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More information about the historyRolandseck Castle in the Rolandswerth district of Remagen once stood proud, high on a hill above the Rhine. The site was first mentioned in the records in 1040 as Rulcheseck. In 1122, Archbishop Frederick I of Cologne had a castle built here, together with the Nonnenwerth convent. Today, all that remains of the castle is an arch-shaped ruin, known as the Rolandsbogen [Roland’s arch].
Image: Andreas Achenbach, Rolandsbogen, 1834, “RheinRomantik” collection, Bonn
The castle and the arch have often inspired the imagination of storytellers and painters, for example in the legend of Roland, which is based on the medieval “Song of Roland” from France. The legend tells the unhappy love story of Sir Roland and his lover Hildegunde of the Drachenfels. Sir Roland did actually live. He was a vassal to Charlemagne in the 8th century – 300 years before the castle and the convent were built. A number of landscape painters - including Andreas Achenbach - gained inspiration from the arch-shaped ruin. The picture shows the original structure of the arch, before it collapsed in 1839.
The Rhine island of Nonnenwerth – also previously known as Rolandswerth – is situated between Rolandswerth and Bad Honnef, opposite the island of Grafenwerth. With a few interruptions, it was the home of a monastery of Benedictine nuns from the beginning of the 12th century, until, as a result of secularisation, it became an important gastronomy location for a few decades after 1803. One of its famous guests was Franz Liszt, who planted a plane tree here to celebrate his birthday - today, this is one of the most impressive trees in the island’s parkland. In 1854, the convent was taken over by Franciscan nuns. Since then, the convent has also housed a school, which began as a girls’ boarding academy and is now a secondary school.
Image: Areal photo of the Rodderberg (wikipedia user „wolkentratzer“)
The Rodderberg, which is around 500,000 years old, is the newest volcano in the region. It last erupted just 300,000 years ago. The impressive crater, which is more than 50 m deep, with its slopes of basalt tuff and slag, is not only a unique geological monument which has been protected since 1927. As a dry, warm and sunny haven, it is also an important refuge for endangered species of animals and plants, such as the colourful swallowtail, the sand lizard, the yarrow broomrape and the clusterhead pink.
Image: Radom Wachtberg 2010, wikipedia/„jwohlfahrt“
TIRA, the space observation radar, is a large-scale radar system in Wachtberg near Bonn and is a research radar belonging to the Fraunhofer Institute. The facility is protected from the wind and the rain by a weather-resistant cover – called a radome. With a diameter of almost 48 metres and having the appearance of an oversized golf ball, it is the world’s largest radome and can be seen from afar. The radar was originally used for military research and the early detection of intercontinental missiles. Researchers now use the facility primarily for observing satellites and space debris, as well as to support space missions.
Image: View of the inside of the radar facility, www.fhr.fraunhofer.de
Practical informationThe radome in Wachtberg can be visited in small groups and on request. Phone: +49 228 94350 A restaurant next to the Rolandsbogen is the perfect place to stop off and take in the view:
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Nonnenwerth island can only be visited after prior notification, or for the Saturday evening mass at 5 pm (without prior notification).
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More information on the history of the Rhine, myths and Siebengebirge artists can be found at the Siebengebirgsmuseum Königswinter:
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The Rhine Valley between the Drachenfels, the Erpeler Ley, the Apollinaris church and Linz can also be toured by bike.
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