Welcome

Добро пожаловать к этому международному месту открытки изображения. Benvenuto a questo luogo internazionale della cartolina di immagine. Καλωσορίστε σε αυτήν την διεθνή περιοχή καρτών εικόνων. Willkommen zu diesem internationalen Abbildungspostkarteaufstellungsort. Bienvenue à cet emplacement international de carte postale. Onthaal aan deze Internationale plaats van de beeldprentbriefkaar. Welcome to this International picture postcard site. (Please Click on the Picture for an Enlarged View)

Monday, July 22, 2013

The Drachenfels Castle

The Drachenfels is a mountain 321 metres (1,053 ft) in the Siebengebirge  mountain range between Konigswinter and Bad Honnef in Germany.
The ruined castle atop the mountain, built between 1138 and 1167 by Archbishop Arnold I of Cologne bears the same name and was originally intended for the protection of the Cologne region from any assault from the south. Originally it consisted of abergfried with court, chapel and living quarters for servants. The castle was slighted in 1634, during the Thirty Years' War, by the Protestant Swedes and never rebuilt. As a strategic asset it had outlived its usefulness. Erosion due to the continued quarrying undermined much of the remains and only a small part is left today as shown on this card.
The rock, like the rest of the Siebengebirge, is formed by the remnants of a volcano and has been the site of a trachyte quarry since Roman times, which, amongst others delivered the building material for the Cologne Cathedral. Of all the mountains in the Siebengebirge, it's closest to the river Rhine, which facilitates easy transport by barges, thus making it an excellent place for a quarry. This ended in 1836, when the Prussian government bought the quarry. In 1922 the first protection measures were put in place and in 1956 the site was declared a national park.
Thank you Kathrin for this card.