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Drachenburg Castle looks like a spectacular mixture of a knight's castle and a confectionery. The building, which was only completed in 1884 in the style of historicism, has been a listed building since 1986 and today functions as a Gründerzeit museum. 

By train to Königswinter: Plan arrival

What could have prompted the son of a Bonn innkeeper to build such a magnificent palace - neo-early Gothic on the outside, neo-Renaissance on the inside - for 1.8 million gold marks? Especially since the stock market analyst and later financier of the Suez Canal, Stephan Sarter, lived in Paris and never lived in his ambitious mixture of villa, castle and palace. The estate experienced an eventful history, culminating in complete decay in the 1970s.

But eventually an eccentric textile merchant acquired the building and restored it until the castle was finally listed in 1986 and the North Rhine-Westphalia Foundation had it carefully restored. Today, Schloss Drachenburg on the Drachenfels above the banks of the Rhine near Königswinter is an attraction for visitors from all over the world and a recognized Gründerzeit museum.

However, visiting Drachenburg Castle is not easy: it is located in a nature reserve. If you want to visit Drachenburg Castle, you can walk from the valley station of the Drachenfelsbahn on the so-called Eselsweg past the Nibelungenhalle to the castle gate - all in all a nice little hike of about 30 minutes. Or, another option: You can take the historic Drachenfelsbahn directly to the castle gate - but there is no reservation possible and the train is usually crowded. More about castles and palaces in North Rhine-Westphalia can be found at here.

By the way, you can find tips on how to travel comfortably and inexpensively on long-distance and local trains with Deutsche Bahn here.

More articles from North Rhine-Westphalia

In collaboration with Tourism NRW e.V.

Reasons for a Vacation in North Rhine-Westphalia there are plenty - the living Cities, the old Castles and palaces and the unique Nature are just a few of them.

 

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