Since I have not done a #TSBTP, I thought I would do one today. This time is about Schloss Drachenburg on the Drachenfels in Königswinter near Cologne.
Last year, in May 2018, I was on the Drachenfels with University en route to a Field-trip in Cologne. We stopped by Königswinter to view the restoration efforts on that very mountain, as it was threatening to crumble and block up the Rhine.
The ‘Castle’ was was built from 1882 to 1884 by Freiherr Stephan von Sartre, who was a Financialist living in Paris. He never actually lived in the ‘Castle’, and starting in 1903 it was mainly used for tourism. From 1940 to 1971 it was used as a school, first by the Nazis and then by the Railway. It later fell into disrepair and was finally restored to its ‘original’ condition and reopened for tourism in 2010. Find out more on Wikipedia .
Rock from the Drachenfels, were the Drachenburg sits on, was actually used in the construction of the Kölner Dom. Because of that, the Rock was destabilized and had to be secured with steel rods and concrete. Those are currently being rebuilt to prohibit the Mountain from sliding into the Rhine.
To get up and down the Drachenfels, we used the Drachenfelsbahn, which is an old rack train running up the Mountain from Königswinter. It stops at the Drachenburg and at the Summit of Drachenfels.
After visiting the Drachenfels, we drove on to Cologne to continue with our University Field-trip. We had a great time there.
*the Drachenburg is about 45km from Cologne.
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