The most climbed mountain in Europe is probably the most famous vantage point of the Siebengebirge.
A trip with vision offers the trip with the oldest cog railway in Germany to probably the most famous viewpoint of the Siebengebirge, the Drachenfels high above the Rhine Valley near Königswinter. The remains of a knight's castle, whose construction began in 1140 and was destroyed during the Thirty Years' War, adorn the trachyte cliffs. Every year, around 2.5 million visitors "storm" to enjoy the unique view of the Rhine, the Eifel and the Bay of Cologne.
There is the Drachenfelsbahn, which, with the help of cogwheel technology, mastered a difference in altitude of 220 meters over the 1.5-kilometer route and transported more than 30 million passengers in its more than 100-year history. Children can be carried up by donkeys from the base station of the rack railway, drive with the cab or hike up.
Half way there is the Nibelungenhalle, a museum with motifs from Germanic mythology. eerie, 40 meter long "dragon cave" leads to the replica of a large reptile from archaic time.
Dragon saga: There are several legend versions of the dragon that have the same content in one point: Once upon a time, such a monster lived in a cave on the Drachenfels and occasionally fetched a man for a meal.
The other descriptions differ mainly in the form of how the dragon was driven out of his cave or killed him: Siegfried, the hero from the Nibelungensage, is said to have killed the dragon on the way to Worms and obtained invulnerability by bathing in his blood , Stone sculptures in the Nibelungenhalle are still reminiscent of this event. A second version tells of the regular feeding of the dragon with prisoners.
One day a young Christian was offered as a sacrifice to the dragon. In her mortal fear, she had held out a small cross to the dragon. Then the dragon jumped into the Rhine and has not been seen since. In the nearby reptile zoo live crocodiles and snakes are admired. If you are not satisfied with these attractions or if you are not romantic, or if you would like to familiarize yourself with the history of nature conservation in Germany, then you should visit Drachenburg Castle. The dream castle was built by Baron Stefan von Sarter in the neo-Gothic style at the end of the 19th century.
The "Neuschwanstein am Rhein" houses not only monumental murals with motifs of the Rhenish mythology and the medieval knights life worth seeing old furniture.
Drachenfelsbahn: Jan./Feb./Nov .: monday to friday 12-17 o'clock, saturday and sunday 11-18 o'clock, every hour; March, Oct .: 10am - 6pm, April: 10am - 7pm, May - Sept .: 9am - 7pm, each half-hourly
Drachenfelsbahn: adults: € 7.50 (one way), € 9 (ascent and descent); erm .: 4,50 € (single), 5 € (ascent and descent)
Refreshments: Restaurant on the Drachenfels