected at the viewpoint in 1814. Advocates of the replica were the trustees of two members who were killed in action, whose names were dispensed with when the new monument was constructed at the original site in 1857 – in favour of a citation for the Prussian king. The citations, of the Prussian Major von Boltenstern above all, were controversial as the value of his military campaign was disputed. It was unsuccessful and at least ten more Prussian soldiers paid for it with their lives. A bronze plaque on the replica monument provides information on its erection in 1914, on the 100th anniversary of the construction of the first monument.
Practical informationThe Nibelungenhalle on the Drachenfels provides insight into the legendary world of the Nibelungen and dragon mythology.
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The history of the landscape, Rhine travel and Rhine romanticism are also some of the central subjects at the Siebengebirgsmuseum Königswinter:
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