Drachenfels (Siebengebirge)

Drachenfels in 1921.

Ruin of castle Drachenfels.

Old drawing of the Drachenfels.

Wine grown at the side of the Drachenfels.

The Drachenfels ("Dragon's Rock", German pronunciation: [ˈdʁaxənˌfɛls]) is a mountain 321 metres (1,053 ft) in the Siebengebirge mountain range near Bonn, Germany. The ruined castle atop the mountain bears the same name. A newer castle, recently restored (2003) and down the Rhine, is named Schloss Drachenburg.

A German legend recounts that Siegfried – the hero of the Nibelungenlied – killed a dragon living in a cave in the mountain, then bathed in its blood to become invulnerable. Hence, the mountain is named the "Dragon's Rock" -- Drachenfels.

A mountain railway, the Drachenfels Railway, connects Königswinter with the summit of the Drachenfels.

About a third of the way up is the Nibelungenhalle, built in 1913, a gallery of paintings by the symbolist painter Hermann Hendrich depicting scenes from Richard Wagner's operas.

See also

• List of mountains and hills in North Rhine-Westphalia

External links

• Official page (in German)
• Information around the Drachenfels (in German)
• Apiary Honighäuschen at the Drachenfels (in English)

Coordinates: 50°39′55″N 7°12′35″E / 50.66528°N 7.20972°E / 50.66528; 7.20972