Rheinblick II

More information about the history

Image: Postcard, approx. 1900

The Drachenfels, with its attractive viewing points, has always been a popular destination for Rhine tourists and artists. Those who had neither a camera, a sketching block or an easel recorded their visit with a postcard like this one. The panoramic vista sweeps far beyond the hill, Drachenburg castle and Königswinter – as far as the Godesburg to the west of the Rhine. At the beginning of the 20th century, the land on the other side of the Rhine was still sparsely populated and extremely agricultural.

Image: Postcard, approx. 1925

Also belonging to the park at Drachenburg castle are a series of “Nordic houses” which Jakob Hubert Biesenbach – nephew of the original patron Baron von Sarter and owner of the estate from 1903 – gradually had built. They were wooden houses with two to three rooms which accommodated hotel guests from the nearby “Burghof” during the summer. Surrounding this early example of a holiday park, the owner of the estate had conifer forests planted and an animal reserve was created – both to provide a Scandinavian atmosphere.

Intrigued by the stories told by his nephew, Prince Edward, the Belgian King Leopold I also stopped over in Königswinter.

Image: Postcard, earlier than 1920

In 1910, the former cavalry captain Egbert von Simon bought Drachenburg castle. He kept the main building, the outer bailey (to the right of the photo) and the park largely unchanged but planned to develop Drachenburg castle into an amusement park. However, this was not to be as von Simon died in the war in 1915. The unique character of the castle was therefore retained. With its many towers, bays and parapets, it primarily invokes Medieval structures, in historicist style. In contrast, modern 19th century technology, such as gas lights and hot-air heating, provided contemporary levels of comfort inside the castle.

Image: Postcard from approx. 1925

After the death of cavalry captain von Simon, Hermann Flohr, a factory owner from Cologne, bought the castle and the grounds at an auction in 1923. The postcard from 1925 clearly shows the purpose he intended for the park. With its terraces, the sloping meadow, the small park wood with its network of paths and sections artistically designed in the style of an English country park, it formed a peaceful contrast to the stylistic diversity of the castle architecture and allowed a panoramic view of the Rhine Valley.

Image: Painting of the castle by Hoffmann, approx. 1930, Siebengebirgsmuseum / Heimatverein Siebengebirge e.V., Königswinter

It was not only famous Romantic movement landscape painters, such as William Turner from England and brothers Oswald and Andreas Achenbach from Germany, who were inspired by the Drachenfels and the Rhine landscape. Following on from this tradition, the works of lesser-known artists also achieved a certain degree of fame – this included Heinrich Hoffmann, who had specialised in designs for postcards. In the centre of his postcard, Drachenburg castle rises high above an apparently unending river landscape, like a “Neuschwanstein on the Rhine” – a synonym for the castle which is still often used today.

Practical information

At the Siebengebirgsmuseum, paintings from the Rhine romanticism period are on permanent display and are also part of regularly changing special exhibitions.

Siebengebirgsmuseum Königswinter, Kellerstraße 16
Tue–Fri 2 PM–5 PM, Sat 2 PM–6 PM, Sun 11 AM–6 PM, Mondays closed
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