When you come directly into close contact with a story shrouded in the mystery of a legendary narrative, you get a little lost and stand mesmerized. Thought processes are turned off and all your body is capable of is exhaling simple words, repeating them incessantly: – “Oh, how beautiful!”.That’s what happened to us. We went on a long journey through the lands of Germany, to the small town of Koenigswinter at the foot of Drachenfels Mountain, to visit the famous Drachenburg Castle, which became the cultural heritage of Germany in the post-war years.
Immediately we want to please those who plan to visit this place; you can get to the castle at any time of the year and throughout the day, right up to the evening! Circling around the city in search of parking, we were already looking forward to a hike up the steep slope of the mountain, but, to our universal joy, a tram runs to the very entrance to the castle, which runs along the route every half hour. Drachenburg Castle is not the final stop, but it is impossible to pass by it.
Majestic structures surrounded by evergreen plantings seem to attract tourists, expecting in return a small fee – a long memory, a warmed heart, and, of course, 7 euros for an entrance ticket per person. At the entrance to the castle there is a souvenir shop, a cash register and several other funny items of historical life. Since we were traveling in winter, we wanted to refresh ourselves in a coffee shop, which is also located next to a souvenir shop.
After warming our hands with a cup of hot latte and fortified with poppy seed cake, we went to admire the beauty for which, in fact, we came so far.
The whole castle is made in the Neo-Gothic style. style. Its towers stretching to the sky really look fabulous. And it seems that it was here that the Nibelungs once lived, the brave Siekfried, went out on the terrace in the morning, stretched himself after a hearty breakfast, went hunting, and once even killed a terrible dragon in order to take back the gold that rightfully belonged to his people.
The interior of the castle seems to have absorbed the essence of the luxury of that time. High gilded ceilings, walls decorated with exquisite paintings, chic chandeliers and wide marble stairs. Even by modern standards, the interior decoration of the Drachenburg can be called exceptionally luxurious. Bright bedrooms are decorated with almost full-length windows, a neat bed, chiseled furniture and an invariable attribute of aristocrats — the skin of a dead bear on the floor.
This hunting trophy-decoration was an occasion for the pride of the owner of the castle. Walking through the offices and bedrooms, the corridor, the kitchen and the dining room, you involuntarily wonder if there is any zest hidden in all this splendor. And, by all means, it is there! The pride of the castle is the room of the Nibelungs. Here, under special supervision, historical frescoes are kept, which depict illustrations to the popular German poem “The Song of the Nibelungs”.
Visiting the castle, everyone is doomed to learn something new for themselves and touch the authentic German culture.
